Magic Words: 3 Sentences to get anyone to do anything

1. If I do this for you, will you do that for me?

Why is it persuasive?

The reason this sentence is persuasive, is because of the reciprocity principle. This is one of the six principles that Robert Cialdini covers in his ground-breaking book Influence from 1984, and the key point is that people don’t like to feel indebted to others. This means that if I give something of value to you, then you are more likely to give something of value to me.

Why do you think restaurants bring you sweets — often chocolate — along with your cheque? Because they want you to increase your tip. Fun fact — it works like a charm.

From an evolutionary perspective it is clear why we are wired this way, From a survival standpoint, it is clear that we need to be able to reciprocate favours and cooperate in order to survive on the savannah. In the modern world of internet, smartphones and self-driving cars however, we need to be aware of the ways that this principle affects us, so that we can use it to be as persuasive as possible.

Ultimately, this sentence is persuasive because we are biologically hardwired for its effects, and it can be applied in a broad range of different settings to great effect.