Being Persuasive: Tips to Help You Convince Others That You Are Right

[Azathoth]

6. Convincing a specific individual of something is almost impossible

Almost no one will change their mind if they know you want them to change their mind, unless they are either rigorously intellectually serious (extremely rare) or they already respect and trust you to such an extent that they are more invested in agreeing with you than in whatever it is they believe. Otherwise, appealing directly to someone and challenging their beliefs almost never works.

Convincing people is a statistical thing done in the aggregate. You formulate a solid argument using the strategies of rhetoric and you put it out for people. Once the audience no longer feels the rush of indignation that comes from being personally challenged, a certain percentage will, of their own accord, start to listen and think about about what you are writing/saying. Some will be analytic thinkers who enjoy testing ideas and reevaluating positions, but the vast majority will be those who either don't have a strongly considered position to start with, or else have a strongly held position that doesn't quite reconcile with something else they believe and/or feel.