#Persuasion March 5

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Leaders are constantly attempting to influence their team’s behavior to achieve a desired result. The best leaders understand the power of PERSUASION. Sales professionals, coaches, teachers, parents, ministers, CEO’s, writers, and elected officials all need to be gifted in the art of PERSUASION.

I recently read a review on a book called “The Soulful Art of Persuasion” by Jason Harris.

Harris argues in his book that a leader’s ability to persuade has little to do with her/his message but everything to do with their conviction and character. At its best, PERSUASION is the most positive, productive and ethical way of changing peoples minds. The reason is you have to become the type of person people genuinely want to agree with. So PERSUASION requires each of us to develop our own character and skills. The emphasis is on developing our character.

Harris does provide some tips on how leaders should deliver that message and warns against using certain phrases or words.

When we begin to deliver a message to our teams it is often poorly chosen words that diminish our conviction. That negatively impacts our ability to PERSUADE. Teams want to believe that the leader is confident in what he is asking. I would argue that the most proficient sales professionals understand the power of these phrases when dealing with clients/customers.

Some examples of phrases and words to avoid according to Harris are the following:

“Maybe”

“Probably”

“Sort of”

“I think”

“I could be wrong”

“I feel like”

“This might be a stupid idea, but…”

When you start any attempt to PERSUADE by beginning with some type of disclaimer you have greatly reduced your chances to inspire and lead. Sometimes PERSUASION is not what you say but what you avoid saying.

If you want to me more skillful in what you do in leading people get better at PERSUASION