How do you get someone to back your ideas, buy your products? How do you set them to see things like you do, especially when they do not agree with you? Even with solid data and emotional appeals, it can be really difficult to change another person's mind. We are extremely stuck in our opinions, preferences and habits.
Jonah Berger, a marketing professor at Wharton and author of The catalyst: how to change anyone's mind discusses this and offers a way out of this. He is of the view the one should identify the reasons why changing is so difficult and develop strategies to overcome these obstacles.
Persuasion is important everywhere. Some people are better at it than others. But change is hard. When we think of changing other's minds, whether it is people, organisations, we often take a certain approach. We think if we give more information, more facts and figures it will be easy to convince others.
This could make a lot of sense in a physical world, but in a social world it does not work as if you push people, they often push back. We all like to feel we are in control, that we are shaping and driving our own lives. When others try to shape opinions, we don't feel we have control. This applies equally to whether you tell people not to do something or ask people to do something. They may have decided already to your way of thinking, but the fact that they are being asked to do so, makes them think that it impinges on their freedom and autonomy.
The way to solve this would be to offer multiple options. This changes their role, as instead of thinking of reasons to refuse what you asked them to do, they now think of which of the options offered is a better fit for them.
There are five common barriers we face when we are trying to get someone to change.
- Reactance people reacting just because they are being told to do it.
- An Endowment, attachment to what we are doing already.
- Distance, if it is too big an ask, people ignore it.
- Corroborating evidence, providing more proof.
- Uncertainty, risk being associated with doing something different.
Old, routine things feel safe, even if they are not perfect or have problems associated with them. New things involve switching costs as well. There are time and effort costs as well. Also, remember the costs and benefits of switching. Costs are incurred upfront and the benefits are in the distant future. Costs are certain but benefits are not. This cost-benefit gap is going to make it very difficult for the change to happen.
While it is true that the higher you are in the organisation, the more power you have. The more ability to decide on something, the more ability you have to say do this whether you like it or not. This does not mean that your subordinates follow it.
Many times it is better to ask than tell. By asking the right questions, bu guiding a series of questions, you are allowing people to put that stake into the ground that then they are committing to complete. Ask the right questions to shape the path and encourage them to get to a conclusion you want. And they are much more likely to go along.
Today due to the epidemic and the lockdown as a result of it, people have been forced to change. they have been forced to shop more online, forced to work from home, forced to go running instead of Gym. And because they have been forced to change, they have become more open to new ideas than they'd usually be. We also see that people who were very resistant to change can flip very quickly if they need to.
Mastering the Art of Persuasion
HBR IdeaCast
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