The Disclosure Test: One Question to Replace Ethics Talk
Would this still work if the listener knew exactly what you were doing and why? A ten-second check, three techniques that pass and three tactics to rewrite.
Read the post →One communication practice a day, with the words to say
A calm, sourced briefing for creators, coaches, educators, managers, founders, marketers and organizers who influence through ideas rather than pressure. Each practice names its sources, passes a disclosure test, and ends with something you can observe within 24 hours.
What this is
Social Influence Briefing is an independent publication built on one test and one gate. The test: does a sentence change how you communicate in the next 24 hours? If not, it is left out. The gate: would the technique still work if the listener knew exactly what you were doing and why? If it only works when hidden, it is not published here.
Practice-led
Persuasion research moves in years, not days. Each edition teaches a durable practice made concrete for today, and says so honestly instead of dressing it up as news.
Sourced
Every substantive claim names its author, finding and year. Contested or thin evidence is marked as such, and figures the literature does not support are written “Not reported”.
Checkable
Every recommendation ends with a behavior you can observe within a day: they paraphrase your point back, their reply gets longer, the thread ends in a decision.
Inviting consent before sharing opposing views: Social Influence Briefing for October 24, 2026
Start here, if you only do one thing
Before you send your next message, ask whether it would still work if the reader knew exactly what you were doing and why. Run it through the disclosure test worksheet, which takes a minute and shows which part of the message to rewrite. The post on the disclosure test shows three techniques that pass and three that do not.
Free tools for the checks that benefit from a second look
Each one runs entirely in your browser, shows its method, and needs no sign-up. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Every practice, by audience
Twenty practices across five audiences: personal relationships, leaders, creators and educators, commercial communicators, and advocates. Each page gives the steps, the words, the evidence, and the failure signs that tell you to stop.
Personal Conversations: Four Practices for Close Relationships
- Ask before you advise
- Apologize with the parts that repair
- Start hard conversations gently
- Ask directly and say a clear no
Leading Teams
- Listen before you decide
- Feedback people use
- Invite real objections
- Explain decisions before anyone asks
From the blog
The Two Seconds After They Stop Talking: Pacing a Reply
Ordinary replies come fast, and a brief silence can register as rejection. How to use a pause on purpose, and what the research does not cover.
Read the post →How to Know a Conversation Worked: Signs You Can Observe
Your sense of having been clear is an unreliable instrument. Here are the signs you can see, and a 24-hour check to run.
Read the post →The rest of the site
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