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The 4 Components of Successful Persuasion

July 25, 2000

* "Building Your Credibility
It is essential that our colleagues feel that both we and what we're proposing are credible.  Any doubts will undermine their confidence in the validity of our position and make it harder for them to agree to it.

* Finding the Common Ground
Understanding what our colleagues are expecting, what they are concerned about, and what they are feeling is very important to persuasion.  We must demonstrate that what we're trying to persuade them is of shared concern to them and us.

* Developing Compelling Positions and Evidence
Think carefully about our co-workers and decide what types of evidence they will find compelling.  This evidence should make clear how advantageous for them the course you are recommending will be.  It should build their confidence that the outcomes you are predicting will actually occur or be delivered.

* Connecting Emotionally
Colleagues will also want to see if our position connects emotionally with their concerns and aspirations.  Ask yourself: Does my persuasion address my colleagues' emotional feelings about the situation?  Does it speak to their aspirations and address their fears?  When you connect to their emotions, your persuasion will have great appeal (Conger, 1998, pp. 44-45)."

Reference: Conger, J. (1998).  Winning 'em over: a new model for managing in the age of persuasion.  New York: Simon and Shuster.

How well are you able to persuade others?

Winning 'em Over is available on loan from the OSU Leadership Center.  A complete listing of all the Leadership Center's resources is available on our website www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~leaders

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Created: 2009-01-02, Updated: 2009-01-12