Persuasion Skills | Definition and Examples

Persuasion skills are an important tool for employees in every industry. The ability to influence others, present effective arguments and prompt others to act is a valuable asset that can be beneficial in a range of workplaces. If you are interested in learning how you can improve your persuasive skills, you will need to understand everything the term entails. In this article, we examine the different types of persuasive skills, offer some tips for how to persuade effectively and explain how to improve your persuasive skills. 

What are persuasion skills?

Persuasion is the process of convincing someone else to carry out an action or agree with an idea. In the workplace, persuasion is used to sell products, recruit team members and increase productivity. An employee with strong persuasion skills can influence others to perform well and succeed. A persuasive employee is also able to expedite and facilitate group decision-making. When used well, persuasion is a valuable soft skill that can have a significant impact in any workplace.

List of persuasion skills

Persuasion involves a number of other common soft skills, including:

Communication

Good communication skills are the foundation on which you build other persuasive skills. The goal of being persuasive is to influence others to think or act in a certain way, and the quickest way to do that is to speak with them. Effective communication skills involve expressing yourself clearly, using nonverbal gestures and a vocabulary that the other person understands. If you can share your ideas and thoughts in an engaging way that appeals to your listener, they are more likely to be open to persuasion.

Emotional intelligence

Another important persuasive skill involves noticing and interpreting your listener's emotions. Emotional intelligence is a learned skill that allows you to understand what others are feeling and respond appropriately. When used for persuasion, it also helps you tailor your persuasive methods to suit a particular situation or person.

Imagine you are trying to persuade one of your coworkers to take on a new responsibility at work. As you are talking to them, you notice that their arms are crossed and they are avoiding eye contact. When they speak, their sentences are short and blunt. Using your emotional intelligence, you should be able to see that they are feeling upset or intimidated. With this information, you will be able to adjust your persuasion tactics to try to calm them or ease their concerns.

Active listening

Another learned persuasive skill is active listening. Listening well involves being attentive and respectful in your conversation with others. Before you can persuade someone, you will often need to know and understand their concerns or arguments. Giving the other person time to speak and share their thoughts will make them feel valued and can contribute to building trust. It will also allow you to understand their motivations, which in turn will help you form more effective persuasive arguments.

Logic and reasoning

Many effective persuasive arguments are built using logic and reasoning skills. Before you can persuade another person to believe in an idea or commit to an action, they need to understand why doing so would be a logical choice. To show them this, you will need to reason with them using facts that support your view. A logical mindset and good reasoning skills will help you to form convincing persuasive arguments.

Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills are based on your ability to conduct positive interactions and maintain meaningful relationships with other people. If you are not comfortable with instigating conversations or engaging in workplace rapport, you may find persuasion a challenge. Part of being persuasive is being genuine, natural and at least a little charismatic. People are more likely to agree with someone they like, so improving your interpersonal relationships is one of the best ways to become more skilled in persuasion.

Negotiation

Negotiation is often a crucial part of successful persuasion. In many cases, the person you are persuading will be unwilling to cooperate unless they believe they are benefiting from the deal. You may need to be able to facilitate a compromise to persuade them to participate. To do this, you will have to understand their needs, find a way to meet those needs and negotiate an arrangement that pleases both sides. Negotiation skills take practice but can be a significant asset when you are trying to persuade a stubborn coworker or client.

Tips for using persuasion skills

Successfully implementing your persuasion skills will require time, energy and practice. Here are some tips on how to persuade others effectively:

- Focus on trust
- Be aware of your surroundings
- Find common interests
- Use facts and feelings

Focus on trust

Building trust is one of the most important elements of persuasive conversations. If you are asking someone else to take a risk or step outside their comfort zone, it is imperative that they trust you and your judgment. To build trust, you will need to maintain a good reputation in your workplace and be willing to serve. If you show yourself to be selfless and willing to help, others are likely to return the favour.

Be aware of your surroundings

Part of staging a successful persuasive conversation is picking the right time and place. You will want to choose a location where your listener feels comfortable and at ease. This could be in your office, in the staff room, at a nearby coffee shop or even in your home. You will also want to pick a time when they are not stressed or rushed, such as at the start of the week or during a long lunch break.

Find common interests

As you are beginning a persuasive conversation or presentation, it is important that you find common ground between yourself and your listeners. Focus on your shared problems or mutual goals. If you can find something that you agree on from the start, your listener will be more open to your other ideas.

Use facts and feelings

When persuading someone, you will need to present indisputable data that shows how agreeing with you will benefit them. For example, if you are selling a car, you could persuade the customer by showing them graphs with detailed safety information. To appeal to their emotions, you could talk to the same customer about how much fun it would be to drive their kids in the car during family road trips—and if the kids aren't having fun, at least they're in a safe vehicle.

How to improve persuasion skills

There are several steps you can take to become a more successful persuader:

1. Work on cultivating relationships. The first step in persuading more effectively is improving your people skills. Focus on building trust and rapport with your coworkers, clients and friends. Even if you never have to use your persuasive skills on these particular people, strengthening your relationships with them will help you practice your interpersonal and emotional intelligence skills. You can also seek out opportunities to build new professional relationships and widen your network.

2. Build your confidence. If you are trying to persuade someone else to change their beliefs or commit to a task, you will need to show utter confidence in your own arguments. If you struggle to make eye contact or express yourself clearly, your listener will find it difficult to trust your argument. Practice your persuasive speeches in advance and eliminate nonverbal signals that make you seem nervous.

3. Practice your communication skills. Developing your professional and personal communication skills involve being intentionally aware of how you interact with others. Seek out opportunities to instigate conversations or join in a discussion. Make an effort to contribute to group decisions and engage in workplace meetings. Any opportunity you have to become a more effective communicator will also equip you to be a more skilled persuasive speaker.

DCM's Influencing & Persuading Skills

Our 1-day course has been designed to help learners gain the skills needed to influence and persuade key people, be more aware of their communication style when delivering their message. During the course, we will look at how to communicate confidently, build trust and how to package and articulate ideas to ensure they are heard and understood.

Effective leadership today relies more than ever on influencing others, impacting their ideas, opinions, and actions. If you're having trouble getting your team to do tasks when asked, this is the course for you.

If you have any questions about this course, please feel free to contact one of our team today.