Persuasion skills

Being persuasive can help you win over hiring managers, work better with colleagues and stand out as a leader. In your everyday life, being persuasive is great for building relationships and fostering trust.

Persuasive skills don’t come naturally to everyone, but they can be developed. In this guide, we cover what persuasion skills are, how you can use them in the workplace, and how you can improve on your persuasive abilities.

• What are persuasion skills?
• Key elements of persuasion
• Examples of persuasion skills
• How to develop persuasion skills
• Tips for effective persuasion
• Persuasion skills in the workplace
• Ethical considerations in persuasion
• FAQs

What are persuasion skills?

Persuasion skills are a person’s ability to influence others to agree with something or take a particular action. Learning persuasive communication techniques can help you work better in teams, become a better leader, and be a stronger negotiator.

It's important to note that there's a difference between using persuasive techniques and manipulating someone. Being persuasive means to get someone to agree to something for their benefit. Manipulation is when you use coercion to control someone’s choices or actions, whether it’s for their benefit or not. Persuasion is an ethical method to negotiate or help others see your point of view.

Key elements of persuasion

According to Greek philosopher Aristotle, there are three pillars of persuasive communication.

• Ethos: the Greek word for ‘character’, which is the connection between trust and persuasion.
• Pathos: the Greek word for ‘experience, misfortune, emotion and condition’, referring to how emotional connection can increase persuasive power.
• Logos: the Greek word for ‘logic’, which is the use of facts and statistics to appeal to someone’s logical mind to help them see your perspective.

You could see these elements as the foundation for improving your own persuasion skills. For example, you can learn to connect with someone (pathos) by showing empathy, or build your character (ethos) through consistent honesty and integrity.

Examples of persuasion skills

Based on the key elements of persuasion outlined above, let’s dig deeper into the skills of persuasion that can help you influence and lead others.

Active listening

Active listening is an essential skill when it comes to persuasion. By listening with the intent to fully understand someone, you learn important information like their concerns and goals. You can refer back to these, to highlight the benefits of your point of view. When people fee listened to and that their worries have been taken on board, it helps establish trust, which is an important part of persuasion.

Empathy

Empathy also plays a big role in persuasion. Putting yourself in the other person’s shoes and demonstrating your understanding of their feelings and their point of view also builds trust. Understanding others’ needs and emotions allows you to address the issues that are important to them.

Storytelling

Storytelling means fleshing out your point of view with examples, so that it’s easier for others to see the benefits. By telling a ‘story’ you can paint a picture of the current issue, your proposed course of action and the desired outcome, which makes it more likely for people to be able to visualise your viewpoint and see how what you’re saying could work for them.

Adaptability

To be persuasive, you need to be able to adapt your arguments to different audiences. This includes knowing how to switch your tone and approach to suit different people (friends, colleagues, supervisors, clients etc.), and focus on different benefits and aspects of your point of view, depending on who you’re talking to. It might also mean being flexible in your desired outcomes.

Confidence

Conviction and confidence are essential to being persuasive. It’s important to make sure your level of commitment to your point of view is backed up by your presentation and way of communicating. Use words, like ‘will’ instead of ‘can’, speak clearly and with emphasis on your main points, and maintain good posture and body language.

Clear communication

Clear communication is essential for persuasive speaking. Speak clearly and in terms your audience can understand. Keep your messages simple and link your arguments back to your main points. Be clear about the outcome you want and the actions people need to take to make it happen.

How to develop persuasion skills

The power of persuasion is a skill you can learn and practice in your day-to-day interactions. Here are some tips to help you hone your persuasive skills.

Practise active listening

To practise active listening, make a conscious effort to give your full attention to the speaker. Listen without interrupting or thinking of a reply, and make sure your phone and other distractions are put away or switched off. Ask about anything you’re unclear on and summarise what the person has said, to show them you were listening and have taken what they’ve said on board.

Understand your audience

Practise putting yourself in other people’s shoes to fully understand their perspective. Ask yourself what their opinions might be about different things. Practice seeing things from different points of view.

Use persuasive language

To get better at being persuasive, get in the habit of using inclusive language. By using ‘we’ and ‘our’ instead of ‘I’ and ‘my’, it gives the impression that you’re on the same side as your audience. There are many different forms of persuasive language, with many freely available online resources on the topic.

Develop emotional intelligence

Working on your emotional intelligence can help build your persuasive skills by helping you understand your own emotions and those of other people. Having good emotional intelligence means you can gauge the emotional states of others and adjust your body language, tone or message in response.

Improve public speaking skills

Practising public speaking skills is a great way to develop more confidence, become better at speaking clearly, and improve your critical-thinking abilities. It also helps you learn how to organise your thoughts logically and think on your feet.

Learn from successful persuaders

The best way to become more persuasive is to take notes from those who have mastered it. People like Barack Obama, Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi have given famously persuasive speeches that you can find online, but you can also watch Tedx Talks for inspiration from ordinary people.

Tips for effective persuasion

Aside from the above, here are some quick tips to help increase your persuasive powers:

• Being authentic and genuine
• Highlighting the benefits of your idea/point of view
• Addressing objections proactively
• Creating a sense of urgency

Persuasion skills in the workplace

Persuasion skills can be used in nearly every role in the workplace, whether it’s working with teammates, leading a team, negotiating with clients, or selling products and services.

Persuasion in leadership roles

Leaders need strong persuasion skills to encourage and motivate their team. If you’re aiming for a leadership role, you’ll need refined persuasion skills to be able to get the most out of staff and influence board members or c-suite executives.

Persuasion in sales and marketing

Persuasion is an essential skill in sales and marketing roles. The purpose of these roles is to convince people to buy a product or service; sales people usually persuade others one-on-one in person, while marketers and ad copywriters do so through large-scale ad campaigns.

Persuasion in negotiations

Persuasion is a natural part of negotiating: with clients, with your manager or with your coworkers. Negotiation is especially important when you’re discussing an employment contract for a new role, to make sure you get the salary and benefits you deserve.

Persuasion in team collaboration

Being persuasive is also important when collaborating as a team, to get all team members working cohesively towards the same goal and to make sure everyone contributes their fair share.

Ethical considerations in persuasion

There is the potential for persuasion to cross the line into manipulation. Extreme forms of manipulation can be considered coercive control, so it’s important to use persuasive skills with honesty and transparency. Always be respectful of other peoples’ opinions and decisions and be clear about your intentions.

There are many roles where the skills of persuasion are essential: sales and advertising, leadership, journalism, politics, teaching and law, to name a few. But even if you don’t need to use them for your job, they're still worthwhile developing, as they help you advocate for yourself and work better with others. By following the tips above and practising, you can hone your skills and become more persuasive and convincing.

FAQs

What’s the difference between persuasion and manipulation?

The main difference between persuasion and manipulation is that persuasion is transparent and beneficial for both parties, while manipulation isoften dishonest and only for one party’s gain.

Can persuasion skills be learned or are they innate?

Some people have natural persuasive skills – but if you don't, they can also be learned. You can help hone your persuasive skills through:

• Active listening
• Empathy
• Being clear in your message
• Storytelling
• Adaptability

How can I persuade someone who has a different opinion than mine?

Convincing communication skills can help you persuade someone with a different opinion to agree with you. The above article outlines ways you can improve your persuasion skills, including putting yourself in their shoes, appealing to their interests and using storytelling techniques to help them see your point of view.

What are some common mistakes to avoid when trying to persuade others?

Being condescending or judgemental, telling the other person they’re wrong, and being pushy are all things you should avoid when trying to persuade others.

How can I measure the effectiveness of my persuasion skills?

You can measure the effectiveness of your persuasion skills by looking back at past interactions and seeing how often you’ve been successful changing someone's mind. Asking for feedback can also help you measure your persuasion skills.