Lincoln's Power of Persuasion

Because I have an interest in presidents who were or are great communicators, my husband (Claude) recommended I read Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.

The book is over 700 pages long and is a painstakingly documented account of Lincoln's personal and political life. Of course, I was particularly interested in the sections about Lincoln's power to influence others.

Lincoln developed a reputation for being trustworthy and honest. He was able to establish a great deal of credibility, in spite of the fact that some of his opponents and some of the various publications that opposed Lincoln's views tried to paint him as a rail splitting, backwoods, simpleton.

I was particularly struck by how effectively Lincoln used stories and familiar analogies to not only support his points, but to also win the hearts and minds of his audience. While his opponents used lofty, abstract terms, Lincoln used familiar, concrete language that his understood could not only understand, but often feel in a visceral way.

Abraham Lincoln was also master at using reasoning and constructing arguments as he demonstrated in the Lincoln Douglas debates. Though some may have underestimated this supposedly backwoods, self-taught man, Lincoln consistently demonstrated his ability to out-think his opponents.

No question, Lincoln understood the three means of persuasion that Aristotle had once identified: ethos (credibility), pathos (emotional appeal), and logos (logic).

The lessons / reminders I think I will take away from learning more about Lincoln's ability to influence others include:

• Keep it simple
• Don't use big words when regular words will work
• Use examples that connect the heads and the hearts with your target audience
• Be consistent in words and actions
• Have the best interests of others in mind when wanting to influence them
• Be truthful, be honest
• Listen carefully
• Anticipate and plan before speaking
• Use the best reasoning available - spend time developing your arguments rather than winging it
• Review and continue to improve