Are you stuck when dealing with opinionated people?

If a?man will begin with certainties, he shall end with doubts, but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties. – Francis Bacon from The Advancement of Learning.

Ever had that moment when you suddenly start questioning your choices? It could be because of something like getting a bad review for a product you were about to buy or hearing not-so-great stuff about a company's culture while job hunting.

So, here's the deal: introducing doubt as a communication trick can work wonders. Instead of shoving your ideas down someone's throat, try making them doubt their own previous decisions. It's like giving their certainty a friendly nudge. This tactic comes in handy when you're pitching policies, selling stuff, haggling, pushing your ideas, you name it.

Ready for some tips? I'll share three tips for employing this strategy of introducing doubt:

1. Check Their Current Stand

Where your conversation buddy stands makes all the difference. Take a sec to snoop around and figure out their thoughts about your idea. Imagine a sliding scale of choices for them—do they totally disagree (left side), are they kinda neutral (middle), or are they actually leaning towards your idea (right side)?

If they're somewhere between "no way" and "neutral", this strategy could be your secret weapon. The goal here? Shake their certainty a bit, not force them into thinking your idea is the holy grail.

2. Shaking Things Up

When it comes to introducing doubt, the first step is pinpointing the assumptions that underpin someone's stance. Folks who've made up their minds usually lean on specific assumptions to align their decisions with their expectations. These assumptions might not always be about data; It's not always about numbers; it could be all sorts of things like money matters or gut feelings.

So, what's your game plan? Your mission is to dig into this by diving into data and reports from their organization, dissecting their press releases and speeches, and tapping into the insight of folks who know what's behind these decisions. From this pool of info, pick a couple of assumptions (no more than two) and construct solid arguments to challenge them. This is where you can get all creative – whip out the science or even stir up some emotions to make your point.

3. Gathering Allies

Once you've honed your message and you're geared up to challenge assumptions, it's time to rally the troops. Picture this scenario: you're navigating the realm of public affairs with your sights set on influencing policies within specific governmental spheres. In this game, getting people on board with your message is like striking gold. These allies wield substantial influence – be it within the government, among influencers (think experts, academics, and the like), or the media, who can amplify your message. This is where a robust campaign strategy comes into play. Identify those allies who can effectively amplify and reinforce your message.

If your gig leans more toward personal interaction, ditch the jargon and fancy stats. Keep it simple and relatable, using language that your conversation partner easily gets. Don't bog them down with complicated data crunching unless they're on the same wavelength. Tailor your approach to get your point across effectively.

Here's hoping this all comes in handy for my readers. Got any thoughts on what I've shared, whether it's about government relations, public policy, or communication? Feel free to drop a comment below. Thanks for tuning in – looking forward to hearing your thoughts!