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Transcript of Changing minds2014
8swellstrategies
How to Change Someone’s Mind in 5 Easy Steps
Virginia GinsburgPresident & Chief Consultant
Swell Strategieswww.swellstrategies.com
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The ability to change other people’s minds is a critical skill for every entrepreneur. It’s important in:
• Recruiting • Sales• Fundraising• Negotiations• Partnerships
Changing Minds: The Opportunity
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The biggest problem entrepreneurs make when trying to change someone’s mind is treating it like a contact sport.
If you try to change someone’s mind forcefully, they might agree with you just to get away from you, but they aren’t actually convinced.
Changing Minds: The Problem
Looks Painful!
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There are 5 easy steps to truly change minds:
1. Ask questions
2. Clarify goals
3. Use inclusive language
4. Show (don’t tell)
5. Look for the win-win
Changing Minds: 5 Critical Steps
This is not the response you’re looking for.
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Don’t assume that you and the person you’re talking to are making the same assumptions.
You really don’t know what someone is thinking until you ask them.
Changing Minds: 1. Ask Questions
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Some good questions to ask when you want to change someone’s mind:
1. What is most important to you about this issue?
2. Why does this issue matter to you?
3. What would be a successful outcome for you today?
Changing Minds: 1. Ask Questions
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First, you need to clarify your own goals:
1. Why are you trying to change this person’s mind?
2. What will it mean to you if you succeed?
3. What will happen if you fail?
Changing Minds: 2. Clarify Goals
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Pay attention: if your only goal is to “win,” then you will not succeed at truly changing anyone’s mind.
You also want to understand where the other person is coming from.
Changing Minds: 2. Clarify Goals
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Warning: If you can’t find a common goal, then you might not want to waste your energy on the negotiation.
Changing Minds: 2. Clarify Goals
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Use inclusive language
like:• Can we find a way to
work this out?• I think we both want
the same thing, just in
different ways.• We’re on the same
team, we’re just
disagreeing on the play.
Changing Minds: 3. Use Inclusive Language
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Avoid saying things like:• You always say that• You just don’t
understand• You really aren’t getting
the point
Changing Minds: 3. Use Inclusive Language
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Bring in some relevant examples to show the situation as you see it. For example: • A customer complaint• A new customer
contract• Recent financial figures• Employee interviews
This adds tremendous credibility to your case.
Changing Minds: 4. Show, Don’t Tell
Show Me the Money!
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For Example: If you are trying to get an employee to take more time to grammar and spell-check emails before sending them to customers, show him some customer complaints about his sloppy communication.
Changing Minds: 4. Show, Don’t Tell
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Changing minds is not about winning – it’s about finding the win-win.
Both sides should feel as if they are in agreement.
>> If someone feels like a loser, they haven’t actually changed their mind.
Changing Minds: 5. Look for the win-win
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Look for ways that both of you can feel accomplished at the end of the conversation: • Concede some points
• Incorporate feedback
• Make changes to your original idea
Changing Minds: 5. Look for the win-win
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Changing someone's mind can be surprisingly easy and quick when you approach it with these five concepts in mind vs. as a bulldozer.
Changing Minds: Pretty Easy!
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Good Luck!Virginia Ginsburg
President & Chief Consultant Swell Strategies
www.swellstrategies.com