How People REALLY Change Their Minds? (Backed up by Science)

Negotiate Anything

American Negotiation Institute

Education, Business, Self-improvement

4.7 • 748 Ratings

🗓️ 8 February 2026

⏱️ 123 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if changing someone’s mind isn’t about being right — but about understanding how people actually think? In this Negotiation Masterclass edition of Negotiate Anything, Kwame Christian curates three powerful conversations that unpack one of the hardest challenges in communication: influencing deeply held beliefs. Drawing from psychology, change management, and behavioral science, this episode explores why people resist change, how strong opinions are formed, and — most importantly — what actually helps minds open instead of shut down . You’ll hear from a persuasion scientist who breaks down why confidence and emotion don’t always mean an opinion is unchangeable, a change-management expert who reveals why resistance is often a signal — not a setback — and a renowned science journalist who explains the surprising techniques used to help people rethink even their most entrenched views. Across all three perspectives, one theme becomes clear: the best negotiators don’t argue harder — they listen better. Whether you’re navigating tough conversations at work, addressing polarizing topics, or trying to lead meaningful change, this masterclass will give you practical frameworks to reduce resistance, build trust, and guide conversations toward real understanding. Negotiate Anything: Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code ANYTHING at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: ⁠https://incogni.com/anything⁠ incogni.com ⁠Personal Information Removal Service | Incogni | Incogni⁠ Data brokers are collecting, aggregating and trading your personal data without you knowing anything about it. We make them remove it.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Today's episode of Negotiate Anything is sponsored in part by Shopify, Bravo, Cozy Earth, and Incogni.
0:07.0	Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you start, run, and grow your business.
0:12.8	Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at Shopify.com slash Kwame.
0:17.8	Brevo is an all-in-one marketing and CRM platform to help you connect with customers and grow smarter.
0:24.6	Get started for free or use Code Anything 50 to save 50% on starter and standard plans for the first three months of your annual subscription at brevo.com slash anything.
0:36.6	Cozy Earth makes everyday comfort feel like a real upgrade
0:40.2	from unbelievably soft sleepwear to plush blankets. Go to cozyEarth.com and use the code Kwame for up to
0:46.9	20% off and you'll get a post-purch survey. Make sure you mention you heard about it here.
0:52.8	Incogni helps you to take your personal
0:55.1	data back by removing it from places online where it shouldn't be, helping to reduce your
1:00.4	exposure to scams and identity theft. Use code anything for 60% off of an annual plan at
1:07.3	incogni.com slash anything. As always, you can find all of these deals in the show notes.
1:13.4	Welcome to this negotiation masterclass edition of Negotiate Anything. With over 1,600 episodes
1:19.3	featuring some of the world's brightest minds, we've carefully curated three
1:23.3	powerful conversations for you. What makes this so special is that you'll hear how different experts
1:28.6	from different industries approach the same challenge in their own unique ways. Our goal is to give
1:34.6	you multiple perspectives so you can build your own unique style. Success doesn't look the same for
1:40.0	everyone. And in this master class, you will see exactly why. Let's dive in. Andy, thanks for
1:46.2	joining us today. Hi. Yeah. Happy to be here. So how about you get us started by telling us a little
1:52.3	bit about yourself and what you do? Sure. So I'm Andy LaTrell. I'm a professor of psychological
1:57.0	science at Ball State University. I study persuasion, influence, and public opinion.
2:02.6	And I also host the podcast Opinion Science, which features interviews with folks and explorations of
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