Going green and Influencing people

WITTs, YOYOs, and Why Americans Don't Go Green

So, big news: Americans are shallow, misinformed, self-interested, and unsophisticated. But they're our neighbors, our colleagues, and our relatives. And they're likely your clients, customers, or constituents. If you want to move them toward greener behavior and actions, you'll need to deal -- carefully and creatively -- with all of these sobering realities.

When it comes to enivornmentalism, half the world is this way. The most interesting part is the divide between the more communal and more individualistic personality types. My feeling is that it is more complex than this, that it depends upon the topic and people are more or less communal or individual. Regardless, self-interest appeals to everyone, and short-term self-interest arguments appeal to everyone most strongly. So if you want to change peoples minds, "They're not about to make purchase decisions based on a maybe-someday rationale for stemming environmental problems. They want to know: what's in it for me, today?" I think that is more or less right, and I didn't need a whole series of studies to tell me that. Just go read the book: How to win friends & influence people by Dale Carnegie.

Here is a summary of his book (more detailed summary here). I love the internets and tubes!

Fundamental Techniques for Handling People:

• Don't criticize, condemn or complain.
• Give people a feeling of importance; praise the good parts of them.
• Get the other person to want to do what you want them to by arousing their desires.

Six Ways to Make People Like You:

• Be genuinely interested in other people.
• Smile.
• Remember and use people's names.
• Encourage others to talk about themselves and listen to them.
• Discuss what the other person is interested in.
• Make the other person feel important.

Twelve Ways to Win People to Your Way of Thinking:

• Avoid arguments.
• Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never tell someone they are wrong.
• If you're wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
• Begin in a friendly way.
• Start with questions the other person will answer yes to.
• Let the other person do the talking.
• Let the other person feel the idea is his/hers.
• Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view.
• Sympathize with the other person.
• Appeal to noble motives.
• Dramatize your ideas.
• Throw down a challenge.

Nine Ways to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment:

• Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
• Call attention to other people's mistakes indirectly.
• Talk about your own mistakes first.
• Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
• Let the other person save face.
• Praise every improvement.
• Give them a fine reputation to live up to.
• Encourage them by making their faults seem easy to correct.
• Make the other person happy about doing what you suggest.

Best advice you'll ever get.