All Articles (54)
Deception & Logical Fallacies · Persuasion Techniques · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication
Structural Evasion: The Art of Non-Answers
When asked direct questions, they respond with tactics that avoid answering while creating the impression they've engaged: changing the subject, answering a different question, attacking the…
Dark Psychology · Persuasion Techniques
Emotional Manipulation: Bypassing Reason with Feeling
Triggering strong emotions such as fear, anger, guilt, shame, hope and/or urgency to bypass rational evaluation. The argument depends on how you feel, not what's true. When emotion fades, the logic…
Persuasion Techniques · Propaganda & Mass Influence
Social Proof Manipulation: Manufacturing Consensus
Creating the false impression that "everyone agrees" or "all experts concur" when the actual consensus is manufactured, cherry-picked, or nonexistent. This includes citing fake authorities,…
Deception & Logical Fallacies · Persuasion Techniques · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication · Rhetorical Devices & Language
Semantic Manipulation: Playing Games with Meaning
This entire section of the catalog of deceptive tactics addresses various forms of semantic manipulation: the manipulation of word meanings leading to misdirection. This includes redefining terms…
Deception & Logical Fallacies · Persuasion Techniques · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication
Thought-Terminating Clichés: Phrases That Stop Thinking
These are stock phrases, slogans, or responses (often apocryphal) that end or divert inquiry rather than answer the questions posed. When you raise a concern, ask for evidence, or point out a…
Deception & Logical Fallacies · Persuasion Techniques · Propaganda & Mass Influence
Double Standards: Rules for Thee but Not for Me
Applying different standards to yourself/your side versus others is a double standard (one of the most-used moves in the catalog of deceptive tactics). If a behaviors is acceptable when your side…
Deception & Logical Fallacies · Persuasion Techniques · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication
Motte-and-Bailey: Defending the Modest, Advancing the Extreme
Advancing a controversial, bold claim (the bailey, the desired but indefensible position), then retreating to a modest, defensible claim (the motte, the safe position for those who the dog whistle…
Dark Psychology · Deception & Logical Fallacies · Persuasion Techniques
Kafkatrapping: When Denial Proves Guilt
Accusations structured so that denial or defense is treated as evidence of guilt. The more you protest innocence, the more guilty you appear. Named after Franz Kafka's "The Trial," where the…
Deception & Logical Fallacies · Persuasion Techniques · Rhetorical Devices & Language
Equivocation: Exploiting Multiple Meanings
When a word has multiple meanings and you switch between those meanings mid-argument to make a conclusion seem to follow the premise that is false equivocation. Similar to redefinition but exploiting…
Persuasion Techniques · Propaganda & Mass Influence · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication · Rhetorical Devices & Language
Euphemisms: Hiding Reality Behind Pleasant Words
He bought the farm, popped his clogs, kicked the bucket, their wicket has fallen, they’ve snuffed it and is now pushing up daisies. We love euphemisms. Euphemisms are fun. Euphemisms help avoid…
Dark Psychology · Framing & Reframing · Persuasion Techniques · Propaganda & Mass Influence
What Is Agitprop? The Propaganda Framework That Still Shapes Politics Today
What Is Agitprop? Definition and Origins What is agitprop? Agitprop is a framework for convincing large numbers of people to do something. The term originated from the "Otdel Agitatsii i Propagandy"…
Persuasion Techniques · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication · Sales & Marketing Psychology · Trust & Credibility
Partially Serious Comments on How to Be Funny
Introduction I am not a comedian. I am an arm chair connoisseur of life. This distinction matters. You see, comedians get paid to be funny, whereas I, at least in my own mind, simply am funny.…
Downloads · Persuasion Techniques
Twenty Ways To Be Funny Cheat Sheet Download
Cold Reading & Rapport · Persuasion Frameworks & Models · Persuasion Techniques · Strategic Questioning · Trust Building Strategies
Conversation Technique – The FORD Method: Using ‘Ordinary’ to Unlock Extraordinary Conversations
Introduction FORD is an acronym to help you determine what interests and motivates a person. It stands for Family, Occupation, Recreation, and Dreams four areas within which almost everyone has…
Cognitive Biases & Decision Science · Dark Psychology · Deception & Logical Fallacies · Persuasion Frameworks & Models
Catalog of Reasoning Errors (Fallacies), Deceptive Tactics, and Persuasion Exploits
This list will be updated and links added on an ongoing basis. It’s provided here as a reference. Related Deep-Dives Articles that examine specific tactics from the catalog in more depth:
Closing Techniques · Compliance Techniques · Negotiation Tactics · Persuasion Techniques · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication · Sales & Marketing Psychology
Psychological Triggers That Increase Compliance / How to Make People Feel Like an Idea is Their Own / Persuasion Tactics for High Value Negotiations
Three detailed ‘cheat sheets’ and summary notes covering:
Intelligence & HUMINT · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication · Rhetorical Devices & Language
The Royal Order of Adjectives: A HUMINT Behavioral Specialist’s Secret Weapon
Table of Contents The Royal Order of Adjectives The Royal Order of Adjectives is used to refer an unconscious rule that native English speakers instinctively apply when using multiple adjectives…
Cognitive Biases & Decision Science · Pricing & Scarcity · Sales & Marketing Psychology
Magnitude Compression or Logarithmic Bias: Why Big Differences Feel Small and How You Can Take Advantage of This
Table of Contents Rambling Introduction There are two types of biases, well actually depending on how we categorize them there are many and varied types of biases. One way we can categorize biases…
Framing & Reframing · Persuasion Frameworks & Models · Persuasion Techniques · Sales & Marketing Psychology
The Contrarian Advantage (Framework 17)
Table of Contents This is an exert from the soon to be published book Influential Frames: 42 Frameworks That Change Minds. DEFINITION & CORE PRINCIPLE The Contrarian Advantage framework positions…
Pattern Interrupts · Persuasion Techniques · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication
Semantic Disruption Technique
Semantic Disruption (pattern interruption) Technique Table of Contents Semantic Disruption Semantic Disruption is a persuasion trick that involves saying something slightly odd or unexpected to jolt…
Cognitive Biases & Decision Science · Persuasion Frameworks & Models · Persuasion Techniques
Couple of ideas and a story- snippet reading
A Couple of Ideas &
Authority & Expertise · Sales & Marketing Psychology · Trust & Credibility
Subtle Knowledge Displays: Creating Major Credibility with Minor Details
How to Build (Perceived) Expert Level Knowledge in No Time
Dark Psychology · Deception & Logical Fallacies · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication
Four Narcissistic Conversational Tactics to Confuse & Control – How to Spot Them and How to Defuse Them
The goal of this article is to help you recognize these behaviours or patterns, provide some thoughts on distinguishing whether they are malicious or helpful and tell you how to defuse/respond to them
Cognitive Biases & Decision Science · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication · Strategic Questioning
Functionally Useless Questions – Avoid Embarrassment & Spot Faux-Expertise in Seconds
There are stupid questions. Here is how to avoid them.
Persuasion Techniques · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication · Strategic Questioning
Six More Psychological Grenades: Questions That Crack Mental Armor on Contact
Bypass the ego, shift perspectives, manoeuvre conversations with these questions
Cognitive Biases & Decision Science · Persuasion Frameworks & Models · Trust & Credibility · Trust Building Strategies
The One Key to Being Persuasive
Table of Contents What is the key to being persuasive? As my readers know I am a big fan of asymmetrical techniques and returns and am also a fan of systems theory. There are certain things in live…
Cognitive Biases & Decision Science · Dark Psychology · Sales & Marketing Psychology
How Salespeople, Medical Professionals, and Politicians Exploit Decision Fatigue
Strategic decision-makers drain your mental bandwidth to manipulate your choices—learn their playbook.
Persuasion Techniques · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication · Strategic Questioning
Quick Grenade Trick Thingy Whatchamacallitabob: Bypassing Belief Shields by Invoking Belief
Quick Verbal Judo Hack to Change Conversations Around Belief
Persuasion Techniques · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication · Strategic Questioning
Psychological Grenades: Questions to Invert & Implode Perspectives
Questions to bypass logic, pierce ego shields and introduce new perspectives
Closing Techniques · Dark Psychology · Sales & Marketing Psychology · Trust & Credibility
Why & How Con Artists Outsell Experts
The Psychological Persuasion Tactics That Make Even Experts Look Amateur
Framing & Reframing · Objection Handling · Persuasion Techniques
Persuasion Jiu-Jitsu: Lobbing Objections Back at People
Table of Contents Persuasion Judo, It’s Like Real Judo Except For All the Ways It Isn’t This is persuasion judo the art of using someone’s own momentum against them. We’re going to use their values,…
Pricing & Scarcity · Sales & Marketing Psychology
Cheat Sheet: Psychological Pricing & Scarcity Tactics
Table of Contents Pricing is more than just numbers—it’s perception. The way you structure and present your pricing can dramatically impact sales, conversions, and perceived value. This cheat sheet…
Closing Techniques · Sales & Marketing Psychology
Cheat Sheet: How to Use Status & Social Proof to Close Deals
Cheat Sheet: How to Use Status & Social Proof to Close Deals Status and social proof are psychological shortcuts that instantly increase credibility, reduce objections, and create buying momentum.…
Cognitive Biases & Decision Science · Framing & Reframing · Persuasion Techniques · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication
The Science of Persuasive Framing – Shape Perception, Shape Reality
Psychological Mind Tricks That Instantly Reshape How People Think and Perceive Value
Cold Reading & Rapport · Intelligence & HUMINT · Sales & Marketing Psychology · Trust & Credibility
Fortune Tellers, Spies & Sales Pros All Use These 5 Powerful Cold Reading Techniques to Instantly Build Trust & Credibility
"The Psychological Secrets Fortune Tellers, Spies, and Sales Pros Use to Gain Instant Trust and Influence—And How You Can Too"
Compliance Techniques · Objection Handling · Persuasion Techniques
The Trojan Nod (Also Known as Reverse Psychological Agreement)
The Trojan Nod is a subversive persuasion hack that bypasses resistance and increases people's acceptance of opinions contradictory to their own.
Cognitive Biases & Decision Science · Persuasion Techniques · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication · Strategic Questioning
Why Are You More Likely To Believe This Question Than A Statement?
Why are people more likely to believe a question than a statement? Learn about the interrogative form effect and its persuasive attributes
Compliance Techniques · Persuasion Techniques · Sales & Marketing Psychology
Encouraging Dreams & Allaying Fears
The one sentence persuasion course teaches us that people will do anything for those who: encourage their dreams, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions, throw rocks at their enemies and justify…
Influence & Persuasion Articles from February 2025
Here’s a summary of the posts and articles we published last month. They have been forced, shoved, pushed and crammed into categories for your convenience. Table of Contents Mastering Persuasion &…
Negotiation Tactics · Objection Handling · Persuasion Techniques · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication
The Indirect, Direct, Indirect Challenge Persuasion Technique
A key skill in mastering the art of persuasion is learning to disagree with someone while making them like & trust you. Use this powerful phrase to to challenge what someone says while maintaining or…
Dark Psychology · Negotiation Tactics · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication
Lessons from White House Tantrums & Tariffs on Handling Bullies
Table of Contents Key Points Introduction One of the key lessons we teach at Influence & Persuasion is that the key to convincing anybody of anything, is being able to successfully shift the focus of…
Persuasion Frameworks & Models · Persuasion Techniques · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication · Rhetorical Devices & Language
Rhetorical Devices Used By Master Persuaders (and how you can start using them today) – Vol. 1
In this issue we discuss the epiphanic bridge and some simple presuppositions. Two classic rhetorical techniques that have been tried and tested by persuasive experts from politicians to professional…
Dark Psychology · Propaganda & Mass Influence
Effective Propaganda 101 – A Guide For Want to Be Dictators & Others
Table of Contents Key Takeaways: Introduction Hello my friend and welcome to Authoritarian Propaganda 101! The difference between Propaganda 101 and Copywriting 101 is that Copywriting 101 requires…
Cognitive Biases & Decision Science · Framing & Reframing · Persuasion Techniques
The One-Cause Trap: How The Mind Simplifies Reality (And How You Can Take Advantage of It)
We would greatly appreciate if you could share this message with at least one person who would find it interesting or of value: There are two things you should always remember when trying to convince…
Persuasion Frameworks & Models · Trust & Credibility · Trust Building Strategies
Five Types of Trust for Different Contexts
❝ "The most influential people aren't necessarily the most powerful—they're the ones who build contextually appropriate trust based on relationship needs." Table of Contents Key Points A Common…
Authority & Expertise · Trust & Credibility · Trust Building Strategies
“Want to Build Instant Trust? Make This Counterintuitive Move”
"The Deliberate Mistake: A Surprising Hack to Build Instant Trust"
Framing & Reframing · Persuasion Techniques · Pricing & Scarcity · Sales & Marketing Psychology
Always Quantify in Terms the Prospect Understands
Here is a way to make it easier for your prospect to understand and appreciate the true value of whatever you are asking for.
Pattern Interrupts · Persuasion Techniques · Sales & Marketing Psychology
Confuse Then Simplify Pattern Interrupt Technique
How reframing prices increased sales by 50%
Persuasion Frameworks & Models · Persuasion Techniques · Sales & Marketing Psychology
Eight Principles of Hypnotic Selling
Effective persuasion is about refocusing the mind’s attention so it believes a certain behaviour will satisfy certain emotional needs. This applies whether you are trying to convince someone else to…
Copywriting & Advertising · Sales & Marketing Psychology
Scientific Advertising by Claude C. Hopkins – Book Review
Timeless Principles for Modern Marketers
Is It Worth Subscribing? Choosing Which Subscriptions to Keep & Which to Bid Adieu
A Simple Process To Decide Which Subscriptions Are Worth Keeping
Cognitive Biases & Decision Science · Persuasion Frameworks & Models
Why Persuasion Techniques Are Important
Table of Contents These are just a few notes on cognitive biases and the importance of using persuasive techniques. Or to put it another way - people will frequently make the wrong decision if not…
Cognitive Biases & Decision Science · Persuasion Frameworks & Models · Persuasion Techniques
6 Psychological Triggers that Influence & Persuade
1. Reciprocity When someone does something for us, we feel compelled to return the favor. This deeply ingrained social mechanism makes reciprocity one of the most powerful triggers of influence.…
Persuasion Frameworks & Models · Rhetoric & Strategic Communication · Rhetorical Devices & Language
The Three Pillars of Persuasion
Understanding the Three Pillars of Influence Over 2,000 years ago Aristotle created a framework to describe effective persuasion that was brilliant for both its comprehensiveness and its simplicity.…