Try this the next time you’re in a political debate.

It’s well established that most people believe that the best way to convince others to change their minds politically is through the use of facts, statistics, and data. 

Wrong. 

Devon Frye, writing in Psychology Today, says it’s much more powerful to use personal experience involving harm.

For example, you might say that you support gun rights because a pistol helped you defend against an intruder.

Frye explains, “The effect appeared to happen because hearing someone’s desire to avoid harm lead listeners to view her as more rational, engendering greater respect for the dissenting view.”

Facts do play an essential role in political discussion but the point is that leading with facts, or basing an argument solely on statistics, is far less likely to have the desired effect.

Psychologist Kurt Gray suggests the next time you’re in a political debate to ask your opponent what in their life lead them to feel the way they do...and trying to be genuinely curious about the answer. 

Sounds like the Me > You > Us formula from our Confident Communicator workshop.