Bookmark: The trick to changing minds
1 min read 17 Mar 2020, 08:32 PM ISTJonah Berger explains how one can become a catalyst, and guide people towards changing their point of view by understanding the source of resistance to change
PremiumWhat do you do when you need to get people on board with a new idea? Coax, cajole, convince... and keep at it till you manage to win them over? Or, give up and go home when the objections are too many? Author Jonah Berger has another way. Identify what’s preventing change from happening, and remove the barriers. His new book, The Catalyst: How To Change Anyone’s Mind, explains that successful change agents don’t just provide an overdose of information to pressure people. Persuasion and talking to win people over can be exhausting and frustrating. Instead, real change agents are catalysts, who use less, not more, energy to enable change. Rather than pushing, catalysts remove roadblocks to change, figuring out what is stopping the person from changing their mind or adopting a new idea. Berger breaks down the ways to do this, and explains how one can become a catalyst. His approach isn’t just about changing minds; he also has pointers to use these techniques for new product adoption, changing behaviour, and shifting organization culture. Catalysts also allow people agency—they don’t tell people what to do, they guide them, and find a middle ground by understanding what the resistance is rooted in. Guided choices let people retain a sense of freedom and control while moving them towards a desired outcome. Smart bosses do this.
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