Want to be more persuasive? Present a balanced argument.
There are two sides to every argument and we all know it.
Ever been steamrolled in a meeting or discussion? Ever tried to steamroll someone else? It’s not much fun and it doesn’t feel good.
But what about the other side? We know it’s there and we need to acknowledge it.
Wouldn’t that damage our case too much? Wouldn’t that be shooting ourselves in the foot?
Instinctively, we want to gloss over, or even conceal weaknesses. We fear undermining our point of view by talking about weaknesses. But actually, it can help our case.
As a matter of fact, the balanced, well-rounded argument can be the most-persuasive method for gaining support for a cause, idea, product or service.
Jeremy Dean writes about this issue and some interesting evidence at Psyblog:
Over the years psychologists have compared one-sided and two-sided arguments to see which are the most persuasive in different contexts. Daniel O’Keefe at the University of Illinois collected together the results of 107 different studies on sidedness and persuasion conducted over 50 years which, between them, recruited 20,111 participants (O’Keefe, 1999, Communication Yearbook, 22, pp. 209-249).
What he found across different types of persuasive messages and with varied audiences, was that two-sided arguments are more persuasive than their one-sided equivalents.
The balanced argument, in general, is the smartest way to go. Bring up shortcomings when discussing your causes, ideas, products or services. Discuss weaknesses. Don’t over-emphasize them of course, but get them out on the table.
People aren’t blind to alternatives. Show them you’re not either. Show them you’ve thought through all the options, and that you’ve investigated the possibilities, too.
It’s fair, fun, and more persuasive in the long run.
Have a great week.
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