Working Up (Self-Persuasion)
To convince others, people often first convince themselves—intentionally or not—by rehearsing arguments and selectively seeking supporting evidence, a process that can lead to genuine belief change.
THE IDEA
PERSUASION: CONVINCING OURSELVES SO WE CAN CONVINCE OTHERS
When Lyndon B. Johnson was a senator, he had a ritual his friends and aides called “working up.” When he needed to be able to convince people of something, he would practice arguing that position, with passion, over and over, willing himself to believe it. Eventually he would be able to defend it with utter certainty—because by that point, he was certain, regardless of what his views had been at the start. “It was not an act,” said George Reedy, Johnson’s press secretary. “He had a fantastic capacity to persuade himself that the ‘truth’ which was convenient for the present was the truth and anything that conflicted with it was the prevarication of enemies.”14
Johnson’s capacity for intentional self-deception was unusual. But we all do this to some extent, just less intentionally: When we need to persuade other people of something, we become motivated to believe it ourselves, and seek out arguments and evidence we could use in its defense.
When law students prepare to argue for either the plaintiff or defendant in a moot court, they come to believe that their side of the case is both morally and legally in the right—even when the sides were randomly assigned.15 As an entrepreneur, if you can talk with sincere enthusiasm about how your company is “totally killing it right now,” other people might believe it, too. Lobbyists, salespeople, and fund-raisers might play up the strengths and play down the flaws in their cause or product to make it easier for them to sell it to other people.
A professor might convince herself that her theory is more original than it really is so that she can claim as much in her public speaking and writing. Even if a few people who are closely familiar with her field realize she’s overstating her case, she may still be able to get away with the exaggeration with most people. This often requires her to “accidentally” misunderstand other people’s theses and fail to notice that she’s attacking a straw man argument no one is actually making.
Even those of us who aren’t professional persuaders have plenty of things we might like our friends, family, and coworkers to believe: I’m a good person. I deserve your sympathy. I’m trying my hardest. I’m a valuable employee. My career is really taking off. The more we can get ourselves to genuinely believe those claims, and the more evidence and arguments we can collect to support them, the easier it will be for us to persuade other people of them (or so the logic goes).
As Johnson used to say: “What convinces is conviction.”16
When to use it
A salesperson preparing a pitch might consciously adopt a more positive view of the product to deliver a convincing presentation.
A politician crafting a speech may rehearse talking points until they feel certain of their position, even if they had doubts initially.
A job seeker preparing for an interview might build up their own confidence by focusing on strengths and downplaying weaknesses, making them more persuasive to the interviewer.
A manager trying to rally a team around a new strategy might first convince themselves of the strategy's merit before presenting it to others.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Lyndon Johnson's 'Working Up'
Johnson would rehearse an argument passionately until he genuinely believed it, enabling him to defend it with utter certainty regardless of his initial views.
Law Students in Moot Court
Law students randomly assigned to argue for either side in a moot court came to believe their assigned side was morally and legally correct.
Entrepreneur Enthusiasm
An entrepreneur who talks with sincere enthusiasm about their company 'totally killing it' can convince others because they first convinced themselves.
Professor Overclaiming Originality
A professor may exaggerate the originality of her theory, even resorting to straw man arguments, to convince herself and others of its value.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Think of a time you had to persuade someone of something. Did you find yourself becoming more convinced of your own arguments as you prepared? How did that affect your reasoning?
In what areas of your life might you be engaging in 'working up'—convincing yourself of something primarily to make it easier to persuade others?
How can you guard against the risk of self-deception when you have a strong interest in persuading others?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- The Scout Mindset (Julia Galef)