In the modern day of social media marketing, influencing and freelancing, never has the trait of being persuasive been more needed. Your ability to be persuasive about your talents or ability on the job is as critical as your technical qualifications in the current digital world.
But, now persuasion is not something that comes naturally to many of us. We often stutter and stumble on our words, which can leave the person we are trying to convince feeling lost. Here is how to avoid that and instead, with someone over with your words.
Understand your content
The very first thing you need to do to persuade someone is to know what you are talking about. Your knowledge is the first thing that someone will notice when listening to you, and you want them to be impressed that you know your subject matter well. You need to know enough to answer off-the-cuff questions on the matter.
Be confident
Knowledge is important, but to win other people over with your argument, you need to be confident. Speak clearly and concisely. Explain what needs to be explained but don’t overdo it. Speak with the conviction you want in the other person and ensure that you maintain eye contact with them as you make your point. Be sure to hold a positive body posture as you speak.
Use value proposition
Winning over others means that you need to let them know why listening to you is valuable to them. This is value proposition. Value proposition is basically an elevator pitch in which you tell the other person what you do and why it is important to them.
So, rather than simply say ‘I am a digital marketer’ say something like ‘I am a digital marketer and I am the reason your favorite brands are so well-received online’. Make sure that the other person knows why what you do matters to them.
Know when to take a step back
Persuasion involves a lot of talking, true, but as a good speaker, having the discernment to know when to step back and let the other person process what is happening is crucial. Once you are confident you have mad yourself heard clearly, step back. Remember, you are not trying to push them but rather, persuade them. So, step back and let them reflect on what you’ve said.
Persuasion is a crucial part of being a good communicator and it can open endless doors for you.
