The journey from reject to persuade and ending in accept may benefit from the way cats move from rejection to accepting each other

1. Ali Anani, PhD

2. ou own an
idea that is housed
in your m for
ind
long tim
es

3. You are in peace
with this idea

4. Then…
Somebody walks in
with a conflicting idea

5. What would happen?

6. Rejection

8. Cats sounds a
good metaphor
ats

12. Will the two cats adapt
their opinion, revise their
beliefs, or change their
behavior as a result of
social interactions with
each other?

13. Will the
opinions of the
two interacting
cats converge
or split over
repeated
interactions?

14. And so, Will the
two interacting
ideas in my head
come to peace with
each other or will
they have a battle
in my head?

15. Bringing the two
cats together is
a recipe for
conflict

16. The intensity
of fight
shall depend
on

17. The intensity of fight shall depend on
The age difference
between the two
cats, their persona
and if they are of
the same sex or not

18. or exam
ple, if
you bring two
fem cats they
ale
shall pair up better
than tw m
o ales
because m
ales
have instinct to
fight

19. ats and
m
otions
The intensity of
fighting shall
depend on the
emotional status
of the cats.

20. ats which
are stressed tend to
be m aggressive
ore

21. Imagine ideas
are like cats
in your head

22. If a person is stressed with an
idea and is not sure about it,
bringing a new idea in his/her
head shall cause a fight
between the two ideas

23. Persuasion in
this case will
be difficult

24. Plantation of
ideas in a
stormy head
is not a
good
exercise

25. Persuading troubled
and very hesitant
minds is futile

26. Bringing ideas from
two different
cultures shall lead
to their hissing and
growling in my head

27. Bringing ideas
together abruptly
shall only lead to
anxiety and
confusion

28. So, what
to do?

29. So, what to do?
What can we learn
from
cats?

30. By:
preparation,
separation and
familiarization

31. Keep the two cats in
separate rooms; mingle
both cats' scents on a
washcloth (by rubbing
the cloth on their
fur) and place the
washcloth next to
their feeding areas.
Observe their initial
encounters to help the
relationship advance
smoothly

32. So, don’t mix ideas
right away. Keep
them separate. Look
for the “joint
scent” between them
and share it among
parties

33. How about having a
picture of the two
cats together?
Share the photo so
that both cats may
see it

34. Cats move their
attention to toys.
So, giving two cats
a toy might distract
their direct angry
attention to each
other
Toy
at
a
t

35. Create a joint
enemy. Bring a
third cat for a
short time. The
two cats have now
a shared interest

36. This way the resistance of
the two cats to accepting
each other decreases

37. Two
conflicting
ideas- then
find a shared
enemy for both
and the
benefits of
acceptance
emerge

38. Find a common thread
between your idea and the
other side’s idea.
A third idea that appeals
to both parties to
establish common
understandings.

39. Never assume.
Watch for trouble
signals

40. Upon encounter,
one cat or both
might give
signals of
discomfort such
as flattening
its tail or
spitting

41. Avoidance
strategy works
best. Separate
the two cats for
a while.
Keep repeating
this “encounter”
till signals of
refusal wane out

42. If you wish to
persuade somebody
with your idea
remember your are
adding a cat
(idea) to his
head.
The struggle of
cats starts

43. Gradual acceptance
Keep away your idea
from the other
person. Keep
repeating that till
signs of refusals
disappear.

44. Living with a new person
or a new idea is similar
in that both need to
accept the unfamiliar
object to become
familiar. So, what
applies to a cat living
with a cat also applies
to a man sharing his
mind with a new idea.
All are accommodation
processes

45. If your customer
wants a blue suit
then turn the blue
light.
If he wants it green
then turn on the
green light

46. The journey from
Reject
Persuade
May benefit from the
way cats move from
rejection to accepting
each other
Accept

47. Great Addition from
Jeff Washburn

49. The picture follows. Enjoy