In our earlier post of basic Psychology of changing someone’s mind without known them. Now let’s delve into more about human psychology and know more about human behavior.
No one likes to feel misunderstood or misjudged about their abilities, intentions or motivations. So how do you fix a strained or stuck workplace relationship and change your colleague’s perception of you?
Changing someone’s mind is no easy task. The brain loves information that supports what it already believes and spends less time on opposing views.
But the good news is change is possible. It takes patience, consistent effort and conscious action to tip the scales in your favor – or at least get to neutral.
At its heart changing someone’s view of you is about managing relationships with the help of core psychology of changing someone’s mind
Success depends on several factors including the relationship’s hierarchy and stage.
For example fixing a bad first impression with a new acquaintance is different to fixing perceptions in a long standing relationship.
Your approach should also consider whether the negative view is about you as a person or your abilities – and whether it affects your career or just causes friction that can be smoothed out.
Whatever your situation, there are techniques to build or change perceptions in the minds of those you want to influence.
Your approach will depend on whether their negative perception is directed at you personally or at your abilities, and whether it is actively affecting your career or simply causing an uneasy feeling that things aren’t as smooth as they could be.
No matter what situation you find yourself in, there are effective strategies you can use to help shape new or improved perceptions in the mind of the person you’re trying to influence.
Table of Contents
How to use psychology of changing someone’s mind?
As much as we hold onto our beliefs, there are times when we do reconsider our views.
A study examining voting behavior revealed that when individuals encountered up to 20% of information that contradicted their beliefs, they often became more entrenched in their views.
However, when the contradiction exceeded that threshold, their determination typically began to wane. The context in which information is presented can significantly shape our beliefs.
This is deeply infected by psychology of changing someone’s mind and human behavior.
The way we relate to a topic also plays a most important role. The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and the heuristic-systematic model (HSM), both established in the 1980s, indicate that we approach different subjects in varying manners.
For instance, topics that are professionally significant to us prompt a more thorough exploration, while others that are less relevant tend to lead us to seek shortcuts.
For example, the process of researching a business investment; in this case, we would target to gain information from multiple sources and analyze it carefully.
Conversely, when choosing a craft beer from a vast selection at a bar, we might rely on subtle indicators like the packaging, the description of the beer, or what others are drinking.
To effectively change someone’s mind with human psychology of changing someone’s mind, it’s essential to grab their connection to the topic at hand.
If they are deeply invested, they are less likely to be influenced by shallow arguments. In fact, weak or overly emotional appeals may reinforce their original stance.
On the other hand, if someone lacks knowledge or motivation regarding a subject, overwhelming them with facts could simply lead to disinterest.
Show your detective mind
The book of psychology of changing someone’s mind and understanding what shapes a person’s opinion or perception of you is the crucial first step.
After all, it’s challenging to change someone’s mind if you’re unaware of their current stance.
In her research for the book Edge: Turning Adversity into Advantage, Laura Huang spoke with 60 leaders who aimed to persuade their business peers to reconsider their views.
She discovered that the most effective leaders were those who first identified the underlying reasons for the belief before attempting to influence other people.
They began with the question, “What’s causing my detractor’s resistance?”
Focusing on the specific behaviors or discussions that triggered the most resistance and emotional responses. You can easily learn more about psychology of changing someone’s mind with your genius mind.
By reflecting on the feedback and cues you’ve received from others — and, if needed, seeking additional insights through thoughtful questions
You can create a strategy for making changes, whether through a direct approach or a more subtle one if that seems more fitting.
Decide what to act or not to act
Have you ever hear about Roberta Matuson, author of Can We Talk?
Seven Principles for Managing Difficult Conversations at Work, emphasizes the importance of perception in advancing within an organization.
Roberta Matuson advises that building and managing relationships requires hard work and most of effort. This involves knowing the best times and methods to find out issues.
Matuson suggests that if you feel someone’s opinion is intentionally detrimental to your career, you should approach them thoughtfully and thoroughly.
Knowing more about human psychology and psychology of changing someone’s mind without knowing them will help you to learn what to act or not to act.
If others opinion stems from information they’ve received, it’s important to communicate directly to find the issue and then allowing you to share your perspective and clarify any misconceptions.
Additionally if a direct confrontation seems inappropriate or if the other person’s negative view of you is largely unintentional, it may be more effective to work quietly to enhance your standing in the relationship.
Understand body language
To change someone’s mindset about you, it’s important to grasp how others view the world and your role in it, according to Steve Willis who is an executive coach at Crucial Learning.
Steve suggest spending as much time as possible in ‘listening mode’ when you’re around them, focusing on their assumptions about you.
If you sense that someone doesn’t fully understand your abilities or potential, setting up a meeting and asking pointed questions to them can help you unhide their internal narrative about you and its origins.
Understanding Body language is crucial step to learn psychology of changing someone’s mind.
Making some requesting specific examples of times, situations, and circumstances—such as instances where they believe you excel or fall short—you can pinpoint areas for improvement.
Being specific can also aid in addressing any unconscious biases they may hold, helping to slow down their thought process and enabling them to reach a new understanding of you on their own, rather than simply trying to convince them from the outside.
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Action speak louder than words
Once we understand the issues related to someone’s opinion of us, we need to carefully communicate new messages that can positively influence those opinions.
This is where a lesser-known sociological concept called sign language interactionism can be quite effective. Depend upon action and working with psychology of changing someone’s mind can help you to create first impression.
A symbolic action refers to any behavior you exhibit that leads observers to conclude what you care about, what your priorities are, and even what you value.
Essentially, your actions serve as ‘symbols’ or representations of your character, values, and priorities — as Willis points out, they encompass ‘everything you do, or don’t do, when you show up, if you show up, what you say and what you don’t say.’
To initiate this process, consider what actions you could take to show that you are, in fact, the opposite of how someone perceives you.
The core idea of basic psychology of changing someone’s mind is that if you want someone’s perception of you to change, you must reflect this change through your actions.
For instance, if you think they view you as overbearing, create space for others to contribute in meetings.
If they don’t see you as a proactive leader then take the initiative to volunteer for leadership roles in projects.
Consistency is crucial for this message to resonate, but perhaps the most important factor is authenticity — this strategy will only succeed if you genuinely embody the qualities you wish to project.
Create your first impression
Dr. Theresa DiDonato who is a Professor of Psychology at Loyola University Maryland, explains that first impressions can be difficult to change.
Their knowledge is deeply derived from dark psychology of changing someone’s mind and
Once formed, they create people’s future expectations, and these expectations shape subsequent interactions,” she states.
How others think about us can also lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, influencing us to act in ways that align with their first impressions.
It is possible to improve a rocky start. DiDonato points out that
“Negative first impressions can be altered if new information challenges the initial evaluation, not only providing positive impressions but also offering new explanations for what was previously seen as evidence of a negative judgment.”
This could involve reaching out to someone to express that you were nervous and acknowledge any mistakes, or finding a way to reconnect and showcase more of your true character after a disappointing interview, for instance.
You can explore more of core psychology of changing someone’s mind instantly as human psychology is all about behavior and body language.
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Things take time to show result
Above all, avoid trying to overcompensate or change how others perceive you, advises communications consultant and author of Choose Your Story, Change Your Life, Kindra Hall.
“While this is only natural, it can often make things worse,”
She explains.
If you’re working to overcome a negative first impression, the cumulative evidence of your actions will eventually influence their view, she adds more in her research of psychology of changing someone’s mind.
“By bringing your authentic self to work and demonstrating that you are competent, a team player, and someone they can depend on, the many interactions they have with you each day will ultimately outweigh that one initial encounter.”
In more complex situations and relationships, you may need to concentrate on a specific aspect of your behavior or how others see you to gradually make a change. However, for Hall, the key in all cases is to avoid trying to do too much too quickly.
