One of the most common types of communication needed to further your career is presenting to persuade. We spend almost every day involved in some form of persuasive communication. No matter our role, persuading is vital to our career growth. Effectively communicating to persuade requires us to be adequately prepared, clear on the action we want our listener to take, and able to provide a compelling reason to take the action we desire.
Significant improvement in the ability to persuade your boss with this formula
The 3-step formula provides the structure to capture attention, build credibility, eliminate nervousness, and call others to action. It increases the likelihood that we will get results with others. Here is the formula:
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Incident
Relive a personal experience relevant to the point. Aristotle said, “The speaker’s character is one of his most effective agents of persuasion.” We must be credible in our example and evidence. We must have earned the right to share our model or give direction. A personal incident is a sure-fire way to grab favorable attention: It pulls people in, opens them up to persuasion, and provides evidence for why our idea is worth considering. When presenting to persuade, we spend most of our time providing the situation and evidence before asking the listener to do something.
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Action
Call on the listener to take a specific action. Too often, we assume our listeners will know what to do once we have presented them with evidence to change their thinking or direction. We fail to persuade them if we don’t clearly explain what we want them to do. Sometimes, we may give a clear action but ask them to do several things. In that case, they are unsure which action should be the priority. Effective persuasion aims to simplify the message and recommend an explicit step for listeners.
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Benefit
Clearly emphasise how the listener will benefit from taking the recommended action. Again, this communication portion must be clear, specific, and direct. It also must be based on reality. Consider the listener’s point of view to ensure the recommendation is truly in his or her best interest. This balanced approach will be appreciated and allow the listener to be more open to what we suggest.
Conclusion
Presenting to persuade is a critical skill to master in our daily business interactions. The above-mentioned 3-step process provides an opportunity to gain the results we desire from others.
By demonstrating that we have earned the right to give direction and communicate from a solid character position, we will be persuasive and compelling. These two factors are a winning combination in our ability to communicate to persuade.
