Tommy Boy finally got it right: “I could climb up a bull’s ass to find the steak, but I’d rather take the butcher’s word for it.”

Proof in the form of concrete statements or tangible numbers carry credibility. They allow persuaders to sway thought. That’s why so many people accept twisted numbers and statistical data as proof. The numbers carry authority.

People want to believe but will assign faith to persuasion if it carries an element of truth. The more credible the proof and the more apt they are to believe it. “…persuasion is effected through the speech itself when we have proved a truth or an apparent truth by means of the persuasive arguments suitable to the case in question,” Aristotle, Rhetoric.

First start with identifying the opinions and beliefs a person already understands, then build upon those opinions by providing additional proof through example and demonstration. Seeking vindication, individuals will assign credence to your proof, internalize it and use it to further develop their own understanding, opinions and beliefs. The individual will accept your proof and mold it into their own viewpoint. They will assign their own proof and internalize your persuasion as their own idea.

“You could climb up…” but you already get the idea.