Change Your Mind About Changing Minds

The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone's Mind by Jonah Berger
Simon & Schuster UK, March 3, 2020

Have you ever wondered why traditional techniques of persuasion aren't…well, that persuasive? What if we've been using ineffective methods to try to change people's minds? Whether in the classroom, civic organizations, or your own family, there are times when we all seek to be more persuasive. And in The Catalyst, Professor Jonah Berger presents a research-backed approach to changing people's minds – by being a "catalyst." Catalysts aren't people who talk longer or more emphatically, nor is their efficacy tied to luck. Catalysts are people who are exceptional at removing obstacles that prevent people from changing behavior. Specifically, catalysts change behavior by navigating five types of obstacles: they increase a sense of autonomy to battle reactance; they surface the cost of inaction embedded in endowment; they reduce distance by starting with a place of agreement and breaking change into smaller, more manageable chunks; they address uncertainty by letting people try things in small doses; and they support their claims with multiple, meaningful layers of corroborating evidence. Navigating pushback from implementing anti-racist curriculum? Searching for lead gifts for a new capital campaign? Persuading your student to speak up more in class? Thinking like a catalyst could help.