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

Reframe Criteria

Techniques > General persuasion > Being Right > Reframe Criteria

Description | Example | Discussion | See also

Description

Find the decision criteria that people are using, then change those criteria to change the decision. Things you can do include:

• Play down criteria that do not support your cause
• Amplify criteria that help you
• Add new criteria that will change things

Typical criteria include cost, time, availability, usefulness, satisfaction of needs, support of other goals, alignment with beliefs and values and so on.

Reframing takes an idea or opinion and, by changing one part, changes how it is perceived. So change the viewpoint in order to see the criteria differently and so change them.

Example

Going away is a good idea, but does it have to be now? It'll be cheaper if we go next month.

It seems cheap but cheap stuff doesn't last.

Discussion

Decisions are usually made using one or more criteria. Each criterion used has an importance (often called 'weight'). With a relatively small shift in criterion weight, the final decision may be shifted.

If they do not deliberately use criteria, you can appear knowledgeable just by talking about them. In everyday conversation, few people really think about the criteria they are using. This gives an opportunity to appear superior and to challenge their decisions.

See also

Amplification principle, Decisions, Reframing