Welcome to election day in the USA, 2016.
How are you feeling?
If there is a singular lesson I have gleened from this year’s campaigning it is this. The ability to persuade, in a hopeful, meaningful, and positive way, has been lost. It’s been lost by our politicians and by many or our citizens. If you don’t like the current disunity and angst that has grown in our country and you want a better future for yourself and your family, it is vital you learn how to be a better persuader. Here is how not to persuade.
Insulting others and hypocrisy.
If you inspire to be a better persuader, insulting others for their beliefs does not work. Insults only bring about a more dogmatic holding to one’s beliefs. Hypocrisy only exacerbates an already strained relationship. Your message should be “why” you believe what you believe. You need to learn how to persuade and you do it with…
Facts. Sincerity. Authenticity. Credibility. Understanding. Hope.
I admire Stephen Covey’s book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, especially his 5th Habit; “First listen to understand and then speak to be understood.” Persuade by sharing why you believe what you believe. Start by building a relationship through listening. Persuade by bringing hope in to the discussion. The person you talk with has to know you care about them no matter your or their beliefs. All this holds true whether we are talking politics, business, relationships, or any other facet of life. Do you speak in hopeful terms when trying to persuade?
Proper communication is the key to our success and the lack of it, is the reason for our failure.
Be a good messenger by being a better persuader. People around the world could use some hope right now.
Amen to that Mark! Beautifully written, and thoughtful.
Thank you for this.
Thank You Mark! ‘The 7 Habits of Highy Effective People’ is a Great Book!
Thank you, Mark. What has been missing through this process is character and integrity.
Exactly right Mark. For some of us (me included) it’s easy to let passion overtake reason, which is ironic because the positions I advocate come from a place that champions reason over passion.
Well said! People cannot bully or belittle others into believing the way that they believe.
Excellent Mark. No one will ever win me over by telling me how stupid, ignorant, racist, or worse I must be by believing in something. Once they start with an insult, all other words are lost.
Even in the car world. I happen to own a SVT Cobra Mustang and love Mustangs. But I’m also a fan of many cars, including several that are definitely not classic or enthusiast cars, I.E. the Gremlin.
Too many people fall into the Ford vs Chevy vs Chrysler. American vs Import, European vs Japanese, and Italian vs the World. The fact that brand X is the only real performance car and your some daraugetory term if you believe or own otherwise is a big turn off to me.
That’s why I love the Cars Yeah interviews. Almost everyone has an interesting story because of their passion for cars, business, art, photography, writing, etc. But it all comes back to we all Love Cars, no matter where we live.
If we concentrate more on the common good, instead of the differences and name calling, we will all be better off.
Cars Yeah is a great place to start.