First Level Leadership

Persuasion, an Inherent Force in Master Leaders

Learn the secret to persuasion

What you could not gain either by force, or by cunning, 

could be obtained by persuasion. In one of my leadership programs, a participant, a front line manager, asked, “Why is it that of late my authority no longer gets as far as it used to? By simply issuing orders, nothing works the way I expect; I spend a lot of time on follow ups…”

I empathized with him,  and asked if he had ever thought of the persuasive powers as opposed to power of authority. He appeared a bit fuzzy at my remarks; therefore, I was compelled to dilate on my statement.

 
Power>Behavior>Attitude

Persuasion>Attitude>Behavior

If I am successful,

this article would be, in all probability, one of the important additions to your leadership arsenal.

Let’s measure your powers

1. Do you know how to mange controversies?

2. How do you adjust or adapt your speech-making to different audiences?

3. Are you able to categorize people when presenting your ideas?

4. How do you build credibility?

I can see you are thinking intently

whether "to persuade" is an art or a science. The state of being persuaded is an art since it requires you to establish trust. It’s a science because it rests on the solid analysis of information, human behavior, and communication skills.

What do gifted persuaders possess?

The power to captivate an audience, tilt vox populi, and convert opponents to align with their cause.

And if I may ask you,

what is the primary aim of advocating a particular opinion ?

- Altering behavior and affecting decisions. In other words, persuasion is a form of power and a tool of influence.

Why is it importan?

- The practical applications of persuasion are myriad. We hook upon our persuasive skills every day, usually without recognizing them. These skills are essential for the success of any leader.

I know you are wondering how you can be persuasive

Well, by learning the art of building reliability and by mastering the science of audience analysis. Effective communication is a gel that glues both of them together.

Let’s first tackle the issue of reliability

Reliability is a function of trust and expertise. A simple rule: if you want to become more reliable, learn to build trust and gain more expertise. When people trust you, they are more prepared to accept your ideas.

Expertise

Like trust, expertise gives more power to your elbow

Let’s talk about audience analysis now

Do you know the difference between –

decision makers, stakeholders and influencers? People often ignore these important differences when they are analyzing their audience.

Mark your people who –

are positive, in resistance, or neutral; and identify who are the influencers.

Decision makers are the individuals who can approve or reject your ideas.

Stakeholders directly affect the acceptance of your proposal.

Influencers indirectly regulate the decision-making process. They suggest an appropriate course of action to stakeholders and decision makers.

Find out what motivates these people, and interpret how people are aligned.

You are ready to prime the pump

Once you become reliable by building trust and expertise; become proficient in analyzing your audience by segregating the decision makers, stakeholders and influencers, then you are primed to charm your listeners.

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