How to Persuade

Goals

  1. Explain how to persuade.
  2. Excel at persuasion.

Persuasion (What)

Persuasion is the process of influencing others to do one or more of the following:

  1. Change their beliefs.
  2. Take specific actions.
  3. Shift aspects of their identity.

Excelling at persuasion means consistently getting great results ethically.

Rationale

  1. Get others to act in their own self interest and thereby improve their lives. This is the ultimate in caring about others.

  2. Be ethical.

Persuasion (How To)

Repetitions: To grow your persuasive power and eventually excel, repeat the following pattern systematically.

  1. Goal: Define what you want your target to:

    • Believe
    • Do
    • Become (in terms of identity shift)

  2. Analysis: Break the challenge into parts. Ask:

    • Power: Who has more power—your target or you?
    • Stakes: What’s at stake for each of you?
    • Rewards: What are the potential rewards for both parties?
    • Drawbacks: What are the possible costs or risks?
    • Resistance: How open or resistant is your target?
    • Resources: What resources (time, energy, credibility, etc.) can you or should you invest?

  3. Method and Plan: Choose the most effective method(s) for your situation (see next section). Create a step-by-step plan to apply them.

  4. Execution: Carry out your plan with skill, timing, and sensitivity.

  5. Reflective Thinking: Afterward, reflect to:

    • Deepen your understanding of persuasion.
    • Improve your skills.
    • Decide on next steps or follow-up actions.

The method just outlined is called Deliberate Practice (DP). DP is super enjoyable and easy once you build skill with it. With DP, we take on real tasks, get feedback, and watch ourselves improve. It’s backed by solid scientific research and feels great when you’re in the flow. If you want to learn faster and better, give it a try. To get started, check out The Learning BookCourse.

Tips

  1. There are many methods because persuasion has many contexts (surrounding circumstances).

  2. My favorite method is PSSA (pissa) because it covers many situations and it is highly effective.