persuasion

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about persuasion in the context of work. The most common instances of persuasive speaking in my day-to-day are not big presentations or sales pitches, although that might be the case in other jobs. Most interactions in my work are quick conversations that need quick decisions, and so convincing and persuading have to be equally fast. For those brief interactions and immediate decision points, how do you appeal to someone in order to persuade them in a short amount of time?

Like many other LMK topics, there is already a lot of literature out there about persuasion. Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the most well-known publications on persuasion, and it also addresses other key components of business relationships and leadership. (It’s an incredibly helpful resource for anyone looking to learn more on this topic in detail, and slowly build this advice into your business acumen.) But not everyone has the time to study the subject of persuasion, and then apply those skills by building rapport, setting up a pitch, or engaging in drawn-out conversation or spirited debate to convince someone. 

Many work conversations and decisions are quick. There are plenty of opportunities for sales pitches with a well-developed persuasive strategy, and many positions are focused on this kind of work. In most workplaces, persuasive conversations are frequent, short, and informal. Executives usually want information condensed and look to make decisions quickly. Customers might get stuck in the decision process and could use your help to move quickly. And as people want to reduce the time spent in meetings, the ability to influence decisions rapidly is becoming increasingly important. 

Here are three strategies to try during your next persuasive conversation at work: 

Be empathetic

It is said that decision-making is an emotional process for people. Knowing this, being empathetic, open-minded, and emotionally intelligent is important when having a persuasive conversation. When talking to someone who needs convincing, try to put yourself in their shoes and preemptively prepare for their perspective on the topic. Once you are speaking to them and you are finding that they are reluctant to be persuaded, take the time to understand their perspective, including their feelings. Try to see where they are coming from, and ask clarifying questions to understand better. Be aware of your language choice during this conversation, do not insult them or be rude. Understanding their motivations will help you tailor your approach to appeal to their emotional priorities.

Going into persuasive conversations, I make an effort to understand the motivations of the person or audience I am speaking to. If I don’t already have this information, getting this information is a priority before trying to convince them of anything. Asking, “What is the most important factor in this decision for you?” will help clarify any assumptions or any previous information. Keep in mind that sometimes people change their minds without warning and what you understood as their priority yesterday might have changed today. 

Be factual

After you appeal to emotions, approach the conversation using facts and reason while remaining objective. Factual information that is a key business decision factor, such as cost and schedule, could ease the decision-making process. You can also talk through the situation using reason. Discuss the point of view you’re trying to persuade them of without bias, and how that objectively weighs against the alternative. This might sound challenging, but if you are using clear and unambiguous language while keeping the business’s best interests in mind, it should not be difficult to remain objective. 

At work, I had to convince someone to decide on a path forward for a project of two possible options. The answer seemed like a clear choice to me, but the other person was having a very hard time choosing. I had to convince them to agree with me to keep the project moving. The alternative path forward would continue to waste time on this project, and would ultimately be adding to the project cost. Knowing that budget and time were a priority in this project to this person, I talked them through the budget and timing realities for the options they were considering. I reminded them of the urgency of the project timeline, and gave them the estimates of time and the dollar amount spent, for the two options. This helped them reach a conclusion so we could move forward with the work.

Be brief

Prove your point in as few words as possible, and use language that can easily be understood by your audience. Although the two points above could be interpreted to mean these strategies involve a lengthy conversation, remember that you’re trying to be brief and convincing in as few words as possible. If you are getting too verbose, much of the information will be forgotten, and time will be wasted. If your word choice is too confusing, the person you’re talking to will become frustrated. Don’t get caught up in explaining excruciating details to prove your point. Be direct and provide examples if needed to help in your communication. 

These are three quick tips on how to be persuasive at work in quick conversations. There’s a ton of literature on the subject, so if you have the time to research, read, listen and take it all in, you can learn how to be more persuasive in all types of interactions.