Verbal Persuasion

Verbal Persuasion

The ability to persuade is crucial in our daily lives and all of us have been introduced to this special skill unknowingly at one point in our life. To think about it we have been using this technique from a very young age, whether it’s convincing our parents to buy as a new toy which is highly demanded in the market or convincing our friends to have a sleepover together. There are many ways to persuade people to way of your thinking and this is where Verbal persuasion comes in handy. Politicians, business companies, advertising agencies use Verbal persuasion to their advantage to get the masses buy into their message. Therefore, Verbal persuasion is important to all people regardless their location, background, or their culture.

Verbal persuasion is an act of telling or convincing a person to perform a task or action to change a behavior or put into action a set of events to achieve an objective (“Verbal persuasion”). It’s one of the sources of self-efficacy where you convince people that they can succeed at a task. Verbal persuasion could either affect us positively or negatively. For example, if your manager comes up to you and say that you’ve done a good job or they have faith in your work could lead you to believe in yourself, which in turn results in higher levels of production. But at the same time if they shout at you or say that you’ve done a horrible work could lead to doubting yourself and chances of success in such a case is very much lower.

On a day-to-day basis, you need to convince employees to work toward company goals or to persuade colleagues or clients to consider your ideas and suggestions. If you can master the art of persuasion, you can not only win the support of others, but you also can unify your team and encourage them to work together (“Ellie Williams”). For this to be possible you need to keep in mind that verbal persuasion takes time, consists of several steps, and actively involves the recipient of the message. It’s almost like a teacher guiding his/her students step by step to reach a solution. Verbal persuasion also involves an attempt to influence people rather than automatically succeed at first go. The persuader must intend to change another individual’s attitude or behavior, and must be aware (at least at some level) that he/she is trying to accomplish this goal.

One of the greatest myths of Verbal persuasion is that persuaders convince the persuadee to do things which they didn’t want to do, almost forcing them to change their decisions. But as D. Joel Whalen puts it: “You can’t force people to be persuaded—you can only activate their desire and show them the logic behind your ideas. You can’t move a string by pushing it, you have to pull it. People are the same. Their devotion and total commitment to an idea come only when they fully understand and buy in with their total being”. It does not focus forming attitudes, but on inducing people to alter attitudes they already possess. With that we should also keep in mind that all of us are free to make our choices and we do have the ability to act otherwise- to do other than what the persuader suggests.

An effective Verbal persuasion takes place when you know your audiences and also when you address their needs, values and desires. Audiences responds better when they feel the person speaking is like them in some way, whether its in age or socio-economic status. Before persuading them, it’s also very important to grab their attention and show why it’s worth their time to listen to your suggestion. Start with an anecdote that illustrates the point you're trying to make or with a surprising fact that tells them why what you should say is important to them. For example, if you're trying to persuade company management to adopt a no-smoking policy, begin with a statistic regarding how many sick days’ smokers take compared to non-smokers. If you want to persuade an audience, you must first demonstrate your credibility and authority. People are more receptive to someone they view as an authority figure, whether that person has direct authority over them, such as a boss, or if the person is an authority in his industry or profession. Only attempt to persuade others of something you can prove you have first-hand knowledge of or experience in. Back up your claims with statistics or examples. With verbal persuasion, your demeanor influences your ability to persuade as much as your words do. If you cross your arms, your audience may perceive you as hostile or angry. If you fidget, they may see you as weak or uncertain. If you rarely make eye contact, they may think you're hiding something. To sell your message to your audience, connect with them by maintaining eye contact. Project authority and confidence by standing up straight. Demonstrate your sincerity and openness by relaxing your arms and keeping them at your sides -- unless you're using them to gesture -- instead of crossing them behind or in front of you (“effective communication”).

As an ordinary person coming from a populous country I would like to state a basic example of Verbal persuasion I’ve had the chance to witness first hand; street vending. In India, you’ll find street vendors anywhere along the streets, sidewalks, squares, public parks or in other public spaces selling newspapers, fruits and vegetables, clothes, shoes and what else not. One of the