“To be persuasive, we must be believable; to be believable, we must be credible; to be credible, we must be truthful.”~Edward R. Murrow
One of the leadership skills we teach is effective communication, and specifically persuasion and influence. Many clients come to us thinking there is a “magic bullet” to persuasion; that there are tricks of the trade that will enable them to persuade others to anything.
There are specific skills – it’s important to be aware of your audience and tailor your selling points accordingly. It’s essential to have the fine balance of passion, reason, and logic. It is helpful to pull on specific psychological principles of influence that will help guide your audience to your desired outcome. But most significant and effective is to simply tell the truth.
Just like cats can somehow sense the people who are allergic to them or who are simply not cat people and hop onto their laps, the people we interact with can most often tell when we’re not being truthful with them. The most fundamental aspects of persuasion are to know your facts and to know your truth – and to share that truth. This builds the arena of trust in which persuasion thrives. It strengthens the relationships in which persuasion blossoms. It reinforces the personal credibility upon with persuasion is built.
As you build your next case for persuasion, first make sure you are telling the truth – to yourself and to others.
Where can you be more truthful? How can you become more aware of all the facts the next time you’re set to persuade someone to your point of view?
Please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.
For support in telling your truth, contact Robyn at rmcleod@chatsworthconsulting.com.
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