More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Scott Adams
Read between
February 7 - February 10, 2018
PERSUASION TIP 18 Visual persuasion is more powerful than nonvisual persuasion, all else being equal. And the difference is large.
PERSUASION TIP 19 In the context of persuasion, you don’t need a physical picture if you can make someone imagine the scene.
Every decision is a comparison of alternatives. If you control how people see the alternatives, you can sell anything. Trump did a great job of eroding the credibility of Obamacare, but the first GOP plan for its replacement failed on the contrast level because experts said fewer people would be covered. The best persuasion play for health care would be to create a bill that covers more people, one way or another.
Create contrasts, even misleading contrasts to make your alternative seem far superior. The larger the contrast, the better the persuasion
Every decision is a comparison of alternatives. If you control how people see the alternatives, you can sell anything. Trump did a great job of eroding the credibility of Obamacare, but the first GOP plan for its replacement failed on the contrast level because experts said fewer people would be covered. The best persuasion play for health care would be to create a bill that covers more people, one way or another.
Make strong contrasts
PERSUASION TIP 20 People are more persuaded by contrast than by facts or reason. Choose your contrasts wisely.
One of the easiest forms of persuasion involves associating one image or idea with another in a way that makes some of the goodness (or badness) of one rub off on the other. That’s the idea behind celebrity endorsements, labeling political opponents Nazis, and marketing in general. But you already knew that. What you might not know is that each of us is “marketing” all the time. If you want to be liked and respected, you have to watch your accidental associations.
people won’t always remember what you said, but they almost always remember how you made them feel.
PERSUASION TIP 21 When you associate any two ideas or images, people’s emotional reaction to them will start to merge over time.
the second-best form of persuasion is an appeal to identity.
The only way to top identity persuasion is with the number one best persuasion form: fear.
Persuasion:
Fear
Identity
PERSUASION TIP 22 People automatically get used to minor annoyances over time.
if you are playing the odds, always look for situations that give you two ways to win and almost no way to lose. I sometimes describe this situation in a more generic sense as having a system instead of a goal. A goal is, by definition, one way to win and infinite ways to lose. A good system gives you lots of ways to win and far fewer ways to fail.
Two ways to win and no way to lose
PERSUASION TIP 24 If you can frame your preferred strategy as two ways to win and no way to lose, almost no one will disagree with your suggested path because it is a natural High-Ground Maneuver.
The move involves taking an argument up to a level where you can say something that is absolutely true while changing the context at the same time. Once the move has been executed, the other participants will fear appearing small-minded if they drag the argument back to the detail level. It’s an instant game changer.
“High-Ground Maneuver.”
A GRAB BAG OF TRUMP’S QUICKEST AND EASIEST PERSUASION TOOLS
A grab bag of Trump’s quickest and easiest persuasion tools
Social proof “many people are saying”
Ask for the sale / ask directly for what you want (“believe me”)
Repetition (“it’s true, it’s true”)
Simplicity
Simpler looks right
Memorable (quote machine, very meme-able)
Strategic ambiguity
PERSUASION TIP 25 If you are selling, ask your potential customer to buy. Direct requests are persuasive.
PERSUASION TIP 26 Repetition is persuasion. Also, repetition is persuasion. And have I mentioned that repetition is persuasion?
PERSUASION TIP 27 Match the speaking style of your audience. Once they see you as one of their own, it will be easier to lead them.
PERSUASION TIP 28 Simple explanations look more credible than complicated ones.
PERSUASION TIP 29 Simplicity makes your ideas easy to understand, easy to remember, and easy to spread. You can be persuasive only when you are also memorable.
PERSUASION TIP 30 “Strategic ambiguity” refers to a deliberate choice of words that allows people to read into your message whatever they want to hear. Or to put it another way, the message intentionally leaves out any part that would be objectionable to anyone. People fill in the gaps with their imagination, and their imagination can be more persuasive than anything you say.
Pacing and Leading:
Match EMOTIONAL state, then once matched, lead
If you want to see the world more clearly, avoid joining a tribe. But if you are going to war, leave your clear thinking behind and join a tribe.
If you want to see the world more clearly, avoid joining a tribe. But if you are going to war, leave your clear thinking behind and join a tribe.
three-act form looks like this: First Act: The hero experiences something life changing. In Trump’s case, it meant running for president and getting an early lead. Second Act: In the second act we see the hero having fun, and usually winning, with one minor adventure after another.
The first and second acts often hint at a major problem to come.
Third Act: The third and final act is characterized by an impossible-to-solve problem that the hero manages to solve anyway.
I use uncommon words and ideas and see if they enter the public conversation. If I see my unique wording or uncommon framing suddenly leap into widespread use, that means I probably made a dent in the universe.
If you use uncommon words or devices, you can see if those pop up again later in others’ work
PERSUASION TIP 31 If you are trying to get a decision from someone who is on the fence but leaning in your direction, try a “fake because” to give them “permission” to agree with you. The reason you offer doesn’t need to be a good one. Any “fake because” will work when people are looking for a reason to move your way.
A great sales technique
“fake because”
People who have already made up their minds for emotional or other reasons often latch on to a “fake because” to justify their choice- to others and even to themselves
