The Foot in the Door Technique: Persuading Radical Change

The foot in the door technique is a powerful tool for persuading people to make radical changes. This technique involves starting with small requests and gradually increasing the demands. On the other hand, the door in the face technique works by making a large, unreasonable request first, and then following up with a smaller, more reasonable request. Research has shown that people are more likely to comply with the smaller request after initially rejecting the larger one. This principle was demonstrated in Robert Chaldini's study, where participants were asked to make a significant time commitment, and then a smaller request. The results showed a significant increase in compliance after the larger request was rejected. Real-world examples, such as Motley Crew's music video, further illustrate the effectiveness of these persuasive techniques.