Opening Closed Minds

Imagine this scenario: You've spent weeks
putting together a proposal to present to your company's senior
executive team.
Your goal is to convince them that donating money
each quarter to a charitable cause would not only help the
company's image with customers, but also improve team morale.
You're passionate about the issue, and you're confident that once
your presentation is finished, they'll be "sold."
When the time comes, you speak from your heart and give them
several facts that prove your argument. You also present examples
from other successful companies in your industry that currently
give to charity on a regular basis.
When you're done, however, you're shocked and discouraged when the
CEO rejects the idea without even discussing it with the rest of
the executive team. When you ask why, she tells you that it's just
too expensive, despite the evidence you presented that shows a
positive financial return.
What happened here? You thought you would be successful, but it
seems as if the CEO had made up her mind before you even started
talking.
So how can you avoid situations like this?
All too often, we can face these circumstances in the workplace. The
people to whom we're talking don't really listen, because our idea
goes against their beliefs, or their current way of thinking.
Dealing with closed minds doesn't have to be frustrating. With
some patience and understanding – and with a few sales techniques
– it is often possible to open someone's mind to a new way of
thinking.
In this article, we explain why some people close themselves to
new ideas, and we offer techniques that you can use to try to
open their minds.
Why People Close Their Minds
Most of us are closed-minded about something, whether we realize
it or not. We hold onto a particular issue, idea, or practice –
and we can't be convinced that there are possible improvements, or
better alternatives. Our ears may listen to opposing arguments or
viewpoints, but our minds remain fixed, certain that the other
person is wrong and we're right.
Why do we behave this way?
It's human nature to "follow the path of least resistance." In
other words, it's often easiest to think in familar, comfortable ways. If we challenge ourselves
to examine other ideas or practices, we might have to change. For
many people, change is too uncomfortable, so they close off the
possibility of thinking in a new way.

See our article on Change Management to learn more
about the change process, understand why people resist change, and find out how
to help them through it.

A second, perfectly valid reason is that closing our minds
allows us to move forward. If we believe something to be
certain, we can then move forward and build on this, rather than
endlessly going over the same ground. (In fact, the two causes may
be linked – people may have thought about this change already and
decided that another way of doing things is better.)
Opening a Closed Mind
First, make sure that you're right to want to push on with the
change – after all, your proposals may be flawed, and the person
who's resisting you may be correct to resist. In our example, the
CEO may be right to turn your suggestions down, for reasons you're
not aware of, and you may be foolish to push too hard.

However, if it's right to push on, there are several ways to open
a mind that seems to be closed to new ideas. It's important to
realize, however, that it's usually best to go slowly with people.
Don't expect others to change overnight. If you proceed slowly,
going step by step, you might have better luck bringing them to
your way of thinking. Do these things:


Ask others to keep an open mind. Before you start a discussion,
ask the other person to consider your views seriously, prior to
making a decision. This may seem simple, but it can be
effective. Most of the time, speakers don't ask for the undivided
attention and open consideration of others. But if you ask,
listeners will be less likely to reject your ideas before
you've finished talking.
Present strong evidence. Back up your argument or position.
People are usually more receptive to facts and figures versus
broad, general, unsubstantiated statements. For example, telling
your team that a new process will increase their productivity is a
generalization. But tell them that a new process will save them
two hours of paperwork every week – and they may pay attention, no
matter what their doubts are.
Discuss the alternative. If you're trying to persuade people to
take one course of action, then describe what will happen if they
choose the alternative. Your goal is to point out the potential
negative results of the other options, rather than convince them
of your way.
Consider your timing. When there's a real sense of urgency or
pain, people are often much more willing to listen to new ideas
and consider change. For example, you'll find it easier to talk
about budget cuts when the company is facing a huge deficit,
not when there's a surplus. And it's easier to persuade people
that product quality needs to improve when you start to lose
customers, not when sales are strong. (That said, sometimes you
may need to look far forward, and act accordingly. Just be aware
that it will be difficult to persuade people of something that goes
against their current experience.)
Focus on benefits to the other person. People usually want to
know what benefits they can expect to see for themselves. How is
your idea, argument, product, process, or business strategy going
to make their lives better? Why should they care? Remember the
AIDA mnemonic that advertisers use: capture people's Attention,
grab their Interest, create Desire, and cause them to take a specified Action.
Present your idea as a small change, not a major one. Find out what the other people are comfortable with, and then
describe your argument as a small shift or modification to their
current way of thinking or doing things – rather than a completely
new idea or major change. This helps them "ease into" the idea.
It's a slower, step-by-step approach to convincing them of your
position. If the size of change seems smaller, people tend to be
more open to it. Here's an example: If someone asks you to rewrite
a report completely, you're going to feel frustrated, and you
might reject the suggestion. If, however, you're told that the
report just needs revising in a particular way, then you'll
probably be more open to making the changes.










See our article on
Powers of Persuasion for more dos and don'ts. Keeping Your Own Mind Open




Opening the minds of others is one thing, but you should also
ensure that you're open to new ideas as well. If you want others
to consider your views objectively, make sure you do the same for
them. Try the following tips to keep an open mind:






Don't decide too fast. When someone presents something new to
you, give yourself at least 30 minutes, if you can, to think it
over before making a judgment. The longer you give yourself, the
more objective you're likely to be. To understand more about
avoiding this common decision making problem, see our article on
The Ladder of Inference .
Be aware of how your relationships affect your judgment. For
example, you may be great friends with one team member. You're
very comfortable around her, so chances are high that you'll agree
with what she says, perhaps without fully listening to her
position. But be careful not to agree with something that, under
other circumstances, you might reject. The opposite is also true –
you may not like someone, but that doesn't mean that everything he
says is a bad idea. Be fair, and consider ideas equally.
Really listen. People often prepare their opposing arguments
while the other person is still speaking – especially when it's a
difficult topic. If you do this, you simply close your mind to the
possibility that the other person might have something valuable to
offer you – in the form of a new idea or new way of doing things.
Stay open-minded by listening with your undivided attention.
You'll have plenty of time for counterarguments after the other
person finishes talking.






Key Points
Convincing others of a new idea, technique, or practice isn't
always easy. Most people don't like change, so going slowly is
usually the best way to win them over. Ask others to keep an open
mind – this is usually the easiest way to ensure that they
seriously consider your ideas. But make sure you do the same for
them. Constantly challenge your own assumptions and ideas, and
give others your undivided attention when they speak with you.