This is kind of communication that attempts to convince an audience to listen or give attention to what you are saying and agree with the communicator .
Persuasive communication uses a persuasive language which may be written, spoken or non-verbal to get others to agree with our facts, share our values, accept our arguments and even adopt our way of thinking.
In your professional activities, the ability to persuade others to agree with your ideas and believe them in writing or in speaking is a potent communication skill.
Some people are very convincing by the way they represent themselves in that they are attractive before they speak. This people understands that persuasion goes beyond words and may include:
- Looking presentable
- walk or sit in a manner that shows they are comfortable with who they are.(body posture)
- display an inviting gestures like eye contacts , smiles , open arms or other body languages that invites people to them.
- Keep a distance that is inviting instead of being aloof and repelling.
From the above points, it is clear that non-verbal language is very vital in supplementing spoken word in our effort to communicate persuasively.
We should also be able to persuade readers in our writings. This can be done by presenting good evidence that supports our arguments and conclusions, sticking to the topic of discussion, writing a well researched or useful information and eliminating grammatical and spelling mistakes by proofreading your work.
Some of the ways to persuade people in your communication includes:
- Presenting evidence
- attacking and presenting opposing views as weaker
- use of inclusive language with words like we, us, our that shows unity of purpose as opposed to words that shows individual opinions like and disconnect like i, you, them, they etc.
- use of humour
- showing cause and effect in your arguments
- using formal language
- use of specialized jargon that shows you are knowledgeable in the area you are arguing about and that you are professional.
- use of imagery and metaphors
- use of facts and expert opinions (quoting an authority in the field)
- presenting evidence with statistical data
- use of colloquial language that presents you as a down to earth and friendly person.
- use attractive voice tone
The tone of voice is a very handy tool in persuasive communication as it may attract or put off your audience.
vocabulary used to describe a persuasive tone includes:
- cheerful voice
- reasonable
- assuring
- torelant
- apologetic
- wise
- certain
- persuasive
- encouraging
- respectful
vocabulary that can be used to describe a tone that can put off your listeners includes:
- angry voice
- critical
- resentful
- judgemental
- pessimistic
- disappointed
- biting
- impatient
- authoritative
- disapproving
Being Assertive
Oxford dictionary defines assertive as an adjective of expressing opinions or desires strongly and with confidence, so that people can take notice.
Assertiveness is the quality of being self-assured and confident. It is described as the ability to stand up against adversity or opposition in a calm and positive way without being aggressive or passive in accepting other people’s opinion or views.
Assertiveness enables you express yourself in a clear, open and reasonable manner without undermining your own rights or those of others.
Assertiveness means you can get your points across without upsetting others or getting yourself upset.
Some of the characteristics of individuals who are not assertive includes:
- They always agree with opinion of others
- fear being judged and so avoid raising their voice over a matter
- cannot stand up for themselves
- find it hard to express what they feel
Indicators of assertive behavior
- Being prepared for meetings by seeking to know ahead of time the agendas and preparing on how to respond to them
- Honesty and openness in expressing one’s thoughts,wishes,feelings and defending one’s rights and letting others be able to do the same.
- Listening attentively to the views of others and responding appropriately even when you disagree with them.
- Exercising self control
- placing oneself at the safe level with others and not being authoritative
- Owning self mistakes and apologizing and allowing others to do the same
- Appreciating others regularly for their positive action
- Accepting responsibility from others and being able to delegate to them as well
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