While they were polar opposites in their views on government, Ronald Reagan and Franklin Roosevelt both understood this fundamental principle of influence – people are far more likely to be persuaded by someone they like. And most would agree that our 32nd and 40th presidents were extremely likeable gentlemen.
What is even more remarkable about these men is the extent to which they liked people. In spite of his patrician upbringing, Roosevelt enjoyed spending time with the common man. At his getaway in Warm Springs he often drove the countryside meeting people out on dirt roads and at country stores. He engaged them in conversations about healthcare, education, employment, or any issue that impacted their lives. Imagine this Hyde Park icon smiling and enjoying himself with “Sam the farmer” and “Gerald the truck driver.” Similarly, Mr. Reagan would engage General Electric employees with jokes and by inquiring about their work. What is truly remarkable is that ordinary Americans believed that these extraordinary leaders genuinely cared about them and even understood them to some degree.
This connection with the American people yielded extraordinary and sometimes inexplicable influence. Roosevelt succeeded at radically altering the size and scope of the federal government, while Reagan successfully reigned it in. Both men accomplished these feats while maintaining high levels of popularity with voters.
The research of psychologist Robert Cialdini lends considerable scientific support to these simple methods employed by Reagan and Roosevelt. He found the principle of liking – people like you and you like them – to be one of the most important principles of influence. In effect, if people are fond of you and know that you feel the same way about them, they tend to be far more persuadable.
Components of the liking principle include the concepts of similarity and compliments. Reagan understood these concepts well and employed them frequently. He knew that if people felt that he was like them, they would connect with him on an emotional level. Even with his glamorous Hollywood career, Reagan somehow managed to position himself as “one of the guys,” drinking beer with Tip O’Neill and telling occasional off-color jokes. In a slightly different way, Roosevelt accomplished the same thing with his legendary fireside chats. Through them, he reached out to a frightened nation and reassured all Americans that he was their friend and that they could trust him.
Reagan was known for his genuine compliments to the character and ability of the American people. He spoke warmly of the common man, calling him heroic, courageous, and speaking often of his wisdom. “Those who say that we are in a time when there are no heroes just don’t know where to look. You can see heroes every day going in and out of factory gates.”
Let’s take a moment now and examine several practical means by which likeable people become likeable:
- Likeable people are approachable. They make time for others.
- Likeable people focus on the individual in front of them, genuinely listen, and ask insightful questions. They never look over a person’s shoulder to see who else is in the room.
- Likeable people laugh easy and encourage others to do so. In a crowded room they smile and extend a hand as strangers approach.
- Likeable people find and emphasize similarities between themselves and others while paying genuine compliments.
- Likeable people make it a habit to show genuine interest in other people’s success.
In their attempts to persuade, both men understood the importance of knowing their audience, whether it was an audience of one or of millions. As a state lawmaker, researching your audience and their position on an issue is an effective way to prepare for any attempt at persuasion. Among the factors you should consider are the following:
- What level of knowledge and involvement do they have with the issue in question?
- What external pressures might be affecting their stance? For instance, the current position of a fellow lawmaker may be influenced primarily by the views of constituents or special considerations within their district.
- What is their level of emotional attachment to the issue?
- What demographic factors should you consider?
- How will these factors affect your approach in attempting influence?
Ultimately, knowing your audience enables you to speak to their particular concerns i.e. to address their pain points. Beyond helping you develop a strategy, audience analysis may also help you determine if a particular persuasive effort is worth pursuing at all. For example, if a fellow legislator is committed to a particular policy stance based on deeply held religious convictions or traumatic life experiences, he is unlikely to shift or change his stance significantly. The lesson here is “choose your battles.”
These actions – genuinely listening, being friendly and approachable, paying genuine compliments, finding common ground, researching your audience – require considerable effort, but are well worth the price. They pay dividends far beyond simply being liked by your fellow lawmakers. Over time, they can contribute to substantive policy wins that bring real change to your state. Just ask Mr. Roosevelt and Mr. Reagan, who passed historic legislation and succeeded at the all-important task of assuring the American people that things were going to be okay and that our best days were ahead.