People like to give advice

Being asked for advice makes people feel like part of the team

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is that people like to give advice beyond that
happy truth. When they do give advice, they feel more

(00:25):
invested in the ultimate outcome. So it is a good
strategy to ask for advice whenever you are hoping to
get people on your team. Today's tip, like several other
recent ones, comes from pre suasion, a revolutionary way to
influence and persuade. Author Robert Chaldini has identified principles of

(00:49):
persuasion that can make people more likely to agree to
a request. One of his principles is unity, that is
feeling a connection to something. Chaldeini described a study asking
people to comment on the proposed menu for a new restaurant.
Some were asked to offer their advice, others were asked

(01:11):
to offer their opinions or their expectations. People who offered
their opinions or expectations thought what they offered could be
valuable to the restaurant. In fact, they reported their feedback
was just as helpful as those asked to offer advice,
But the people offering advice indicated they were more likely
than the others to intend to go to the restaurant.

(01:35):
Chaldeeni explains that offering advice fostered a sense of unity
with the entity that asked for advice. In other words,
if you offered opinions or expectations, you are separate from
the restaurant, But if you offered advice, you are suddenly
allied with them. And if you're allied with them, you

(01:58):
are more likely to become a customer. Asking for advice
isn't just for potential customers. You could ask your boss
for advice about a project you are working on, and
then your boss may be more likely to respond favorably
to whatever you produce. You could ask the grumpy member
of a nonprofit board you lead for advice for an

(02:19):
upcoming event, and she may be more amenable to the
plans you announce at the next board meeting. I can
see asking kids for their advice as a way to
cultivate their buy in. Do you have any advice for
how we can make the visit to Grandpa special? Do
you have advice for how we can pass the time

(02:39):
in the car on the way. They'll feel more connected
to whatever plan you come up with, so they will
be happier to go along with it. Everyone likes to
give advice. If you ask for advice, you may get
some useful insights. So asking is helpful just for that reason,

(03:02):
but even beyond that, people who provide the advice may
be more bought in to whatever the results. So whether
the advice is useful or not, you still get some
use out of it. In the meantime, This is Laura.
Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

(03:26):
our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've
got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at
Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a

(03:49):
production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit
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your favorite shows.