How to Be Persuasive

Whether you want to improve your salesmanship, management skills or you simply want to win an argument, learning and practicing the skills of persuasion can help you. Being persuasive is not magic and it is not luck, it is skill. With the right tactics even the most stubborn of people will learn to see your side of things.

Instructions

1. Choose your battles wisely. If you are continuously trying to persuade people of things that are technically impossible or unrealistic, you will quickly loose all legitimacy and they will not take you seriously when your idea is actually a good one.

2. Know what you want from your argument, whether it is simply to have others agree with you, or if you have are actually trying to accomplish something. Not only should you know the "what" behind your argument, you should be clear about the "why." Support your persuasive argument with as much solid and relevant information as possible to demonstrate that you have given the matter some serious thought and that you have done your homework.

3. Consider your audience and try to identify what they emphasize when they are seeking to win a persuasive argument. For example, if your boss is a facts and figures person, stress facts and figures in your argument. Seek to identify what objections your audience might have and how you can counter them. You may search for the benefits your audience will experience from your idea and use them to counter their objections.

4. Be confident and compelling, leaving the "Uhs" and "Ums" out of your speech. Know all the ins and outs of your argument, before you present it, so that you will never be left staring at the floor, without a response. Practice making your argument before hand, don't fidget and be articulate.

5. Prepare yourself for resistance. Trying to persuade people to make big changes can take patience and persistence, so you may need to allow your idea to sink in and present your case a second time at a later date. Sometimes you will need to present small ideas and build your case slowly. If you do get turned down, try to learn from the experience; ask yourself what you can do differently next time to be more persuasive.