Rekindling art of ‘Persuasion’

In the current business landscape people don’t just ask “What should I do?” but also “Why should I do it?”. Answering this “Why” question effectively requires persuasion - which in my view is the dynamic language of business and technical leadership.

Persuasion is widely perceived as a skill reserved for selling products and a ‘refined’ form of manipulation. Effective persuasion becomes a negotiating and learning process through which a persuader or seller leads the client or prospect to a solution.

Most see persuasion as a relatively straightforward process in 3 steps:

1. Strongly state your position
2. Outline the supporting arguments along with a highly assertive, data-based exposition/ presentation.
3. Enter the deal-making stage and work toward “closure”

In other words logic, persistence, and personal enthusiasm come together to get others to buy a good solution. Jay A. Conger, the author of “The Necessary Art of Persuasion” states “following this process is one sure-fire way to fail at persuasion”!! So, what else is needed? The stages of discovery and dialogue should not be forgotten. The persuader should ask the following questions:

1.   What investments in time and money will my solution require from clients/ prospects?

2.   Is my supporting evidence weak in any way?

3. Are there alternative positions I need to examine?

Effective persuasion involves four distinct and essential steps:

1.   Establish credibility:

Credibility is the cornerstone of effective persuading; without it, a persuader won’t be given the time of day. In the workplace, credibility grows out of two sources: expertise and relationships. A history of prior successes would further strengthen the persuader’s perceived expertise. Showcasing successful projects with unique value proposition in platforms such as LinkedIn or Medium is a great way to build credibility.  People who are known to be honest, steady, and reliable have an edge when going into any persuasion situation. Because their relationships are robust, they are more apt to be given the benefit of the doubt.

“The art of persuasion lies in simplifying something down to its core and communicating to others what they really care about.”

Frequently connecting with clients or prospects and having dialogues is a very critical during this stage. I would also add that such dialogues and discussions are important with your colleagues and mentors for the following reasons:

1.   To learn more about opinions, concerns, and perspectives.

2.   For learning more about your solutions from a different point of view

3.   To discuss, debate the merits of positioning, and then to offer honest feedback and suggest alternative solutions

2.   Frame goals that identifies common ground:

Effective persuaders must be adept at describing their positions in terms that illuminate their advantages. It is a process of identifying shared benefits. At the heart of framing is a solid understanding of your audience. Even before starting to persuade, the best persuaders would have encountered closely and studied the issues that matter most. They would use conversations, meetings, and other forms of dialogue to collect essential information. Research using digital mediums such as websites, independent consultant reports and social media is widely available.  

3.   Reinforce the proposal by providing compelling evidence:

This stage is about presenting evidence. Most effective persuaders use language to supplement numerical data with examples, stories, metaphors, and analogies to make their positions come alive. More than often, clients are asking to show the end result as a proof of concept (POC), proof of technology (POT) or minimum viable product (MVP). In rare cases a benchmarking exercise becomes necessary. Using a combinations of these, paints a vivid word picture and, in doing so, demonstrates a compelling and practical point of view. During this stage, the persuader has to instil a sense of urgency to want to act right away.

“We have to persuade people in the present by presenting the urgency or compelling reason to act!”

4.   Connect emotionally with audience:

Good persuaders are aware of the primacy of emotions and are responsive to them in two important ways. First, they show their own emotional commitment to the position they are advocating. Secondly, they would usually canvass key individuals who had a good pulse on the mood and emotional expectations of those about to be persuaded. They would ask those individuals how various proposals might affect on an emotional level—in essence, testing the possible reactions takes place.

Lastly, don't ever assume what someone needs, always offer your value. Sometimes we often hold back from offering our solution because we assume others don't have the money or interest. Don't assume what others might want or not want, offer what you can provide and leave the choice to them.

Further Reading:

“The Necessary Art of Persuasion” (article) by Jay A. Conger (https://hbr.org/1998/05/the-necessary-art-of-persuasion)

“The 21 Principles of Persuasion” (article) by Jason Nazar https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonnazar/2013/03/26/the-21-principles-of-persuasion/

“The Art of Persuasion” (e-book) by Richard Templar, Jonathan Herring