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Persuasion Is a Necessary Art in the World of Business
Persuasion is especially relevant for leaders, managers, and businesspeople today because of the following reasons:
Generation X and Baby Boomers both question authority and traditional hierarchies in their organizations.
Business are run differently than they used to be, are more team focused and less hierarchical in nature.
Email and other forms of electronic communication have also helped flatten the organizational hierarchy, making unquestioned authoritative measures ineffective.
With a flattened organizational hierarchy, a more diverse organizational culture, and the irrelevance of formal authority, persuasion becomes one of the most important communications tools in business.
What Is Persuasion?
Persuasion essentially addresses one of the main questions on the mind of employees: Why should I?
Employees no longer need to know what to do; they need to know why they are doing it.
Persuasion tells them why, and in doing so, creates a more constructive and productive workplace environment.
When the audience understands why, and when they take part in the decision-making process, they are empowered and trust authority more than if persuasion were not used.
III. Unfortunately, many business leaders misuse or underuse persuasion.
Many business people also underestimate its importance, or misunderstand what exactly persuasion is and how to use it.
The reason for resistance to using persuasion is that it is too often linked with the art of sales.
Persuasion is viewed as being deceptive and manipulative, but it does not have to be.
In fact, persuasion is the opposite of deception in that it opens up channels of communication, encourages and invites dialog, and creates opportunities for learning.
IV. Persuasion is difficult and time-consuming.
In the framing of cohesive arguments, the speaker must find evidence to substantiate any claim and learn how to connect emotionally with the target audience.
However, persuasion is much more effective from an organizational standpoint than simply commanding employees to do something.
Persuasion is about leadership and becoming a change agent.
V. It is critical to know how to persuade effectively.
Effective persuasion entails motivating employees, articulating a vision, and understanding how to use language that moves people.
There are several common pitfalls that managers make when trying to persuade. The four most common pitfalls are as follows:
Up-front, pushy, hard sell
Resisting compromise
Relying only on a good argument
Presume that they only have one shot
VI. There are three main phases of persuasion:
Discovery
Preparation
Dialogue
VII. Persuasion can take months, and should be viewed as a long-term endeavor that changes the way people think, feel, and act.
Consider the position from every angle.
Put self in others' shoes: what do others need to sacrifice, commit, invest?
Where are the weaknesses in the argument?
Are there alternatives that need to be acknowledged or examined?
VIII. Dialogue before and during the persuasion process
Learn about audience perceptions, beliefs, values, concerns, perspectives.
Begin the negotiation stage by knowing where the audience stands, what they want, what their concerns are.
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