I like to call this the “professional” tone, because it’s exactly what those in professions like lawyers, accountants, doctors, etc do, especially if they have problematic clients.
Your job is to advise, not to actually change people. You really need to repeatedly ask them guiding questions. If they are unreceptive of authority, then you need to make them feel as if they arrived at the conclusion themselves (management consults are experts at this).
This does not mean you need to be a pushover; in fact you need to remain calm, and firm.
This is the approach that has been scientifically proven to work, most recently in convincing anti vaxxers.
Someone in a profession with difficult clients described their job to me as basically being a babysitter for overgrown children, which I think is a very healthy way to mentally cope, process, and approach such situations.
I like to call this the “professional” tone, because it’s exactly what those in professions like lawyers, accountants, doctors, etc do, especially if they have problematic clients.
Your job is to advise, not to actually change people. You really need to repeatedly ask them guiding questions. If they are unreceptive of authority, then you need to make them feel as if they arrived at the conclusion themselves (management consults are experts at this).
This does not mean you need to be a pushover; in fact you need to remain calm, and firm.
This is the approach that has been scientifically proven to work, most recently in convincing anti vaxxers.
How to speak to a vaccine sceptic: research reveals what works - https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01771-z
Someone in a profession with difficult clients described their job to me as basically being a babysitter for overgrown children, which I think is a very healthy way to mentally cope, process, and approach such situations.