I wanted to circle back to something I mentioned on Monday, because I think it’s really important for you to understand not just the how but the why.
So what I said Monday that I thought was so worthwhile is that there is one thing that no one will ever disagree with: a conclusion that they come to themselves.
So in other words, this is important if you’re in a Thought Leadership situation or a sales situation, which you should probably realize are essentially one and the same. If you’re trying to convince someone of something, and you almost always are, you are definitely going to run into some level of resistance. That’s just the way the human brain is wired.
So what do we do about that?
What we do is we stop trying to force our mental frame on the other person, because that makes them wrong. And nobody wants to be wrong.
What we do is we feed them persuasively designed information so that they can’t help but arrive at that conclusion themselves. That way, they get to be right.
And once they arrive at that conclusion, it would be difficult to try and convince them otherwise.
Why?
Because, again, people typically don’t disagree with their own conclusions. Particularly if they feel like they’ve gotten to them somewhat independently.
So that’s the “how,” but I really want to focus on the “why” of persuasion for Thought Leaders.
Persuasion is not just a matter of convincing others to adopt a certain viewpoint, but also of provoking a shift in underlying attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs. Thought Leaders need to be able to understand the psychological principles of influence in order to effect genuine transformation in their followers.
Additionally, thought leadership requires persuasion to be able to communicate in a way that resonates with others and establishes you as the authority.
And those two things are what my company, The Educated Authority, is all about. Creating transformation and the establishment of you as the authority in your field.
And to do that, I send out emails every day to help you learn exactly what you need to do. You can sign up to get those emails, they’re free, at You Can Be A Thought Leader.