Standfirst: How persuasive are you? This key skill can make or break business success so learn to adopt conscious strategies for getting people to give you what you want.
Every day we are faced with opportunities to influence those around us in the workplace. Some occasions, such as a business pitch, a formal presentation, a business case, or networking event, are obvious opportunities to persuade. Other opportunities are less obvious: unplanned meetings, impromptu presentations, an informal conversation, a lift ride with a possible referrer, an email, even a professional development event that you have decided to attend at the last minute.
Our persuasiveness in these situations is limited by our communication style and, unfortunately, we often don’t take full advantage of the opportunities that present.
“If you elect to just ‘wing it’, you’ll tend to adopt the approach that would work on you.”
When the stakes are high, or we’re pitching in a competitive environment, it’s important that the other person listens and takes the action that we require. In these situations, it is essential that we are persuasive, not aggressive, passive or manipulative. Our unique persuasion style and personality traits ensure that some people are easier for us to persuade than others. If you’ve ever felt unsure of the most effective way to persuade someone, and you want to hear the word ‘yes’ more often in your life, you need to develop your ability to persuade in any situation, not just the easy ones.
Based on a survey of over 8000 people:
- 89 per cent of executives admit to daydreaming during important meetings and conversations – 33 per cent admit to sleeping.
- 75 per cent of people say they would gain greater respect for their knowledge and expertise if they were better communicators.
- Only 28 per cent of people say that the most recent meeting they attended moved them to action.
These statistics tell us there’s room for improvement when we are persuading our colleagues, our clients, our employers and our friends and family members.
We are all persuaded in different ways and this affects our approach when persuading others.
The body of research on persuasion tells us that the degree to which we are persuaded by someone depends on our subconscious answering of the following questions called Key Persuasion Indicators (KPIs). The Key Persuasion Indicators are:
- How strong is the argument presented? Are the arguments supported by evidence? Do the arguments make sense to me?
- How credible is the messenger? Do they seem to be an authority? Would I follow this person?
- How well does this messenger understand my needs and preferences? Do they care about my position and my needs? Do I have a sense of goodwill from this person? Do I like them?
- How convincing overall is the messenger? Are they convinced, themselves? Are they passionate and confident about their position? Am I enthusiastic about their ideas and/or proposals?
We are all persuaded in different ways. Whether through rational thought or feeling, we all tend to place a different level of importance on each of the KPIs. For instance, some people won’t believe you unless your argument is rational, logical and backed by verifiable facts and research. Other people really care about the credibility of the messenger. They need to know that you have the runs on the board and the vibe that you really know what you are talking about. They need to know you are someone they can trust because you are an authority in their field. Then there are people who need to know that you care about them. They need to feel a strong emotional connection to you and sense the feeling of goodwill from you before they are open to being persuaded by you. And, finally, there are people who need to sense your passion and enthusiasm before they will be persuaded by you. They need to be swept up in your overall confidence, commitment and excitement for the matter.
The KPIs form the basis of four different persuasive approaches. These are:
- The wise owl: These people have an innate drive to use their intellect to establish the credibility of their message.
- The commanding eagle: These people attempt to persuade by establishing their personal authority and credibility.
- The friendly budgie: These people attempt to persuade by building an emotional connection and establishing goodwill with their prospects or stakeholders.
- The captivating peacock: These people attempt to persuade by using charisma and charm to arouse enthusiasm and passion for the matter.
Why bother making a plan for development?
Carl Jung famously said, “Unless you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate”. When it comes to persuading the people around you, it’s important to be conscious of your actions and their consequences so you both control your approach and manage the outcome.
If you elect to just ‘wing it’, you’ll tend to adopt the approach that would work on you, not the actual approach you should be using to get the outcomes you are seeking.
A greater awareness of your strengths, and a commitment to adapting your persuasion style, will result in an improvement in the way you sell to prospects, manage customers and their expectations, and engage and lead colleagues and/or team members. Improved results in these areas can lead to an increase in sales and customer satisfaction, a safer, more productive workplace culture, stronger relationships with stakeholders and greater workplace satisfaction.
This article first appeared in issue 38 of the Inside Small Business quarterly magazine
