11.12.2024

TECHNIQUES TO SPEED UP YOUR PERSUASIVITY

Successful people are not necessarily smart, but they must be persuasive. It's amazing that everyone has to do this all his life - get mom to buy him a toy, then dad to allow a sleepover, then get his wife to let him go fishing, get his boss to give him a promotion... And few manage to master the art of persuasion so that it serves them without fail.

The right word is really an art because there is a lot of talent in persuasion that some people have innately. However, there are also techniques that can be mastered with a little more effort.

Experts say that in order to be persuasive, the first and irrevocable condition is to radiate confidence. The second is to be well prepared, believable and very clear about what you want to achieve, because today everyone is overloaded with information and attention is a precious resource. Then there are rules to follow when speaking.

How important is grammar

1. Short sentences. Sentences that are not long, but clear and easy to understand are effective for persuasiveness. Imagine you're on Twitter and you have a character limit. Each of your sentences should be no more than 9 words.
2. Present tense. You influence on a subconscious level when, purely grammatically, most of your sentences are in the present tense, not the past tense. Things that happen in the present hold attention, your interlocutors perk up their ears and fix their eyes on you. When you get bogged down in details about the past, no matter how important, your interlocutors will get bogged down in boredom.
3. Nouns instead of verbs. This doesn't mean throwing out a meaningless pile of words, but being careful how you phrase your sentences.

A study by the Pratt Sociological Institute found that the way sentences are constructed can prompt people to take action and make decisions. Researchers have done surveys asking essentially the same question in two different ways: "Will you go to the polls" and "Will you become a voter." The second formulation received twice as many positive responses. People probably say yes, driven by the need to belong to a group. The noun "voter" reinforces their inner identity, the scientists say.

4. Adjectives for emphasis. You remember from school - adjectives reinforce. "Awesome", "amazing", "huge" inserted in the appropriate place will emphasize what you are saying. However, be careful not to overdo it and start sounding pathetic. People sense exaggerations and react by becoming skeptical and cautious.

"Numbers" from psychology

1. Tempo hides and reveals. Speak quickly when using arguments that your interlocutor may object to.

A number of studies prove that when you expect someone to disagree with you, you should speed up that part so that they don't have time to process the information. Conversely, when you're presenting your strongest point, slow down. This way you provide time for it to be fully understood.

2. His fatigue works for you. It doesn't sound very good, but the physical condition of the one you want to convince can be helpful. Fatigue reduces the brain's ability to make critical judgments of the situation. If the conversation is at the end of the working day, the chance that the interlocutor will agree with you is greater than in the morning.
3. Don't be afraid to intimidate. It is not about a direct impact, but about side factors that can make a person on a subconscious level be convinced more easily.

A study shows how such a technique works. A man stood on the street and asked passers-by to fill out a survey. Those who heard a police whistle during the crossing agreed to waste some time and fill out the survey. Their cognitive resources at such a time are occupied with thoughts of potential danger, and only a small part of the brain evaluates the request made, explain social psychologists.

4. Ride human nature. Use it cleverly to strengthen your persuasiveness. Refer to statistics and learn facts. In this way, you will gain the attention of your more rational listeners, and the more emotional ones will think that you are very prepared.

Summarize with expressions like "as we all know". Deep down, your interlocutor wants to be part of the know-it-all group, the winning team. Satisfy his need by emphasizing the obvious.

Surprise and entertain, make people look at something familiar with new eyes, make it look different and intriguing.

Attack base attitudes by including, where appropriate, a plot that will arouse affection - a story about small children, a few puppies and kittens.

Carefully follow your interlocutor - he subconsciously likes you to repeat his posture, gestures, facial expressions as if in a mirror.

Logic, though

1. Highlight what you give. Focus mainly on what your partner will get, not what they will give. Let's say you want to convince him to buy a car. The correct tactic is "I'm giving you this car for 1000 euros", not "I want 1000 euros for this car".
2. Start with the best. The first thing you say is remembered. Experiment has proven how this mechanism works. You call someone a smart but sneaky person. After a while, your listeners ask about it. Most mention that he is smart, and few think of the second part of the definition - that he is submissive.
3. Present the correct alternative. Start with the extremes: good and bad, right and wrong, white and black. Then propose a "middle ground" to be accepted as a compromise and alternative to the extremes.
4. Drop a lure. To push the person to your desired decision, in the conversation present two options of answers that suit you. After a while, insert a third one, which he will give up in favor of one of the previous two.

And some tricks from other sciences

1. Experience yourself. To be convincing, you need to transform yourself as an actor into your role. No one will believe you if you don't believe yourself.
2. Etiquette helps. Kindness, a smile, an open look eye to eye with the interlocutor are your weapons. Don't forget the compliments - everyone wants to hear a good word about themselves. Of course, be careful with the dosage. There is nothing more pitiable than an inept flatterer.
3. Choose a nice place. If you can determine where to hold the conversation, the cozy environment and the comfortable chair will predispose your interlocutor. When a person feels discomfort purely physically, it is not easy to be convinced either by arguments or eloquence.
4. Master your breathing. Because you are under tension, your breathing and heart rate increase. Medicine teaches that by breathing more deeply and slowly, you will normalize the rhythm of the heart and the flow of blood to the brain. You will feel more relaxed and be more persuasive.