Being Persuasive

What do I do when I disagree with someone I care about, but I believe I am right, and I want to convince him/her of that?

I must respect the other's opinions on the topic. That is foremost when I care about someone else. Shooting him or her down right away is not a good start when I am trying to persuade him/her that I am right or 'righter'. That would only put him/her off, and he or she would most likely go on the defense--which then can cause an argument and raised emotions, anger, and as a result he or she would be less likely to listen to my side of the debate.

Is there any evidence that supports my stance in contrast to his or hers? Having ammo stacked up against one is a convincing tool to relent on one's own stance. On top of that, to be convincing, I have to look and sound convincing myself. Being confident in my own opinion and adamant about it can help persuade another person of my conviction--especially if it is someone I care about, I am going to go out on a limb here and assume that that person also cares about me, so when that person sees how passionate and sincere I am on the topic, he or she will be more inclined to be persuaded by me.

As a last resort, there is always the begging route. Plead with your dear one to believe that you are correct and that it is a good thing to relent and side with you.

This reminds me of the continuing elephant in the room at my house that my parents and I kick dirt over: global warming. Let's see if I can make this sensible to my readers: my dad is a country bumpkin. Like any guy, he LOVES his lawn and takes great pride in its care. As a result, he HATES anything that damages his lawn: moles, my car, armadillos. He will sit outside on a lawn chair all day with a shotgun across his lap just daring any old critter to come root on his side of the fence.

Well, can anyone remember in past years if there has been a presence--a strong presence of armadillos this far north in Missouri? It is only in the past 3 years that I have seen o'possums with helmets scuttling across the road along MO highways. And it is only in the past 3 years that my dad has carried on about armadillos and critters grubbing up his lawn. SO...

...Dad, (respectful part here) how long have there been armadillos this far north of Texas?
-Not for too many years you say?
So then why have armadillos only recently been coming this far north?
-Because we've been having milder winters in the past few years. (evidence part here)
Why are milder winters favorable for increasing the armadillo's range this far north?
-Armadillos like warmer, hotter weather.
So then why have there been milder winters lately?
-(a-ha! part. expressing my beliefs staunchly and confidently because evidence backs me up) Because of--GLOBAL WARMING!