From the course: Influencing Others

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Social proof

Social proof

From the course: Influencing Others

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Social proof

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- Use social proof. Especially, under conditions of uncertainty we tend to look to others like us or in a similar situation to help us decide what to do. That's where the term comes from. We often look to other people for proof. It's not new. Centuries ago at the Opera in Italy people offered their applause services for a graduated scale of fees. The more enthusiastic the cheers, the higher the charge. They got hired consistently because these planted applauders would trigger more cheers from the overall audience who didn't even realize the effect on their behavior. The evidence of social proof is vast. In another example, signs in hotel rooms with a standard message saying, help save our environment by reusing towels were replaced with a message that said, lots of people are reusing towels join your fellow guests who are helping save the environment. Towel reuse increased by 26%. Here's what to do. First, point out trends in opinion or behavior using surveys, polls, purchase rates…

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