If perception outweighs words, well, we need to think about this.

And maybe be a little more strategic.In the same way that facts are not persuasive, how people view your intentions might be more important than what you actually say.

Let me say it a different way.

Voters care more about how they feel a politician is looking out for them than what specific policy the politician is for or against.

Your boss is probably the same way.

It matters more how you are perceived, in general, than how you performed on project X.

Words are cheap, you have to make people believe in you.

This makes sense.

If I could guess what you might think – what you are thinking – that would be amazing, right?

It would probably even make you reflect that you and I consider things in the same way.But here is the awesome part.

If I do guess what you are thinking, and I guess wrong, you won’t dwell on it very much.

It’s nearly a win-win to give it a try.

Take this post for instance.

I shared a passage and said that after I read it, there was “one issue I had.”

Well, if you had the same issue too – the same thought that I did – you now identify a little bit more with me.

If you didn’t have the same thought as I did, you probably just read right over the passage and went on with your day, no harm done.

It happens to work.

And, if done right, can be incredibly effective.

Now I know what you are thinking.

You are still skeptical.

Just give it a try on your own, and try to spot it coming from others. You might be surprised how often it is being used, and how often you are falling for the technique.