Persuasion
XBCOM/275
6/21/15
In order to be successful in your discussions, you should always choose the appropriate approach before you present information to any audience. When we are trying to persuade someone, we are attempting to win them over or have them share in our feelings and actions. You should first, view the topic from different angles to be able to properly anticipate each individual’s reaction. When you are discussing things with your boss or anyone higher than you in the company, you are attempting to demonstrate how your proposal will tie in with goals and how it is for the good of the company. Always state facts and check for validity of your facts before you present them.
When discussing things with your peers, you should follow persuasion to share similar perspectives. Persuasion between peers can be much less structured if not informal since you have shared similar experiences. A combination of fact and emotion may be presented because you should have an idea of the person’s personality to play an advantage off of. When discussing things with a challenging person, you should know they will always be your most difficult audience. Your main key here is preparation. A challenging person will always be trying to poke holes in your thoughts and argue your ideas.
You should anticipate any and all interjections and arguments and have a rebuttal prepared for all circumstances. Develop and prepare your counter arguments and work through any issues that might come about. This will win the challenging person over because you are completely prepared with a flaw free argument. Also use a lot of attention grabbing techniques as well as facts. Open minded audiences need preparation as well, but in a completely different perspective. Don’t try to anticipate every objection but instead, lay out facts to coincide with what you are attempting to accomplish. When you focus on logic, an open-minded
References: Persuasion Quintanilla, K., & Wahl, S. (2014). Business and professional communication: Keys for workplace Excellence. (2nd Ed.) Los Angeles, CA: Sage.