10 tricks Persuasive People adopt to win others over

For many, the notion of a persuader means manipulative, forceful or pushy which is wrong in many ways. A proper implementation of persuasion strategies will allow you to influence with utmost integrity, making people to automatically trust you, gain confidence in you, and in the long run, they will do what you want to have them do. Persuasion is a skill that is instrumental to your success in life. Persuasive people have an ability to get you leaning toward their way of thinking. Their secret weapon is likeability. They get you to like more than their ideas; they get you to like them.

Here are the 10 tricks that persuasive people use to their advantage.

1. They Know their Audience

Persuasive people know their audience inside and out, and they use this knowledge to speak their audience’s language. Whether it is toning down your assertiveness when talking to someone who is shy or cranking it up for the aggressive, high-energy type, everyone is different, and catching on to these subtleties goes a long way toward getting them to hear your point of view.

2. They Connect

People are much more likely to accept what you have to say once they have a sense of what kind of person you are. However, they avoid getting too caught up in the back and forth of a particular discussion. The person you are speaking with is a person, not an opponent or a target. No matter how compelling your argument, if you fail to connect on a personal level, he or she will doubt everything you say.

3. They Are Not Pushy

Persuasive people establish their ideas assertively and confidently, without being aggressive or pushy. Aggressive pushers are a turn-off and will put most people on the defensive. It’s the person who rarely asks or argues that ultimately gets consideration when they strongly advocate an idea, especially when they do it with power and persistence. Pushy people are a huge turn off. Persuasive people don’t ask for much, and they do not argue vehemently for their position because they know that subtlety is what wins people over in the long run. If you tend to come across as too aggressive, focus on being confident but calm. Don’t be impatient and overly persistent. Know that if your idea is really a good one, people will catch on if you give them time.

4. They Use Positive Body Language

Becoming cognizant of your gestures, expressions, and tone of voice will engage people and open them up to your arguments. Using an enthusiastic tone, uncrossing your arms, maintaining eye contact, and leaning towards the person who is speaking are all forms of positive body language that persuasive people use to draw others in. Positive body language will engage your audience and convince them that what you are saying is valid. When it comes to persuasion, how you say something can be more important than what you say.

5. They Are Clear and Concise

Persuasive people are able to communicate their ideas quickly and clearly. When you have a firm grasp on what you are talking about, it’s fun and easy to explain it to those who don’t understand. A good strategy here is to know your subject so well that you could explain it to anybody, young or old. If you can explain yourself effectively to someone who has no background on the subject, you can certainly make a persuasive case with someone who does.

6. They Are Genuine

Being genuine and honest is essential to being persuasive. No one likes a fake. People gravitate toward those who are genuine because they know they can trust them. It’s difficult to believe someone when you don’t know who they really are and how they really feel. Persuasive people know who they are. They are confident enough to be comfortable in their own skin.

7. They Acknowledge Your Point of View

An extremely powerful tactic of persuasion is to concede the point. Admit that your argument is not perfect. This shows that you are open minded and willing to make adjustments, instead of stubbornly sticking to your cause. You want your audience to know that you have their best interests at heart. Persuasive people allow others to be entitled to their opinions and they treat these opinions as valid. They do this because it shows respect, which makes the other person more likely to consider their point of view.

8. They Paint a Picture

Studies show that people are far more likely to be persuaded by something that has visuals that bring it to life. Persuasive people capitalize on this by using powerful visual imagery. When actual images are not available or appropriate, these people tell vivid stories that breathe life into their ideas. Good stories create images in the mind of the recipients that are easy to relate to and hard to forget.

9. They Leave a Strong First Impression

Research shows that most people decide whether or not they like you within the first seven seconds of meeting you. They then spend the rest of the conversation internally justifying their initial reaction. First impressions are intimately tied to positive body language. Strong posture, a firm handshake, a smile, and opening your shoulders to the person you are talking to will help ensure that your first impression is a good one.

10. They Know When to Step Back

Urgency is a direct threat to persuasion, so tread lightly. When you try to force people to agree instantly, they are actually more likely to stand by their original opinion. Your impatience causes them to counter your arguments in favor of their own. If your position is strong, you shouldn’t be afraid to back off and give it time to sink in.