Hitler's Persuasion: A Word Of Mouth Epidemic

Throughout history, there have been great persuaders who change the course of history. Adolf Hitler persuaded a nation to follow his radical beliefs, which cause one of the most horrendous atrocities. Hitler a stark contrast to Martin Luther King Jr., who convinced members of his non-violent movement to turn the other cheek and forgive their oppressor. Persuasion is a skill that others chose to master and become prominent. These groups of people who are proficient in using persuasion are called Salesmen. The Salesmen are the most important part to a word-of-mouth epidemic because they are the charismatic individuals who flawlessly use verbal and nonverbal communication techniques interchangeably to persuade their audience without even realizing …show more content…
These groups of people are labeled Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen respectively. He first illustrates his points by retelling the story of Paul Revere journey to warn the American colonist. He explains in detail why we Paul Revere was successful and became famous while his counterpart is left out of the story when we hear it traditionally. He elaborates that Paul Revere had the qualities of a Connector and a Maven, which made him very influential during this period. Paul Revere is a stark contrast to close friend Joseph Warren, who was a common citizen. Gladwell uses examples from his personal life of people who exhibit the traits of those categories. A Connector is someone who specializes in “weak ties” and has a long list of contacts and acquaintances. A Maven is someone who specializes in information and is unmatched in his or her area of expertise. The Salesmen are the persuaders that push their agendas in our mind without us even noticing. If the Mavens are the data banks and the Connectors is the social glue; then Salesmen are the servers at the restaurant that makes us leave a hefty