Psychological Tricks To Use At Work [Infographic]

Matthew Gates 4m 936 #psychology

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

Psychological Tricks You Can Use To Get People To Do Whatever You Want

Once upon a time, I held a job with a tyrannical boss whom was very un-accepting of new ideas unless they were his own. After a while, a co-worker and I used simple psychological mind tricks to get him to change his mind and approve the ideas we had, by making him think they were his ideas. You would think that a boss would be more open to new ideas to improve and make more money for his business, but when a boss has the mindset that his employees are not smarter than him, it would only make sense that he would be against their ideas and prevent them from happening. Luckily, after these ideas were approved by him, they often increased sales and made him an extremely generous monthly revenue and salary, though we would never be rewarded for our efforts, as he believed these ideas came from himself, but we do know that we improved his business greatly.

Whether it comes to your boss or co-workers, there are ways to get people to be effective and improve their work ethics by using psychological mind tricks. You could be the aggressive leader, and be feared, but you probably will not be respected or liked. You could be the passive leader, but no one will take you seriously. You could even try to be the passive-aggressive leader and people will think you are using more sarcasm than being serious, and you may find your efforts might work, but they may not. Fortunately, there are plenty of tricks you can use on your own boss and your co-workers so that your team works productively and effectively, without any hard feelings, except to work towards accomplishing the primary goals.

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Whether you are the team leader or just trying to get your co-workers to work efficiently with you, there are plenty of psychological tricks that will work and they will never know the difference. You could probably even use these tricks on your boss to get ideas approved and once you have mastered these tricks, you might even develop the upper hand of figuring out how to get a raise. These ideas extend beyond co-workers and bosses and may be used on your customers or clients as well to get them to buy your products or services.

This infographic dives more into the psychological mind tricks to get people to do what you want.

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11 PSYCHOLOGICAL TRICKS TO GET PEOPLE TO DO WHAT YOU WANT

Use a “decoy” option to get people to buy your product.
- If you’re having trouble selling the more expensive of two products, consider adding a third option whose only function is to make the “expensive” product look more enticing. The third, or decoy, option should be the same price as the more expensive option but less effective.
Tweak the environment to get people to act less selfish.
- When you’re bargaining with someone, convene in a coffee shop instead of a conference room, so your partner is less inclined toward aggression. People tend to be more selfish when they see work-related objects than when they’re surrounded by neutral items.
Help advance someone’s goals to get them do you a favor.
- Give someone something they need so they feel obliged to return the favor. When they thank you for helping out, say “Of course, it’s what partners do for each other.”
Mimic people’s body language to get them to like you.
- Subtly mimic the way someone is sitting and speaking to get the to like you more. They probably won’t even notice you’re copying them.
Speak quickly to get an argument opponent to agree with you.
- When someone disagrees with you, speak faster so they have less time to process what you’re saying. If the person agrees with you, speak more slowly, so they have time to evaluate the message.
Confuse people to get them to comply with your request.
- Instead of telling people you’re selling eight cards for $3, tell them it’s 300 pennies for eight cards, “which is a bargain.” People will be distracted trying to figure out how many dollars 300 pennies comes out to, so they’ll just accept that price is a deal.
Ask people for favors when they’re tired to get them to cooperate.
- Ask for help when people are drained, so they won’t have the mental energy to question the request.
Display an image of eyes to get people to behave ethically.
- Give people the impression that they’re being watched by posting a picture of eyes nearby. They’ll be more likely to clean up after themselves and return borrowed items.
Use nouns instead of verbs to get people to change their behavior.
- Using a noun reinforces your identity as a member of a specific group, and plays to people’s needs to belong. Ask “How important is it to you to be a voter?” instead of “How important is it to you to vote?”
Scare people to get them to give you what you need.
- People who experience anxiety and then relief usually respond positively to requests afterward. That’s because their cognitive resources are occupied thinking about the potential danger they encountered.
Focus on what your bargaining partner is gaining, not losing.
- While negotiating, emphasize to your partner what they’re about to gain to get them to agree to your offer. For example, if you’re trying to sell a car, you should say, “I’ll give you my car for $1000,” instead of, “I want $1,000 for the car.”