How to Overcome Resistance to Change



Changing Mindsets Through Language



How to Find the Words of Change (and How to Change with Words)

If you've ever tried to change anything — in your life, home, company, or community — you already know that change doesn't come easy, and it almost never happens without resistance.


The more foundational the change you're seeking, the more resistance you'll encounter. Established patterns are hard to break. Luckily, there's a lot words can do.​


Words are an agent of change


Here's how you can use language to gain ground and help shape the transformation. These thoughts apply equally to everyday life as to using language for conversion of target markets.


First, the right words can identify and promote the need for change. They can provide the "why" for your cause or brand, and the benefits of adopting it. And bold words can make things happen.

Believe in the power of language


Is it a social cause you're fighting for? Or is it market attitudes that you want to change? Are you trying to intercept client behavior? Or do you want to gain donors for your foundation? Cultivate an intimate knowledge of language and use the power of words to create purpose and enable change.​



“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”



George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright and critic



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Remember what you stand for


Words can speak to public hope and fear and can provide solutions. They can inspire people and undermine resistance to change. And once your words become agents of change, they can transform attitudes and earn advocates. It all begins with thinking of what you do, and why you do what you do. Asking the right questions can lead to finding the right answers.​

Use language that offers status quo alternatives


Using words to achieve change depends on the emotive and logical power of those words – on hitting the right nerve at the right time and on providing alternatives for the status quo. Is your approach moving? Is your argument convincing? Are you armed with counterarguments that ring true across cultures and time periods?


It is with game-changing brands as it is with revolutionary people. It takes a leap of faith to lead. And it takes the questioning of a reigning belief system to embrace the new. The who and why are as important as the what, where and when. And if we are to be, as Gandhi famously put it, the “change we wish to see in the world”, whether transforming our communities or our clients’ purchasing choices, can you imagine doing that without the right words?

Be an ideal communicator


Without communication, there can be no leadership. Without leadership, there can be no vision. The best movements and the best brands are those we view as pioneering, incomparable and indispensable – a source of inspiration that spawns the right words to inspire direction, and the right tools to get there. That's where the language of communication enters the picture and upholds the concepts we endorse.



“Status quo, you know, is Latin for ‘the mess we’re in’.”



Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the USA



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Rise above antiquated traditions

The most resilient obstacle to change? Deep-rooted tradition. As contentious as the need to preserve traditions may be, it's worth asking the question: How do you overcome antiquated traditions? Why do people hold onto them? Is it because they're afraid to find out who they really are without them?


Why do we consider it necessary for human progress to end some traditions, and yet insist on retaining others that impede growth? Perhaps the first step to finding the words of change, or to changing with words, is to recognize the constant need for change.


How are you finding the words of change, and how are you changing with words?



“Tradition and heritage are all dead people's baggage. Stop carrying it. Move forward."



Doug Stanhope, American comedian



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