Cross Posted: Indisputably

This summer I read the book Elements of Persuasion by Richard Maxwell and Robert Dickson.  I’ll be blogging about other fascinating parts of the book, but today, in honor of Harley Davidson’s 105th anniversary, which was celebrated last weekend (with thousands of Harley riders in town, including up and down the main street in front of the Law School), I want to highlight what the authors called “mirror neuron training.”  This means that people build empathy for each other by mirroring and matching physical actions.  For successful companies, Maxwell & Dickson argue that close physical contact is associated with successful corporate branding because of this mirror neuron training.  So, when we walk into Starbucks, we notice how the physical labor of taking orders, making coffee, and serving it appears to happen seamlessly.  This is, according to the book, because of mirror neurons, which take care of the physical movements, allowing the baristas to focus on small talk and smiling at their customers.

And, the book argues, this same kind of close physical proximity is also behind the success of Harley Davidson.  Owners get together on the weekends, meet up for rides, and shop at the stores while waiting for other riders to show up.  This group ride has its benefits for the rider in terms of safety–trust me, you might overlook one Harley on the highway, but you can’t miss ten or more.  The group ride also engages mirror neurons–each rider has to move in sync with the others–and this too makes the ride enjoyable.  As the authors say, “Put together a large enough group of Harley riders–as Jay Leno does every year to support charities in Los Angeles–and it can feel as if the whole town is on happy juice.”  From the smiles of most law students last week watching the parade of bikes go by, I can confirm that Harleys make you happy.  And in terms of negotiation skills, it appears that mirroring in close physical proximity to the other party could make each of us more persuasive.