Understanding the Art of Persuasion

Understanding the Art of Persuasion

The best way to define the word ‘persuasion’ is changing someone’s behavior in order to get them to think, feel or do as you would like them to. Persuasion falls under the realm of influence. The main difference is that persuasion requires verbal communication while influence does not.

In order for you to successfully persuade someone there are several things you will need to do.

• Know exactly what it is you want them to do or feel.

• Know the person – do you know exactly who they are, their likes and dislikes and what their opinions are on certain subjects and issues.

• What needs does this person have?

• Place yourself in their shoes and think from their viewpoint.

• Listen intently to the person and show that you understand what they are saying and where they are coming from.

When you have all of these things in place you can then start to work on actively persuading them into thinking, feeling or doing as you would like them to.