See It My Way

I ran into Bill as a client and I were leaving for lunch. Bill is an economist and a friend for years who is also a member of  the National Speakers Association. I told him that I had enjoyed his latest newsletter as usual. He allowed as how the one-minute reading time was probably why as my attentions span might barely suffice otherwise. My client, another old friend, immediately jumped in to question if I had sufficient neurons to handle that sort of high powered information and then asked Bill how he could get information about such a contorted subject into that short a reading time.

Bill simply puts brief notes on the graphs the government issues monthly. His eight to ten word notes calm or alert and suggest fixes if necessary, all in very short order.

Then, today I was cleaning up the piles of paper on my desk and quickly perused my “Blog” file where I fling all kinds of things that might stir up something new and different for folks like you.

You can open a closed mind

That was part of the headline on an article I’d clipped.

If you are in the business of convincing or persuading that sort of promise gets your attention. I had to reread the piece to learn that one picture is not worth a thousand words. BUT, there is something that just might be!

Politics in the proof

Two researchers, one from Dartmouth and one from Georgia State presented folks with information that contradicted test subject’s political attitudes. The researchers assumed that convictions tend to be especially resistant to facts when it’s about politics. They intentionally selected topics that were highly polarized.

They started by showing people that disapproved of Barack Obama’s handling of an economy in recession evidence that jobs had increased during the first year he served as President.

3 Alternatives tested

The facts were delivered in three different ways:

· A paragraph of text

· A chart

· Attempts to build the self-esteem of the subject.

The chart triumphed.

It is our native language

Humans prefer visually-oriented inputs to acquire information. If what we see conflicts with what we hear we choose vision over sound. That’s because we are inherently lazy. Our brains require less neurons firing to process visual data. On top of that, evidence presented in words is perceived to be an argument. If the data runs counter to our beliefs we generate counter arguments.

The graphs you use don’t have to be fancy and in fact, the simpler the better. Yes, they can illustrate your point but it might be more powerful if you let them make it.

Consider the source.

One of the things that you might want to take into account is where the charted data comes from. If you are trying to convince or persuade I suggest you allow the person you’ve targeted to name a non-sectarian data source.

Remember AL Gore and his chart that was wall–sized? He managed to get through to a very large chunk of the American public. Its beginning to pay off. The increased belief in climate change was reflected in the Senate, when 98 senators from both parties voted that climate change is real and not a hoax. Of course they were divided along party lines as to whether mankind was responsible.

And, so it goes.

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His consulting practice, founded in 1990, is known for Trust-based Brand development, Positioning and business development for independent professionals on and off-line.

Consulting: www.JerryFletcher.com
Speaking: www.NetworkingNinja.com
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