You Have More Influence Than You Think

You Have More Influence Than You Think
by Vanessa Bohns
W.W. Norton & Co., 2021, $13.99 Hardback & Kindle.

I’ve recently finished a book that will help just about every pastor.   You Have More Influence Than You Think uses careful experimentation and research to show that most of us underestimate the attention others pay us and the influence our words and behavior have on them. Yes, I know the feeling of a sermon or teaching series not having had much effect.  But Vanessa Bohns shows that while people may not recall words and actions we think are most important, they do listen and remember much more than we tend to expect.  Of course, this may be both good and not-so-good: the offhand, inappropriate comment or ill-considered expression may turn out to be the memorable part of a sermon. We need to be careful!
Bohns also demonstrates that we understate people’s willingness to do things just because they are asked. In one experiment, a significant number of people went out of their way to guide a stranger several blocks to a difficult-to-find entrance to a health club; in another, people were surprisingly willing to deface a library book as part of a joke (note: no actual library books were harmed in this experiment!) The reality is that most of us do not like to say “no,” so we try to comply with politely worded requests. “Ask, and you shall receive” is not just about praying to God; it often applies to human beings as well!  Something to keep in mind when we need volunteers: instead of waiting for folks to step forward, perhaps we should do some asking.
Apart from the practical value of knowing more of our true power to persuade, learning more about how human beings behave can only help our preaching, teaching, and leadership.  Furthermore, Bohns’s friendly, breezy writing style makes this a fun read, easy to finish in a few hours.  Get it!