Dr. Phil knows how to sell lifestyle changes. Effective public influencers use these methods:

1. Use humor liberally.
2. Establish clear definitions, using real life examples: “Spank my hand.”
3. Be clear and direct with the message. Short, sweet, memorable: “It confuses the child and it teaches them nothing.”
4. Create empathy for the child: “See things through your child’s eyes.”
5. Bring the emotion to the forefront: “I trusted you! You said you loved me!!”
6. Don’t bother with statistics and data, anyone can go look them up. Instead he uses authority to say it plainly: “It’s not effective.”
7. Target the behavior, not the person. Sympathize with her position. “This is a loving mother, I want to be very clear about that… And you’re doing what 60% of the audience said they would do.”
8. Give concrete advice. Don’t criticize a behavior without offering a new one to replace it.