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Brethren,
In the 22nd chapter of Alma, we read, "And he said: Yea, I believe that the Great Spirit created all things, and I desire that ye should tell me concerning all these things, and I will believe thy words. And it came to pass that when Aaron saw that the king would believe his words, he began from the creation of Adam, reading the scriptures unto the king … And Aaron did expound unto him the scriptures from the creation of Adam, laying the fall of man before him, and their carnal state and also the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name… Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy … and it came to pass … the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying: O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee …" (Alma 22:11-18)

Question is … What wrought this change of heart in King Lamoni’s father?

I would "submit" that it may be found in an earlier chapter of Alma: "And when he saw that Ammon had no desire to destroy him, and when he also saw the great love he had for his son Lamoni, he was astonished exceedingly, and said: Because this is all that thou hast desired, that I would release thy brethren, and suffer that my son Lamoni should retain his kingdom, behold, I will grant unto you that my son may retain his kingdom from this time and forever; and I will govern him no more – And I will also grant unto thee that thy brethren may be cast out of prison, and thou and thy brethren may come unto me, in my kingdom; for I shall greatly desire to see thee. For the king was greatly astonished at the words which he had spoken, and also at the words which had been spoken by his son Lamoni, therefore he was desirous to learn them." (Alma 20:26-27)

It would seem to me these are the "factors" –
(1) King Lamoni’s father saw the love Ammon had for his son.
(2) King Lamoni’s father also saw the impact Ammon had on his son.
(3) King Lamoni’s father saw the love Ammon had for him and that Ammon had no desire to harm him.
(4) Obviously, in addition to the above, the Spirit undoubtedly had some impact via prayers of Ammon.

Therefore, AFTER King Lamoni’s father had become receptive, what did Ammon do? … He revealed the truth via the scriptures, expounding them (i.e. the power of the word of God) … starting with the creation and, essentially, sharing with him the Plan of Salvation! (kind of like what our full time missionaries do!) The power/impact of the word (scriptures) is mentioned later in the book of Alma: "And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God." (Alma 31:5)

The word of God gives one the knowledge necessary to exercise faith … indeed, the tree of life (whose fruit is eternal life) begins as a seed … that seed being the word of God … and as we nurture the seed (obtain further knowledge, and apply it) … our knowledge/understanding further increases … and so does our faith along with it! This is why the verse in the Doctrine & Covenants: "It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance." (D&C 131:6) … And from the Prophet Joseph Smith: "A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge, for if he does not get knowledge, he will be brought into captivity by some evil power in the other world, as evil spirits will have more knowledge, and consequently more power than many men who are on the earth. (TJS, 217) He also said: "Apply yourselves diligently to study, that your minds may be stored with all necessary information." (TJS, 43) However, the gaining of knowledge must be "coupled" with the application of that knowledge (i.e. keeping the commandments), if we are to receive further knowledge/blessings. From the Doctrine & Covenants: "And no man receiveth a fulness unless he keepeth his commandments. He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things." (D&C 93:27-28)

In summary … It is only when another person witnesses/feels our love for them that they truly become receptive to those things (the Gospel) we might share with them … and when receptive, nothing is more "powerful" than the word of God (in particular, the Book of Mormon).