Persuasion is a key skill for everyone, and it can help you in business. Here are four strategies to become an effective persuader and get anyone to follow your lead. Effective persuaders don’t tell people what to do; they encourage people to persuade themselves.
Provide a menu
Give people a choice and they are more likely to go along with your idea
- If you’re a parent, you know it’s not effective to make a demand like, “Eat your peas!” Instead, ask, “Which would you like to eat first, broccoli or chicken?” That’s a menu.
Start with understanding
Rather than “persuade,” start by understanding the other person.
- Pay attention to your words and use inclusive pronouns to build a bridge of trust
- Stop trying to convince people and encourage them to persuade themselves. It’s the most effective persuasion strategy there is.
Ask, don’t tell
People are more likely to follow the path they set out for themselves
- Ineffective persuaders push it on people in the form of a declaration
- Effective persuaders do the opposite
- Ask more questions and make fewer statements
- Questions boost buy-in
Highlight a gap
Point out a disconnect between a person’s thoughts and actions
- If you’re convinced that a project needs to end, you’ve got a tough sell.
- Ask your team if they were starting from scratch today–knowing what they know–would they embark on the project?
