Convincing someone means having the right arguments. As you try to persuade people, you will encounter a lot of questions and counter-arguments to what you are going to say.

There will be difficulty talking to certain individuals. However, you should not give in and bow down in defeat.

1. Get a rebuttal ready

Be prepared to provide a satisfactory rebuttal. If this is not your strength, practise beforehand. Try to foresee the possible issues or questions that will be raised.

Once you do so, provide convincing answers for each. Ask a friend to assess the logic and agreeability of your responses.

2. Work on your critical thinking skills

Critical thinking is a higher cognitive process that involves analysis of available information from credible sources.

This will result in being able to come up with the most agreeable and logical decision. A critical thinker is able to look past mere descriptions and assess matters logically and rationally.

3. Beware of fallacies

A lot of people resort to fallacious reasoning in everyday conversations, decisions and situations.

If you have ever decided to try out a new product because your favourite celebrity is endorsing it, then your reason is, logically speaking, fallacious. Fallacies are hard to identify especially in the workforce.

Different fallacies include ad hominem, strawman, a circular argument and irrelevant appeals. Even with no legal concerns, you would want to keep your arguments flawless and unbreakable.

Going for cheap shots that require fallacies is a big risk, especially if you happen to be trying to persuade someone aware of logical fallacies.

4. Don’t forget to research

The art of persuasion is not a one-size-fits-all thing. You need to know what will make a specific someone say “yes!”.

Knowing an individual’s personal and professional background can help keep the conversation going.

You can usually find what you are looking for with a few taps on your smartphone.

Take advantage of this convenience by making it a habit to look up necessary details. Information on products/services, clients, companies, competitors and various studies are useful data.

A critical thinker makes sure that they have the most up-to-date information before coming up with an argument.

5. Learn to use the right tone and pick the best choice of words

When you are trying to persuade someone, success does not depend on your message alone. Your delivery of the information and arguments are also a massive factor.

Your delivery can be improved in three aspects: confidence, tone, and choice of words.

First, you have to seem like you yourself believe and agree with what your arguments or whatever it is you are trying to make the other be convinced of – that is confidence.

Your body language must indicate so as well; do not be stiff but avoid excessive movements as well. With regards to tone, you will have to change it according to who you are talking to.

It is better to adjust according to how the other speaks; if he/she is very formal, you will have to avoid being too casual and use complete words instead of abbreviated or colloquial ones.

You have to be picky about the words you use. Make sure they will not offend anyone; saying “just kidding” at the end will not help your situation.

6. Stop assuming and start asking

There is a great tendency to make judgements and assumptions about a client or a customer.

While this might work out at times, it is not a risk worth taking. The better thing to do is to provide the different available options and information and let them decide for themselves.

If you think some information from them will help, do not be afraid to ask questions.

This is very helpful in the process of persuasion; aside from the fact that you might get useful information that can strengthen your arguments, it will also give out the impression that you are interested in their concerns and are really focused on them.

This alone might not lead to the “yes” you are seeking, but it will definitely add some plus points.

7. Practise

This is one thing all of us should never forget to do. If you really want to be better at persuading people, you have to consciously work on improving your skills, and you can do that by practising regularly.

Start with identifying your strengths and weaknesses; this will make the job easier for you since you can put more attention and focus on being better at your weak points.

Practising speaking in front of a mirror can get you far. The kind of tone and language you use when you are thinking also matters; try thinking in straight, formal, and grammatically-correct sentences instead of broken phrases, words, and lines.

This will make the flow of words easier once you are actually speaking.

This article first appeared in The New Savvy.

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