Hi Reader, today I will persuade you with my words!
Okay, actually, I will share my insights on how to convince others to join in on sustainable practices. This topic was heavily requested by our green family, and it is honestly one of my favorites as well.
I always thought I did not need to learn about convincing and negotiation. I am a scientist, I know what it takes to create convincing data. It was quite an effort to start reading a book that was advised by a friend about this topic. However, it was totally worth it. The author was a hostage negotiator, and ever since, the book has paid itself back multiple times.
As so often, it's really about finding the right approach and developing the mental courage to pursue it, rather than finding the right words. Let me explain what I mean:
Today's Lesson: Convincing Others
Make others join sustainable action for a greener future - together!
Number Of The Day
The 7-38-55 rule is often attributed to Albert Mehrabian, suggesting that 93% of our communication is non-verbal. While 38% is conveyed by our voice and tone, 55% depend on our body language. Obviously, this is to be taken with a grain of salt, but it serves as a good reminder.
93 %
How To Convince Others
Take Away
Find a way to enjoy talking to others and structure your message well. In the end, it is about finding out what matters to others and genuinly caring about how to help them get there. If someone feels you really care about them, they will try to help you too.
The Basic Assumption During the years I have been learning to talk to people I did not know before… at conferences, at meetings, and through Email (obviously :D).
After all my experience, I can confidently say, it is never easy to talk to someone new.
It will never be as convenient as being quiet.
But what nobody talks about: Most often do not reach out because we do not truly care about the other person. Just like we were not taught to feel the self-esteem to ask for what we believe in. Therefore, we become insecure about our idea, and this leads us to think we are “just shy.”
Since the lesson today is very text-heavy, I thought I include some more funny pieces : )
As a result, we are bombarded with tips for forging the best arguments or “creating urgency.” However, it is so much more about what is going on in your own head and developing a genuine interest in the well-being and benefit of your conversation partner. In the end, we are all humans, and all our decisions are driven by emotion – our arguments often serve as mere rationalized justification for certain actions.
A) Develop A Clear Mission Do you have a concrete goal of what you would like to see others change? You might think it is inappropriate to expect others to do what you think is best. However, when you truly think that it is doing good for them and the environment, this misassumption will fade. Share a concrete action your conversation partner can do within 24 hours because they might lack the experience, time, or motivation to figure it out themselves. Personal Tip: Create a strategy containing what your opponent needs to know to be able to initiate change. Also, just being aware that you will get (sometimes truly unexpected) pushback is a crucial preparation to stay cool within the moment.
B) Having Effect If other people valued the same things as you do, you probably would not need to convince them to take action.
Don’t assume – rather, find out what the other person feels.
Personal Tip: Draft some well-open-ended questions (starting with “how” or “what”) because often it is less about convincing others with arguments than it is about finding out what they perceive as a problem or challenge. I have often found that I would have never expected what would be of importance to them. Some more strategies & papers - here - and - here - or - here -
C) Handling Numbers Numbers are crucial to raising awareness and conveying impact, but they are not enough on their own. For example, saying “1000 kilograms of carbon dioxide” might not resonate because in how far is it different from 1001 kg or 100 tons? Instead, equating it to “driving around the United States three times” helps grasp the impact. The same counts for any other kind of argument
The right delivery can catch a lot of attention! DOI: 10.1177/00139165073110
Also, be aware that talking about sustainability often has the power to make people very anxious, and suggest a feeling of guilty. These negative emotions can easily be overwhelming so that people would rather ignore or reject what you say. Balance such information with outlining the personal benefit of change and providing social proof.
That negative emotions should be avoided when motivating others is a common misperception. They can be powerful but have to be connected to a clear action.
And here’s a short list of experiences that will serve you well in avoiding some of the difficulties I have had:
Review your expectations: take it step by step, and don’t expect instant support. Most conviction happens after a personal bond has been built. It might take time and repeated discussions to initiate change. Especially for large-scale change, it will take a long time and many discussions until you get to the decision-maker.
It is not possible to know beforehand which will be the best arguments and strategies. You will just need to test your way through.
The most difficult thing is emotional strength - that means, for example, staying quiet during silence (to let the other person think) or making concrete asks.
Applying The Knowledge
Who are you talking to? Are they a friend or a stranger? Are they a bachelor, a group leader, a computational biologist, a chemist, or someone else?
Do you need to convince them in one session, or can you take multiple conversations to take small steps and get to know each other?
What do you want to convince them of? For example, are you trying to persuade them to save plastic, change the recycling service, or give you their approval to talk to the dean?
How will you find out what they care about and which challenges they face?
Which numbers could be interesting to them, and how would you present the arguments and numbers?
Are you open to personally relating to their situation before you talk to them?
Do you plan to follow up on the conversation? If so, how would you keep track of your follow-ups?
Upcoming Lesson:
How to help your lab-mates & colleagues to become more sustainable
It is an “initiative” and community with a blog that shares some interesting ideas about how to initiate change (registered as a company in Canada). The blog posts are concise and very inspiring. One member is especially active in writing and replying.
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