Influential communication with people generates a paradox. Influential communication is needed to drive people to do things that are not part of their habits. The natural response to this type of communication is a dysfunctional reaction to eliminate the implicit threat.

A commercial proposal addressing people with something they do not urgently need produces this effect. Thus, nothing new, different, or superior could be introduced in the world because any action would generate a reaction to avoid a proposition.

The development of binary communication solved the problem by introducing two synchronized actions that, on the one hand, address the latent needs of people, where the reaction to this proposal generates skepticism about the proposal, and the second action addresses the skepticism and makes it possible and desirable.

Binary Actions are Based on a Triadic Action Process

Communication to influence people always implies generating skepticism first. It is a three-stage communication process that uses the double dialectical approach of the unicist logic.

1. The first action addresses the latent needs of people who need to be part of the context of their comfort zone.
2. The second action is the skepticism of the recipients.
3. The third action is addressing skepticism with a message that complements it and develops a desirable solution that was originated by the action of the recipients.

Skepticism is the natural response when the right segment has been addressed. It arises because the proposal is deeply desired. Other dysfunctional reactions indicate that the segment addressed does not have the concepts being proposed in mind and cannot embrace the idea.

This process is the core of communications in leadership, politics, and marketing when it is time to introduce a new idea:

1. Leadership: To propose new solutions.
2. Politics: To introduce a new ideal.
3. Marketing: To make differentiated value propositions.

Binary communications require integrating an initial communication that is empathetic and addresses the latent needs of the comfort zone of people, which generates natural skepticism, and a second message that is sympathetic because it addresses skepticism and the concept people have in their minds after having discovered evident latent needs. This requires developing a segmented communication strategy based on the knowledge of the people that are addressed.

(*) Developed with the Unicist Marketing Lab

The Unicist Research Institute