The Art of Influencing Anyone Book Summary - The Art of Influencing Anyone Book explained in key points
Listen to the Intro
00:00

The Art of Influencing Anyone summary

Niall Cassidy

The classic must-read for anyone who wants to learn how to sound more convincing and persuasive

4.1 (76 ratings)
17 mins
Table of Contents

    The Art of Influencing Anyone
    summarized in 8 key ideas

    Audio & text in the Blinkist app
    Key idea 1 of 8

    Persuasion is not about logical arguments but about communication and appearance.

    Have you ever been in a position in which someone who didn’t work hard and was under-qualified got promoted instead of you at work?

    This frustrating situation is more common than you might think. It is because the decisions we make – including the decisions our bosses make – are not always based on logic. In other words, why isn’t the most obvious means of persuasion also the most effective?

    It’s because instead of paying attention to logical arguments, we put more faith in the things we want to hear.

    Take two people presenting their ideas to their boss to start a business project. One of them shares a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why they should take it slowly, step-by-step. The other person is brimming with enthusiasm, saying that it’s better to dive straight in, but doesn’t present any real logical arguments to do so.

    Who do you think the boss will select as project leader? Most likely the second one – the person who was more engaging and was enthusiastic about what the boss wanted to hear.

    This common scenario demonstrates that the speaker’s personality is in many ways more important than the content or rationale.

    This is also evident in article selection for academic journals. When researchers want to publish their findings, they send their papers to academic journals, hoping that one of them will select their work for publication. So what do the people at the journals look for in an article?

    First they look at the author’s name. Second, the quality of the content. This was once proven by a professor who submitted an article which was utter nonsense. Shockingly, the article was published because he mentioned his PhD; people often reason that someone who holds a doctorate must know what they are talking about!

    Want to see all full key ideas from The Art of Influencing Anyone?

    Key ideas in The Art of Influencing Anyone

    More knowledge in less time
    Read or listen
    Read or listen
    Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
    Find your next read
    Find your next read
    Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
    Shortcasts
    Shortcasts New
    We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

    What is The Art of Influencing Anyone about?

    The Art of Influencing Anyone provides detailed information on how to influence people to do what you want. An invaluable read for salespeople, it is also useful for anyone who wants to learn how to sound more convincing and persuasive.

    Best quote from The Art of Influencing Anyone

    ... We all like to convince others by using logic, but logic alone is hardly enough to change people.

    —Niall Cassidy
    example alt text

    Who should read The Art of Influencing Anyone?

    • Anyone who works as a salesperson
    • Anyone interested in how to influence others

    About the Author

    Niall Cassidy is a successful salesman with years of firsthand experience in the banking and insurance industries. Drawing from his direct contact with customers, he has uncovered how to communicate effectively and persuasively.

    Categories with The Art of Influencing Anyone

    Books like The Art of Influencing Anyone

    People ❤️ Blinkist
    Sven O.

    It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

    Thi Viet Quynh N.

    Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

    Jonathan A.

    Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

    Renee D.

    Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.

    People also liked

    Start growing with Blinkist now
    26 Million
    Downloads on all platforms
    4.7 Stars
    Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
    91%
    Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
    *Based on survey data from Blinkist customers
    Powerful ideas from top nonfiction

    Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 5,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.

    Start your free trial