The Luncheon Technique

The luncheon technique simply stands for an effort to persuade people over a meal. When they are eating (not before or after), present your ideas and make your persuasive statements.

Make sure the place where you are eating is pleasant and comfortable, and that the food is of good quality. It is key that the other person is comfortable and feeling satisfied.

The "Luncheon' technique was a term coined by Gregory Razran in the 1930s. He found that subjects became fonder of the people and things they experienced while they were eating. Razran’s subjects were presented with some political statements they had rated once before. At the end of the experiment, after all the political statements had been presented, Razran found that only certain of them had gained in approval-those that had been shown while food was being eaten. And these changes in liking seem to have occurred unconsciously, since the subjects could not remember which of the statements they had seen during the food service.