Gentle Persuasion

I've heard a lot of people lately wondering how to reach friends, neighbors, and coworkers with radically different opinions from their own. It sometimes seems that discussions become arguments, family gatherings turn into shouting matches. Here are a couple of things to remember about persuasion. First, it takes time, and second, your listener must do some of this work. Let's apply these. You may have a coworker that completely objects to your political opinions. You are supporting opposing candidates for governor. You could debate your friend (plan to keep this friendly), listing every pro and con for each candidate. 

That is a lot of work. It will require you to keep up on all aspects of every issue. And you will be drawn into side arguments. It's also a poor use of your time on the job, and certainly not a fun lunchtime topic. 

Take some of the heat off yourself. What is it you like about your candidate? Let's say it's a tax policy. 

When you are called upon for your opinion, simply point to a principle you stand for. You might say, "Tax strategy x has always been effective." You are narrowing your field, and commenting on a general principle. You are also implying, "Hey, I would vote for your candidate if your candidate followed this principle." You have taken a lot personality out of the discussion, and relied on something that is easier to support. Now for the hard part. Stop talking. There is an old saying in sales. You ask the customer to buy, and the next person to speaks owns the product. Just let your point sink in and forget about it. Give your listener a chance to mull over your comment at a later time. They would rather draw their own conclusions, and get credit for doing their own conclusions. Remember the old adage that "A little bit goes a long way." Now there's a little boy watching me persuading me to let him visit the Lego website.