Elaboration Likelihood Model

Originally published 21 Jul 2014

“The ability to kill or capture a man is a relatively simple task compared with changing his mind.” -Richard Cohen

Petty & Cacioppo describe two routes to changing someone’s mind – central versus peripheral – in their elaboration likelihood model

Which route to choose

In a persuasive situation, a person will choose a route based on motivation. If there is high involvement the central route is chosen. If there is low involvement the peripheral route is chosen. Next to – or complementary to – motivation, a person’s route (the level of elaboration) is also dependent on attitude (how you relate yourself to your surroundings – if it is your idea or not) and ability (available cognitive resources – amount of distractions). If the central route is chosen, more strong arguments will be more persuasive. If the peripheral route is chosen more weak arguments will be more persuasive.

Central Route

The central route triggers a cognitive response. A person is left to ponder about the proposition and will consequently form (new) beliefs & attitudes, and behaviour after that. This route is best chosen when a person can relate to the topic, has the ability to consider the arguments, the arguments are strong and there is no superficial information to distract the receiver. A boomerang effect can occur when the receiver disagrees with the arguments proposed.

Peripheral Route

The peripheral route targets a belief change. A person is reached via subliminal (not per se subconscious) messages that tend to enforce (or slightly alter) an existing belief. This route relies on simple cues and environmental factors. There are six types of cues: reciprocation, liking, social proofing, consistency, authority, and scarcity. This route is best chosen when a person neither has the motivation or ability to consider the arguments. 

Examples

1. Peripheral Route – A soda brand hands out samples in a shopping mall (reciprocation – you taste it, you buy it in the store once, you like it)
2. Central Route – A professor tells his students about gravity and demonstrates it by thrown two objects of the same size, but different weights from a platform (strong argument)
3. Peripheral Route – A celebrity recommends a certain fast-food chain (social proofing)

When to Use

The Elaboration Likelihood Model is to be used where you need to persuade your public. Most notably it is used in advertising. It can be used in everything from negotiations (with your children/parents) to presentations. Noted should be that different people at different times need different kinds of persuasion. Sometimes a person has the motivation and favorable attitude, at other times not. It is sometimes best to combine both kinds of cues for maximal effect.

More on the Elaboration Likelihood Model:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0065260108602142  – Original article by Petty & Cacioppo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUNJ5ez10OU – Khan Academy Youtube explanation

http://343f11.pbworks.com/w/page/48434220/Elaboration%20Likelihood%20Model%20(ELM) – Further explanation and model

Ethos, Pathos, Logos

Originally published 26 Jul 2014

“Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men.” – Plato

Aristotle took rhetoric apart and defined its three distinct aspects: ethos, pathos, logos. Here is his robust framework:

Rhetoric

According to Aristotle, rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the capacity of writers or speakers to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. In short, we use rhetoric to appeal to an audience and win agreement. To do this we use the ‘Five Canons of Rhetoric’: invention, agreement, style, memory, and delivery. We use these canons via three mechanisms: ethos, pathos, logos.

Ethos

Ethos persuades through the character or projected persona of a person. It relies on credibility and trust in the speaker. The main techniques of ethos are: personal branding, confidence in delivery, and citing credible sources.

Pathos

Pathos persuades by appealing to emotions or imagination. It relies on the emotions and values of the listener. The main techniques of pathos are: stories, inspirational quotes, vivid language.

Logos

Logos persuades via proof, logic, and reason. It relies on logical arguments by the speakers. The main techniques of logos are: structure of the speech, references to studies, and comparisons, analogies, and metaphors.

Examples

1. Every General Practitioner – ethos: the diploma on the wall, or something like this: “As a doctor, I am qualified to tell you that this course of treatment will likely generate the best results.”
2. Robert Kennedy – pathos: when Martin Luther King was shot, Robert Kennedy took the stage – left the notes he got in his pocket – and related to the audience by telling about MLK and how he related because of the loss he experienced himself before. (watch it here)
3. Your Professor – logos: reasoning via the scientific method, e.g. : “Because we can travel around the world we can conclude that it is not flat.”

When to Use

A good speaker or writer tries to use at least two different techniques – a great speaker or writer uses all three. In almost all discourse we want to inform, persuade or motivate another person – in each of these cases the three techniques can be used. Dependent on the audience one or two should receive the emphasis.

More on Ethos, Pathos, Logos:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhetoric – Wiki on Rhetoric

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKtQEnERhSY – Introduction to Ethos, Pathos, Logos

http://thelaughlinlab.weebly.com/logosethospathos.html – More on Ethos, Pathos, Logos

http://georgehwilliams.pbworks.com/w/page/14266873/Ethos-Pathos-Logos-The-3-Rhetorical-Appeals – Even more on Ethos, Pathos, Logos

http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/rhetoric.html – Rhetoric by Aristotle

Knowledge

Originally published 2 Aug 2014

“Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.” – Plato

Knowledge has been taken apart many times, I believe it all boils down to the transition from, unaware, through awareness to being able to explain something. The framework below is my very own

Knowledge

I believe that first, we are not aware of what we do not know (unaware). Then when someone introduces a concept, we become aware of it and also (almost immediately) see that we can learn much more about it (being aware of what do you not know). After learning more you can start contributing and help others understand the thing you have studied (to explain it to others). This is my take on knowledge, but there are many other frameworks (listed later).

Unaware

People who are unaware will not know what is out there that they do not know. It makes me think of the proverb ignorance is bliss – that a lack of knowledge results in happiness. Yes, sometimes it is better not to think about things with very negative consequences or know about all the suffering in the world. No, this does not mean that you should not know it is there. Becoming aware of something is not always pleasant, but using it to improve a situation is – and by staying ignorant will only worsen situations.

Aware

People who are aware, are amateurs in the area they have achieved awareness in. A person who just started playing chess knows the rules and can tell what the pieces do. He does not know (and knows he does not know) how to use this data to create winning games. In this phase, people tend to overestimate their level of knowledge, because they do not fully know what they do not know (the “Dunning-Kruger effect”). At the same time he or she does know that by constantly analysing and improving, you can become an expert.

Explain

People who know what there is to know about a subject can be considered experts. A grandmaster (GM) of chess has taken the data, analysed it and turned it into wisdom. With this wisdom he or she can create winning games and new tactics. At the same time, a GM can explain this to the amateurs who are learning chess. Wisdom does not equal being good in explaining something, but they are closely related. And being able to explain your specific knowledge does also not mean you will never have to learn again, between the level ‘explain’ and ‘aware’ there is a constant feedback loop.

Examples

1. Unaware – Most people’s understanding of quantum physics can be qualified as unaware – they have no data
2. Aware – Almost everyone knows what different political parties stand for and what direction they want to take a country in – you have data and can analyze it
3. Explain – Neil DeGrasse Tyson not only knows a lot about astrophysics, he also beautifully conveys and explains it to other people (making them aware)

When to Use

Use this framework to better understand other people. Some things that seem clear as day to you, may be wholly unknown to someone else. If you are aware of something, try and learn more, and after that make other people aware. Also, use this framework in conjunction with other frameworks (listed below) to further analyze where knowledge (or wisdom) comes from.

“… there is no shame in not knowing. The problem arises when irrational thought and attendant behavior fill the vacuum left by ignorance.” – Neil DeGrasse Tyson

More on Knowledge:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_order_thinking_skills – Wiki on Bloom’s model

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTvcpdfGUtQ – Vsauce on Youtube about knowledge (and not knowing)

http://www.slideshare.net/marimar27/comprehension-and-levels-of-comprehension – Slideshare on comprehension

Law of the Lid

Originally posted 11 August 2014

“They were efficient managers. But they were not leaders.” – John C. Maxwell

Leadership and management together define the effectiveness of an organization. Together they form the following 2×2 matrix, based on The Law of the Lid

The Law of the Lid

John C. Maxwell states that leadership ability is the lid, or cap, on your organization’s capacity to become effective. Why? You may ask. Because dedication to success (operational excellence) is easy to achieve. Developing leaders is underappreciated and more difficult.

At the same time, it is a multiplier, wherein the lower bar an increase in management will increase your effectiveness by 4 units, an increase in leadership will add 8. In the upper left the exact opposite is happening, but this scenario is quite uncommon for reasons explained below.

Management

Success dedication, or management, determines how good a strategy can be executed. In The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Maxwell explains how the McDonald brothers were great at building their restaurant business, but not in starting the franchises that make it such an international success.

On a more personal level it means that no matter how good you are at executing your tasks and organizing your work – without leadership you will never achieve more than possible by one single person.

Leadership

Leadership ability determines what strategy needs to be followed. In The Effective Executive, Drucker explains how a leader is the decision maker within an organization. It is up to a leader to make the right decisions, at the right time. A leader makes people believe in a vision, and rigorously works to turn this vision into a reality. Where leadership is lacking teams lose, where leadership is lacking you need to improve your leadership or make way for new leadership.

Examples

1. Bad Leadership, Good Management – Kodak in the past – it was able to be the most efficient in producing camera’s but were too late to profit from the switch to digital camera’s
2. Good Leadership, Bad Management – Imagine a visionary within solar energy who forgets that he has to deal with governments, rules, and regulations and loses because of details
3. Good Leadership, Good Management – Elon Musk has a vision, he knows what he wants to change, he leads effective teams and shows how together both aspects can lead to 100% efficiency

When to Use

Use this framework to evaluate your own effectiveness. Is your organization (team/group/family) listening to you, and are you taking the right route? Determine where you are still slacking and use the matrix to define where you first need to improve (the area that has the most impact). Use the framework in conjunction with the remaining 20 laws of leadership and you will be guaranteed to become more effective.

“That is why in times of trouble, organizations naturally look for new leadership.” – John C. Maxwell

More on The Law of the Lid:

http://www.johnmaxwell.com/blog/the-law-of-the-lid – Blog by Maxwell on The Law of the Lid

http://savvychicksmedia.com/topic/business/maxwells-law-law-lid/ – Blog on The Law of the Lid

http://www.slideshare.net/easyyears/law-of-the-lid-9000274 – Slideshare on The Law of the Lid