Persuasiveness and Social Engineering

by subphreeky

Social psychology is essentially the branch of psychology that studies the behavior of individuals as they interact.  This is not the same as sociology, which is essentially the study of human behavior in groups.  Social psychology can be especially interesting when relating to social engineering, as much of the study of social psychology deals with why and how humans are able to influence one another, both as individuals and as groups.

Elements of persuasive communication fall into three main categories: the characteristics of the speaker, of the message, and of the listener(s).

Of the characteristics of the speaker, credibility is one of the more important persuasive factors.  The speaker must be a credible source of information to be persuasive.  Although speakers with low credibility will be less persuasive at first, they can often influence thinking and behaviors over a longer period of time through a phenomenon called sleeper effects (this can be close to a persistent nagging type influence).

Speakers are generally more persuasive when they are physically present with an audience.  This may present obvious difficulties when attempting to social engineer an audience over the telephone and/or the Internet.  The speaker's intent is also important.  If an individual is obviously trying to change an opinion or behavior, the speaker will be less persuasive.

Care must be taken by the speaker so that the listener(s) do not feel that they are being taken advantage of in any way.  Humans have a natural desire (although not always a tendency) to trust other humans.  If trust is broken by the speaker in any way, the speaker will be less persuasive.

In general, authority figures can be persuasive to a degree...

First impression of the speaker are very important to the listener(s).

First impressions are also know as the primary effect.  The primary effect will be different from listener to listener, as two people will perceive the same person differently, mainly because of differences in interpreting the individual's traits.  Attractiveness can be important for the speaker, especially as the first impression is weighed by the listener.

In the end, however, physical attractiveness of the speaker generally only determines persuasiveness when dealing with relatively minor issues.  It should be important to remember that when a first impression is made by the speaker, negative information is generally weighed more than positive information in person perception.

The second element of persuasiveness is the message.

This is probably the element of persuasive communication that the speaker has the most control of when social engineering.  Emotional appeals and two-sided arguments are the two main characteristics of the message that determine persuasiveness.

Of emotional appeals, fear tends to be the most persuasive emotional trait of a message.  However, the listener(s) typically only respond favorably to fear if (1) emotional appeal is strong; (2) the listener(s) believe that appeal is strong; and (3) the message, or outcome of the message, offers a way to avoid the fearful outcome.

Regarding two-sided arguments, when communicating to an audience that initially agrees with the speaker's position, the speaker will generally be more persuasive if both sides of the argument are not presented.

However, when communicating to an audience that is initially unfavorable to the speaker's position, both sides of the argument should be presented.  As an interesting note, logic is not necessarily an important factor in determining a message's persuasiveness.

The third element of persuasive communication, and the element that the speaker has the least control over, is the listener(s).

In general, less intelligent people will be easier to persuade. On the other hand, if the message is more complex, more intelligent listeners are easier to persuade.  Also, people with a need for social approval and/or low self esteem are often easier to persuade.

An important factor of the listener(s) that the speaker may have some control over is that people are easier to persuade when listening to a message in a group.  Larger groups are easier to persuade than smaller groups.  The main reason for this is conformity.

Remember, social engineering is not something that can be learned and used overnight.  Much practice and experience is needed to become a skilled social engineer.

Remember too that not everyone is meant to be a skilled social engineer.  A few helpful tips:

• Have your entire message planned out.  The more detailed your message is, obviously the more believable it will be.  If necessary, write down what you want to communicate on paper, and allow much room for hypothetical situations.
• If you are with a group of friends, pick out the person that has smooth social and communication skills, is a fluid speaker, and/or is someone whose appearance is not too far out of line with the social norm (for example, the friend with a three foot purple and green mohawk and facial piercings will be less persuasive in person than the friend with nicely combed hair and a suit).  So be sure to pick the right friend for the right job.
• Understand all of the elements that come into play with the communications medium that you are using.  Think beforehand about what and how you want to say something in relation to being on the telephone, in person, on the Internet, etc.
• First impressions are very important when trying to social engineer an audience.
• Remember, the art of social engineering is just that - an art.