Get Off Your High Horse

Socrates believed speech towered over thoughts and actions, so why not use this philosophical point of view in our daily arguments?

The first thing you must understand is that entering a new art of persuasion requires you to get off your high horse. By that I mean you will put your audience first. In other words, give them what they value most, and by the end you will have hypnotized them into believing your choice is the advantageous one. Watch and learn.

Me: Jules hurry upstairs I need help fixing the TV! You are the only person in this whole house that can work this thing! 

Jules: I have no idea how it works call someone else I don’t have time.

Me: please it’s the premiere of the walking dead in 5 minutes!

 Jules runs up the stairs, flies over the couch and is fixing it in no time.

Sneaky me! As you can see in order to manipulate his actions I started with something me audience (in this case Jules) believed in or wanted really badly: The Walking Dead.

Sure, I could have told him I had to watch the presidential debate for my English class so I could come prepared to class, but what does he care about my grades in English class? Is it going to be useful for him in his state of short term satisfaction? I think not. 

Still there might be an issue when you use this kind of persuasion technique. Babbling is the brick wall that keeps you from changing their point of view, and sure enough one of the symptoms of this incurable disease is the tendency to repeat the same rationale over and over. Houston we have a problem. Yes this is what we call an unpersuadable audience.

Me: Jules it’s way better to take the highway and then cross the bridge so you can get to the gym.

Jules: No we always take this route it’s the fastest way! 

Me: But the newspaper said there was going to be traffic jam!

Jules:  I don’t care we always take this route it’s the fastest!

 Now that’s a bummer, but it’s not over because persuading on my own terms is finally here! Chapter 12 has introduced to me an easy escape to the type of arguments that somehow get you cornered in a wall with no escape. The persuasive strategy of definition is what will allow you to stack everything in you favor. We have a pyramid of choices that will sooner or later give you a final win.

1.      Facts

When you’re in the middle of a heated conversation, your top priority is to seem smarter and wiser than your opponent. This is why we have facts. They can not only completely turn a conversation to your favor, but they make it really hard for someone to answer back to you. After all, facts are facts. Still, there may be that awkward moment when you don’t really know much about the natural habitat of sea lions, and your argument about claiming to do the project with no help suddenly seems hanging by a thread. NO need to worry help is on the way!

2.      Redefine terms

The teacher may be accusing you of being irresponsible by leaving all the work up to your classmates (as many of us tend to do), but why should you accept the fact that she is labeling you based on first impression. Don’t give up so quickly because you can redefine this term in your favor.

You: If “irresponsible” means staying afterschool in the EVL for an entire week, and interviewing my uncle who happens to work at the aquarium in Cartagena, then yeah sure I’m as irresponsible as can be. Go ahead and just praise the rest of the group without giving credit to an underachiever.

3.      Claim the discussion is irrelevant

If you still find yourself loosing points after all the strategies, then you have no choice but to claim the discussion is irrelevant

You: I really don’t know where this is coming from Mr. Sinisgali, I mean we already presented to the class and they seem to have got the message. Sea lions are an endangered species and that’s what this whole assignment was about, therefore I believe my grade should reflect that.