How to Master Persuasion

Whether you realize it or not, the art of persuasion affects every facet of your life. For example, you often persuade others to do things for you, such as asking a partner to help with a chore or wanting your friend to share their food with you. You are also susceptible to persuasion through ads, news media, and the internet, which affect most purchases and investments that you make.

However, persuasion is not necessarily bad. On the contrary, persuasion is a skill that needs to be mastered in order to get what we want. We all need skills in persuasion to boost our careers, connect with others, and sell our ideas.

If you’re looking for some tips to become more persuasive, then look no further. Read on to learn more about what persuasion is and how to master the art of persuasion for yourself.

What is Persuasion?

Persuasion is the art of convincing an audience that a particular argument is right. If you want someone to agree with you or do something for you, you need to master persuasion.

Though persuasion can be viewed as either a negative or positive concept, the truth is that it is neutral. It is simply the art of convincing someone of something. Though it can be manipulative or shady, persuasion is often harmless or even beneficial.

Why Be Persuasive?

To some, persuasion can have a negative connotation to it, sounding more like manipulation. But persuasion is part of every facet of society. For example, companies persuade customers to buy their products; family members persuade their loved ones to help out around the house; social activists persuade others to their cause that ultimately benefits groups or society as a whole.

Learning to be persuasive can help you get more out of what you want in life. For example, you can use the art of persuasion to become one of the best salespeople in your company. Or you can use persuasion to convince a company to hire you. You can also use persuasion to convince your partner to pick up a healthy habit or help you with chores around the house.

Though persuasion is most commonly discussed in the context of sales or politics, the fact is that persuasion is an integral part of every facet of our life and society. You cannot convince anyone of anything without a bit of persuasion.

How to Master Persuasion

Now that you understand what persuasion is and how integral it is to your life, read on for some tips on how to be more persuasive.

Be Likeable

You aren’t going to persuade someone of anything if they don’t like you. If you come off as too mean, cocky, or bitter, the people you are trying to persuade are less likely to believe your argument or do anything that you want them to do. 

So to be more persuasive, you need to be likable. Tell jokes, be kind and respectful, and don’t be too pushy when influencing others. Suppose you’re trying to be persuasive at work, staying on everyone’s good side by working hard and collaborating well. If you’re addressing an audience, show off your excitement as well as the fun side of your personality to connect with them.

Give Them What They Want

Humans are more likely to side with someone who has their interests at heart. You will never persuade someone to your idea, product, or argument if the person you are trying to persuade does not benefit from it.

For example, you probably aren’t going to easily convince a mother with four children to buy a sports car. She needs something that will fit her whole family, not just herself. So make sure to tailor your products, argument, or ideas so that your audience understands that they benefit from them as well. This will require being sympathetic and having good listening skills to understand their needs and concerns.

Start With Small Wins

The best way to win an argument is by gaining small wins. This means that instead of jumping to your ending point, you should build off of smaller facts and arguments that are hard to disagree with.

By doing this, your audience begins to trust you and see you as agreeable. With each argument you make that they agree with, they deepen their connection with you. Once they agree with the five smaller arguments you made, it will be much harder for them to disagree with your overall argument.

However, this is dependent on how well you connected all the smaller points to your overall idea. If these don’t connect well, then your audience will lose confidence in you and not be persuaded so easily.

Give Them Time To Process

If you can, give your audience time to process what you said. If you’re trying to persuade an audience at a talk, then this may only be a few seconds. But if you’re trying to persuade your boss or coworkers to change your workflow, you should give them a few hours or even a day to process the idea.

Be Confident

Research shows that confidence trumps facts. Even if you only discuss opinions and ideas, you will be far more persuasive if you have confidence. Conversely, if you have sound logic but are unsure of yourself, your audience is less likely to be persuaded.

When breaking down the main points of your argument, show enthusiasm and don’t use qualifiers such as “I think.” Stand firm in your convictions, and people are more likely to believe you.

Final Thoughts

Persuasion is not as manipulative as some people might think. We all need to work on our persuasion skills to get what we want and need in life. By being likable, sympathetic, patient, and confident, you will have considerable more success when persuading anyone.