Looking for the best persuasion books? I’ve got you covered.
The list below includes the best books that can help you significantly increase your persuasion skills and become a master persuader.
Top 5 Persuasion Books
1. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
In this persuasion book, Robert Cialdini explains the psychology of why we say yes and how to use this knowledge in our daily life and work.
Cialdini offers universal principles of influence to help you become a skilled persuader and defend yourself against unethical influence tactics.
What’s in it for you:
- Relatable examples and memorable stories
- Evidence-based research
- A comprehensive guide that’ll help you move others in your direction
2. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
This persuasion book is a classic guide to becoming more likable and influencing people to do what you want.
Dale Carnegie offers a deep understanding of human nature and simple strategies for persuading others without creating resistance or resentment.
What’s in it for you:
- Time-tested, rock-solid advice for improving your social and persuasion skills
- 6 ways to make others like you
- 12 ways to influence others
3. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
In his career as a hostage negotiator, Chris Voss has come face-to-face with various criminals, including terrorists and bank robbers.
This book takes you inside Voss’s head and reveals the skills that enabled him to succeed at the negotiation table.
Voss offers nine principles for becoming more persuasive in your professional and personal life.
What’s in it for you:
- A field-tested approach to persuasion and high-stakes negotiation from an ex-international hostage negotiator
- How to gain a competitive edge in any discussion
4. Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade by Robert B. Cialdini
An expert on effective persuasion, Robert Cialdini explains how to prepare your audience to favorably receive your message before they experience it.
Cialdini asserts that the key moment to changing people’s minds is before you deliver your message.
In other words, optimal pre-suasion enables optimal persuasion.
What’s in it for you:
- Techniques for becoming a master persuader
- How to get your audience primed and ready to say yes.
5. The One Sentence Persuasion Course by Blair Warren
In this expanded version of the persuasion course, Blair Warren offers powerful persuasion strategies boiled down into one sentence.
What’s in it for you:
- Just 27 words for taking your persuasion skills to the next level
Other Best Persuasion Books
6. Win Bigly by Scott Adams
In this persuasion book, Scott Adams asserts that we are hardwired to respond more to emotion than reason.
Adams offers persuasion tools that can work in any situation and teaches you to resist emotional persuasion tactics when they’re used on you.
What’s in it for you:
- A practical guide for persuading others in any setting
7. To Sell Is Human by Daniel H. Pink
To Sell Is Human explores the powerful role selling plays in our lives.
Most of us spend our days trying to persuade others, and this book takes a unique look at the art and science of persuasion.
Adam Pink offers strategies for understanding others’ perspectives and making your message clearer and more persuasive.
What’s in it for you:
- Counterintuitive insights for moving others
8. Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive by Noah J. Goldstein et al.
Based on over 60 years of research into persuasion, this book presents insights that you can apply immediately to become a better persuader.
The findings presented in the book will help you avoid pitfalls while empowering you with time-proven wisdom.
What’s in it for you:
- Small changes that can make a significant difference in your persuasion powers
- 50 scientifically-backed strategies for increasing your persuasion skills
9. Methods of Persuasion by Nick Kolenda
Nick Kolenda has developed a unique approach to influencing people using principles from cognitive psychology.
Kolenda teaches how to apply the principles to influence people’s thoughts, behavior, and emotions in almost any setting.
What’s in it for you:
- A 7-step persuasion process
10. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
In this book, Daniel Kahneman takes you on a revolutionary tour of the mind, explaining the two systems that primarily influence how we think.
System one is fast, emotional, intuitive; system two is slow, logical, deliberative.
Exploring these two systems, Kahneman explains the psychology behind human decision-making and how to guard against mental glitches that often lead us into trouble.
What’s in it for you:
- How to understand the profound effect of our cognitive biases on our decision-making