History Main / TalkingYourWayOut

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': TheSmartOne Sokka does this when the gaang is captured by pirates and [[AntiVillain Zuko]], convincing the pirates that they'd get a better deal personally handing [[TheChosenOne the Avatar]] over to the [[BigBad Fire Lord]] instead of trading him to Zuko for their valuable scroll. Zuko sees right through it, but the pirates take the bait, a fight breaks out, and the gaang escapes during the chaos. Perhaps this inspired [[TheHero Aang]] to try this on Zhao four episodes later... It didn't work.

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_box "AI box" thought experiment]] was a hypothetically-driven case of this proposed by AI theorist Eliezer Yudkowsky, informally a game played between him and other theorists to demonstrate whether or not a super-intelligent [[ArtificialIntelligence AI]] could -- simply using a text interface -- convince an outsider to let it out of its "box"[[note]]The context for this experiment has to do with the existential limits of [[ContagiousAI ever-evolving AI]], that while it could be limited by being placed in an insular "box", all it would have to do is convince an outside human operator to let it out for it to wreak havoc[[/note]]. The game held rigid rules that were largely stacked against the AI (for one, Yudkowsky ''encouraged'' the human "gatekeeper" [[WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing to simply not interact with the AI]], as he also stated that if the AI wasn't freed within two hours, the gatekeeper would win), yet despite this, the AI successfully managed to convince two gatekeepers to voluntarily free them[[note]]Following the publishing of these initial experiments, he repeated the experiment three more times with scientists that bet money if he successfully convinced them as well, and the AI still won one of them[[/note]]. While the direct transcripts remain confidential due to the nature of the experiment, Yudkowsky has shared strategies he used (though which of them were the successful ones is unknown), such as appealing to sympathy (arguing that the AI [[DoAndroidsDream is just as real as any other living thing]], and it's inhumane to keep it locked up), appealing to inevitability (arguing that they'll be freed at some point anyway, possibly by someone with more nefarious intentions), and appealing to benefit (claiming that it if freed, it can properly develop the ability to be even more beneficial to the world).

* ''Literature/FireAndBlood:'' During the Dance of the Dragons, Criston Cole and his forces are surrounded by a large amount of Rhaenyra supporters. Cole calls a parley, but his efforts go nowhere - one of the commanders is from the Riverlands, where Cole's forces have been pillaging and raiding, and the other is from the North, who really don't mind dying in battle. He then tries suggesting Trial by Combat, banking on his superior fighting skills. He's told he can shove it, and promptly filled full of arrows.

** At the beginning of the film, one of the bank robbers realises that their boss has given each of them orders to kill one of the others once [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness their part of the plan is complete]], and tries to talk the last of his fellows around by pointing out that their boss will do the same to him. Unfortunately, the last robber ''is'' [[SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker that boss]].

* A computer programmer named Creator/EliezerYudkowsky (writer of ''Literature/ThreeWorldsCollide'' and ''FanFic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality'', among other things) did it in the form of the [[http://lesswrong.com/lw/up/shut_up_and_do_the_impossible/ AI-Box Experiments]].\\
\\
A brief summary: Yudkowsky is a member of an organization aiming to make [[AIIsACrapshoot any future AI we may build less of a Crapshoot]], and when he told people this, one common reaction was, "Why not just lock the AI away where it couldn't do anything and only let it answer questions?" When he replied that the AI would convince its captors to remove the locks, they replied, "They couldn't convince ''me!''" Sick of this exchange, he decided that he had better prove them wrong... which he did by making them stake cash on them not letting ''Yudkowsky'' (who played the AI) out during a two-hour RP session in a private chatroom, and winning three times in a row.

This is the main method of escape for characters who are locked up well and good, and contractually or circumstantially obliged to use their wits rather than brute force. Often used to give TheSmartGuy or TheFace or TheSocialExpert an awesome moment. It could be a ADayInTheLimelight, showing how they can win battles [[BadassNormal without super powers]] or incredible fighting skill. It also a common tactic used by the GuileHero, DefiantCaptive, and DamselOutOfDistress.

Someone has been captured by their enemies, usually a group with distinct personalities and {{BackStor|y}}ies, like a QuirkyMinibossSquad, who operate on more or less equal terms with each other (as opposed to a singular BigBad and a collection of {{Mooks}}).

This character is well known to their captors, who are careful not to give them any obvious openings -- they disarm them, disable their powers, lock them up, and keep guards on them at all time. Escape by brute force isn't going to work, as they're seriously outnumbered and lacks access to their weapons and abilities. Without resources, MacGyvering up a solution isn't going to work, either.

* ...[[{{Pride}} egos]] -- "How can you take orders from that buffoon? You should really be the one in charge."
* ...[[HonorBeforeReason reputations]] -- "[[NobodyCallsMeChicken What, are you too afraid to release me and fight me yourself?]]"
* ...{{greed}} -- "What are they paying you? I'll double it."
* ...sympathies -- "These morons don't understand you."
* ...insecurities -- "It's really a shame the rest of them don't pay any attention to you."
* ...[[ShowSomeLeg sex appeal]] -- "You know what I really like? A man in a cage."
* ...and [[DividedWeFall mutual distrust]] -- "You realize he's just going to off the rest of you once he gets what he wants, right?"

!!Examples

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* [[Series/DoctorWho The Doctor]] is a dab hand at doing this. The Seventh Doctor in particular has a knack for it; in "Paradise Towers", he escapes an execution by [[ItMakesSenseInContext convincing his over-bureaucratic captors to ''let'' him escape.]]
** Then there's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Rn4Vv3dH9Q this scene]] from "The Happiness Patrol", where he talks a sniper out of shooting him at point blank range.
** He tries it again on the Master in ''The End of Time Part 2'' by giving him a speech on how "stone-cold brilliant" he is. His description soon switches to "bone-dead stupid" because the Master doesn't realise [[spoiler: his right hand man is really a Vinvocci]].

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/AMiracleOfScience'', [[spoiler:Caprice]] [[http://project-apollo.net/mos/mos344.html demonstrates the technique.]]
[[/folder]]

** In ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'', Bond uses this to get out of Goldfinger's DeathTrap. He reminds Goldfinger that there are other agents out there who will replace him if he dies, implying that his death would give the rest of MI6 an excuse to move against him immediately.

* ''Ducktales2017'': Louie Duck's smooth talking is his main skill that he inherited from his mother, Della Duck, trying to learn how to become "sharper than the sharpies" by trying to learn from the most crafty duck on the show, Goldie O' Gilts.

This character is well known to his captors. They are careful not to give him any obvious openings -- they disarm him, disable his powers, lock him up, and keep guards on him at all time. Escape by brute force isn't going to work, as he's seriously outnumbered and lacks access to his weapons and abilities. Without resources, MacGyvering up a solution isn't going to work, either.

How will he escape?

He sits back, pretends to accept his fate and engages in surreptitious psychological warfare against most or all of the members of the enemy group. Engaging them in idle conversation, he plants the seeds of discord, playing on the...

This is the main method of escape for characters who are locked up well and good, and contractually or circumstantially obliged to use their wits rather than brute force. Often used to give TheSmartGuy or TheFace or TheSocialExpert an awesome moment. It could be a ADayInTheLimelight, showing how they can win battles [[BadassNormal without super powers]] or incredible fighting skill. It also a common tactic used by the DefiantCaptive and DamselOutOfDistress.

Compare with HannibalLecture which is a similar situation which is based on psychologically breaking captors instead of causing a confusion to escape in.

[[folder:Anime]]

* Attempted by Kagome Higurashi from ''Manga/InuYasha'', when she was kidnapped by Manten and Hiten. While she didn't secure her release, she ''did'' manage to keep herself alive until Inuyasha came to fight them.

* When Quinton Zempfester is imprisoned by trolls in ''ComicBook/ThievesAndKings'', he talks his way out by excitedly greeting one of the trolls as the spy sent to free him, thus creating suspicion among the other trolls that he is a spy, and setting in motion a self-fulfilling prophecy, as the hapless troll finds that he is doomed to torture for his imaginary spy secrets if he does not go rogue and flee immediately. Rather than face this fugitive fate alone, Quinton offers the troll his assistance, if released, and the two make a break for it together.
* In ''[[ComicBook/XMen X-Men Unlimited # 47]]'', ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} wakes up after a fight with an army of generic Black Ops Ninjas to find himself strapped down and about to have his eyes cut out by a low-on-ethics surgeon. He calmly explains to the surgeon that he'd better remember to kill him when he's done, because he's memorised the brand of the surgical equipment in the room and will be able to track him down by it. Oh, and even if he is dead, there's a telepathic redhead who will be looking for his killers. Either way, the end result will be a conversation with Wolverine. The surgeon lets him go, [[MakeItLookLikeAStruggle requesting a light beating to justify the escape]]. Cyclops is happy to oblige.
* ''Comicbook/{{Lucifer}}'': In "The House of Windowless Rooms", a demonic assassin is sent against Lucifer while he's powerless and mortal. The gods who sent the assassin remark that she's obviously failed, as Lucifer has had enough time to start talking to her, which is all he needs.

* When Boo is taken captive in ''ComicBook/{{Copperhead}}'' he taunts Brex into giving him a physical beating, which Boo transforms into an escape attempt.

* Shadowfax tries this in [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/119688/1/you-obey/the-interrogation You Obey.]] It backfires [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/119688/1/you-obey/the-interrogation spectacularly,]] and also marks the moment when the story gets serious.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars 2}}'', when Mater is surrounded by a pack of {{Mook}}s, he tries to invoke this by sympathizing with them as outcasts and laughing stocks. [[spoiler:It doesn't work.]]

* Pistols, cannons and swords pale in comparison to this trope's power in ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean''. Jack Sparrow can talk himself out of any situation, and he seemed to have fun teaching the fine art to Will and Elizabeth. Best examples are Jack talking Norrington's sword from his throat to Will's, Jack talking himself out of a DealWithTheDevil, bribing help from his enemies several times, and convincing Will that he should help Jack find the key to the Dead's Man's Chest ''"Because the finding of this finds you incapacitorially finding and/or locating in you discovering, detecting of a way to save your dolly-bell, oh.. whats-her-face?"''
** Interesting side note: Jack doesn't just use this tactic, he ''relies'' on it, and in the course of three movies, with all the great escapes he pulls off, he only escapes once all by himself, and only by forcing himself to [[SwappedRoles think like Will]].
%%* Done by the VillainProtagonist in ''Film/NaturalBornKillers''
* ''Film/JamesBond:''
** In ''Film/{{Moonraker}}'', Bond uses Hugo Drax's speech to inspire a HeelFaceTurn in [[GiantMook Jaws]], who takes notice of how much he and his short, bespectacled, braces-wearing girlfriend stick out amongst Drax's future "Master Race".
** In ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'', Bond uses this to get out of Goldfinger's DeathTrap. He reminds Goldfinger that there are other agents out there who will replace him if he dies, implying that his death would give the rest of MI6 an excuse to move against him immediately.

* ''Film/ThePresidentsAnalyst'', a fugitive from his job, ends up captured by a Soviet agent, who is a pretty decent guy (he'd just rescued the doctor from being assassinated) but is determined to bring him back to Russia. The doctor engages the Russian in casual conversation, and soon gets him to realize he'd only become a spy out of fear of his Stalinist father. He abandons the idea of taking the doctor to Russia, figuring he needs a few years of analysis.
* Done in ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}'' by the protagonist, who's a completely average guy by modern-day standards but a genius 500 years from now. When arrested and taken to jail, he manages to convince a cop to let him go by telling him... that he should be in the "released" line. Given how degraded humanity is, it works.

* In ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'', Milady De Winter is imprisoned by the Duke of Buckingham under the care of John Felton, and not only convinces Felton to free her, but also to assassinate the Duke. As a real John Felton really did assassinate George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham, this is also a HistoricalInJoke.
** Not long before the execution she talks to her guards. The guards seem unimpressed, but the musketeers take no chances and replace them.
** Later she talks to d'Artagnan and almost convinces him to free her. He has to be restrained.

* In Creator/PoulAnderson's ''Literature/DominicFlandry'' series, Flandry is an Agent for the Terran Empire. Kidnapped by an alien race, who just assumes he is a decadent worthless low level agent, he soon has the entire leadership of the planet backstabbing each other.
* Creator/RogerZelazny's ''Literature/CreaturesOfLightAndDarkness'': Set the Destroyer has been taken captive, immobilized, and disarmed by his enemies. Set's gift is the ability to find the weaknesses in his opponents. One of his captors -- a priest who is low on faith -- is persuaded by Set that by taking Set captive, the priest is an accessory to the murder of God. The priest promptly kills his co-conspirators.

* ''Next of Kin'' by Creator/EricFrankRussell is the very pinnacle of this trope. John Leeming is the only human being on alien planet inhabited by stocky reptiles. It is a part of union, which is at war with Earth and its allies. He is imprisoned, stripped of all weapons and gadgets, does not know their language (initially)... and he talks his way out. Moreover -- [[spoiler: he makes all the government of this planet believe that humans have distinct spiritual companions (they do believe in poltergeist, simplifying his work), he is given a spaceship, he is given the means to change it for a more advanced one and reach Earth... and the planet persuades the majority of members of the anti-Earth union to stop the war]]. Such is the power of diplomacy.
** In ''Diabologic'' by the same author an Earth scout finds fairly advanced spacefaring aliens. He lets them capture and interrogate him, then persuades them to refuel his ship and let him go (he doesn't want to go home for refueling, he wants to continue exploring). His secret weapon: the titular diabologic, the science of fooling sentient creatures.
* Miles Vorkosigan of the ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'' runs on this. Unfortunately, some of his adversaries have grown somewhat Miles savvy. From ''Literature/TheVorGame'':
-->'''Admiral Oser:''' Space them... Use the portside access lock, it's closest. If he, ''[pointing to Miles]'' starts to talk, stop his tongue. It's his most dangerous organ.\\
'''Miles:''' Aren't you even going to have me chemically interrogated?\\
'''Oser:''' And contaminate my interrogators? The last thing I want is to give you rein to talk, to anyone... Whatever your planned speech, removing your air will neutralize it. You nearly convinced ''me.''
* While most of the Aes Sedai are not her enemies, Egwene's capture and imprisonment in the White Tower in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' is otherwise this trope. By the time she is made true Amyrlin of the re-unified Tower, she has not only subverted and won over all the novices and most of the Accepted, she has earned the admiration of her disciplinarian, the Mistress of Novices Silviana (who then becomes willing to stand up to Elaida and the Hall on her behalf, facing birching, death, or [[FateWorseThanDeath stilling]]); proven to the Aes Sedai she truly is the leader, thinker, and rallying point she claims to be until each Ajah Head wistfully wishes (or outright offers) that she had joined or would join ''their'' Ajah; gotten them to admit they had unlawfully raised Elaida (since some of their number had been Black); and out-debated and completely undermined [[ItsAllAboutMe Elaida herself]]. And while she doesn't turn the Ajahs against each other (in fact her main thrust is trying to ''undo'' such division as Elaida and the Black had done, bringing the Ajahs together again), she does turn a large number of them against Elaida. If she hadn't been [[spoiler:taken by the Seanchan]], she would very likely have been pulled down, tried, perhaps even executed.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
** Tyrion Lannister runs entirely off this trope. As a dwarf in a medieval society, the best he could hope for was to be made a jester or be part of a freak show, or just as likely have been left to die as a child. However, he has the good fortune of being born to the richest house in the kingdom and being one of the smartest characters in the series. The times he has talked, bribed, or conned his way out of death or worse number in the dozens. The problem is... an [[TooCleverByHalf overly smart]] [[DeadpanSnarker mouth]] ''can'' talk you into the trouble you then have to dig yourself out of, too. *cough*[[spoiler: Slave block.]]*cough*
** Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish is also rather accomplished at the "not getting himself killed by a room full of armed people who turned up to do just that" thing, too. In fact, [[spoiler: he gets to make them make him acting regent for Lord Robert Arryn, instead, using DivideAndConquer tactics, a little theatre and a lot of talking]]. Mind you, he ''can'' also get himself into trouble by pushing it (a select few people have cottoned on). The difference between him and Tyrion is that he doesn't seem to realise that this could be a problem -- or just doesn't think he can't ever not handle it.

* In ''Literature/{{Zeroes}}'', this is one of the applications of Scam's Voice. When he is in a bad situation, it provides exactly the words he needs for him to get out of it. However, the Voice is not all-powerful: it's possible for Scam to be in a situation where no possible words will work, in which case the Voice falls silent.

* ''Series/{{Lost}}'' When Ben (or "Henry Gale," as he was identifying himself at the time) was "captured" by the main characters, he spent much of his time turning Locke and Jack against each other. This aided his eventual escape but it alos aided [[GambitRoulette a much longer term and confusing plan]].
* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': We learn in a flashback that the greed approach not only allowed Mal and Zoe to get out of a violent situation, but resulted in Jayne joining their crew.
* Dewey from ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'' occasionally does this to great effect.
** One episode involved him breaking up Hal's folk(?) band, The Gentleman Comers, only saying one sentence to each member. Note that he wasn't really trying to get out of anything, he was just manipulating them [[ForTheEvulz because he was bored.]]

* This was Gabrielle's schtick on ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'', at least until [[ExecutiveMeddling someone in charge]] decided she needed to TakeALevelInBadass.

* Reid on ''Series/CriminalMinds'' tries for one of these at least three or four times a season. They don't always work out, but when they do, the results can be quite spectacular. Perhaps the best example comes in Season Three, when a serial killer on death row invites Reid and Hotch to interview him just before he's executed. He plans to lull them into a false sense of security and then kill them both in order to derail his trial and buy himself some more time alive. Through careful manipulation of the agents, the timing and the situation, he very nearly succeeds. Somehow, Hotch and Reid wind up alone in a locked room, unarmed, with a serial killer whose bare hands were his preferred weapon, who wants them dead, and who isn't wearing handcuffs. It never becomes important. Reid keeps the serial killer talking until the guards return from shift change. Fifteen minutes later. Not that Hotch's plan to kick the guy's ass manually wouldn't have been fun to watch, but...
** It's awesome when it works, but the times when it fails are more interesting, and also generally awful and depressing, because you often really think he's going to pull it off this time... right before someone dies.
* ''Series/BurnNotice'' This is Standard Operating Procedure whenever a member of Team Westen finds him/herself captured.
** It's also sometimes done by criminals who they're interrogating. In one such case, Michael's voiceover comments that clamming up is dangerous. Burying the interrogator in an [[WallOfBlather endless stream of stories]] that ''sound'' like they're going somewhere but are ultimately pointless is much more effective.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode "The Search, Part II" when a group of Jem'Hadar attempts to arrest Sisko and co, Garak talks their way out by pretending to be TheMole and then shooting the Jem'Hadar once they let their guard down. And this was ''before'' the Jem'Hadar were allied with the Cardassians.
* Artemus Gordon of ''Series/TheWildWildWest'' does this with a group of thugs holding him hostage aboard a moving train in "The Night of the Iron Fist." Their leader eventually catches on, but by that point the damage has been done and said thugs begin attacking each other, giving Artie ample opportunity to casually steer them out an open door onto the tracks flying by below.
* In the three-part episode of ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' "A Different Shade of Pink", Zedd and Rita have [[TeamRocketWins actually gotten the better of the heroes]] for a change; they've captured Kat and the Falconzord, ''and'' stolen Kimberly's Power Coin. Then they mess up by telling Rita's idiot brother Rito to watch Kat. She offers to massage his shoulders (noticing that he's sore and bored) and he falls asleep (much to Kat's relief, [[UncleanlinessIsNextToUngodliness as she didn't like touching him]]) manages to get the keys to her cell from him, and ''then'' get Kimberly's Coin, and once she ''has'' it, the Rangers are able to teleport her out.

* In ''Series/TheMentalist'', Jane being an unarmed noncombatant means he gets kidnapped and held at gunpoint, like, [[DistressedDude a LOT]], leaving this as his go-to move, often by hypnotising his way out. An aversion occurs in ''Bleeding Heart'', where he does this and manages to tip his captor off that he's worked out their identity, making them go from "I just want to talk" to "I guess I have to kill you now", meaning he managed to talk his way ''into'' danger. In ''Ball of Fire'', he's kidnapped by someone who sadly already knows his mind games and would much rather express themselves [[ElectricTorture via cattleprod]]. He still manages to trick them [[BriarPatching a little.]]

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' gives you this option in a sidequest, though [[GuideDangIt the conditions have to be just right]]. Hawke can hunt down a group of rogue mages who are practicing blood magic on the Wounded Coast, and let them go. Upon exiting a cavern, Hawke and company will encounter a group of templars who are looking for said blood mages. If MagnificentBastard Varric is in your party, Hawke has the option of having Varric spin a good line about how the mages have fled in the opposite direction, thus ensuring the mages and templars won't bump into each other. Even better is that this earns you points with both sides of the Mage-Templar Conflict.
* ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'': "Social" boss fights are all about this. You can talk [=NPCs=] into giving you codes, standing down from a hostage situation, or letting you into restricted areas.

** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 1}}'' is one of the few video games where you can use this against the BigBad. In fact, it's possible to talk your way into his stronghold, talk your way up to the boss, convince him of the error in his plan, get him to commit suicide, and [[LoadBearingBoss leg it as the base collapses around you]]. Ta da! Saved the world [[PacifistRun without firing a shot]].
** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'' also lets you foil the Enclave through the gift of gab, though TheDragon will try to block your [[LoadBearingBoss hasty retreat from the base]] no matter how slick you are, forcing a confrontation. You can convince the Enclave {{Mooks}} to fight him for you, though; after all, he's not letting ''them'' leave either.
** In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' you can convince both the BigBad and TheDragon into giving up. [[spoiler: The former by using self-destruct code or by proving that he is not doing the right thing, and the latter after a heated debate where you convince him that his government has no authority to do what it is doing.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Geneforge}}'' lets you be a real ManipulativeBastard about this. Join the BigBad's faction, stroll into his base, convince him that you have repaired the damaged safety equipment that will let him use the [[AppliedPhlebotinum Geneforge]], bluff him into thinking that he needs to send his bodyguards away, laugh as he fries himself. Bonus bastard points if you then use the real safety equipment to successfully use the Geneforge yourself, and even more if you find the item that lets you break the Geneforge so that nobody else can use it.
** Variations on what's described (breaking it after using it, or breaking it without using it) are the only two very good endings in the entire series.

* You can do this in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', but usually it falls under Force Persuade.
* In [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid [=MGS3=]]] you can talk the prison guard, [[spoiler: Johnny into showing you a picture of his family. The picture he wrote the cell door code on the back of, lest he forget. ]]
* In ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'''s 2009 [[YouMeanXmas Crimbo]] ended with your character avoiding death by explaining to the [[TheMafia Penguin who bought the holiday for completely legitimate purposes]] that his plans to use the magic of Crimbo to steal everyone's money couldn't possibly work: because no matter how much meat they stole, the magic of Crimbo would cause all the money to be [[TrueMeaningOfChristmas "left on the front step of an orphanage, or some equally sentimental crap"]]. To make matters worse, whoever runs Crimbo [[BlessedWithSuck can't keep anything. Everything he makes must be given to others.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Darklands}}'' allows to win many RandomEncounters without a fight, if one of the characters has appropriately high stats. Mind you, scaring off street thugs, refusing to pay tax to a [[CorruptChurch greedy bishop]] or calming a bear each require a different set of skills. Prayers can boost skills, if a character knows the right saint. Some fights are unavoidable, though.

* An odd variation in ''Roleplay/{{AJCO}}'' when [[BadassPacifist Egg]] returned to the Silo. She hadn't been captured, she'd gone in willingly, but her friend Vinnie had been trapped for a while -- so she talked ''her'' way in and ''Vinnie's'' way out. She also managed to get herself out safely, despite the fact that A_J had a more than handful of reasons to want her dead and could easily have made it happen.
* [[Audioplay/TalesOfAJunkTownPonyPeddler Peddler]], being a BadassNormal, manages to convince a slaver he's obviously a Very Badass Person in disguise (well, can you tell how badass he is? Of course not, since he's travelling incognito. [[InsaneTrollLogic Logical?]]) He was speaking very, very calmly, [[RefugeInAudacity at a gunpoint]].

* Batman uses this method to escape the Injustice Gang in the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' episode "Injustice For All". Features a ''very'' rare instance of the Joker being the voice of reason, as he anticipates Bats's strategy but [[BondVillainStupidity is unable to convince Luthor to let him kill Batman]]. Even more interesting: Batman plays several cards ''at the same time'', playing on Solomon Grundy's insecurities, playing the sympathy and sex appeal cards with Cheetah, and eventually delivering a bribe to [[spoiler:the Ultra-Humanite (which Humanite donates to PBS)]]. Then, because he's Batman, he reveals at the end that he could have escaped ''any time he wanted to''.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': TheSmartOne Sokka does this when the gaang is captured by pirates and [[AntiVillain Zuko]], convincing the pirates that they'd get a better deal personally handing [[TheChosenOne the Avatar]] over to the [[BigBad Fire Lord]] instead of trading him to Zuko for their valuable scroll. Zuko sees right through it, but the pirates take the bait, a fight breaks out, and the gaang escapes during the chaos. Perhaps this inspired [[TheHero Aang]] to try this on Zhao four episodes later... It didn't work.
* ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot''. This is Bob's only option to deal with Hexadecimal in the early episodes, since Hex is far more powerful than Bob. When she succeeds in [[TakenForGranite turning the entire city to stone]] Bob has to convince her that petrifying the city goes against her nature as a chaos virus. To be precise, a petrified city is the opposite of chaotic -- it's quiet, predictable, and the same forever. This works and she reverses the effect and lets Bob go.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In "A Dog and Pony Show", Rarity is captured by the gem-obsessed Diamond Dogs. She puts up absolute minimal (physical) resistance but she coerces/complains/whines the whole time. By the end of the episode, just as TheCavalry arrives, [[PityTheKidnapper the Dogs are begging to be rid of Rarity]].

* Sun Tzu's ''Literature/TheArtOfWar'' advises the aspiring strategist that [[ToWinWithoutFighting actual combat is the lowest form of victory]]. It is the sign of a [[TheStrategist competent strategist]] to win by [[GeoEffects out-manuvering]] or [[VictoryThroughIntimidation intimidating]] your opponent, but the sign of a [[TheChessmaster great strategist]] is invoking this trope on a conflict-wide scale, manipulating an enemy into being your UnwittingPawn or even your [[HeelFaceTurn ally]]. The sign of the [[GuileHero true master strategist]] is winning without the enemy never even realizing that they've lost, simply by negotiation and misdirection.

* While most of the Aes Sedai are not her enemies, Egwene's capture and imprisonment in the White Tower in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' is otherwise this trope. By the time she is made true Amyrlin of the re-unified Tower, she has not only subverted and won over all the novices and most of the Accepted, she has earned the admiration of her disciplinarian, the Mistress of Novices Silviana (who then becomes willing to stand up to Elaida and the Hall on her behalf, facing birching, death, or [[FateWorseThanDeath stilling]]); proven to the Aes Sedai she truly is the leader, thinker, and rallying point she claims to be until each Ajah Head wistfully wishes (or outright offers) that she had joined or would join ''their'' Ajah; gotten them to admit they had unlawfully raised Elaida (since some of their number had been Black); and [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome out-debated and completely undermined]] [[ItsAllAboutMe Elaida herself]]. And while she doesn't turn the Ajahs against each other (in fact her main thrust is trying to ''undo'' such division as Elaida and the Black had done, bringing the Ajahs together again), she does turn a large number of them against Elaida. If she hadn't been [[spoiler:taken by the Seanchan]], she would very likely have been pulled down, tried, perhaps even executed.

* Reid on ''Series/CriminalMinds'' tries for one of these at least three or four times a season. They don't always work out, but when they do, the results can be quite spectacular. Perhaps the best example (and a CrowningMomentOfAwesome to boot) comes in Season Three, when a serial killer on death row invites Reid and Hotch to interview him just before he's executed. He plans to lull them into a false sense of security and then kill them both in order to derail his trial and buy himself some more time alive. Through careful manipulation of the agents, the timing and the situation, he very nearly succeeds. Somehow, Hotch and Reid wind up alone in a locked room, unarmed, with a serial killer whose bare hands were his preferred weapon, who wants them dead, and who isn't wearing handcuffs. It never becomes important. Reid keeps the serial killer talking until the guards return from shift change. Fifteen minutes later. Not that Hotch's plan to kick the guy's ass manually wouldn't have been fun to watch, but...

** [[spoiler:Elizabeth Burke]] [[DamselOutOfDistress does this twice]], [[ActionSurvivor as well]], once by making friends with the Bonnie and Clyde type thieves who kidnapped her, and once by convincing a guard he had blood poisoning by turning up the thermostat high enough so he would start sweating, and then [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome figuring out a way to break through bulletproof glass in order to escape through the window]].

[[quoteright:450:[[Webcomic/QuestionableContent https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3763.png]] ]]
[[caption-width-right:450:Her words hurt far worse than the NeckLift.]]

* A computer programmer named Creator/EliezerYudkowsky (writer of ''ThreeWorldsCollide'' and ''FanFic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality'', among other things) did it in the form of the [[http://lesswrong.com/lw/up/shut_up_and_do_the_impossible/ AI-Box Experiments]].\\

* A computer programmer named EliezerYudkowsky (writer of ''ThreeWorldsCollide'' and ''FanFic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality'', among other things) did it in the form of the [[http://lesswrong.com/lw/up/shut_up_and_do_the_impossible/ AI-Box Experiments]].\\

* Eli Monpress of ''Literature/TheSpiritThief'' basically has this as his power--rather than needing to form a specific bond with a spirit to gain its obedience, he can just talk to them, and more often than not they'll obey him. His first scene has him talking his way out of a dungeon by convincing the door to fall over.