How to Change Minds: 20 Persuasion Tricks Perfection is hard to achieve in any walk of life and persuasion is no different.

It relies on many things going just right at the crucial moment; the perfect synchronization of source, message and audience. But even if perfection is unlikely, we all need to know what to aim for. To ring you the current series on the psychology of persuasion I!ve een reading lots of research, much more than is covered in recent posts. "s I read, I noticed the same themes cropping up over and over again. #ere are the most important points for crafting the perfect persuasive message, all of which have scientific evidence to ack them up. 1. Multiple, strong arguments: the more arguments, the more persuasive, ut overall persuasive messages should e alanced, as two$sided arguments fare etter than their one$sided e%uivalents &as long as counter$arguments are shot down'. 2. Rele ance: persuasive messages should e personally relevant to the audience. If not, they will switch off and fail to process it. !. "ni ersal goals: In creating your message, understand the three universal goals for which everyone is aiming( affiliation, accuracy and positive self$concept. #. $ikea%ilit&: ingratiating yourself with the audience is no ad thing)most successful performers, actors, lawyers and politicians do it. *ikea ility can e oosted y praising the audience and y perceived similarity. +ven the most fleeting similarities can e persuasive. '. (uthorit&: people tend to defer to e,perts ecause it saves us trying to work out the pros and cons ourselves &read the classic e,periment on o edience to authority'. ). (ttracti eness: the physical attractiveness of the source is only important if it is relevant &e.g. when selling eauty products'. *. Match message and medium: -ne useful rule of thum is( if the message is difficult to understand, write it; if it!s easy, put it in a video. +. ( oid ,orewarning: don!t open up saying .I will try and persuade you that.... If you do, people start generating counter$arguments and are less likely to e persuaded. -. .o slow: If the audience is already sympathetic, then present the arguments slowly and carefully &as long as they are relevant and strong'. If the audience is against you then fast talkers can e more persuasive. 10. Repetition: whether or not a statement is true, repeating it a few times gives the all$ important illusion of truth. The illusion of truth leads to the reality of persuasion. 11. /ocial proo,: you!ve heard it efore and you!ll hear it again)despite all their protestations of individuality, people love conformity. /o tell them which way the flock is going ecause people want to e in the majority. 12. (ttention( if the audience isn!t paying attention, they can!t think a out your arguments, so attitudes can!t change. That!s why anything that sharpens attention, like caffeine, makes people easier to persuade. "nd speaking of attention...

1!. Minimise distraction: if you!ve got a strong message then audiences are more swayed if they pay attention. If the arguments are weak then it!s etter if they!re distracted. 1#. Positi el& ,ramed: messages with a positive frame can e more persuasive. 1'. 0isguise: messages are more persuasive if they don!t appear to e intended to persuade or influence as they can sidestep psychological reactance &hence the power of overheard arguments to change minds'. 1). Ps&chologicall& tailored: messages should match the psychological preferences of the audience. +.g. some people prefer thinking$framed arguments and others prefer feel$framed arguments &see( attle etween thought and emotion in persuasion'. "lso, some people prefer to think harder than others. 1*. .o with the ,low: persuasion is strongest when the message and audience are heading in the same direction. Thoughts which come into the audience!s mind more readily are likely to e more persuasive. 1+. Con,idence: not only your confidence, ut theirs. The audience should feel confident a out attitude change. "udience confidence in their own thoughts is oosted y a credi le source and when they feel happy &clue( happy audiences are laughing'. 1-. 1e power,ul: a powerful orator influences the audience, ut making the audience themselves feel powerful increases their confidence in attitude change. "n audience has to feel powerful enough to change. 20. ( oid targeting strong %elie,s: strong attitudes and eliefs are very difficult to change. 0o not directly approach long$standing ideas to which people are committed, they will resist and reject. /trong eliefs must e approached indirectly.