Blue Jay’s warning sounds
After a few months of strict confinement, we are slowly and safely venturing in the proximities of our home for some city hikes. Last weekend, we went to Glen Park where we spotted a Blue Jay mimicking a red tail hawk, right when there was one flying over us. Later on that day, I read that Blue Jays often mimic hawk sounds when they see them as a warning for other birds nearby.
If we have learnt anything from this pandemic is that we need to be more invested in the collective well being of our communities. Plenty of us are making the alarm bells sound for others to pay attention and watch out. What’s the best way to persuade someone to follow our lead?
The answer was already given by Aristotle. In Rhetorics, he called the basic laws of persuasion: gaining trust, reasoning with logic and appealing to emotion. For a persuasion act to be authentic, it needs to be emotionally detached from the outcome; truly interested in learning what the recipient of that act needs; adjusting for the better to realize new gains.
The way we construct our arguments matter. In the era of the internet and social media, attention spans are decreasing. To stand out, our points need to be unique and distinguishable from others. The "isolation effect" predicts that when multiple stimuli are presented, the one that differs from the rest is more likely to be remembered. We should also keep the options to a reasonable number; specially when driving towards a decision. Hick’s law says the more choices we give to people, the more time to decide. In some cases, they will not make a decision at all if the burden of deciding becomes too large. Last but not least, simplicity is a winner. That doesn’t mean that our arguments need to be simple in nature or content. It means that by the way we present them, they become relatable and understood by our audience.
Persuasion was defined with laws by Aristotle in ancient Greece. Researchers have studied it and developed multiple theories over time. We also refer to the power of persuasion or influence as an art. Picasso said: “Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth”. When we set ourselves to persuade and influence, let’s create unique, logical, exciting and simple stories with the needs of the beneficiary in mind. Let’s do it with an open mind to change our views to reach the better outcome in a selfless manner. Maybe, if we act this way, our authentic warning sounds will be heard louder and clearer. And we will finally get some people to react.