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IBM or General Motors may announce pending layoffs of 20,000 people in the next quarter, and you'll empathize with those families affected. But if you're an employee there, you'll start preparing your rÉsumÉ and talking to friends about job possibilities. |
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Don't tell employees that if XYZ legislation passes, their health-care costs will rise. Tell them that their deductible will slide from $200 to $1000 and you'll have their attention. |
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To spark interest and action, the situation has to touch people's daily lives. The closer the interest or the pressure, the more attention people pay. Talk personally. Make problems hit home. |
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Tip 271: Use associations from the past. |
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Why does the President speak from the Oval Office when he needs extraordinary credibility for a difficult decision? Because the camera frames Old Glory standing in the background. That symbol subtly evokes patriotic moments in our history when the President took a stand in a major crisis and pulled the nation together in victory. To be persuasive, try to evoke associations with other people, other groups, and other successes to lead people to transfer that past confidence to the present situation. |
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This principle is at work when you have a decorated military general speak for the tax increase: Voting yes is the patriotic thing to do. The principle is at work when you see a toddler in an insurance commercial: Buying insurance will give your kids the same security of your own childhood. |
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This principle is at work when you see a stay-at-home mom buttoning the jacket of her 6-year-old before the child leaves for school: Buying brand X cough syrup is what your own loving mother would do. |
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How do you know your employees will enjoy a 1960s party at their annual convention? Remind them of the success of their senior prom. Will this negotiating ploy work with the new customer? Remind your boss of past contract negotiations where you came out a winner. Will the bond campaign for the community convention center win support? Most likely, if you can remind the voting crowd of the bond-funded theater they currently enjoy. |
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Tip 272: Ride with the flow as far as you can go. |
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We tend to continue to do things "because we've always done it that way." People resist change. Many voters still hold the political beliefs learned at their parent's knee. They watch TV ads for things they've already bought. They read cartoon series they've followed for 10 years and watch TV reruns for a lifetime. |
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For you, that means it's easier to ride the flow of opinion as far as you can. Find out what people feel comfortable with currently, and then present |
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