Creative Thinking

Win Bigly – Scott Adams

People are more influenced by visual persuasion, emotion, repetition, and simplicity than they are by details and facts.

The Power of Confidence

Confidence is a key factor in persuasion
Trump’s confidence, even when unfounded, convinced many people to support him
Confidence can be contagious, leading others to become more confident in their own beliefs
Being confident in your own beliefs can be more effective

In today’s society, the louder and more outrageous a person is, the more attention they will receive
Trump’s sensationalist claims and constant media presence silenced his opponents and dominated the media landscape
To maintain public attention, Trump had to constantly say outrageous things
Trump’s opponents couldn’t compete in the court of public opinion because they were too “normal”

In his book, Scott Adams examines how Donald Trump used persuasion techniques, such as pre-suasion and emotional contagion, to win the 2016 election
Adams also provides insight into how these techniques can be used by readers in their own lives
Trump effectively primed his audience to be receptive to his message by repeatedly speaking about making America great again before discussing specific policies

Scott Adams suggests using the persuasion filter, a framework for analyzing persuasive messages, to better understand how Trump was able to win over voters.

The persuasion filter consists of four elements:The messenger: Trump’s celebrity status, unconventional appearance, and unconventional behavior all contributed to his appeal as a messenger.
The message: Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again” was simple, memorable, and emotionally charged.
The audience: Trump’s message resonated with people who felt left behind by the political establishment and were looking for a change.
The circumstances: The political climate and the media landscape were conducive to Trump’s message and helped him to stand out among his opponents.

Humans often think they make decisions based on logic, but most decisions are actually based on emotion.
The tendency to justify decisions after they are made is called post-rationalization.
Some biases that can lead to sub-optimal decision-making include the sunk cost fallacy (continuing to invest in something due to previous investments) and the endowment effect (overvaluing what we have and undervaluing what we don’t).
Once aware of these biases, it is possible to make more rational decisions.

Most decisions are made based on emotion, rather than logic
Post-rationalization allows us to justify our choices after the fact
Biases such as the sunk cost fallacy and endowment effect can lead to suboptimal decisions
Becoming aware of these biases can help to make more rational decisions

Trump’s success was due in part to his willingness to say anything, no matter how outrageous.
This kept him in the spotlight and ensured constant media coverage, effectively silencing his opponents.
In today’s society, the more outrageous and attention-seeking a person is, the more media coverage they will receive.

Trump used emotional contagion, the idea that emotions can be contagious, to his advantage.
He was able to tap into people’s fears and emotions to persuade them to support him.
By focusing on the emotional impact of his message, Trump was able to bypass people’s logical defenses and appeal directly to their emotions.