Facebook Pixel
Searching...
English
EnglishEnglish
EspañolSpanish
简体中文Chinese
FrançaisFrench
DeutschGerman
日本語Japanese
PortuguêsPortuguese
ItalianoItalian
한국어Korean
РусскийRussian
NederlandsDutch
العربيةArabic
PolskiPolish
हिन्दीHindi
Tiếng ViệtVietnamese
SvenskaSwedish
ΕλληνικάGreek
TürkçeTurkish
ไทยThai
ČeštinaCzech
RomânăRomanian
MagyarHungarian
УкраїнськаUkrainian
Bahasa IndonesiaIndonesian
DanskDanish
SuomiFinnish
БългарскиBulgarian
עבריתHebrew
NorskNorwegian
HrvatskiCroatian
CatalàCatalan
SlovenčinaSlovak
LietuviųLithuanian
SlovenščinaSlovenian
СрпскиSerbian
EestiEstonian
LatviešuLatvian
فارسیPersian
മലയാളംMalayalam
தமிழ்Tamil
اردوUrdu
Persuasion

Persuasion

Convincing Others When Facts Don't Seem to Matter
by Lee Hartley Carter 2019 272 pages
3.66
100+ ratings
Listen
Listen to Summary

Key Takeaways

1. Facts Alone Rarely Change Minds; Empathy is Key

If you want to change minds, facts alone have never been enough.

Beyond Logic. People are not rational beings driven solely by facts. Our brains are wired to process opinions we agree with as facts, and we often reject information that contradicts our existing beliefs. This is why simply presenting data or statistics is often ineffective in persuasion.

Emotional Connection. To truly connect with others and shift their thinking, you must engage in a process that goes far beyond hitting them with statistics or study results. This involves understanding their emotions, values, and behaviors, and crafting a message that resonates with their worldview.

Empathy is the foundation. Persuasion is not about manipulation; it's about building a long-term relationship based on integrity and rooted in empathy. It's about understanding what your audience needs and delivering it in a way that makes them feel understood.

2. Vision Requires Specificity and Audacity

A dream is specific. A dream is visual.

Beyond Generalities. Vague goals like "being more popular" or "greater market share" are not enough for effective persuasion. You need a clear, specific vision of what success looks like, with measurable outcomes and a clear picture of what you want to achieve.

Audacious Thinking. Don't limit your vision to what seems practical or readily attainable. Instead, think beyond the options in front of you and imagine something for yourself or your company that isn't obvious. This requires courage and a willingness to challenge the status quo.

Vision Informs Action. Once you have a specific vision, it will dictate your choices and help you prioritize your actions. It will also motivate others to help make it happen and keep you going when you face challenges.

3. Authenticity and Vulnerability Build Trust

Persuasion is about a long-term relationship based in integrity and rooted in empathy.

Realness over Perfection. People are drawn to authenticity, not perfection. Trying to be something you're not will come across as untrustworthy and will kill your brand's story. Instead, own your shortcomings and present them as strengths.

Vulnerability as Strength. Acknowledging your vulnerabilities can be a powerful tool for persuasion. It shows that you're human and relatable, and it can disarm your audience and make them more receptive to your message.

Authenticity in Crisis. When you've made a mistake, don't try to deny it or spin it. Instead, acknowledge the pain point, validate your audience's perception, and show that you're committed to making things right.

4. Active Empathy: Emotion, Values, and Behavior

Empathy is not endorsement.

Three Dimensions of Empathy. Active empathy involves understanding your audience's emotions, values, and behaviors. This means going beyond surface-level knowledge and delving into their hopes, dreams, and fears.

Emotional Empathy. Understand the emotions that will make it possible or impossible for you to effectively communicate with your audience. Use the Change Triangle to identify core emotions and avoid inhibitory emotions and defenses.

Values-Based Empathy. Understand the values that are most important to your audience so that you can communicate about what matters to you in language that resonates with them. Use moral foundations theory to identify their core values.

Behavior-Based Empathy. Understand your audience by looking at what they actually do in addition to what you think they do or what they say they do. Observe their actions and ask clarifying questions to understand their motivations.

5. Hearing the Haters: Understanding Your Detractors

Empathy is not endorsement. Empathizing with someone you profoundly disagree with does not suddenly compromise your own deeply held beliefs and endorse theirs.

Beyond Judgment. It's easy to have empathy for people who agree with you, but it's crucial to extend that empathy to those who hold opposing viewpoints. This doesn't mean you have to agree with them, but it does mean you have to be willing to understand them.

The Empathy Gap. When considering an enemy, the mind generates an "empathy gap," muting the empathy signal. To overcome this, you must make a conscious effort to engage in empathy and stay curious.

Finding Common Ground. Instead of trying to change your detractors' minds, focus on finding common ground and building a connection. This might involve acknowledging their concerns, telling stories, or finding shared values.

6. Master Narrative: Your One Thing

You stick to that and everything else don’t mean sh*t.

Singular Focus. A master narrative is your singularly focused message that defines and differentiates you. It's the one thing you want people to say about you when you're not in the room.

Emotional Resonance. A powerful master narrative connects with your audience on an emotional level. It makes them feel good about themselves and their choices, and it gives them a reason to support you.

True North. Once you have found your master narrative, it becomes your true north, the criterion against which everything else aligns. It dictates every decision you make and ensures that all your communication is consistent and impactful.

7. Three Pillars: Supporting Your Master Narrative

You can’t build a great building on a weak foundation.

Supporting Themes. The three pillars are the three themes that support your master narrative. They are the reasons why you will be able to deliver on your promise.

Audience-Focused. Your pillars should be based on your audience's needs, values, and obstacles, not on what you think is important. They should be the three things that will resonate most with your target audience.

Proof Points. Each pillar should be supported by three proof points, which are facts or data that back up your claims. These proof points should be specific, measurable, and relevant to your audience.

8. Visual Language: Symbols That Stick

I believe in a visual language that should be as strong as the WRITTEN word.

Pictures over Words. We think in pictures, and visual language is more memorable than words alone. Use symbols to plant a positive image in the mind of your audience and make your message stick.

Symbols That Differentiate. Use symbols to set yourself apart from the competition. These symbols should be concrete, tangible, and emotionally resonant.

Symbols That Rehabilitate. When you're facing a crisis, identify the negative symbols that are associated with you and replace them with positive ones. This might involve changing your actions or telling a new story.

9. Storytelling: Making Facts Memorable

Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.

Beyond Facts. Stories make facts "sticky," meaning memorable. They create an emotional connection with your audience and make your message more engaging and relatable.

Storytelling Formula. A good story has a compelling hook, an emotional appeal, and scalable facts. It should open with something that grabs your audience's attention, tap into their core emotions, and end with proof points that support your message.

Relatability and Scalability. Your stories should be relatable to your audience and representative of a bigger point you're trying to make. They should be about them, not just about you.

10. Persuasion in Training: Practice and Refine

It’s not what you say, it’s what they hear.

Beyond the Plan. A Persuasion Plan on paper is just a plan. You need to practice it, test it, and refine it to ensure that it will have the impact you want.

Testing Your Message. Get feedback from people who are representative of your target audience. Ask them what they heard, what they felt, and what they would do differently as a result of your message.

Staying Curious. If your message falls flat, don't get discouraged. Instead, stay curious and ask questions to understand why it didn't work. Then, go back to the drawing board and refine your approach.

11. Persuasion in Crisis: Calm, Action, and Empathy

Never let a good crisis go to waste.

Stop and Think. When a crisis hits, your first instinct is usually the wrong one. Instead of reacting, stop and think. Get calm, get objective, and get curious.

Empathy First. Don't deny, defend, or dismiss. Instead, acknowledge the impact of the crisis on your audience and show that you understand their concerns.

Action and Transparency. Take concrete actions to address the crisis and be transparent about what you're doing. Show, don't just tell. And remember, you can't just apologize once. You must repeat it until you are nauseous.

Last updated:

Review Summary

3.66 out of 5
Average of 100+ ratings from Goodreads and Amazon.

The reviews for Persuasion are mixed, with ratings ranging from 1 to 5 stars. Some readers found the book insightful and praised its ideas on empathy and storytelling in persuasion. Others criticized it for being too focused on marketing and lacking originality. Several reviewers appreciated the author's approach to understanding different perspectives, particularly in political contexts. However, some found the content repetitive or felt it didn't offer much new information. The book's American-centric examples and political undertones were points of contention for some readers.

Your rating:

About the Author

Lee Hartley Carter is a marketing and communication expert who specializes in persuasion techniques. She is the author of "Persuasion" and the head of a company that focuses on marketing, crisis communication, and understanding human behavior. Carter's work often involves high-profile cases, including addressing prejudices against Muslims in America and managing corporate crises. Her approach emphasizes empathy and storytelling as key elements in effective persuasion. Carter is known for her direct and authentic communication style, which is reflected in her writing. She frequently appears in media, sharing her insights on persuasion and communication strategies.

Download PDF

To save this Persuasion summary for later, download the free PDF. You can print it out, or read offline at your convenience.
Download PDF
File size: 0.19 MB     Pages: 12

Download EPUB

To read this Persuasion summary on your e-reader device or app, download the free EPUB. The .epub digital book format is ideal for reading ebooks on phones, tablets, and e-readers.
Download EPUB
File size: 2.95 MB     Pages: 9
0:00
-0:00
1x
Dan
Andrew
Michelle
Lauren
Select Speed
1.0×
+
200 words per minute
Create a free account to unlock:
Requests: Request new book summaries
Bookmarks: Save your favorite books
History: Revisit books later
Recommendations: Get personalized suggestions
Ratings: Rate books & see your ratings
Try Full Access for 7 Days
Listen, bookmark, and more
Compare Features Free Pro
📖 Read Summaries
All summaries are free to read in 40 languages
🎧 Listen to Summaries
Listen to unlimited summaries in 40 languages
❤️ Unlimited Bookmarks
Free users are limited to 10
📜 Unlimited History
Free users are limited to 10
Risk-Free Timeline
Today: Get Instant Access
Listen to full summaries of 73,530 books. That's 12,000+ hours of audio!
Day 4: Trial Reminder
We'll send you a notification that your trial is ending soon.
Day 7: Your subscription begins
You'll be charged on Mar 23,
cancel anytime before.
Consume 2.8x More Books
2.8x more books Listening Reading
Our users love us
100,000+ readers
"...I can 10x the number of books I can read..."
"...exceptionally accurate, engaging, and beautifully presented..."
"...better than any amazon review when I'm making a book-buying decision..."
Save 62%
Yearly
$119.88 $44.99/year
$3.75/mo
Monthly
$9.99/mo
Try Free & Unlock
7 days free, then $44.99/year. Cancel anytime.
Settings
Appearance
Black Friday Sale 🎉
$20 off Lifetime Access
$79.99 $59.99
Upgrade Now →