Persuasion Techniques — Prelims Strategy

Prelims Strategy

Focus on memorizing Cialdini's six principles with clear examples from Indian administrative context. Create strong associations: Reciprocity-returning favors, Commitment-consistency with statements, Social Proof-following others, Authority-expert deference, Liking-influence by liked persons, Scarcity-valuing rare items.

Practice distinguishing ethical persuasion from manipulation using intent, methods, and outcomes criteria. Understand cognitive biases that make persuasion effective: confirmation bias, availability heuristic, anchoring bias, authority bias.

Study recent examples from government campaigns (Digital India, vaccination drives, policy implementations) to recognize persuasion principles in practice. Pay attention to constitutional and legal boundaries on government communication.

Use elimination techniques by identifying which principle is NOT being described in options. Common traps include confusing similar principles (authority vs social proof, reciprocity vs commitment) and mixing ethical evaluation with technique identification.