How we change what others think, feel, believe and do

Avoid Objections

Techniques > General persuasion > Being Right > Avoid Objections

Description | Example | Discussion | See also

Description

When people disagree or point out flaws in your argument, quickly and easily reject them. Use simple counter-argument. Tell the person they do not know what they are talking about. Just say 'that's not true'.

Feel free to make your rejection itself objectionable. Let things get personal. Allow them to digress away from your real point which then remains unchallenged.

Example

In an argument, a person responds to a criticism by saying 'You have no idea what you are talking about'. The other person becomes defensive, forgetting about the point about which they are being critical.

A speaker at a conference receives a difficult question from an audience member. She responds 'That’s not the key here, The real issue is …'

Discussion

When people object, they may well just want to be heard. If you acknowledge them, this may be enough. If they have a more serious point, you still may be able to avoid answering it, simply by ignoring it or saying it is wrong in some way. You can then take charge of the situation, for example by changing the topic and continuing to talk so the person has no further chance to press the question.

The bottom line is that the person who is talking is able to assert that they are right and the other person is wrong. When done boldly enough, the other person may feel they are unlikely to be able to have further influence and so may well just give up on their quest.

See also

Objection-handling techniques and methods