Is your logic killing your argument?

On Saturday, I curled up in bed with a business book that I’ve been waiting to read — the premise looked interesting, the title grabbed me.

About 20 pages in, I put the book down. I couldn’t read anymore.

Sunday, I tried again with a different book. It was another business book — not so different from the first. But within an hour I found myself 60 pages in, with a page covered with notes and ideas.

What was the difference between the books?

Logic is only part of the process

The author of the first book clearly knows her stuff. She quoted studies and statistics, shared anecdotes and perspectives. But the book read like what she knew was the most important thing.

I’ve done years of research, you can almost read between the lines. My credentials are impeccable. My data is infallible. This makes my argument worthy.

The problem is, when it comes to making a decision to engage, credentials and data don’t stand alone.

Decisions require logic AND emotions

The second book also made good points, and backed them up with evidence. But from the beginning, the book talked about the reader. It identified the reader’s problems and identified solutions. It used humor. It shared personal stories from the authors’ experiences. It was human, and entertaining. And I was engaged.

Noted neuroscientist Antonio Dimasio studied decision making in individuals who had suffered brain injuries that only impacted their ability to experience emotion. When faced with decisions where there’s no clear logical choice — where the options both have pros and cons, such as where to live or what to eat — subjects had difficulty making decisions.

The conclusion Dimasio draws is that emotion not only influences decision, but that emotion is necessary in order to decide.

Success in persuasion marries logic and emotion

When we’re prepping for high pressure situations — job interviews, sales presentations, critical meetings with higher-ups — we run through the scenarios in our heads. What if he asks A? What if she raises objection B? And we think of the logical ways that we’ll address them.

How much time do you spend thinking about how you’ll engage your target’s emotions? Do you make specific plans for how to build rapport? How to create fear, comfort, trust, or any feeling that will support your case?

Merits will only get you so far. After that, you must have a plan to engage the other person emotionally in order to get a positive outcome.

How do you use emotion for persuasion?

photo credit: TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³

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Tagged as: Antonio Dimasio, author, Book talk, Critical thinking, Decision making, Emotion, Limbic system, Logic, Mathematics, Modal logic, Philosophy