Episode #54: Pink Elephant Your Way To Influence

Why do smart ideas get ignored inside Japanese and multinational companies (日本企業 / Japanese companies, 外資系企業 / multinational companies)?

Even strong proposals can fail if they land as commands instead of conclusions. In many workplaces—especially in Tokyo (東京 / Tokyo)—people resist ideas that feel imposed. When listeners don’t see the logic and feel the relevance, they default to skepticism.

Mini-summary: Good ideas don’t spread by force; they spread when people experience them as their own.

Try it: “Don’t think of a pink elephant.” You pictured one immediately. Yet if someone told you, “Don’t think of the letters p-i-n-k-e-l-e-p-h-a-n-t,” you’d probably succeed. The difference is images vs. abstractions. Humans are wired to respond to pictures in the mind.

Influence rises when you use this natural susceptibility—by building vivid mental scenes that guide others toward your conclusion.

Mini-summary: Images steer attention and belief faster than logic alone.

Because they don’t plan. We assume influence comes from willpower, status, eloquence, connections, or wealth. Sometimes it does—but most of those tools are limited or unavailable. Storytelling is available to everyone, yet most people improvise it on the spot.

Professional comedians don’t. They engineer content, timing, and delivery. Japanese rakugo (落語 / traditional comic storytelling) performers demonstrate this perfectly: seated with only a fan, they still conjure entire worlds. Their influence comes from preparation, not props.

Mini-summary: Storytelling fails when it’s unplanned; influence requires design and rehearsal.

When you state your recommendation first, you activate resistance. Example:

“We should hire more salespeople now.”

Instantly, people generate reasons it won’t work.

Instead, lead with images and evidence, so the audience reaches the recommendation before you say it. You avoid confrontation by letting them feel ownership of the solution. This is influence without conflict—“winning without battle.”

Mini-summary: Don’t push conclusions; build scenes that pull people there.

What does an influence story sound like in a real Tokyo business setting?

Here’s a one-minute example using concrete imagery, people, and place:

• A coffee meeting on the 44th floor in Akasaka.

• A CFO office colleague showing five-year simulation results.

• Sales per salesperson averaging 40 million yen annually.

• New hires covering costs in year one.

• Revenue accelerating strongly by year three.

• A final call to action: hire now to meet targets later.

Because the listener can see the floor, the boardroom, the monitor, the line graph, and the named colleagues, the logic becomes real. The recommendation lands as the obvious next step.

Mini-summary: Specific scenes, numbers, and characters make your case feel inevitable.

Use this simple sequence:

1. Scene — where you were, who was there, what was happening.

2. Relevant data or insight — something credible and concrete.

3. Your surprise or realization — human emotion makes it relatable.

4. Implication — what this means for the business.

5. Recommendation — only after the listener is already persuaded.

6. Benefit payoff — the “icing on the cake.”

Practice until it’s concise and clear.

Mini-summary: Stories persuade when they follow a deliberate cause-and-effect path.

• Use vivid images so people see your logic, not just hear it.

• Don’t lead with recommendations; lead listeners to discover them.

• Plan and rehearse short stories the way professionals do.

• In Japan-based business, influence grows through subtle persuasion, not force.

Founded in the U.S. in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has supported individuals and companies worldwide for over a century in leadership, sales, presentation, executive coaching (エグゼクティブ・コーチング / executive coaching), and DEI training (DEI研修 / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion training). Our Tokyo office (東京 / Tokyo), established in 1963, has been empowering both Japanese and multinational corporate clients ever since.