Sterling Terrell

recovering economist

4 Great Persuasion Tools

4 Great Persuasion Tools

Here are 4 effective persuasion tools to consider.

1. Pictures and visual words

Because pictures of oppression are more impactful than saying “oppression.”

2. Emotion

For love and hate and happiness and sadness will bring about a different response than calculated facts.

3. Repetition

Because – well – it simply just sticks after a while…

4. Simplicity

And people are not drawn to the “best” they are drawn to what is easiest to understand.

Remember that facts may do a lot of things, but they do not persuade people.

A good general rule is that people are more influenced by visual persuasion, emotion, repetition, and simplicity than they are by details and facts.
-Scott Adams, Win Bigly

Do Not Apologize Constantly?

Do Not Apologize Constantly?
[This is part of the series: 31 Persuasion Tips That I Learned From Scott Adams]

I personally can not stand people that apologize constantly.

I mean, I do not have anything against offering an apology when you need to.

But few people do it right.

Most either never apologize – and yeah – that just makes you look like a megalomaniac.

Others apologize when their shadow appears.

The trick is to strike a balance.

Refer back to this post for context, but as persuasion goes, you might apologize for being “binarily wrong.”

And not apologize about getting the details wrong.

The point is that knowing when to apologize can be persuasive.

PERSUASION TIP 6: If you are not a Master Persuader running for president, find the sweet spot between apologizing too much, which signals a lack of confidence, and never apologizing for anything, which makes you look like a sociopath.
-Scott Adams, Win Bigly
Sterling Terrell