Margaret’s Persuasion Coach Blog
June Resolution: Making Someone Reasonable
When someone’s words or actions seem unreasonable, impolite, or even outrageous, it’s all too easy to write him off as Attila the Impossible. But you are more likely to get through to him if, instead of passing judgment, you ask yourself how he would have to view the...
Defense against the Dark Arts of Persuasion: COMPULSIVE CONSISTENCY, II
When compliance professionals use our need for consistency against us, they can make it even more difficult for us to resist by building unnecessary difficulty into our first step, the initial position we take or the commitment we make. Several weeks ago, in my...
Boost Creative Thinking to Build Consensus
Here is a creative consensus-building skill that can also serve you in making your own individual decisions. Sometimes we want to think creatively, out-of-the-box, but don't know how to get started. In fact, telling yourself “Think out-of-the-box!” Can feel like...
When Exercise Thwarts Consensus
Suppose you begin a conversation with someone and become so angry and upset that you ask for a break and agree to resume the conversation in an hour or so. If you think it's a good idea to spend that hour on a treadmill “working off” your anger, think again. True,...
Internal Consensus
The same techniques that help us reach consensus with others can also steer us to satisfying individual decisions, the kinds of decisions that fit us like our favorite shoes and satisfy our needs. To persuade another person to agreement, or reach consensus with her,...
May Resolution: Ask Your Way to Consensus
Who? What? When? Where? How? Why? Questions every good journalist learns to ask. But you don’t have to be a journalist to benefit from asking these questions. We call them “open questions” because they can’t be answered “yes” or “no,” and that’s the reason they draw...
Defense Against the Dark Arts of Persuasion: COMPULSIVE CONSISTENCY, I
“Sign our petition to save the historic Potter Building.” “Add your name to our thank you note to Councilwoman Eager for supporting our city parks.” “Click here to join Citizens to Ban Texting While Driving.” Harmless and cost-free requests, right? Well, maybe, and...
How Much Do Motives Matter in Building Consensus?
Those who have read Bridges to Consensus know that the best way to inspire someone to address your interests is to try to address their interests, hand-in-hand with your own. During a recent presentation for a religious organization, I performed a demonstration of an...
Creative Communication Awakenings
We all know what it’s like to go to sleep wondering what to say or do about a situation. Sometimes we awaken with a new inspiration. You can enhance the work your unconscious mind does while you snooze. You can generate more creative awakenings and flesh out those new...
Defense Against the Dark Arts of Persuasion: ALARMISM
Remember the story of Henny Penny? She was scratching in the barnyard when something hit her on the head. Henny Penny thought the sky was falling and set off for the royal palace to report the crisis. As she hurried along, telling everyone she met, “The sky is...