I agree that there are certainly some aspects to the speech that – if you look at the research on persuasion – are probably not ideal; my best guess for Yourofsky’s success is that his charisma and personal enthusiasm for what he is saying, and his down-to-earth nature, are just all positive enough to override any drawbacks and there must be something about the Israeli nature and public that responds particularly well to his style of speaking.
Of course there are some aspects of his talk that do follow what research would suggest would be helpful, like talking about how he is like them, using graphic video, answering their questions in the body of his talk, etc.
I am actually surprised by how well it’s done in Israel and of course happy about that fact!
Nick Cooney is the author of “Change of Heart“, an acclaimed book on how psychology can help teach us about spreading social change. . He is also the founder and director of “The Humane League“. Since 2014 he serves as the Director of Education at Mercy For Animals.
