Some researchers pulled off a slick experiment to test this persuasion hack called DITF, aka “Door in the Face” 👐. They split people into two groups to see how it works IRL.
Group 1? They were hit with a wild ask: commit to counseling juvenile delinquents for two years, two hours a week. 😳 Yeah, hard pass, right? But then, after the no, they were hit with a way smaller request—just take some juvenile offenders on a day trip to the zoo.
Group 2? They were only asked the zoo trip right from the jump.
The results? 50% of Group 1 said yes to the zoo trip after saying no to the big ask. Meanwhile, only 17% of Group 2 agreed. That’s over 3x higher for Group 1!
So, how does DITF work? Here’s the formula:
- Hit ‘em with a big, kinda crazy request that you know they’ll say no to. 😅
- Follow it up with your real ask, which now looks way more reasonable in comparison.
It’s like Jedi mind tricks, but for getting people to agree to your plans. 💡
Source: en.wikipedia.org