The Art of Persuasion
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The Art of Persuasion
The Art of Persuasion
In nearly every life situation, we influence other people, or they influence us. Influence and persuasion are everywhere: from interviews to direct sales. Persuasion is a complex art with a set of techniques. However, this art needs to be understood well since what works fine in one situation, can lead to misunderstanding and troubles in another. In fact, it is possible to convince the person in nearly everything when presenting the arguments well. Sometimes the intentions of those who try to convince someone in something are clear, and sometimes their intentions are hidden or even evil. Depending on the situation, ways, and skills of persuasion, one can either notice what is happening or fall under the influence of the persuading person and yield to the pressure.
There were numerous situations in my life when I used persuasion and when it was used to me. Sure enough, I always knew when I used various persuasive techniques to convince people of something or to make someone change their mind. However, I am not sure I recall all the situations when I fell under someone else’s influence due to their persuasion. It is so because people use special techniques to reach their goal. The art of persuasion mainly depends on the ability of an individual to use the language skillfully.
If a person has in mind to convince someone in something, he or she should have a clear and set opinion about it in the first place. Confidence is the key element here. A doubtful speaker will never deliver his or her idea to the audience, no matter how brilliant it may be. A few years ago, I had to master the art of persuasion for my personal benefit. I wanted to go to a far-located recreational summer camp on my own for six weeks, and my family and friends were against it. It took a lot of persuasive skills to change the minds of my family and friends. However, in the end, things worked out well, and I enjoyed the summer in the camp while everyone at home were happy for me.
The first thing I needed to do was to collect all the necessary information on the topic I was going to talk. It is vitally important to adequately answer all the questions the opponent may ask. I explored the camp website, read through the stories of people who went there, looked through the feedbacks posted by parents. I checked the available pictures, a scheme of how to get to the camp and noted down the most valuable information. This way, I had a decent amount of background information to start the conversation with my parents.
Still, I decided to prepare even better because the approaching summer depended on my persuasive skills. Without being specific and providing relevant examples, any persuasion fails. Knowing this, I did not start the conversation about the camp with my parents telling them how great this camp was. One Saturday afternoon, my family and I gathered in the living room together. I decided it is a good idea to bring up the topic of a summer camp when everyone is relaxed and is looking forward to two days of leisure. I started the conversation with an opening statement. I said that it was spring already and, since my parents always told me it was a good idea to plan everything ahead, I was considering the options for a future summer break. After this, I asked my parents if they had any thoughts about the coming season. Since they are always busy with their work, household, and family responsibilities, they did not. After this, I asked them if they were open to learning about my idea. It was a good question to ask since you can persuade everyone, provided the timing and context are right. My parents said that it would be better to discuss my ideas the next day as they wanted to go to a late movie and spend some time together.
The next day, I reminded my parents that I wanted to share my ideas with them. I calmly and clearly said that I wanted to become a more independent person and to challenge myself by meeting new people. I added that there was a range of places where teenagers can do it without risking their lives or getting under the destructive influence. After this, I dramatically paused, grinned, and said that I found a place my parents may like. I took my laptop and clicked on a slideshow of the images of the recreational summer camp I wanted to join. It was necessary for me to transfer the positive energy that I felt to my listeners. I looked them straight in the eyes as I was narrating about the life of the camp. I used a lot of attention-drawing phrases, like “isn’t it good?”, “please check this one”, “would you believe” , book review example , etc. I carefully monitored my parents’ reaction because I knew that if they were not interested, I would have to change my persuading techniques.
Being prepared gave me the advantage of possessing all the necessary information for answering the questions of my parents. My preparedness showed them that I am an independent person able to gather information and evaluate it critically. My confidence and certainty regarding my wish to go to the recreational summer camp instead of staying at home surfing the Internet and sitting in front of the TV made my parents hit upon the idea that such camp has much more to offer for their child than an empty house can. In the end, they were happy to let me go. All of my friends, who did not like me leaving, turned out to be fine with it when I promised to host a comeback sleepover party when I return.
Truth be told, it is not easy to persuade anyone of anything even if is this person is very close to you. Every individual is special with his or her unique mind making consideration in its own unmatched way. That is why a good persuasion takes much preparation, mastering one’ s rhetoric skills, choosing language carefully, and always believing in yourself.
In nearly every life situation, we influence other people, or they influence us. Influence and persuasion are everywhere: from interviews to direct sales. Persuasion is a complex art with a set of techniques. However, this art needs to be understood well since what works fine in one situation, can lead to misunderstanding and troubles in another. In fact, it is possible to convince the person in nearly everything when presenting the arguments well. Sometimes the intentions of those who try to convince someone in something are clear, and sometimes their intentions are hidden or even evil. Depending on the situation, ways, and skills of persuasion, one can either notice what is happening or fall under the influence of the persuading person and yield to the pressure.
There were numerous situations in my life when I used persuasion and when it was used to me. Sure enough, I always knew when I used various persuasive techniques to convince people of something or to make someone change their mind. However, I am not sure I recall all the situations when I fell under someone else’s influence due to their persuasion. It is so because people use special techniques to reach their goal. The art of persuasion mainly depends on the ability of an individual to use the language skillfully.
If a person has in mind to convince someone in something, he or she should have a clear and set opinion about it in the first place. Confidence is the key element here. A doubtful speaker will never deliver his or her idea to the audience, no matter how brilliant it may be. A few years ago, I had to master the art of persuasion for my personal benefit. I wanted to go to a far-located recreational summer camp on my own for six weeks, and my family and friends were against it. It took a lot of persuasive skills to change the minds of my family and friends. However, in the end, things worked out well, and I enjoyed the summer in the camp while everyone at home were happy for me.
The first thing I needed to do was to collect all the necessary information on the topic I was going to talk. It is vitally important to adequately answer all the questions the opponent may ask. I explored the camp website, read through the stories of people who went there, looked through the feedbacks posted by parents. I checked the available pictures, a scheme of how to get to the camp and noted down the most valuable information. This way, I had a decent amount of background information to start the conversation with my parents.
Still, I decided to prepare even better because the approaching summer depended on my persuasive skills. Without being specific and providing relevant examples, any persuasion fails. Knowing this, I did not start the conversation about the camp with my parents telling them how great this camp was. One Saturday afternoon, my family and I gathered in the living room together. I decided it is a good idea to bring up the topic of a summer camp when everyone is relaxed and is looking forward to two days of leisure. I started the conversation with an opening statement. I said that it was spring already and, since my parents always told me it was a good idea to plan everything ahead, I was considering the options for a future summer break. After this, I asked my parents if they had any thoughts about the coming season. Since they are always busy with their work, household, and family responsibilities, they did not. After this, I asked them if they were open to learning about my idea. It was a good question to ask since you can persuade everyone, provided the timing and context are right. My parents said that it would be better to discuss my ideas the next day as they wanted to go to a late movie and spend some time together.
The next day, I reminded my parents that I wanted to share my ideas with them. I calmly and clearly said that I wanted to become a more independent person and to challenge myself by meeting new people. I added that there was a range of places where teenagers can do it without risking their lives or getting under the destructive influence. After this, I dramatically paused, grinned, and said that I found a place my parents may like. I took my laptop and clicked on a slideshow of the images of the recreational summer camp I wanted to join. It was necessary for me to transfer the positive energy that I felt to my listeners. I looked them straight in the eyes as I was narrating about the life of the camp. I used a lot of attention-drawing phrases, like “isn’t it good?”, “please check this one”, “would you believe” , book review example , etc. I carefully monitored my parents’ reaction because I knew that if they were not interested, I would have to change my persuading techniques.
Being prepared gave me the advantage of possessing all the necessary information for answering the questions of my parents. My preparedness showed them that I am an independent person able to gather information and evaluate it critically. My confidence and certainty regarding my wish to go to the recreational summer camp instead of staying at home surfing the Internet and sitting in front of the TV made my parents hit upon the idea that such camp has much more to offer for their child than an empty house can. In the end, they were happy to let me go. All of my friends, who did not like me leaving, turned out to be fine with it when I promised to host a comeback sleepover party when I return.
Truth be told, it is not easy to persuade anyone of anything even if is this person is very close to you. Every individual is special with his or her unique mind making consideration in its own unmatched way. That is why a good persuasion takes much preparation, mastering one’ s rhetoric skills, choosing language carefully, and always believing in yourself.
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