According to an article published on Better Advice in 2016, your communication skills are more important for self-realization than any other skills you may have. The research also goes ahead to say that your personality traits and ability to negotiate, communicate and lead account for 85% of your financial success. Communication is a powerful tool that can make or break nations, friendships, and relationships. On social platforms such as Talkliv, where people interested in intercultural communication meet, you need to be a great communicator to be able to strengthen your new connections.
Being a great communicator can help you get what you want in life. For example, if you are looking for a promotion at work, salary rise, or even getting the dish you want in a restaurant, persuasion can help you. In fact, a psychology of persuasion is the greatest tool you can use to get what you want.
5 techniques you can use to persuade anyone:
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Be confident
Confidence is your number one step to take if you want to convince anyone. You sound more convincing and powerful when you are confident, even when you chat online with your friends on Talkliv. Even if you are shy, know that confidence is not hard to fake. And the best part is that no one can tell if you are faking it! You just need to act confident enough while passing your message.
Confidence tells the other person you are communicating with that you know what you want and is ready to take it. The other party will be convinced to give you what you want if you exhibit enough confidence.
Whether it is an interview or a normal conversation, the tips provided in the Guardian article can help you learn how to boost your confidence. Confidence should not be projected from your voice alone — your breathing, movement, and posture will tell the other party how confident you feel. Don’t utter powerful words while your face shows you are scared, or your hands are shaking.
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Learn to introduce a logical argument in a conversation
If you are a logical person, persuading people will not be such a hard thing to do. According to the Consortium of the University of Colorado states, persuasion can be defined as the process of convincing your opponent to change their behavior or beliefs through a logical argument, and without force.
When you persuade someone to do something, they will do it because they have come to believe it is a proper thing to do. For instance, let’s assume you are trying to persuade your colleague at work to help you complete a challenging project you are working on together. At first, they may resist, but you can apply a logical argument and explain that they are better placed at handling the remaining section of the project and doing it faster and more efficiently. You can also tell them that the success of the project will be a career step-up for both of you and a great contribution to the company.
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Make an idea appear beneficial
When you make your requests seem more valuable to the other person, you are more likely to persuade them to fulfill the request for you. It can be hard to show that your request will also benefit the other person, but it can become a final line in your persuasion. For instance, let’s look at a situation where you are trying to convince your neighbor to let you use their oven. Obviously, they may not be willing to do it at first, but you can talk about how fun it will be to teach them a new baking recipe or how you will share some cakes with them afterwards.
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Compliment but don’t cross the line
Complimenting is one of the most effective tricks on the list. However, you should be careful with compliments not to sound cheesy and unfair. So instead of fully flattering your subject with too “nice” words, you can use short phrases or remarks to complement them objectively. For instance, while starting a chat with someone on Talkliv, you can say “Hey, that’s a really nice shirt you are wearing in your profile picture! Could you please tell where you bought it?” or “I see you are in crypto for 5 years, that’s such an experience! Could we chat more about crypto investments so I can learn more?”
In any conversation, some words tend to have a higher value than others. For example, a word like “lucrative” has more value than “good”, and “reasonable” sounds more convincing than “alright”.
You don’t have to start using big vocabulary to sound convincing in your sentences, instead, your goal is to organize your sentences to ensure that what you meant is well captured by the subject. By doing this, you will show yourself as a better communicator, and even appear more thoughtful, intelligent, and trustworthy.
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Patience and persistence matters
It is important to understand that you are not always going to convince everyone. Sometimes you are going to be disappointed. But even when that happens, you are not supposed to plead, argue or beg. The best reaction to the situation is to let go, you can recollect and try again next time.
Your argument will always stay in the subconscious mind of the other person, and if you try bringing the argument in your next conversion, you will have another opportunity to seem more reasonable and persuasive. Don’t give up, but give yourself time between attempts.
Can you practice the art of persuasion with Talkliv?
Communication is solely a practical skill. To be better at delivering your messages and persuading people, chat with them! Talkliv is a convenient space, open to anyone wanting to upgrade their social skills. Starting to practice techniques you can use to show confidence and convince anyone you are having a conversation with online may be much easier too.
Keep in mind that persuasion, just like any other important skill, takes time to improve. You may not be successful at the beginning, but if you apply the above tactics and keep working on them, you may become more confident with yourself, and convincing people will come naturally. Be careful not to bully anyone, your main goal should be to make your counterpart see things from a different perspective.