Today you’re going to learn how to improve your powers of persuasion.
Have you ever wondered how you could increase your power of persuasion? Have you ever had someone try to persuade you to do something, and when you disagree, that person starts to say the same thing? She might have spoken a little louder or quieter, but the content was the same. According to her, you should just be convinced of what she was saying and the fact that you refused is because you didn’t hear or probably lost your mind.
Often our willingness to convince someone exceeds our ability to convince someone. This is because we use too narrow a range of convincing tactics. We assume that what convinces us about a given thing will also convince our audience, which unfortunately is not always the case.
Expanding your range of persuasion techniques will help you to be more successful in convincing others to your reasons. Practice them and think about which ones you can use more often and which ones are best suited to your situation.
How To Improve Your Powers Of Persuasion:
1. Rational analysis
The first tactic is based on logical reasoning and rational analysis. We use numerical data, present costs and benefits, and use logical reasoning.
Rational analysis is important, but sometimes it is not enough to convince someone to do something. People may differ in their thinking logic and draw different conclusions from the same data. The data is not always complete and fully reliable, and the future may be uncertain.
2. Provide reliable sources
Support your argumentation based on reliable sources. Reliable sources can be reputable institutions such as leading research centres, prestigious universities or foundations.
You can also quote people, experts with strong qualifications or high positions. The more credible an institution or person you quote is, the stronger your persuasive power will be.
3. Refer to policies and principles
If there are rules, regulations, procedures, standards, laws or guidelines that are relevant to your audience, you should refer to them.
If your recommendation is consistent with an important policy or process and not listening to your opinion would violate this policy or procedure, please let us know. This will be a strong argument in the discussion to convince people to your opinion.
4. Show pain and remedy
Tell and show how your recommendations help your listeners achieve what they want? What problems, risks and difficulties does your proposal solve or help to avoid?
If they follow your advice, what rewards and benefits can your audience get or what penalties can they avoid? Show them what hurts them and how they can cure their pain.
SEE ALSO: Here Is How To Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone: (13 Practical Strategies)
5. Initiate mutual exchange
People usually react more favourably to people who have helped them before. Can you actively add value to your listeners before asking them anything? Can you promise to do something valuable for them if they accept your proposal?
Of course, this is not about illegal practices like bribery, but about seeking benefits for your audience, which you can offer them in addition, preferably before you ask them to do something for you.
6. Create a sense of urgency and possible loss
Create the feeling that you need to make a decision quickly otherwise the benefit may not materialize. Explain that now is the right time to act and you can’t wait.
Explain why time or other resources are limited. Explain why listeners will be late if they wait and that the opportunity will pass them by if they delay their decision and action.
7. Refer to values, principles or missions
People want to be perceived and known as acting according to values such as honesty, fairness, generosity to those in need, etc. People do not want to be perceived as hypocrites (1), acting against important rules.
For example, if your listener has a value in caring about the quality of customer service, by presenting a product or service to them you can show them what the day in the life of their customers looks like today, what problems they have to deal with every day, what hurts them.
You compare this customer effort with your solution, which will prevent similar situations in the future. Show the problem as a violation of basic values that are important for your customer.
8. Support strategies and objectives
Show how your solutions support your organization’s strategy or important goals. It is about the goals that your listeners want to achieve. Go beyond your own perspective. Show how your suggestion works for the benefit of the organization or team.
This will present you as a person who is not selfish and who is not only thinking about his or her own interests. You will be seen as someone who is committed and acts for the good of the community.
9. Share success stories
Especially when we are unsure, we try to look at others like us or in a similar situation to help ourselves make a decision. When trying to convince someone, give references and share examples of similar people, teams or organisations who have done what you propose and show them how well it works for them.
Use what you call social equity proof, which can help you to get what you want.
SEE ALSO: 14 Cognitive Distortions That Are Hardly Sabotaging Your Brain And Life
10. Move from small commitments to larger ones
Ask for a small commitment (2) or a smaller contract to pave the way for even bigger commitments and more meaningful agreements.
If you’re a salesman, for example, make it easier for customers to buy early and small and then buy larger quantities later. When people manage to get involved, they are more likely to give in to further requests that are in line with the direction of that involvement.
11. Set a good example
Albert Einstein said: “The only sensible way of upbringing is to follow one’s own good example or, if not otherwise, a deterrent example. „.
If you show the strength of your beliefs by doing what you want others to do first, it is more convincing. You yourself become an additional source of credibility.
12. Be likeable and amiable
This is easy to ignore, but the research into the persuasive power of sympathy is very solid. Show a positive attitude, smile. People react both to the message and to the messenger.
For example, just before you appear at the meeting, take a breath, “clean your head” and tell yourself, “I am happy to be here and I am happy to see you”. Then proceed in this way during a meeting or presentation. You will see how good the results will be.
Here are 12 different options you can use to increase your convincing effectiveness. Undoubtedly, the art of persuasion is based on the ability to argue. Fortunately, we can practice it every day.
Before the next important meeting, take a look at this list and choose which tactics you will use with your listeners. Moving forward, use a variety of tactics to appeal to the different perspectives of your listeners. Don’t focus on what’s enough to convince you, but what you can do more to convince your audience.
I want to thank you for taking the time to read my article about how to improve your powers of persuasion. I sincerely hope its contents have been a good help to you.
