“How to Persuade a Group

Kevin Hogan writes in The 53 Principles of Persuasion: Persuading a group of people is certainly more difficult than persuading a single individual, because each member of a group has their own background, way of thinking, and personal beliefs—which may sometimes be completely opposite to those of another member. As a result, anything you say may be pleasant to one person and irritating to another.

🔹 With this important reality in mind, you can use two main strategies to persuade a group:

◽️ 1. Speak ambiguously

In this strategy, you must act like politicians—talk a lot without actually saying anything specific.

🔹 Essentially, you express your message in a way that allows each member of the group to interpret it according to their own preferences.

🔹 For example, imagine a politician saying during a campaign: “Our social security system needs fundamental reform. It’s time to take major steps toward improving people’s well‑being.”

🔹 This statement has no concrete meaning on its own. It’s unclear what kind of reforms are intended or in which direction. Will employees pay more insurance contributions? Or will their contribution rates decrease?

🔹 As a result, each listener imagines the type of reform they personally prefer.

◽️ 2. Show up as a human being

People want to see you as a human—someone like themselves—not just a manager, salesperson, or authority figure.

🔹 They want to know that you, like all humans, sometimes feel lonely, sometimes happy, and sometimes sad.

🔹 In short, they want to see a real person in front of them, not a manufactured persona. So to influence a group, be your authentic self and openly share your feelings, experiences, knowledge, and beliefs.

🔹 When you show up as an ordinary human being, your audience sees you as honest and trustworthy. As a result, they feel closer to you and become more willing to accept your ideas.

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