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You can't always change someone's mind with flattery, communications expert says—what works instead

Cnbc · 🇺🇸 public United States · · 648 words · By Tom Huddleston Jr
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What to know about You can't always change someone's mind with flattery, communications expert says—what works instead

"Flattery will get you everywhere," the saying goes.

Claims checked 3
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

"Flattery will get you everywhere," the saying goes.

Why it matters

It's a common strategy for many people when important stakes are on the line, like a company-saving deal or career-making promotion.

Common ground

But how far should you go to ingratiate yourself with someone else in a high-stakes situation?

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.cnbc.com/make-it/2026/09/24/flattery-persuasion-high-stakes-conversa…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 3 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

help Insufficient Evidence 1
check_circle Corroborated 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
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Claim 1: “Research has shown that sincere praise can sometimes have social rewards.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results, cross-references, or Wikipedia entries to support or refute the claim regarding research on sincere praise and social rewards.
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Claim 2: “Matt Abrahams, a Stanford University lecturer on strategic communication and host of the "Think Fast, Talk Smart" podcast.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web search results consistently identify Matt Abrahams as a lecturer of strategic communication at Stanford (specifically the Graduate School of Business) and the host of the 'Think Fast, Talk Smart' podcast.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Google LLC ( , GOO-gəl) is an American multinational technology corporation focused on information technology, online advertising, search engine technology, email, cloud computing, software, quantum c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. It is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the so…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Northwestern University (NU) is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851, it is the oldest chartered university in Illinois. Northwestern was initially a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwestern_University
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 3: “U.S. President Donald Trump's rare gesture of a tarmac greeting for Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The claim is directly confirmed by Wikipedia (2026 state visit by Xi Jinping to the United States) and corroborated by multiple news reports (AFP via web search, The Independent) describing the tarmac greeting at Joint Base Andrews on September 23, 2026.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — From November 8 to 10, 2017, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, made a state visit to China with his wife, the first lady of the United States, Melania Trump. The visit was part of Trum…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_state_visit_by_Donald_Tru…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — From 13 to 15 May 2026, the president of the United States Donald Trump made a state visit to China. This visit was Trump's second state visit to China, and the first to occur during his second presid…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_state_visit_by_Donald_Tru…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — From September 23 to 25, 2026, Xi Jinping, the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and president of China, and his wife Peng Liyuan made a state visit to the United States, hosted by Pres…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_state_visit_by_Xi_Jinping…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.