There's this red sails article that pops up every once in a while. Don't get me wrong it's a fine article, but there's a bit that goes "something something don't think people are brainwashed and just need to be exposed to uncomfortable truths."
And like, I get it. But...that's exactly what happened to me. I mean, I'm not going to say it was exactly one thing that caused it. However, genuinely when i learned about the Iraq War in detail*, that was basically what flipped the switch in my head. Obviously I wasn't as theoretically developed as I am today, but thats what made me genuinely want to read Marx, Lenin, Mao, etc. It was exactly that process of being exposed to information like that that made me want to be a communist, and want to fight for it.
This isn't some debunking thing. I think what I'm trying to explain is that my story seems to be very different from other people's, and applying my own experiences might not really work if it's not how things commonly work.
And, as much as it is important, I do want something more in depth than just "organize and educate." Don't get me wrong, that's good advice. What I'm trying to ask moreso is, what is the actually psychology going on behind these decisions here? Obviously there's no cookie cutter/one size fits all strategy here, but some direction would be helpful in actually attempting to convince people.
*To elaborate, I always heard of Iraq as just "the war." Kinda like how Vietnam was. But no one ever explained to me what it was and school didn't really neither. So when I learned it was basically the US invading Iraq almost explicitly for oil and no one got punished for it and basically everyone got rich off of it besides normal people while hundreds of thousands Iraqis died, it really shook me.
Organizing is a skill in of itself. It must be learned and practiced until it becomes almost second nature. This is one of many reasons why labor unions serve as a "school for communism".
A big part of organizing is convincing people who are not already "on your side" so to speak. When a union campaign first begins, many workers are actually against the idea. Organizing is a process of convincing these workers to cast off their previous assumptions and recognizing their power as part of a larger union. They need an "aha" moment that often comes from some collective action taken together.
I recommend reading through No Shortcuts by Jane McAlevey. The author is not a Marxist, but organizing is not a skill exclusive to Marxism. ProleWiki also has resources on organizing that I'm sure are excellent.
Edit: As an aside, organizing is also hard, maybe the hardest thing you'll ever do. It takes listening, openness, and patience that will test your temperament. But remember that we're all workers, and we can find common ground through our common class interests. Our eventual succusses will materiallly improve people's lives, and they will build (despite setbacks) until we can ultimately institute a socialist society.