9 Ways to Be More Persuasive and Influential – Even If You’re an Introvert
Persuasion and influence are some of the most important factors in determining whether you succeed in life, create meaningful relationships, and achieve your goals. Without the power to lead others’ around to your way of seeing things, you are unlikely to be able to realize your full potential in life.
Persuading and Influencing Skills Are For Everyone – Extrovert or Introvert
Persuasion and influence are tools that you can use and learn – but the only catch is, you have to make the commitment to develop them gradually. Unless you have a very thorough understanding of these techniques, you will be unlikely to achieve the results that you envision. Every time you talk with someone, whether it’s a casual conversation with a friend, or a high-stakes sales presentation, even chatting about your future with your significant other, you are presenting ideas and trying to convince people of their validity. If they agree with you, they will go along with your plan and help you to achieve it, whatever it may be. If they disagree, if you cannot convince them, they put up resistance and do not go along with your plan.
There are a lot of techniques, and it takes some time to master them all, you listen, learn, absorb, and practice as time allows, at your own pace. The thing is when you start to see the effect that you will have on people, and in your life, as you begin to apply conversational hypnosis, you will jump in with both feet. You will literally start seeing results in people in just a day or two, and you will feel your own confidence level skyrocket, and that is a priceless feeling.
Article Index
- Conversational Hypnosis – Rapport, Confuse, Suggest
- Expand your Knowledge
- Practice Active Listening
- Have Humility
- Maintain Eye Contact
- Have a Sense of Humor
- Be Receptive to Others’ Opinions
- Smile
- Know a Role Model
- Prepare Ahead of Time
Conversational Hypnosis – Rapport, Confuse, Suggest
For starters, it is relative easy to learn conversational hypnosis because you have to stick to three principles that are easy to remember – rapport, confusion, and suggestion. For example, if someone is complaining that the weather is cold then all you have to do is agree with him or her. Agreeing with them will provoke you to talk to them more because they will automatically begin a conversation. This is human nature, and it is at that instance that conversational hypnosis begins. That is rapport.
Then confusion. Although the individual is feeling the cold, you can confidently answer that it will be warming up soon. This confuses them because they have not thought of that possibility at all and are so focused on feeling cold at that present moment that they do not process it and take your statement as truth. Having the power to influence their change of mind will help you to overcome any issues you had with your self-confidence. The first time you do this will elevate your self-confidence and enable you to unlock your hang-ups and escape the chains that socially bound you.
Finally, there is the suggestion or hypnosis persuasion. All you have to do is continue the conversation in a positive vein and then introduce the possibility that is it beginning to warm up already. They will almost certainly agree with you because the mind will have tricked them into believing it and they begin to change their negative outlook into a positive one! Of course, you can use this with almost anything and not just the weather, but this simple example has helped to illustrate what conversational hypnosis is and what’s possible when science meets the art of persuasion.
By improving your communication skills, you will negotiate better, be persuasive, excel at interviews, sell more, and to positively influence even your boss and colleagues. Finally, family members and your friends will see things more your way.
To be more persuasive, and not be at a loss for words, here are some tips.
Expand your Knowledge
Effective speakers are knowledgeable. They are well-educated in their favorite areas. They can talk about many interesting things. They command attention since they know what are talking about. They cite facts and figures. They can also hook your attention with interesting interpretations. Thus, to be persuasive, you have to be knowledgeable.
Practice Active Listening
Persuade others; you have to understand what they have in mind. The way to find out is by asking open-ended questions and attentively listening to the answers. It’s almost impossible to be convincing without listening.
Have Humility
Naturally, leaders have humility. They influence people by not assuming an imagined superiority. They make people feel comfortable when around them. People open- up and share their thoughts and feelings. They are approachable, not afraid to be human, and even nurturing.
Maintain Eye Contact
When you give somebody your attention, look into their eyes. This shows that you consider them as important. Looking around or looking away while talking, tells them you don’t value them. Sufficient eye contact creates a sense of rapport.
Have a Sense of Humor
The quickest way to win people over is by making them laugh. It’s almost to impossible not to like, admire, and respect a person who is humorous. It’s difficult to disagree with a person when you feel good about something he has just said.
Be Receptive to Others’ Opinions
Some people don’t like others. They rather, interact with computers, machines, or interesting books. In fact, they feel uncomfortable with others. Persuasive people are not preoccupied. They are open to others and receptive to what they say, think, and feel. They are approachable and friendly because they have people skills.
Smile
A smile, like an eye contact, is a non-verbal, rapport-builder. You can better express what you’re saying when you smile.
Know a Role Model
One way to move from feeling inhibited is to associate yourself with people who are naturally are talkers. Listening to them, automatically you will develop a knack for building rapport. You’ll also learn how to communicate engagingly.
Prepare Ahead of Time
In a formal setting, like a job interview, in business negotiation, knowing what you will say in advance. This results in a marvelous fluency when you present your point. So, rehearse and practice what you intend to say.
Practice these skills in every area of your life. You can practice this technique all day long in various situations. Use the art of persuasion with every person you talk to by first finding common ground, build trust and be understanding by listening intently to them; offer advice or make recommendations and see if they take you up on it. As your confidence grows in this technique of persuasion, don’t be surprised if people begin asking for your advice all the time.
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