Real Simple suggests how to go about changing someone’s mind.
Amy Spencer writes (excerpt):
The essential rule when trying to convert someone is: Don’t — at least, not at first. “Just listen,” says Dennis Ross [author of “The Missing Peace”] . . . .
. . . After listening, show that you get it.
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Next, nudge the other person to see your side. . . .
Then gently, imperceptibly, introduce a new outcome. “Everyone needs an explanation to tell others,” Ross says, “and it’s best if the other person thinks he came up with it.”