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Even those who at first glance seem to fit this stereotype can tell more about their story. The steward, for example, is a conservative Christian pastor living in rural South Carolina. But his hesitation was not caused by his religion or politics; it was because he was trying to understand the FDA approval process and how the vaccine would affect his health.

People are complex, and the reasons they don’t get the vaccine are personal. Respect these reasons and your conversation can be more productive.

See if the person is open to conversation. The steward admits that he doubted whether the covid was real, whether vaccines really make sense and whether he has other options besides the vaccine. But he was always open to conversation. “If I wanted to make the right decision, I needed to hear several opposing points of view,” he says.

A person in 14% of Americans who decides that they will definitely not get the vaccine will probably not be open to anything you say. It might be better to use your time and energy just to back off.

Be kind – or at least polite. Maybe you are pissed off by what someone is saying, or you find it difficult to understand. But the person you are trying to communicate with will immediately disconnect you if you show disrespect. As I mentioned in a previous article about talking to conspiracy theorists, swearing or disrespecting someone automatically closes the door to any discussion that might otherwise have happened.

Identify the obstacle. For many unvaccinated people, the problem is not that they are not so much against the vaccine as that they need help getting the vaccine. maybe they are afraid of needles or you don’t know how to make an appointment. They may have heard of side effects and may not be able to take leave if they feel unwell. Ask if there is anything you can do to ease their burden or help remove an obstacle.

Consider a humble text. As I wrote earlier, confronting people on social media – Facebook posts, Twitter replies, Instagram comments – is useless and can cause frustration to others. If you feel compelled to reply to someone who writes about questioning the vaccine, choose a more private method, such as text messages.

Choose arguments for a specific person. Most of the vaccine reports included either orders (“Get the vaccine now”) or hidden shame (“If you don’t get the vaccine, you’re a bad person”). It may be more effective to use language that emphasizes the fact that the vaccination process is in the hands of the individual.

Daniel Kroimans, a physician at the University of California, Los Angeles, was recently one of the leaders of a study in which he found that “fluency” helped people come to their COVID-19 vaccination appointments. Proprietary language refers to words that imply that vaccination is dependent on the individual, for example, “Declare your dose” or “You have been given the vaccine.” In the Croymans study, proprietary texts were markedly more successful in attracting older people with pre-existing medical conditions to their first appointment than informational texts. “If you think it’s yours, then you’re more likely to appreciate it and appreciate it,” says Kreimans.

Kroimans says the study highlights the importance of creating personalized messages that empower, rather than embarrass, vaccine hesitants. Anyone who wants to help convince others to get the vaccine can try the same tactic.

When talking to an unvaccinated person, think about the person’s specific problems and try to solve them in a way that is appropriate. Don’t use jargon or speak down. Reiterate the concerns the person shared to show that you are listening, and think about things that might calm you down if you felt the same way.