Michael Cloud

Talks about his new book, Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion

Michael Cloud, the 2000 winner of the prestigious Thomas Paine Award for best Libertarian communicator, has published a new book, Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion. The book is designed to help libertarians do a better job of explaining the benefits of liberty to their friends, family, and neighbors.

Perhaps no one other than Michael Cloud could have written this book. In addition to spending almost three decades researching effective persuasion techniques, he has run for public office; written hundreds of speeches for business, nonprofit, and political clients; created "The Essence of Political Persuasion" audio training series; and delivered over 900 speeches to live audiences. The lessons he learned from those various experiences have all been incorporated into this book.

In this interview, Michael Cloud discusses how he came to write Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion; reveals the most common communication mistake made by libertarians; analyzes what he learned from Jesus, Buddha, and Uncle Remus; looks at the difference between communication and persuasion; and much more.

Q: What is the most common mistake libertarians make then trying to convert people to liberty?

A: Most of us believe that other people are just like us. We assume that what convinced us to become libertarians will convince others. So we give them the books that persuaded us. We use the arguments and evidence that changed our minds.

It rarely works. Why? Because they are not us. They are not stirred or moved by what reached us. They have different thoughts and feelings and core values. Different dreams.

In a word, the lesson here is individualism. To be effective at persuasion, we must recognize and respect and reach out to each person's individuality.

Q: What's the biggest communication mistake YOU ever made?

A: My worst communication crime was what I later came to call "The Late, Great Libertarian Macho Flash." I was a serial offender during most of the 1970s.

Why? I became a libertarian by studying the works of Ayn Rand, Ludwig von Mises, Murray Rothbard, and the Foundation for Economic Education. Naturally, I used their approaches and arguments when I talked with others. Some people were unmoved. Others resisted or opposed me. I felt frustrated and stuck. "What's the matter with them?" I asked. Finally, I found that I could get a rise out of people with over-the-top, in-your-face, shocking statements about libertarianism. So I went from ineffective conversations to actually losing friends and alienating people.

Over time, I saw how destructive this approach is. I wrote an essay entitled "The Late, Great Libertarian Macho Flash" in 1978 to share my lesson with other libertarians. I included that essay in Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion in the hope that others won't make the same mistakes I did.

Q: What in your background or experience make you uniquely qualified to write about libertarian persuasion?

A: I am fascinated with communication and persuasion. In the last 29 years, I have studied over 3,800 books that touched on communication and persuasion. Philosophy, psychology, semantics and linguistics, information sciences, political, social, and religious outreach, complexity theory, memetics, mass movements, salesmanship, and more. I have participated in hundreds of personal growth seminars, personal development training sessions, and other self-actualization workshops. I have traveled thousands of miles to observe and interview outstanding speakers. I have gone to seminars to learn exactly what leaders do to get people excited and involved. I love exploring, learning, testing, refining, using, and teaching the art of libertarian persuasion.

Q: What's your favorite essay in the book?

A: "The Myth of Mushrooms in the Night." This fable illustrates the damage created by the myth of "Quick Fix" or "Overnight Success" libertarianism. This myth leads to flash-in-the-pan libertarian projects and activism. It turns excited activists into burnt-out and broke ex-activists. This is a cautionary tale -- and it offers better choices and hope.

Q: Which technique that you write about in the book would you say was your biggest breakthrough -- a real "ah-hah!" moment for you when you conceptualized it?

A: "Try Something Different." It's a blinding flash of the obvious. Yet this elegant and simple persuasion principle cranks up the impact of everything else in the book. The more I use it, the more possibilities I see. It's the master key to effective communication and persuasion.

Q: Some of the advice in this book may be controversial. What do you say to libertarians who disagree with you about a particular piece of advice?

A: First, before you criticize, take the technique out for a test drive. Try it out six or eight times with your family, friends, neighbors, or co-workers. What results does it give you? Compare these results to what you got with your old approach. Are the outcomes better or worse? Are people more receptive or less receptive to this approach? Once you do that, you'll have first-hand experience that lets you discuss the merits of that technique with open eyes.

Second, if you absolutely, positively disagree with an approach or piece of advice -- and refuse to even test it -- then just set it aside. Instead, use the techniques that interest or excite you. Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion offers you options, not obligations. Use what's right for you. You're free to choose.

Q: If you had to summarize this book into, say, Cloud's Top Three Rules of Libertarian Communication, what would they be?

A: The first rule is that stories, fables, and parables that illustrate libertarian lessons are 100 times more persuasive than evidence and argument. Jesus, Aesop, the Buddha, Uncle Remus, Robert Heinlein, and Ayn Rand taught and persuaded with stories. Invent or adapt or learn stories that illustrate liberty.

My second rule would be: sow what you want to reap. Usually we get what we give. Most people reciprocate. Listen to be listened to. Be open minded and receptive -- and the other person will often respond in kind. Give a fair hearing to get a fair hearing. (This is the hardest lesson to practice.)

And the third rule is, if what you're doing doesn't work, do something else. If that doesn't work, do something else. If that doesn't work, do something else. And when you find something that works, keep doing it. And then do more of it.

Q: How is this book different from other books about effective communication or salesmanship?

A: Communication is not enough. Communication is merely conveyed understanding. Persuasion is understanding with agreement. We can fully understand Marxism, yet disagree. We can thoroughly comprehend Big Government, yet reject it.

Most books about effective communication or salesmanship offer readers useful tips, techniques, phrases, and approaches. Virtually all of them have a very narrow, limited scope.

Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion offers readers bold, sweeping changes in their whole approach to libertarian communication and persuasion. It shows them how to open people's hearts and minds to liberty. How to talk and listen in ways that make every conversation a glowing opportunity to win others to liberty -- not just on superficial or trivial issues, but on core beliefs and deep values.

Q: How-to books can be boring. What did you do to make sure this book was interesting?

A: I think Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion walks its talk. It embodies what it teaches. I wrote a book that I believe libertarians will love to pick up and hate to put down. I tried to make it rich with stories, parables, one-liners, provocative questions, unforgettable phrases, humor, and new insights and outlooks.

My goal was to write a book that excites and inspires libertarians to reach the hearts and minds of others. If this book becomes part of people's lives -- not just part of their libraries -- then I will have done my job as an author.

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