Your logical argument begins with something the audience already believes or wants. To shift their opinion you have to start with where they are today. Find out what they are thinking by looking for the common place, the viewpoints that your audience holds in common.
A commonplace is simply a shorthand expression of common sense or opinion. Commonplaces in business include “serving the customer,” “investing resources wisely,” “hiring the best people,” and “managed earnings.”
In technical industries you hear commonplaces like:
- Burn the boats (taking a risk, putting yourself in a position where you have no choice but to succeed)
- Eat their young (creative destruction, an economic theory of innovation and progress)
- The innovator’s dilemma (product lines cannot simultaneously serve (1) high-profit customers who will pay a premium for product enhancements and (2) low-profit customers who will settle for a product that is just “good enough” if they can get it for a low price)
And if you talk to people at a company or look at their website, it’s not hard to find the commonly held views in that organization. Here are phrases on the websites of a few companies near where I live:
- An engineering company that does failure analysis: 90 scientific and engineering disciplines, unparalleled technical expertise, multidisciplinary, rapid-response
- A law firm: full-service international powerhouse, ethic of hard work, innovative approach to law firm management, high-profile and groundbreaking deals, collaborative process
- Maker of wetsuits: it’s always summer on the inside (of a wetsuit), surfer territories expanded, put all six kids to work, thriving international company, dominating the world’s wetsuit market
These commonplaces represent beliefs, not facts. They are rules of thumb that make communication easier between people who share common experiences. They also foster group identity because people outside the group may not understand the commonplaces. If you and I are in the same group, we can speak in shorthand and strengthen the link between us while simultaneously keeping others outside.
If you want to persuade an audience, learn its commonplaces. Then show how the decision you want your audience to make is not only advantageous to them, but is also a small leap from what they already believe.
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