Persuasion?

 Few are open to conviction, but the majority of men are open to persuasion” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The principal purpose of persuasion can be defined as being able to influence or change one’s attitudes, beliefs or values towards a particular subject/object, so that these will merge and finally equal the persuader’s thoughts and feelings.

Attitude = A predisposition to respond to people, ideas, objects, or events in evaluative way

Beliefs = The ways people perceive reality to be; our conceptions about what is true and what is false

Values = People’s most enduring judgements about what’s good and bad in life

. The Rhetoric of Persuasion

According to the Greek Philosopher Aristotle, persuasion could be brought about by the speaker’s use of three modes of “rhetoric” – Ethos, Pathos and Logos 

• Ethos: The persuasion lies in the power and authority of the speaker. Aristotle considered it the most important attribute of any communication. The audience has to find the writer or speaker’s character credible and trustworthy — otherwise, anything said from that point will not be persuasive.
• Pathos:Pathos (Greek for ‘suffering’ or ‘experience’) is an appeal based on emotion.The intent is to motivate people to take action. Without effective use of pathos, persuasion is unlikely to move people to action on any issue. Many rhetoricians, over the centuries, have considered pathos the strongest of the appeals, though this view of persuasion is rarely mentioned without a lament about the power of emotion to sway the mind .
• Logos: Logos, or appeal through reasoning, was considered the most important appeal by Aristotle. It refers to the internal consistency of the message—the clarity of the claim, the logic of its reasons, and the effectiveness of its supporting evidence.

 Five general purposes of persuasion are listed below. 

• Create uncertainty. When an audience is strongly opposed to the persuader’s view, the best that may be possible for the persuader is to make the audience a little less certain they are right, a little less comfortable with their current attitude. 

• Reduce resistance. If the audience is moderately opposed to the persuader’s position but not closed-minded, the persuader may be able to reduce opposition to his/her view and move the audience toward neutrality. While not expecting a reversal of views this goal asks the audience to recognize the validity of opinions different from their own.

 • Change attitude. If the audience is not committed, especially strongly, to any attitude on the topic this goal is appropriate.

 • Amplify attitude. If the audience is already moderately favorable to the persuader’s view, he/she can design a message which will reinforce current attitudes in the audience, help the audience resist appeals from opponents, and (perhaps) motivate the members of the audience to become strongly committed to his/her position.

• Gain behavior. When an audience strongly favors the persuader’s position, the logical goal is to get them to act on their convictions.

Steps in Persuasion Process

Principles of Persuasion

1. Reciprocity

2. Scarcity

3. Authority

4. Commitment and consistency

5. Consensus

6. Liking

Reciprocity

Reciprocity is the mutual expectation for exchange of value or service. In all cultures, when one person gives something, the receiver is expected to reciprocate.

Scarcity

You want what you can’t have, and it’s universal. People are naturally attracted to the exclusive, the rare, the unusual, and the unique. If they are convinced that they need to act now or it will disappear, they are motivated to action. Scarcity is the perception of inadequate supply or a limited resource. For a sales representative, scarcity may be a key selling point—the particular car, or theater tickets, or pair of shoes you are considering may be sold to someone else if you delay making a decision. By reminding customers not only of what they stand to gain but also of what they stand to lose, the representative increases the chances that the customer will make the shift from contemplation to action and decide to close the sale.

Authority

Trust is central to the purchase decision. Whom does a customer turn to? A salesperson may be part of the process, but an endorsement by an authority holds credibility that no one with a vested interest can ever attain. Knowledge of a product, field, trends in the field, and even research can make a salesperson more effective by the appeal to the principle of authority. It may seem like extra work to educate your customers, but you need to reveal your expertise to gain credibility. Reading the manual of a product is not sufficient to gain expertise—you have to do extra homework. The principle of authority involves referencing experts and expertise.

Commitment and Consistency

People like to have consistency in what is said to them or in writing. Therefore, it is important that all commitments made are honored at all times.

Consensus

Testimonials, or first person reports on experience with a product or service, can be highly persuasive. People often look to each other when making a purchase decision, and the herd mentality is a powerful force across humanity. Leverage testimonials from clients to attract more clients by making them part of your team. The principle of consensus involves the tendency of the individual to follow the lead of the group or peers.

Liking

We tend to be attracted to people who communicate to us that they like us, and who make us feel good about ourselves. Given a choice, these are the people with whom we are likely to associate. The principle of liking involves the perception of safety and belonging in communication.

Four Ways to Not to Persuade

 1. Don’t attempt an up-front hard sell. Providing a strong position at the start of a persuasion effort gives potential opponents something to fight against. One should present one’s position with finesse. 

2. Don’t see compromise as surrender. People want to see the persuader is flexible enough to respond to their concerns. Compromises can often lead to better, more sustainable shared solutions. 

3. Don’t think the secret to persuasion lies in presenting great arguments. Arguments, per se, are only one part of the equation. Other factors that make arguments compelling are the persuader’s credibility, her ability to create a mutually beneficial frame for a position, connect to the right emotional level with an audience, and communicate through vivid language. 

4. Don’t assume persuasion is a one-shot effort. Persuasion involves listening, testing a position, reframing it in a way that reflects input from the group, re-testing, reframing incorporating compromises and trying again.

Seven Levers to Change People’s Minds:

Howard Gardner (“Changing Minds: The Art and Science of Changing Our Own and Other People’s Minds”) says the first step toward changing a person’s mind is no surprise: “Know thine audience.

 1. Reason: 

Reasoning involves logical outlining the pros and cons of a decision. • The use of reason figures heavily in matters of belief • Especially useful for educated people • Uses rational approach in identifying and weighing relevant factors • Often involves sheer logic, use of analogies etc.,

2.Research: It involves presenting data and relevant cases to support the argument.

3Resonance: It involves using ones likeability and emotional appeal to win support for ones argument. • A view, idea or perspective resonates if it feels right. • Resonance appeals to the affective component of the human brain – not cognitive component.

4.Representational Re-descriptions: It is making a point in many different ways - using humour, stories and pictures; acting out a scenario. • A change of mind becomes convincing if it lends itself to representation in different forms • Especially true, if forms reinforce each other.

5Resources and Rewards: It is one using rewards or punishments as incentives to convince someone to adopt his/her viewpoint • Mind changing is more likely to occur when considerable resources can be drawn on • The provision of resources is an instance of positive reinforcement.

6.Real World Events: Using events from the society to make one’s point • A major event, like, September 11 terrorists’ attack on twin-towers in US, tsunami or earthquake may drastically change one’s mind.

7. Resistance: One has to understand the factors that cause people to reject a particular point of view. Such insights can make it easier for one to change his/her mindset.

X Ten Tips to Effectively Influence Others:

1.1) Set an outcome for what the other person will do, if you are successful in influencing him/her.

2.) Aim high when you make the first suggestion(s).

3).Be congruent, and confident as you communicate.

4) Consider your long-term relationship with this person or people.

5) Begin where they are, that is, acknowledging that they have a particular perspective that makes sense for them.

6) Consider the larger context. What factors might make it difficult for the person to do what you want?

7) What might you be able to give the person ‘no strings attached’?

8) Be clear on what you would get if this person agreed to your request

9) Are there any changes you could make to the environment that would make it more likely for the person to agree to your request?

10) It goes without saying, of course, that when you are successful in influencing, you’ll certainly live up to the agreements that you’ve made