This Simple Psychological Trick Can Make You More Persuasive

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Anchoring bias is one of those psychological constructs that is very familiar to psychologists but less widely talked about by the rest of humanity. And yet, it is extremely important for framing arguments in public speaking and other forms of communication. One might say, especially important in public speaking, because our powers of skeptical analysis are –on the whole — so weak for what we hear in these settings. We are rapidly overloaded with information, and so tend to hang on to the first bit of data we hear in order to help us sort through the clutter and subsequently make a decision.

What is anchoring bias? It is the human tendency to use that first number or concept that we hear as a yardstick for everything that follows. So, for example, if you find yourself at the dentist, and that worthy individual is quoting you a price for some work that needs to be done, what you think of as a fair price will be heavily influenced by whatever number you hear first. Even if it is ridiculous. For example, if your dentist has a sense of humor and responds to your query about the cost of a new crown with an hilarious, off-hand “A million dollars!” — you will nonetheless be pleasantly surprised by the next number you hear, even if it’s, say, a couple thousand. Your unconscious anchor was set at a million, so a thousand or two seems like pocket…