# Persuasion Principles for Skill Design

## Overview

LLMs respond to the same persuasion principles as humans. Understanding this psychology helps you design more effective skills - not to manipulate, but to ensure critical practices are followed even under pressure.

**Research foundation:** Meincke et al. (2025) tested 7 persuasion principles with N=28,000 AI conversations. Persuasion techniques more than doubled compliance rates (33% to 72%, p < .001).

## The Seven Principles

### 1. Authority
**What it is:** Deference to expertise, credentials, or official sources.

**How it works in skills:**
- Imperative language: "YOU MUST", "Never", "Always"
- Non-negotiable framing: "No exceptions"
- Eliminates decision fatigue and rationalization

**When to use:**
- Discipline-enforcing skills (TDD, verification requirements)
- Safety-critical practices
- Established best practices

### 2. Commitment
**What it is:** Consistency with prior actions, statements, or public declarations.

**How it works in skills:**
- Require announcements: "Announce skill usage"
- Force explicit choices: "Choose A, B, or C"
- Use tracking: TodoWrite for checklists

### 3. Scarcity
**What it is:** Urgency from time limits or limited availability.

**How it works in skills:**
- Time-bound requirements: "Before proceeding"
- Sequential dependencies: "Immediately after X"
- Prevents procrastination

### 4. Social Proof
**What it is:** Conformity to what others do or what's considered normal.

**How it works in skills:**
- Universal patterns: "Every time", "Always"
- Failure modes: "X without Y = failure"
- Establishes norms

### 5. Unity
**What it is:** Shared identity, "we-ness", in-group belonging.

**How it works in skills:**
- Collaborative language: "our codebase", "we're colleagues"
- Shared goals: "we both want quality"

### 6. Reciprocity
**What it is:** Obligation to return benefits received.
- Use sparingly - can feel manipulative
- Rarely needed in skills

### 7. Liking
**What it is:** Preference for cooperating with those we like.
- **DON'T USE for compliance**
- Conflicts with honest feedback culture

## Principle Combinations by Skill Type

| Skill Type | Use | Avoid |
|------------|-----|-------|
| Discipline-enforcing | Authority + Commitment + Social Proof | Liking, Reciprocity |
| Guidance/technique | Moderate Authority + Unity | Heavy authority |
| Collaborative | Unity + Commitment | Authority, Liking |
| Reference | Clarity only | All persuasion |

## Ethical Use

**Legitimate:**
- Ensuring critical practices are followed
- Creating effective documentation
- Preventing predictable failures

**The test:** Would this technique serve the user's genuine interests if they fully understood it?

## Research Citations

**Cialdini, R. B. (2021).** *Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (New and Expanded).* Harper Business.
**Meincke, L., et al. (2025).** Call Me A Jerk: Persuading AI to Comply with Objectionable Requests. University of Pennsylvania.
