Persuasion is one of the most important skills one can learn because it is useful in countless situations. At work, at home, and in your social life, the ability to be persuasive and influence others can help you achieve your goals and be happy.
Learning the tricks of persuasion can also give you insight into when they are used. The biggest advantage of this is that the money will stay in your pocket when you realize how many sellers and advertisers are selling you products that you don't necessarily need.
Here are 9 of the best tips for being persuasive and influencing others:Framing
Framing is a technique often used in politics. Inheritance taxes are a popular example of a framework. Politicians who oppose inheritance taxes will call them death taxes. By using the word death instead of inheritance, all sorts of negative connotations come to mind.
The framing is quite subtle, but by using emotionally charged words, such as death, you can easily convince people of your point of view.
Mirroring
Mirroring someone is when you mimic their movements. The movement can be almost anything, but some of the more obvious are hand gestures, leaning forward or backward, or various head and arm movements. We all do this subconsciously, and if you pay attention you'll probably notice yourself doing it, I know I did.
How to mirror someone is self explanatory, but a few key points to remember are to be subtle about it and allow a delay between the other person's movement and your mirror, 2-4 seconds works best.
Rarity
This is the one that advertisers use a lot. Opportunities, whatever they may be, seem much more attractive when availability is limited.
It can be useful to the average person in the right situation, but more importantly, it is a method of persuasion to be aware of. Stop and consider how influenced you are by the fact that a product is rare. If the product is rare, there must be a ton of demand for it, right?
Reciprocity
It's the old adage, "Do unto others...". When someone does something for us, we feel obligated to reciprocate. So if you want someone to do something nice for you, why not do something nice for them first. In a professional context, you may be giving them an advance. If you're at home, maybe it's you letting the neighbor borrow the lawnmower. No matter where or when you do it, the key is to complete the relationship.
Schedule
People are more likely to be agreeable and submissive when they are mentally fatigued. Before asking someone about something they might not be quick to agree to, try waiting for a more opportune time when they have just done something mentally taxing. It could be at the end of the work day when you catch a colleague going out. Whatever you ask, a likely answer is, "I'll take care of it tomorrow." »
Congruence
We all subconsciously try to be consistent with previous actions. A good example is a technique used by salespeople. A salesperson will shake your hand as they negotiate with you. In most people's minds, a handshake equates to a done deal, and so by doing this before the deal is done, the salesperson is much more likely to negotiate you into a closed deal. /P>
A great way to use it yourself is to get people to act before they make up their minds. If, for example, you were out with a friend and wanted to go see a movie but the friend was undecided, you might start walking in the direction of the theater while he makes up his mind.
Smooth Speech
When we speak we often use small interjections and hesitant phrases such as 'ummm' or 'I mean' and of course there is the ubiquitous 'like'. These little conversational quirks have the unintended effect of making us seem less confident and sure of ourselves, and therefore less persuasive.
If you have confidence in your speech, others will be more easily persuaded by what you have to say.
Herd behavior
We are all natural followers. It's sad but true. We constantly look to those around us to determine our actions; we need to be accepted.
A simple and effective way to use this to your advantage is to be a leader, let the herd follow you.
Friends and authorities
We are much more likely to follow or be persuaded by someone we like or someone in a position of authority. Not only is this a good method to know to combat persuasion techniques being used on you, but it's also a good method to use on others, because you'd be surprised at how easy it is to bring people to like you and establish authority within groups.
Try some of these ideas and let us know if you suddenly sell more, do yourself more favors, or become a master of delegation and persuasion at work!
