I would like to share with you a recent article I read about effective persuasion by Lisa Lai, an advisor, consultant and coach for some of the world’s most successful leaders. Lai argues that in order to persuade an audience you must focus on either winning their hearts or their minds – and that to do both at the same time actually makes you less influential. If that sounds confusing, read on.
In her article, Lai suggests that you can persuade an audience by either:
- Connecting with people emotionally, on a personal level, to your idea or position.
- Using logic, well-articulated positioning and analysis in favor of your idea.
She recommends that you should heavily focus your argument on using just one technique, depending on the circumstances of the situation. Doing both at the same time ultimately makes you less convincing because you won’t have a solid foundation to build your argument from.
The article and Lai’s recommendations really got me thinking about the art of persuasion. Like other art forms there are many ways to practice it and you can get results by using a variety of techniques, just as artists do. Artists always have a plan when they conceive a piece of work, but may use many techniques to create it. For example, a painter may hold a paintbrush a certain way to achieve his desired stroke on a canvas, while another painter may hold the same paintbrush a different way, but achieve the same brush stroke – the same result, a different approach.
Lai’s recommendations are solid, but sometimes your technique for persuading your audience won’t always be so black and white.
Take storytelling, for example. Storytelling is inherent to what we do in PR, and crafting a clear story that compels journalists and their readers to probe deeper into a company or a product I represent is what I love to do. Often this requires appealing to my audiences’ hearts and minds.
For example, in a recent pitch that I sent to a journalist, I researched news, studies, statistics and data (logic) that would prove as evidence for why my client’s products/services benefited a particular audience, and then I tied that research and data to something that the audience could relate to; that the readers (of the journalist’s publication) would ultimately care about (emotional). Journalists tell stories that their readers care about, but they also want evidence to back it up. The pitch was effective and persuasive because it landed an article about my client’s services in front of their target audience.
Whether you’re actually speaking with someone verbally or using written form (e.g., email) as the vehicle for communicating with your audience, here are three tips that I’ve learned along the way for developing a persuasive story:
- Blend data with an emotional hook. In my experience, sometimes it’s the emotional aspect of a story that draws people in, but it’s the numbers or data that convinces them that your story is legitimate.
- Think critically and creatively. I have learned that bringing key story elements together and then breaking them apart, again and again can help you get down to the core of the story.
- Know your audience. No matter how I go about my creative process I always have a plan of where I want to go with a story, where I envision it will end, what it will look like, the overarching thesis of the story, as well as an idea of who my audience will be. Knowing who your audience is, and the best way to reach them, is key.
MAIN TAKEAWAY – There are a variety of approaches you can use to persuade an audience and using the power of storytelling can be an effective tool. Ultimately, in order to persuade your audience, you have to make them care.
For more of information and perspective on effective storytelling, check out these posts:
- Reflecting on Bob Simon & the Art of Story-Telling
- Once Upon a Time – Storytelling for Business
- The Power of a Personal Story