Better Business Communication Day: the most important letter in "persuasion"

                             

        Better Business Communication Day: the most important letter in "persuasion"

Better Business Communication Day is January 20, 2014.  Much of business involves persuading others, or being persuaded (or not) by others. Here are some tips on how to persuade others, or to detect when others are trying to persuade you.

We persuade when we appeal to someone else's interests. For example, in his incredible speech, "I Have A Dream", Dr King spoke about the struggles that some of the listeners had gone through recently, such as coming out of jail. He also spoke about their common experiences in America.

In business, consider the concerns and needs of the person you are persuading. Does your supervisor want more prestige, lower operating costs, or higher productivity? Does your customer want less hassle, a more user-friendly device, or quicker service? These factors are usually grouped into more

(pleasure) or less (pain).

If you are being persuaded, try asking these four questions. First, what are the disadvantages to the proposed action? Second, do all the pieces of the proposed solution fit together, such as the vendors, time-frame, employee scheduling, and customer expectations? Third, ask if there is anything else you should know about this situation. Fourth, listen carefully for the persuader's emotional overlay, such as fear, excitement or frustration; ask how he feels about this and why. Then, say nothing for a few seconds. This will often bring forth additional information from the persuader.

So what's the most important letter in "persuasion"? Why, "u", of course!

This information is summarized from page 16 of the Executive Communication Techniques, an e-book by Business Speech Improvement. This tip-filled e-book offers techniques from 18 different vital communication needs of today's executive. Get the e-book now and be better prepared for work tomorrow!