Six Recommended Books on Influence and Persuasion

As a manager, it’s important to be aware of your own personal power and how to use it effectively. One way to do this is by understanding the concept of influence. Influence is the ability to affect others in the desired way. It can be exerted through various means such as authority, expertise, or persuasion.

Managers who are able to wield influence effectively are better equipped for success. They can more easily get their peers and team on board with new initiatives, motivate employees, and resolve conflicts.

Below are selected books on influence and persuasion. Key tools in a manager’s arsenal. If you have any other suggestions, please share them below.

Table of Contents

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• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion 
• Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade 
• Exactly What to Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact
• Swayed: How to Communicate for Impact 
• How to Win Friends & Influence People 
• Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It 
• Win Bigly: Persuasion in a World Where Facts Don’t Matter 

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion 

This book is the bible of persuasion, written by Dr. Cialdini, a renowned expert on influence and persuasion, who developed many theories on persuasion, manipulation, and methods of influence. Explains the psychology of why people say “yes”—and how to apply these understandings. Dr. Robert Cialdini’s book contains six chapters on the various ways (both harmful and beneficial) in which we are influenced and persuaded.

Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade 

Examines the art of effective persuasion to argue that its secret lies in a key moment before messages are delivered, sharing strategies for how to psychologically prepare one’s listeners to render them most receptive.

Exactly What to Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact

This book is a masterclass in the art of influencing, persuading and achieving high business results. In this book, Phil M. Jones takes you through a series of situations where people often say the wrong things and make things worse, or when they don’t even know what to say, and gives formulas for how to structure responses that transform things.

Swayed: How to Communicate for Impact 

A must-read for anyone serious about the positive power of persuasion, from a leading behavioral change expert.

How to Win Friends & Influence People 

For more than sixty years the rock-solid, time-tested advice in this book by Dale Carnegie has carried thousands of now-famous people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives. This book has been ranked number one among one of the top self-development books. It includes chapters on how to avoid conflict, criticize and convince people of your way of thinking. This is a magical guide to help you understand people, make them like you, and convince them of your way of thinking. 

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It 

A former international hostage negotiator for the FBI offers a new, field-tested approach to high-stakes negotiations—whether in the boardroom or at home.

Win Bigly: Persuasion in a World Where Facts Don’t Matter 

From the creator of Dilbert, an unflinching look at the strategies Donald Trump used to persuade voters to elect the most unconventional candidate in the history of the presidency, and how anyone can learn his methods for succeeding against long odds.