Influence Is Your Superpower - by Zoe Chance (Paperback)

About the Book

"You were born influential. But then you were taught to suppress that power, to follow the rules, to wait your turn, to not make waves. Award-winning Yale professor Zoe Chance will show you how to rediscover the superpower that brings great ideas to life. Influence doesn't work the way you think because you don't think the way you think. Move past common misconceptions--such as the idea that asking for more will make people dislike you--and understand why your go-to negotiation strategies are probably making you less influential. Discover the one thing that influences behavior more than anything else. Learn to cultivate charisma, negotiate comfortably and creatively, and spot manipulators before it's too late. Along the way, you'll meet alligators, skydivers, a mind reader in a gorilla costume, Jennifer Lawrence, Genghis Khan, and the man who saved the world by saying no."--

Book Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - Rediscover the superpower that makes good things happen, from the professor behind Yale School of Management's most popular class

"The new rules of persuasion for a better world."--Charles Duhigg, author of the bestsellers The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better

You were born influential. But then you were taught to suppress that power, to follow the rules, to wait your turn, to not make waves. Award-winning Yale professor Zoe Chance will show you how to rediscover the superpower that brings great ideas to life.

Influence doesn't work the way you think because you don't think the way you think. Move past common misconceptions--such as the idea that asking for more will make people dislike you--and understand why your go-to negotiation strategies are probably making you less influential. Discover the one thing that influences behavior more than anything else. Learn to cultivate charisma, negotiate comfortably and creatively, and spot manipulators before it's too late. Along the way, you'll meet alligators, skydivers, a mind reader in a gorilla costume, Jennifer Lawrence, Genghis Khan, and the man who saved the world by saying no.

Influence Is Your Superpower will teach you how to transform your life, your organization, and perhaps even the course of history. It's an ethical approach to influence that will make life better for everyone, starting with you.

Review Quotes

"This book is special. It invites you in with the promise of a truly important topic, charms you with engaging stories and stylings, and treats you to a buffet of beautifully presented, scientifically grounded life-lessons about social influence. By the end, my greatest wish was for even more pages."--Robert Cialdini, New York Times bestselling author of Influence and Pre-suasion

"An engaging book on the science of encouraging other people to say yes. Zoe Chance's research won't just expand your repertoire of persuasive skills--it might also reduce your anxiety about being rejected."--Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the TED podcast WorkLife

"Fun, filled with great stories and rooted in groundbreaking research, Influence Is Your Superpower explains the new rules of persuasion for a better world."--Charles Duhigg, New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Habit and Smarter, Better, Faster

"Influence is Your Superpower is so jammed with insight that you'll find useful advice on almost every page. This smart, accessible book will definitely make you a better persuader - and might even make you a better person."--Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of When, Drive, and To Sell is Human

"This book puts us on the hook. Once you learn the skills of influence, it's on you to do work that matters for people who care, to show up to make things better."--Seth Godin, New York Times bestselling author of This is Marketing and The Practice

"Essential lessons with the ideal teacher."--Laszlo Bock, CEO and co-founder of Humu, New York Times bestselling author of Work Rules!

"The secret to leading with humility is here in this smart, lively read."--Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar and New York Times bestselling author of Creativity, Inc.

"Filled with the best science and catchy stories you can't wait to tell your friends, Chance has given us an absolute treasure trove of small (and often surprising!) changes that we can all make each and every day to become more effective influencers. I know I'll be using all these new tips at work, when communicating with family and friends, and beyond!"--Laurie Santos, Yale professor and host of The Happiness Lab podcast

About the Author

Zoe Chance is a writer, teacher, researcher, and climate philanthropist. She's obsessed with the topic of interpersonal influence, and her science-based but fun and life-changing book is called Influence Is Your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change, and Making Good Things Happen. She earned her doctorate from Harvard and now teaches the most popular course at the Yale School of Management (Mastering Influence and Persuasion). Her research has been published in top academic journals and covered in global media outlets. She speaks on television and around the world, and her framework for behavioral change is the foundation for Google's global food policy. Before joining academia, Chance managed a $200 million segment of the Barbie brand, helped out with political campaigns, and worked in less glamorous influence jobs like door-to-door sales and telemarketing. She lives with her family in New Haven, Connecticut.