Every day we are exposed to persuasion whether that is from tv commercials, our friends or Instagrammers promoting their latest sponsored product. Without realizing it we are surrounded by persuasion more than ever.

When turning on the t.v. it is not uncommon to see celebrities promoting or using a product during commercials. They are often asked to be part of commercials as their presence is more likely to persuade consumers. For example, celebrity Jennifer Aniston, best known for playing Rachel Green on the hit sitcom Friends, can be seen in Aveeno commercials, and Emirate Airlines commercials.

Consumers see her as someone who can be trusted as she is well-liked by a variety of ages. What’s more, everyone has heard of Friends and knows who she is when they see her face. If you saw a celebrity you liked in a commercial using a product, would it persuade you to buy it?

In Jeffrey Lang’s second webinar of the two-part series Persuasion vs. Manipulation he discusses how persuasion can be used and the different ways of persuading that are effective. Other ways Lang discusses that help with persuasion is putting the news first or “anchoring” along with repetition, reciprocity and using simple language.

An example of repetition could be McDonalds; everyone knows their saying of “I’m lovin it” and the standard of food to expect. It does not matter whether you are in England, America or Japan – when buying McDonald’s the consumer knows what type of food to will be available and what the inside of the fast-food chain restaurant will look like to eat in.

Reciprocation is the idea of “I do something nice for you, you’re obligated to do something nice for me,” said Lang. Think of the example of being waited on in a restaurant. If the waiter introduces himself and then asks questions throughout the meal to make sure you have everything you want, you are more likely to give them a bigger tip compared to a waiter who does not do this.

People, in general, respond very well to these techniques mentioned and often will not realize they are being persuaded a certain way. Lang mentions how persuasion can be used when working with clients. It does not have to be harsh, but sometimes being assertive when persuading is necessary.

These ideas can be taken and applied into real life whether that is trying to convince a group member about something in a college project or to go on a family vacation to Hawaii rather than Florida. Persuasion is an important and useful skill to have and use.

I think students like myself need to learn when and how to use persuasion so it can be developed into a skill and then used when necessary. It may seem like a long way in the future to be working with clients but sooner rather than later, that time will come around. Listening to Lang’s webinar will help develop an understanding of what persuasion is. He also gives useful tips along with explanations and examples that helped me understand the difference between persuasion and manipulation.

To learn more about financial planning work with a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) practitioner or reach out to the Financial Planning program here at California Lutheran University for more information.

About the Speaker:Mr. Jeffrey W. Lang Sr. is the Director of Supervision for the Southeast Division and a Financial Planner of Lincoln Financial Advisors, a Registered Investment Advisor and Broker-Dealer.He attended Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland. He received his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (TM) certification from the College for Financial Planning in 1984. Jeffrey has also earned a Chartered Leadership Fellow and Chartered Life Underwriter designations from the American College. He attended The Richard D. Irwin Graduate School at the American College where he earned a Master of Science in Financial Services degree in 1992, the Master of Science in Management degree in 1995, a Chartered Leadership Fellow designation in 2004 and a Chartered Life Underwriter designation in 2012. Jeffrey is a PhD candidate in the Financial and Retirement Planning Program at the American College. He is presently an adjunct faculty member at California Lutheran University’s Financial Planning program. He has been a member of the adjunct faculty for professional studies for the CFP® program at the University of Baltimore and Villa Julie College. He is frequently invited as a guest lecturer at The American College, The University of Maryland, The University of Baltimore, as well as professional associations. Jeff served as the Financial Planning Association of Maryland’s President in 2003 and as its Chairman in 2004.

About the author:Rosie Baker is an undergraduate student at California Lutheran University studying Communication with an emphasis in PR and Advertising. She is also minoring in Creative Writing.

To watch the archived webinar, click the link below:

Persuasion vs. Manipulation Pt. 2 – Webinar

Learn more about Cal Lutheran’s Financial Planning Program here and follow us on social media:

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Both concepts are very similar and can be confused with one another, but they are useful skills when working with others and in particular when working with clients. If someone needs to understand a certain point you are trying to communicate with them, sometimes manipulation may be more successful than persuasion.

Going to back to the examples of a child not eating their vegetables or wanting a hamster, a parent could choose to either manipulate them or persuade them. But before doing so they need to figure out which one will work the best for that situation.

In Jeffrey Lang’s first webinar of the two-part series Persuasion vs. Manipulation, he discusses the power of communication, in particular when working with clients. Throughout the webinar, Lang uses examples to help explain his points to the listener. For example, how would you want to hear bad news? Would you be okay with a social media message or status, or a text, or would you prefer a phone call?

When working with clients may not seem important to students now, but learning the skills during college will be beneficial when going into work. It is no secret that personalities and viewpoints are different in a group of people, meaning you will definitely work with some people in the future that you will find difficult to communicate with and for them to understand where you are coming from.

Lang said only 7% of all communication is verbal meaning the remaining 93% is non-verbal. So when working with others it is beneficial to be physically present with them, rather than having an email conversation.

“What do you need to see, hear or understand to feel comfortable about moving forward?” Lang quoted Mark Scherr at the beginning of the seminar. I think this concept is really important not just for work-life but also in everyday life and in college. Communication and feeling comfortable is vital in order to build relationships to progress and take the next step. This goes hand in hand with how do you communicate with others, both in-person and online.

Lang ends the webinar by saying “communication is to get people to see your way of thinking and act on it.” It is so important to be able to communicate with others especially so they can see your insight. It is a skill that is not only important at work, college but everyday life with personal relationships.

 References:
Cambridge Dictionary. (2019). Retrieved from.  https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/persuasionCambridge Dictionary. (2019). Retrieved from. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/manipulation Persuasion vs. Manipulation Pt.1 – Webinar

About the Speaker:Mr. Jeffrey W. Lang Sr. is the Director of Supervision for the Southeast Division and a Financial Planner of Lincoln Financial Advisors, a Registered Investment Advisor and Broker-Dealer.He attended Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland. He received his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (TM) certification from the College for Financial Planning in 1984. Jeffrey has also earned a Chartered Leadership Fellow and Chartered Life Underwriter designations from the American College. He attended The Richard D. Irwin Graduate School at the American College where he earned a Master of Science in Financial Services degree in 1992, the Master of Science in Management degree in 1995, a Chartered Leadership Fellow designation in 2004 and a Chartered Life Underwriter designation in 2012. Jeffrey is a PhD candidate in the Financial and Retirement Planning Program at the American College. He is presently an adjunct faculty member at California Lutheran University’s Financial Planning program. He has been a member of the adjunct faculty for professional studies for the CFP® program at the University of Baltimore and Villa Julie College. He is frequently invited as a guest lecturer at The American College, The University of Maryland, The University of Baltimore, as well as professional associations. Jeff served as the Financial Planning Association of Maryland’s President in 2003 and as its Chairman in 2004.

About the author:Rosie Baker is a undergraduate student at California Lutheran University studying Communication with an emphasis in PR and Advertising. She is also minoring in Creative Writing.

Watch the archived webinar below:

Persuasion vs Manipulation – Jeffrey Lang 

Learn more about Cal Lutheran’s Financial Planning Program here and follow us on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/financialplanningclu

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/financialplanningclu

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/financialplanningclu/