Business English

kieszonkowy poradnik 

biznesowo-językowy

Business English

Language Guide

Manipulation Techniques

Dear Readers,

Welcome to BEM’s next portable business language guide. This time we become entangled in the slippery area of manipulation.

Nowadays, wherever you turn, you are assaulted by attempts to force something you don’t really want onto you. Unlike in Arthur Miller’s famed play, the Salesman is not dead just yet. Whether you turn the telly on, pick up the phone or go online, he’s always there. You can’t rest easy around colleagues, business partners or your dear old in-laws if there is something they really want you to do. Fortunately, you don’t need to grasp at straws to avoid the golden-tongued sly foxes. In this edition, we delve into the tricks of influence and manipulation. We’re certain that, with this booklet in hand, you will successfully wriggle out of the pushy persuaders’ clutches.

Let’s get to it.

become entangled | wplątywać się, wkręcać się

slippery | śliski

to be assaulted | być

atakowanym

in-laws | teściowie

force sth onto somebody

| wmusić coś komuś

to grasp at straws | chwytać się

brzytwy

golden-tongued | złotousty

sly | przebiegły, chytry

bore into | wwiercać się w coś squiggle out of | wywinąć się

z czegoś

pushy | bezczelny

clutches | szpony

Kieszonkowy poradnik biznesowo-językowy

Opracowanie: Daria Frączek

Colorful Media ul. Lednicka 23, 60-413 Poznań

tel. 61 833 63 28, redakcja@business-english.com.pl

Zdjęcie na okładce: Sergey Nivens

Every time someone tries to affect how other people think, behave or decide, they are trying to influence them. Whenever influence is applied to accomplish a specific purpose, especially to make us do things we do not want to, or that are not the best choice for us personally, we speak of manipulation. Manipulation, though sometimes difficult to resist, does not entail the use of special powers. Every manipulation technique known employs the way human beings normally behave, react and decide. Below we list some of the schemes of human behaviour and explain in what way they are often used to manipulate others. At the end of the booklet, we list a few tips on how to repel hostile persuasion.

Rules of Social Conduct

In the course of our upbringing we acquire certain principles to conduct our behaviour in order to make us successful members of a society. There are plenty of influencing techniques based on the rules of social life. We explain some of these below.

Social Exchange

People tend to reciprocate friendliness and return favours. We are usually much nicer and more cooperative in response to friendly actions than to hostile ones. Therefore, when provided with something rewarding - a present or a compliment, regardless of its size, we, in return, feel pressure to comply, when approached with a request from the gifting party.

TECHNIQUE

EXPLANATION

TRANSLATION

reciprocity

Being catered to in a friendly fashion makes you more willing to tip. People also tend to buy more from friendly shop-assistants.

wzajemność, odwzajemnianie

free samples

As a consequence of receiving a sample of a product, a prospective customer will become motivated to say ‘yes’ when prompted to buy the product itself.

darmowe próbki

favors

An associate or colleague could bring up the time they did you a favour you in the past, to use that as leverage when they need something.

przysługi

the good cop-bad cop strategy

The “bad cop” assumes an aggressive, threatening stance towards the subject, making blatant accusations, deprecating comments and giving off the air of hostility. At that moment the “good cop” enters the stage, showing sympathy, understanding and providing defence. The subject finds himself trusting “the good cop” and, in return, provides the information the interrogators seek.

strategia dobry glina – zły glina

Commitment and Consistency

People show an inherent unwillingness to appear inconsistent, whether in their own eyes or in someone else’s. Therefore, those who commit to an idea or goal (in speech or writ-ing) are likely to uphold that commitment. To make the job easier, we tend to look at the thing we had committed to as congruent with our beliefs, no matter the reason we got involved in doing it in the first place.

TECHNIQUE

EXPLANATION

TRANSLATION

the rule of expectations

People fulfil expectations, whether positive or negative. When we know someone expects something from us, we will try to satisfy them in order to gain respect and liking. Your best pal at work knows you won’t fail to step in for them, so how can you not?

prawo oczekiwań

a presentation/chat without obligations

The customer commits their time to take part in a meeting, implicitly deciding that it may be worth the effort. They may not actually receive any value from it, but it is still harder to keep from committing further, usually by buying the presented goods.

niezobowiązująca prezentacja, rozmowa

auction

People may increase their bids above what they are comfortable with and well above the value of the auctioned item. They become so immersed that they will do anything just to win.

aukcja

hidden costs

A salesperson might entice you into buying something and then, on the point of purchase, start revealing additional costs and conditions. The more you have committed in time, money or effort, the harder it is to give it up.

ukryte koszty

bait-and-switch

An offer of low-priced items may lure customers to visit the store, wherein they discover that the advertised goods are not available. The customers, already enjoying the prospect of owning the item in their minds, are then pressured to consider similar but more expensive products.

kij i marchewka

affirmation of choice

Hawing purchased an expensive or hard- to-get item and consequently discovering its apparent flaws, we strive to reaffirm ourselves of its high value. As part of doing so, we may recommend the product to others.

potwierdzenie decyzji

consulting

Engaging people by asking questions about a problem or a solution gets them involved. A telemarketer may ask your opinion on the offer they have just presented. Isn’t it attractive? If you think so, you’re obviously ready to take it, right?

konsultacja

Conformity and Social Proof

People will do things that they see other people doing. It’s hard to resist peer pressure, and most of us do not want to appear awkward or having strayed too far from the flock.

TECHNIQUE

EXPLANATION

TRANSLATION

best seller

The books and films that attract the most attention are bound to attract even more. Automatically we assume that since so many people have read/seen it, it must be good.

bestseler

majority

80% of clients have already switched to X. Since such a majority have already jumped the wagon in their cooking/cleaning/hair care, you don’t want to remain amongst the minority that still clings to the obsolete.

większość

endorsement and testimony

Most online sellers enable you to leave your comment after purchasing as well as access the comments left by others. Since “real” people have found the service adequate, it must be so. We tend to believe the opinions of those like us much more than any other.

poparcie i świadectwo

social media

People tend to evaluate the worth of an online profile based on the number of its subscribers. Small wonder that bloggers squabble for the most “likes” and online followers.

media społecznościowe