Benjamin Franklin famously said: “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn.” Involvement is essential to learning, and yet getting people involved in the learning process is becoming more and more difficult in a screen-mediated world.
Tell a story. No matter how often research reaffirms the power of storytelling, people forget to tell stories. Stories trigger emotion, build connection, and increase desire. If you can end your message with a story that is brief, relevant to the topic, and carries a little emotional weight, you will be far more persuasive. Here’s how to tell a good one.
Once you have persuaded your audience to trust you, it is essential that you live up to that trust by providing messages that make sense based on evidence and reasoning. To do this well, you must have a clear message in mind, and you must back it up with sound logic and reasoning. Consider the following tactics:
You might have heard of the three rhetorical appeals - ethos, logos, and pathos. But ethos should come right up front. Here’s how to do it right.
Do you ever know you're right about something but you don’t know how to challenge your opponent? Don’t just give up. Take the following steps to win.
Most people assume that fighting and arguing are the same thing. They’re not. An argument is a logical process, and it includes 3 key elements.
There is a lot of research and advice on how to avoid the fight-or-flight response before it kicks in: visualization, breathing, preparation, etc. But what if it’s too late, and your voice gets shaky, your mouth gets dry, and your hands start trembling?
Video conferencing and other electronic modes of communication have become dominant in corporate life. Here is how to adapt good in-person visual communication habits to mediated settings.
There is a persuasive organizational structure that is almost spellbinding in its effects, because it engages the audience’s psychological needs. It’s called problem-cause-solution, and it’s easy to master.
Perhaps no other communication still is as consistently mistaught as eye contact. And yet, this seemingly minor skill has major benefits. It improves all other communication skill areas, including vocal delivery. And it causes persuasion to skyrocket.