The curse of knowledge [about how to "convert" people to our ideas]

[hazek]

I'm confident almost everyone within our grassroots has asked themselves before how other people can't see what we see so clearly. Why is it so hard to rally people behind our ideas and why is it so hard for them to see what we all so zealously see in Ron when we talk to them.

Well while reading the book "Made to stick - Why some ideas survive and others die" there's one very good explanation that I believe significantly applies to our problem. Although you will not find anyone more convinced than me that in large part the masses vote with their emotions and not reason, talking to someone 1on1 like your family or friends or to a small group in your local community is a whole different animal and I believe the curse of knowledge to be one of the biggest problems we face there.

What is the curse of knowledge? This short video has a really good explanation of it:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBDJb5e4AQc


What does this mean? It means that when you are talking to people about why you believe Ron is the only choice, you need to always bring up his records and compare it to the other "choices". When you talk about the foreign policy make sure to know more than the last 10 years of history of events, when you talk about monetary policy make sure to explain what money is, how it originally came about, how it changed in the last 150 years, history of central banking, ect.

Basically make sure to put yourself in the shoes of someone who hasn't heard any of all these facts we know about, someone who has been taught misleading ideas about what the reality is and how it works from their family, friends, teachers, priests and politicians and then do your best to fill in that gap in knowledge!

[hazek]

Another short video of a very good explanation of this problem: http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/innovation/video/made-to-stick-the-curse-of-knowledge

[hazek]

Two other important lessons from that same book:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9fCOxr0JBA


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjArLRXMH58

[Travlyr]

Great information!

[Kade]

I'm confident almost everyone within our grassroots has asked themselves before how other people can't see what we see so clearly.

--Because you folks are not the be all and end all of knowledge. I consider most of the significantly right-leaning well-meaning folks on here as newly anointed thinkers in a large field of intellectual discourse. Your goal should not be conversion so much as learning. You are not all-knowing, and frankly many of your hardlined positions have been very rejected time and time again by people who have wallowed around in these debate circles for decades. It is easier to 'convert' people to a closer approximation of what you believe with intellectual back and forth, not demanding that you are the paragon of what is right and wrong. I spend a good deal of time on these forums, as I have now for four years, 'converting' people away from uncompromising views on liberty. In the first few months of these forums, I used Ron Paul to convert my conservative friends away from McCain, Romney, etc... the most pressing issues for me have always been the increasing Police State, Censorship, War, and criminal banking operations. These issues are still very important to me, and I was able to 'convert' many people towards those goals, without claiming a victory in total conversion to liberalism.

Maybe you should change how you are thinking, and invite the idea that you are in a debate, that we are all equals in an attempt to hash out these issues, and that you are just as susceptible to having your mind changed about some things as much as you want to change the minds of others...

[LLPH13]

Love this! I have learned to teach the principle, make sure you or who you teach understand the principle and the subject matter is more naturally absorbed and applied.

[hazek]

afternoon bump

[BattleFlag1776]

When you talk about the foreign policy make sure to know more than the last 10 years of history of events...

Please heed hazek's proposal on this one!

[acptulsa]

Maybe you should change how you are thinking, and invite the idea that you are in a debate, that we are all equals in an attempt to hash out these issues, and that you are just as susceptible to having your mind changed about some things as much as you want to change the minds of others...

Few of us around here have been libertarian for more than four years, and even most or all of us who have been have been able to learn new things from the noobs to the concept. Libertarianism, as with all things, must evolve to survive. Now, you won't learn something from or get your views changed by just everyone and anyone. But you can sure learn about the conversion and sales process from everyone. Even if you don't shift positions, and don't really expect to shift positions, from listening to a potential convert, the mere fact that you are listening to the potential convert is enough to greatly enhance your chances of success. At least you're addressing the person's personal concerns. That alone counts for a lot.

Just because you saw 'the light' doesn't make you The Oracle at Delphi.