Gaining Adoption

The primary issue I face is adoption, and the argument usually comes down to some variant of  "I'm not a computer person".  This request for persuasion can be phrased in many ways:

• Too Hard
• I Don't Have Time
• I'm Fine With Paper
• I'm Not A Computer Person

I usually find the same approach works with every variant, and that is to pay more attention to the words the person in front of me is saying and less to the thoughts my brain is thinking.  This is a technique I learned back in Landmark Education in the '90's and it succeeds quite often.  Most people are willing to try something if their concerns are heard.

I listen actively, ask questions, suggest ideas not as a solution to something they've said that I've half heard, but in order to elicit further response from them.

My response when it comes is measured against what I find in their speaking.  Some folks have specific problems they are solving and are glad of an explanation how to do it.  For them I just explain a process that could work and let them refine it.

Some folks identify themselves with goals or ideals, and are glad of a solution that furthers those aims.  This is tricky ground because you have to tread respectfully on such ground.  I usually identify how what I'm proposing furthers their aims, then solicit feedback.  I always leave the choice with them, since that is a very simple and powerful way to show respect.  (And if the choice is not the one I'm advocating, I may come back later for further conversation, or if the person represents a large body of folk I will try to educate myself on the aims of the movement.)  There's a lot of this in Berkeley.

Some folks actually have ways of looking at stuff that are just so outside the main flow that they require one on one training.  Since this is so intensive, I reserve this for folks who have the ability to persuade or influence others; if they are highly leveraged it's worth the time I put in.

The key element is always respect, I find.  Even if no immediate adoption results, the foundation of respect will bear fruit in the future, I find, often in unexpected ways.  The person remembers not what you did or advocated, except vaguely, but remembers that you respected what was important to them.  That is money in the bank, as difficult to obtain as it is easy to lose.