HOWTO: Change Someone’s Mind

• Be a partner, not an adversary: If you’re trying to win, you’re going to lose. The best approach is: Be nice and respectful. Listen. Understand. Instill doubt. (I refuse to change my mind about this.)
• Use Rapoport’s rules: They can seem awkward but they reduce conflict better than Valium.
• Facts are the enemy: Unless we’re talking about the savvy, attractive people who read this blog, yes, facts are the enemy.
• Use the “Unread Library Effect”: Let them talk. Ask questions. Let them expose their ignorance. Do not cheer when that happens.
• Use scales: Bring extreme statements down to earth with numbered comparisons. And unless they’re certain at a level 10, they’ll mention their own doubts which can aid your cause.
• Use disconfirmation: “Eric, under what conditions would disconfirmation not be effective?”
• Serious beliefs are about values and identity: Don’t attack what they believe, focus on the validity of their reasoning process and whether that identity is the only way to be a good person.

~ This Is How To Change Someone’s Mind: 6 Secrets From Research - Barking Up The Wrong Tree