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What techniques do you use to persuade colleagues to help you out?

Persuasion. Important. Because you want people to do what you want. Here are three everyday scenarios in which you need to persuade someone to do something. What techniques would you use?

  • A: You are taking rubbish to the dump. As you pull up in the car, a jobsworth tells you: “You’ll need to pay for rubble, mate. It’s our policy.”
  • B. A colleague replies to your request: “I can’t go to the manager’s meeting on Friday for you because I am up against it.”
  • C. At parents’ evening the teacher won’t do as you asked, allowing little Timmy to sit at the front of the class so she can keep an eye on him.

Struggling beyond saying please and resorting to begging? Most people have seven go-to persuasion techniques. After which they become frustrated and typically resort to a negative technique, like ‘get me the manager’.

The most common persuasion technique is time. If someone says they cannot do what you have asked, you’ll probably say something like: “But it’ll only take you 10 minutes.” It’s a valid form of persuasion. But what if I told you there were more than seven techniques? My research has led to identifying 78. Of which we use about 10%. A different seven to others, but only seven nevertheless.

Imagine if you could double your persuasion toolbox. How much more would you be able to get done through others? Here are some of the most commonly used techniques:

  • Expert – someone’s qualifications make us believe them.
  • Empathy – “that sounds really tough”.
  • Compliment – giving compliments breaks down barriers.
  • Please – A simple one: saying ‘please’ helps.
  • Escalation – “get me the manager”.
  • Time – “it will only take you five minutes”.
  • Logic – the project is a no-brainer.
  • Repetition – saying the same thing again, and again.
  • Ask – “Would you help me to get this done, please?”
  • Image – a picture tells a thousand words.

To find out all 78 persuasion techniques, Google them and become a powerhouse of persuasion. (Which techniques did I use to open this article? Find out.)

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