Amplification principle

Principles > Amplifying principle

Principle | How it works | So what?

Principle

Making something appear more significant (or insignificant) than it really is.

How it works

Often, in persuasive situations, we seek to direct the attention of the other person towards points that support our argument and away from points that reduce our argument. We thus both amplify the supporting points and attenuate (the reverse of amplifying) other points.

Turning up and turning down the volume

Just as you can turn up and turn down the volume on your hi-fi, so also can you amplify or attenuate individual points to suit your purpose.

Amplifying may include such activities as:

Pointing out elements that play to the other person's needs, values and goals and otherwise focusing their attention.
Showing evidence of how other people have benefited.
Contrasting the benefits of a proposition with alternative actions.
Using emphasis in language to stress key words, making them stand out.
Frequently repeating the message.
Providing confirming experiences.
Exaggerating the truth, framing small things as being bigger than they actually are.

Attenuating may include activities such as:

Distracting the person away from these elements.
Decreasing the person's investment in alternatives.
Reframing the situation to exclude alternatives.
Closing off concerns, for example using objection-handling techniques.
Hurting the person when they see alternatives so you can then rescue them with your proposition.
Trivializing those things that might count against our argument.
Mentioning something briefly in the middle of a long speech, letting it get lost in the detail.
Framing yourself as an authority so you can criticize and trivialize non-supporting elements.

Forced choice

A way of biasing options when offering or discussing a choice is to both amplify the choice you want the other person to make and to attenuate the choices that you do not want them to make.

A managed truth

Amplification and attenuation need not include deliberate lying, but they do manipulate the truth, hence the famous phrase about a politician being 'Economical with the truth'.

Contrast

We understand size and importance through contrast of related items. In this way, one thing can be made to seem bigger by reducing those things around it. This is one reason some people put down others in order to feel better about themselves (when they actually feel inferior and unable to raise their real opinion of themselves).

So what?

So first identify those things that support your argument and also those things that detract from it. Then find ways of amplifying the good points and attenuating the bad points. Aim to keep them both truthful and subtle - as with all methods, if the other person feels you are being less than honest they will not trust you or your arguments.