Earthling Ed: Controlling conversations and perfecting persuasion

Vegan. A polarising word that has divided people for decades. No
matter where you stand on the spectrum of feeling toward
veganism, it's largely accepted that the cause has an image
problem. Confrontational. Angry: these are just a few of the
terms regularly associated with the movement. Earthling Ed, aka
Ed Winters, is well aware of this and has become a beacon for the
cause with his speech and debate style.


His viral debates and stream of content have amassed millions of
views online. Ed has spoken at over 1/3 of UK universities and
has taught as a guest lecturer at Harvard University in both 2019
and 2020. He's also founded two restaurants and an animal
sanctuary, housing over 100 animals rescued from slaughterhouses.
In this episode, we talk to Ed about the power of persuasion,
using empathy to connect with people in conversations and much
more.


Here's what we discussed:





Can you tell us about your journey to becoming vegan? (01:08)

Can you tell us about your journey to becoming known/famous?
(02:55)

You are known for your videos debating the public about their
views on veganism. Has your debate style changed the longer
you've done these? (06:14)

Have you always had the type of personality to put yourself
out there in front of people to seek a solution? (10:03)

What skills do you need to be someone who can debate in a
healthy way? (14:01)

How can you ensure that you don't miss the point of what
someone is trying to communicate by being offended? (17:43)

Many of our listeners are business owners who need to utilise
the power of persuasion to get people to believe in their idea
and help them secure funding. How have you mastered the power of
persuasion? (25:50)

How did you develop your own personal brand into something
that now makes you money and sustains you? (28:36)

How can you really make sure that every aspect of your
business's supply chain is living up to its claim to be ethical
and sustainable? (33:51)

What is an example of a brand that is saying that they are
ethical and sustainable and actually living up to this? (38:16)

Do entrepreneurs ever pitch to you for investment? (42:37)

Have you looked for investors in your business ventures?
(44:53)

Answer the Internet: Can you explain the argument that
consumers should be responsible for climate change when 100
companies are responsible for most of the emissions? (45:49)






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