Hello and welcome back to the Skills 360 podcast. I’m your host, Tim Simmons, and today we’re going to look at developing a persuasive approach in business.
“Persuasion” is the quiet superpower of business. With the ability to persuade, you can shape decisions, win support, and move your ideas forward. But it’s not just about the slick talk and manipulation that calls to mind a used car salesman. Persuasive ability depends on a combination of sincerity and skill. And it’s important to understand both these elements if you want to be truly persuasive.
Start by thinking of someone you know who you believe is very persuasive. Maybe it’s someone who has sold you something. Or maybe it’s someone who seems to always get her way in meetings. Whatever the case, I want you to keep this person in mind as we unpack the elements of persuasion, beginning with sincerity.
Sincerity includes a bunch of different ideas, but it’s rooted in belief. That persuasive person you thought of? Clearly you believed what they were saying. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have been persuaded. And there’s a good chance that you believed them because they believed in the idea themselves.
As soon as you think someone is lying to you or trying to manipulate you, you’ll likely start tuning them out. Even if half of what they say is true, once you’ve noticed something’s off, you might not believe anything they say. So when you’re trying to persuade others, you’ve got to believe it yourself.
How can you make sure someone knows that you believe it? Well, one way is to tell them how you came to believe it. I mean, imagine saying something like this: “Now, I know you might be thinking that this is too expensive. That’s what I thought too, before I dug into the numbers ... “With a statement like that, you’re showing clearly why you came to believe in the idea.
There’s also an element of transparency here. It’s not just the ideas that people are promoting that we’re evaluating. It’s their motivations for doing it. So don’t try to hide anything. If you might benefit personally from an idea you want to support, tell people that’s the situation. Or how about saying something like this: “To be honest, my life would be a lot easier if we tried this. That’s true, but it’s not the only reason I support it.” Saying something like that is very transparent, and that helps build trust.
With sincerity as a foundation, you can then use specific techniques of persuasion. And one thing that will help you choose the right techniques is understanding how other people think and what motivates them. Is the other person highly logical? Then try something like this: “The plan fulfills three important criteria: there’s clear demand, we have the technical capabilities, and it’s financially viable.” Logical people like solid reasoning, so give it to them.
Some people are highly influenced by the opinions of others, especially people in positions of authority. In this case, talk about who else you’ve got on board. It doesn’t have to be someone in your company either. Consider a statement like this: “interesting to note here that Mark Cuban and Zuckerberg are both using the app.” Just remember to choose authority figures you know your audience will trust.
There are other persuasive techniques that are effective regardless of how people are motivated or how they think. For example, research shows that repetition makes an idea stickier. Say you’re in a meeting trying to persuade everyone of the importance of lowering costs. Imagine saying something like this: “Lower costs mean higher margins. Higher margins mean stronger growth. Stronger growth means a stronger company.” This repetition in words and sentence patterns can have a powerful effect!
Another great technique is to use rhetorical questions. This just means a question that you use for impact, not because you want an answer. For example: “If we don’t invest in innovation now, then when will we?” This question suggests that now is the right time, if not the only time to invest. Or how about this: “Do we want to wait for our competition to do this, or do we want to be the first?” Framed this way, how could anyone think it’s better to wait?
So, let’s recap here. We’ve looked at how important sincerity is. And this means believing what you say, showing how you came to believe it, and being transparent. We’ve also talked about supporting ideas with techniques that work for your particular audience, whether that’s logic or mentioning other authority figures. And finally, we covered how to use repetition and rhetorical questions. With these kinds of techniques, combined with the trust of your listeners, you’re well on your way to becoming a master of persuasion.
That’s all for today. So long. And see you again soon!
