11:05 pm
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Years ago, when I first started reading and writing about persuasion, I found myself moving further to the political right. Or, perhaps, further from the current political left.
Learning about the tools and techniques of persuasion, I could see the manipulation of the population and how easily our energy is directed.
Persuasion, at its core, is getting someone to see the benefits of an action or a believe, and to change their behavior ‘for the better’ because of it.
Manipulation, on the other hand, benefits the manipulator but not the manipulated. Rioting, anyone?
When you’re the first to mention an idea, you “win” that mind space. This is the purpose of a Blue Ocean strategy, that you define a new market and you’re the only one serving it.
But when someone already has an idea and you’re hoping to persuade them to see the benefit of its opposite? Much harder.
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