The two routes to successful persuasion
By Harry Mills

Persuasion is the process of changing or reinforcing attitudes, beliefs or behavior. We respond to persuasive messages in two ways: thoughtfully and mindlessly.

Thoughtful Persuasion

When we are thoughtful, we listen hard to what the persuader is saying; we weigh up the pros and cons of each argument. We critique the message for logic and consistency.

And if we don't like what we hear, we ask questions and call for more information.

When we are in thoughtful mode, the persuasiveness of the message is determined by the merits of the case.

Mindless Persuasion

When we respond to messages mindlessly, our brains are locked on automatic. We don't have the time, motivation or ability to listen intently.

So instead of relying on facts, logic and evidence to make a judgment, we take a mental shortcut and rely on our instincts to provide us with cues on how to respond.

Take a television debate between two politicians as an example. If you were in thoughtful mode, you would listen hard to both sides and make your mind up based on the discussion of the issues and quality of evidence.

If you were in mindless mode - say half watching while entertaining friends - you would rely on simple cues.

Typically, the cues that influence us most in situations like this are the attractiveness of the speakers, the reactions of our friends and the pleasure or pain associated with agreeing with their arguments.

The Central and Peripheral Routes

Psychologists Richard Petty and john Cacioppo have labeled the thoughtful and mindless routes to persuasion - central and peripheral.

In the central route, the message receiver actively thinks about the message and rationally analyses all the logic and evidence presented.

In the peripheral route, the message receiver spends little time processing the content. The mind activates a decision trigger which tells the receiver to say yes or no. The triggers are largely emotionally driven and the receiver relies on simple cures or heuristics.

Successful persuaders understand how the two routes work and plan their message accordingly.