Persuasion is a tricky business, because it involves “imposing” an opinion on someone – even if you mean well. To exaggerate, it is essentially about the attitude of the knowledgeable person who wants to convert the ignorant. But nobody wants to be converted against their will. People sense this, no matter how sophisticated the tactics.

That’s why, in my view, your own attitude is crucial. I like to ask myself the question: “Can I bear to let the other person have their opinion, even if I don’t like it? Respect for others means giving them the freedom to choose. And even more. It is regularly helpful to remind ourselves to be humble. Because the more convinced we are ourselves, the more blind we can become to completely different points of view. Views that may later prove to be wiser than our own.

With humility and respect, we can go into the process with the intention of inspiring. This will be more fruitful in the long term than narrow-minded persuasion.

Interests

When I drive through my adopted home of Cologne, I see a Ford B-Max on the road every day. How can that be? Production of this model was discontinued in 2017 due to a lack of demand. My wife has been driving the car for 10 years and I find it super practical. The lack of a B-pillar and the sliding doors are just great. As I am a self-confessed (lonely) fan of this car, I notice this model every day.

This is known as the “cocktail party effect”. Our subconscious filters the available information and makes us aware of those that it considers relevant.

This process is constantly active, even when we are listening to someone giving a lecture. Studies show that only around 5% of what is said is remembered. These are mainly the arguments and information that our subconscious plays back to us.

What information is this? It is information that appears to be “relevant” to us in some way. In other words: Perception is interest-driven. If I am a CFO who wants to have a profit at the end of the year, then I am interested in everything measurable that contributes to this profit.

If I am a creative brand manager who “knows” that creative performance is difficult to measure, then I am interested in arguments that support my point of view.

So if I want to inspire someone to think outside the box, I should show how my thesis serves their interests. The reference to their interests makes the argument relevant and is then examined.

An early adopter is interested in an objectively better solution. A CFO is interested in a solution that delivers demonstrable and risk-free bottom-line results. A team leader who is to be promoted to another team in two years is interested in results that show visible success after one year.

It is actually trivial, but it is work to put yourself in people’s shoes and find out where their interests lie. It may be trivial, but it contradicts our world view that we should all be professional and objective and therefore all serve the same corporate goal. Putting this into perspective is an important step in being able to inspire colleagues.

Case studies

I have spent 20 years – including my doctorate – in the education system. The didactic method of science is deductive. This means that a theory or thesis is first discussed abstractly and then concrete examples are derived from it. The way people learn is exactly the opposite. Learning is inductive. It starts with examples. Only when we have heard at least one are we ready to absorb the general learning from it.

As far as it made sense to me (and I was attentive enough), I have done exactly that in this book. First the example, then the lesson. I am also deeply convinced from my own professional life that the presentation of theses is not understood without prior examples. Because “understanding” means relating abstract knowledge to other concrete knowledge. This is how it becomes conceivable.

I myself am a victim of my educational path and try to get a little better every day. Do the same! Your audience will thank you for it.

Storytelling

The story is the refinement of a case study. Mankind has always been preoccupied with the question of how events can be presented in such a way that the audience listens attentively to a story. The basic structure of an optimal story has not changed since the ancient Greeks.

The art of storytelling was cultivated by the ancient Greeks and continues to be practiced professionally in the film industry. In recent years, management writers have taken up this art and transferred it to the world of management.

There are great books on this, which I cannot summarize perfectly here. Essentially, however, the point is that case studies need some central stylistic devices and a dramaturgy.

As a stylistic device, we need a hero who is as “likable” as possible, a person with whom the audience can identify. You also need a villain who has to be defeated.

The dramaturgy classically begins in a state of equilibrium, which is immediately followed by a catastrophic event. This is the entrepreneurial challenge. The resulting suffering is then attempted to be overcome with the help of a solution. But the first attempt fails. The tension mounts. This “attempt to solve” and failure can be repeated several times in a dramaturgy. Finally, there is a finale in which the hero confronts the villain (who defends the challenge) with a new solution and finally wins (eliminates the challenge).

Anyone who succeeds in packing case studies into such stories captivates the audience, entertains them and wins their hearts.

Evidence and safety

At the beginning of my career, I was Marketing & Sales Director at the global market leader for industrial packaging. In this role, I was also responsible for innovation. We developed new industrial drums and transport solutions. I even have registered a patent for a transport solution. It was not easy to find early adopters on the customer side. That’s why I concentrated on clearly communicating and demonstrating the added value of the solutions.

In this process, it was only over the years that I realized that something else was much more important in the industry than offering better products and services. Customers often put dangerous or expensive products in the packaging. Every leak and every accident was a nightmare for everyone involved. Moreover, packaging was only a minor cost factor. If the production process was disrupted by packaging or logistics, the costs were many times higher. Safety and reliability were the be-all and end-all. That was the “language” of the industry. Continuity, brand, reliability and quality were the attributes of the winners.

The limbic center of the brain plays an important role in what we call the subconscious. It turns out that people react with different affinities to certain limbic motivators. Brain research has identified three dimensions that drive all people: stimulation, dominance and balance.

Early adopters are particularly attracted to the new, to innovation. This releases dopamine. The topic is exciting and thrilling. Stimulation is the preferred motivator. This is why early adopters are the first target group for innovations such as Causal AI.

Leaders are attracted to the best and to performance. They release testosterone and seek success and prestige. Dominance is the preferred motivator. People with strong leadership skills are usually managers.

Protectors and caregivers are attracted to security, harmony and balance. Oxytocin is released and a feeling of home, security and love is conveyed. Balance is the preferred motivator.

Everyone has their inclinations and these also lead to a career choice. In order to successfully promote innovation in a company, all three aspects must be addressed. The aspect of the new is inevitably linked to innovation.

To inspire the traditional manager, more needs to be added: evidence, i.e. proof of performance. What are the factual advantages of the solution? How can they be translated into performance indicators that are important for the decision-maker? These are the questions that need to be answered in order to inspire performance and results-oriented decision-makers.

We need results from comparative studies that clearly demonstrate the superiority of causal AI. Depending on the use case – discovering vs. deciding vs. generating – the comparative studies must be structured differently.

The advantages of causal AI “model drift” and “discrimination” both address the issue of risk avoidance and safety maintenance. Depending on the contact person, they are therefore only motivating for a specific target group.

Metaphor

If you have read this book carefully, you will have noticed many metaphors. Wherever possible, I have tried to organize the chapters according to the pattern “Story > Learning > Metaphor”.

I was inspired by Oliver Raskin. He is currently Head of Insights at MIRO. Oliver told me about his “superpower” at a dinner together when we were talking about how Insights can gain a foothold in the company.

“Whenever possible, I summarize everything in a metaphor,” he said and told me how this often works wonders.

We are often dealing with very abstract things. “Causal AI” – what could be more abstract? It makes sense to use a simile to give the whole thing an image. Because what does understanding mean? Understanding is the process of relating something new to known units of knowledge. The more concretely these units of knowledge are anchored, the more comprehensible the statement becomes. Images are very concrete units of knowledge.

It’s like trying to build a house out of bricks. If the stones are soft, made of cotton candy or soft lumps of slime, the house won’t hold. Solid stones made of concrete are like concrete pictures. They create a solid house, an understandable statement.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Role model

In 2022, we had started to market our pricing method “Implicit Price Intelligence” as a DIY tool. Then I had an idea. We invited our target group to a webinar where each participant had to take part in a 5-minute survey as a prerequisite for access. Our tool itself was used in this survey and the target group’s willingness to pay for the tool was measured. I then presented the procedure and the results in the webinar – along with the agreed price change. The price was increased by 20 percent for frequent buyers, but reduced by 30 percent for newcomers.

“Drink your own wine”, as the saying goes.

It makes intuitive sense. But is that really necessary?

Convincing others is a difficult game. You can deceive and manipulate. Or you can adapt to your counterpart for nobler motives and present the information to them in the way they can best absorb it.

However, the decisive factor is the intention. Whenever your own interests do not fully coincide with those of your counterpart, persuasion can turn into manipulation. However, people usually smell manipulation attempts “three miles upwind”.

If we manage to free ourselves from the need to convince, if we allow our counterpart to form their own opinion, we unconsciously send a strong message.

This message is reinforced if you set a good example yourself, if you have the opportunity to pilot the proposal on a small scale and take risks yourself.

Actions are more powerful than words.

If you want to inspire rather than persuade, you can be sure that you will achieve more. By setting a good example, you make your attitude visible.