Good guys need to communicate as effectively as the not-so-good guys have proven to be able to do. People involved in public participation have often looked at the idea of “persuasion” as something kind of smarmy and inappropriate. The thinking has been that trying to convince somebody of believing anything is wrong and information just needs to be purely objective – boring is better.

I think that’s wrong. Persuasion is not propaganda. True persuasion is changing a mind without coercion. It’s done with the utmost respect and the decision to change remains entirely with the person being persuaded. Developing the skills to get truth into people’s heads more effectively is what it’s all about.