HOW TO BE MORE
MORE PERSUASIVE
By Michelle Bowden
AND GET WHAT YOU WANT IN LIFE
E
very day in every way
we employ a variety
of communication
tactics aimed at influencing
people around us. Let’s
face it, we want and need
to get things from other
people. We want them
to trust us, to endorse our
ideas, to agree with our
suggestions. It’s a fact that if
you have strong persuasion
skills you will have greater
success across your life.
Michelle Bowden explains.
So what is persuasion?
3.
4.
You must be credible. Why would
people do what you ask if they
don’t believe you and trust you?
Learn how to tell people about your
successes and triumphs without
boasting so they know what you are
capable of. Do what you can with
your dress, speech, body language
and attitude to display your
credibility from the outset.
5.
Establish rapport. We like people
who are like ourselves and it’s a fact
that people are more likely to say
‘yes’ to you if they like you. Be sure to
connect and establish a relationship
with people. Tell them a bit about
yourself. Disclose about your family,
hobbies, interests, passions. Look
people in the eye when you speak
to them and be sure to call them by
their name.
Persuasion is the act of convincing
another to change their thinking or
behavior whilst ensuring there is a
measure of freedom in the decision
making process.
Your end goal must be
reasonable
Whilst the outcome you seek might not
always be easy to attain, it’s essential
that it is reasonable in nature. If your
outcome is unreasonable it won’t matter
how good your persuasion skills are, the
stakeholder will always say no to you. Be
careful to pick your battles and only aim
to persuade where there is a win/win
outcome for all parties.
5 tips to improve your
persuasive ability
1.
It’s not about you. If you want to get
your way, you must first know what
is important to your stakeholder.
Get into their shoes and understand
the world from their point of view.
Ask questions about what interests
them. Talk about them. It’s ALL
about them.
2.
18
Believe in yourself. Stop thinking
you’re not good enough, not
prepared enough, or haven’t
got what it takes. Please be sure
to think confident thoughts. Why
would people believe you, if you
don’t display believe in yourself?
Make sure you do what you can to
manage your self-talk, believe in
yourself and then be confident in
every situation.
Listen with your whole self. The best
way to really understand what
someone is thinking, feeling and
doing in relation to your persuasion
scenario is to ask questions and then
listen. Really listen to every word.
Be present. Persuasive people can
listen to what is both said and unsaid
so they can manage objections
before they get in the way.
All these tips will help you develop
your ability to persuade no matter the
communication scenario. Why not pick
one each week and take the time to
plan out how you could put each tip into
practice with your upcoming meetings
and workplace communications.
WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - AUTUMN 2015