Sunday 8th September 2024

Topics:

• As we are in election years in many countries, we are hearing a lot of politicians making promises they will never keep in speeches.
• As sure as the Earth rotates around the Sun, politicians will make all kinds of promises during an election campaign.
• It serves to remind me that leaders need to make all kinds of promises, and in doing so be effective at motivating people to react.
• Politicians want you to vote for them, sales and marketing folks want you to buy their products, while you manager wants you to deliver results.
• But when in comes down to it, regardless of the message, the delivery mechanism is the same: "If I press this emotional button in the audience, will it get them to react in the way I want?".
• I am sorry to say, but we all have such buttons built into us, as this is an innate part of being a human being.
• In terms of first principals, I believe these are the two main buttons that leave us open to manipulation by a skilled speaker:
  1. Desire - we all want something, and that can be used to entice us into action. For example, a sales person will promise many benefits, or a politician will promise tax cuts. The end result is the same: tap into your desires to motivate you towards the desired action.
  2. Fear - we are all afraid of something, this is natural. A classic sales technique is called FOMO, or Fear Of Missing Out, e.g. "buy this now before it's too late!". Meanwhile, politicians spend their lives trying to convince their audience that their opponents are evil tyrants who want to increase taxes, ruin the economy etc.
• People become very irrational when either of these buttons are pressed: remember Desire and Fear are ancient emotions, designed to help us survive long enough to procreate.
• Sadly however, it works. It's a bit like when a doctor tabs your knee with a hammer to see if your leg kicks: it's reflexive, and in the moment the majority of people will react before they pause to contemplate that reaction.
• So how can we mitigate against this?
  • On the audience side, understand that you are being manipulated. Learn to spot it in time before you react, and then stop and think.
  • On the speaker side, understand that your audience may not be as sophisticated as you believe them to be. If you want to lead with empathy, avoid topics that invoke strong Desire or Fear altogether. Instead, present facts and reason.
• The vast majority of people can be manipulated by Desire or especially Fear, and history is full of examples of terrible leaders that have led whole countries into war on the basis of lies that were designed to invoke fear, which then leads to hatred and violence.
• These are dangerous emotions best left alone.
• What I am working on this week:
  • I'm still trying to figure out the X algorithm, perhaps I will keep my account private indefinitely?
• Media I am enjoying this week:
  • Terminator Zero on Netflix.

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techleaderpro-2024-week-36.mp3

File details: 8.9 MB MP3, 6 mins 8 secs duration.

Title music is "Hidden Beyond" by Aiyo, licensed via www.epidemicsound.com

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