Is it worth it?

I just read an article by one of the “big guns” in political consulting in which he described something he learned during the course of his 2004 campaign research. In a nutshell he found that many potential voters expressed a desire for a candidate who would speak “from the heart” and not from pre-packaged scripts. Sounds reasonable enough. However, I wonder how this consultant - a person who designs pre-packaged words and phrases for candidates - used this information.

Did he advise his client to “speak from the heart” and take his chances with the voters? Did he supply a list of tested “from the heart” phrases his client could use to give his words the illusion of spontaneity? What would you do in this case?

For me, this example represents a dilemma that few people in the persuasion industry ever address. Namely, how do we as persuaders achieve a balance between “being ourselves with others” and “portraying ourselves in ways that are designed to get what we want from others?”

Yes, there are many tricks and tactics we can use to get our way. But the ultimate question is, when we use them are we “being ourselves” or “putting on an act?” In the short run this question may not matter; in the long run, it may be all that matters.

Posted on Friday, November 12, 2004 at 06:32 AM

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