Thought of the Day 05.21.09

Many of us think that persuasion means mentally coercing others into accepting ideas they don’t really want. Whether we embrace this view and proceed like mental bullies or revolt against it and keep our beliefs to ourselves, we have really started from the wrong beginning.

The reality is that most people want to have right beliefs. Oh, sure, they may resist change, have ego investment in their current beliefs, and avoid ideas that entail lifestyle costs they’d prefer not to pay. But most people want to believe they have the truth. The real trick is figuring out how to avoid stimulating the resistance mechanisms while you help them see the better ideas you have to offer.

Once you realize this is the real nature of persuasion, you can stop feeling like a huckster pushing snake oil no one really wants and you can start feeling like a consultant who helps people discover new and beneficial truths…truths that they already want in the abstract and just don’t yet know they want in particular.