At the conference I attended one speaker listed seven ways to change someone’s mind. Here they are:
- Reason – Logic and a rational argument can sway someone.
- Research – Provide documented evidence, studies, and the like can prove one’s point.
- Resonance – Appeal to someone’s emotional side or his sense of justice.
- Re-description – Use different analogies or methods of presentation.
- Resources/Reward – Entice someone using incentives (not exactly bribery, but…).
- Real World Events – Locate and provide examples of success from other places.
- Require it – If you have the power to do so, confront and require behavior (“Do this…”).
If you can change a person’s behavior, then beliefs can change; if beliefs change, a new attitude can be formed.
