Linked Table of Contents:

• What do you understand by influence and persuasion?

• Importance of Influence and Persuasion In Leadership

• Six Principles of Persuasion

• Why should your child learn the art of influence & persuasion?

• Why are persuasion and influencing skills important in life?

• Benefits of having skills in influence and persuasion.

• How to improve the art of influencing and persuasion?

• Influence and persuasion in public speaking

• Conclusion

Importance Of Influence And Persuasion In Leadership

Influence and persuasion are the two key ingredients in making successful leaders. The knowledge of influence and persuasion helps in all aspects of life. Whether convincing your family for a school trip, buying something at the store, or motivating effective changes in your employees, influence and persuasion are integral parts of our lives. Many times, good persuasive skills can even determine our success and failure. When you are giving an interview for your dream job, your skills to convince those hiring would turn your dreams into reality. To use these skills for our benefit and the benefit of others, it is important first to understand what influence and persuasion.

What do you understand by influence and persuasion?

Influence and persuasion seem like the same concepts to a layman, but they are not the same. There is a small difference between these two terms. Influence is the first step of setting the ground with logical facts and highlighting a problem to motivate a change. This makes persuasion easier. For example, try to recall a shampoo advertisement. These ads first identify a problem, maybe hair fall and then tell you how using that particular shampoo can help you dramatically reduce hair fall. And you feel the need to replace your current one with the new product. Learn more about Influence and Persuasion by booking a FREE Class Now!

Let’s try to understand influence and persuasion by their definition:

Influence is envisioning the benefits of a possible outcome to motivate change in a person’s behaviour and attitude or situation. It is the first step of bringing some important issues to light to explore the necessity of taking action and inducing change.

Persuasion means to sway others’ decisions. Persuasion targets the listener's emotions to convince them and induce a change in their behaviour or attitude. The speaker uses powerful words to strike a positive response in the listeners.

Examples of influence and persuasion in everyday life.

• Advertisements: We see many ads on TV, radio, and even on our phones and laptops. These ads influence our decision to buy their products.

• Political Campaigns: Very important decisions like giving our vote are influenced by the campaigns of political leaders.

• Social Media: Social media has become a booming platform for marketers to promote their products. Social media also affects our social and political views, the way we dress, and the kind of lifestyle we lead.

• Influencers and Motivational Speakers: Nowadays, you don’t have to fly across cities to hear a motivational speaker tell you how to bring positive changes in your life. They have private channels that you can easily access in the comfort of your home, and platforms like TED bring together great speakers and scholars from all around the world to influence change in society.

Importance of Influence and Persuasion In Leadership

Influence and persuasion are the acts of making people take certain actions by changing their belief system. Persuasion might seem like manipulating others to get things done according to your need. But that is not the whole truth. Persuasion is an art that can bring positive societal changes when practised in the right manner. We all need the skills of influence and persuasion in our everyday lives to get our jobs done.

And these skills hold prime importance in leadership. Great leaders are very important for every society. They have the potential to churn the best results in any given circumstances. They inspire others and help organisations achieve their goals by telling them what they should do and what they should do. This ability to develop logical solutions for any problem is derived from influence and persuasion training. Learn all this and much more in a 90 day course! Book a FREE Class Now! Let us analyse in detail how these skills are important in leadership: 

• Influence others

A good leader motivates and inspires. The influence and persuasion skills enable you to motivate your employees, friends, or family to take remarkable actions. But to inspire change in others, you have to build an effective personality. Starting the persuasion and influence training from an early age helps develop strong characteristics and a shining personality. 

• Make yourself heard

The art of persuasion enhances your public speaking skills giving you an edge over others. With persuasion, you develop strong opinions fueled by logic and intellect. It will enable you to put forth your ideas and thoughts more clearly, appealing to the minds and hearts of people so that you will be heard and recognised.

• Get cooperation and support

Great leaders are made through the support and cooperation of their community. It doesn’t take long to earn trust and build credibility with a thought-provoking rationale and gain people’s support. Persuasive skills are not only needed in swaying people’s decisions, but these skills are also important in developing strong bonds with friends or at the workplace.

• Enhance communication skills

The most important advantage of learning the art of influence and persuasion is gaining excellence in communication. Communication is a crucial part of our lives. And especially if you are a leader or aspiring to become one, having great communication skills is extremely important. The higher credentials you earn for yourself, the better you expect. If you are to lead a team, you need strong communication skills. With early training in influence and persuasion, it becomes easier to acquire strong communication and develop leadership qualities. PlanetSpark has been able to develop confidence in 1lac+ students! BOOK a FREE class for yourself now!

• Increase self-awareness

Self-awareness is an essential component in shaping our view in other people’s eyes. Strong personalities inspire people and stir societal changes. ‘To err is human’, but influence and persuasion training teaches individuals to self-reflect and rectifies the faults that can become a hindrance in their path to becoming a great leader.  

Six Principles of Persuasion

1. Reciprocity

When we help others for selfish reasons, we expect them to return the favour. People tend to repay others if they have shown acts of kindness before without putting any conditions or immediately asking to do something in return.

Imagine a scenario where you are desperate for help, and your friend agrees to do what you want from them. Will you not remember their act of kindness and go ahead to return their favour when they need help.

In a political context, leaders make schemes and policies for teh development of society and work for the benefit of the people to get votes in the next elections and retain their position and power.

2. Scarcity

Scarcity is the most commonly used tool to persuade people. You must have heard or seen many advertisements describing a scarcity of products to persuade you to decide for their benefit. Whenever there is a lack of something, it tends to develop a ‘fear of missing out.’

Let us take an example of shopping websites that effectively use scarcity to create catchy headings to understand this concept. You must have witnessed this line many times “Only 1 left in stock!” Marketers use these tactics to create a sense of urgency in customers to create more conversions.

So, the point is that people value possessing things that are rare and ‘selling fast’, or in a general sense, if things are scarce, people would want to have them even if they don’t need them.

3. Authority

It is well-known that anyone would believe an authority figure over a common person. When we cite figures or important facts, we usually mention that it has been proved in a study or research to show authenticity. You must have seen advertisements where scientists wearing lab coats are shown to prove the effectiveness and quality of a product to influence people that the experts verify their products.

4. Consistency or Commitment

People tend to maintain consistency with their past behaviours. If they have made certain decisions in the past, they are more likely to repeat them. This principle of persuasion helps many industries and companies develop a community of loyal and committed customers.

Many sites ask their prospects to share their page or like their post on social media. Those who do it, in the beginning, are likely to repeat their actions. In a general sense, consistency or commitment enables you to create a long-lasting influence on people.

5. Social Proof

You don’t buy a product before checking its reviews online. You are less likely to sit in an empty restaurant or cafe than the one where there is waiting; of course, unless your peers have recommended it, you would prefer a quiet place.

The point is that people give importance to the actions of others. If you have to convince your friends to plan a trip next month, you need to select a location in which you have verifiable social proof. It can be anything from someone’s experiences, blog posts, or vlogs. Companies leverage reviews and customer testimonials to convince their prospects that they are making the right investment.

6. Liking

We are more easily influenced and persuaded by those who we like and trust. So, developing liking and strong bonds with people enables us to have an influencing benefit over them. If you have a liking for someone, it will be easier for you to trust them. This is why our favourite celebrities easily persuade us. In companies, employees try to build rapport with their clients by targeting commonalities between them. This helps them to earn their trust and generate more leads.

Why should your child learn the art of influence & persuasion?

If you wonder how learning the art of influence and persuasion can help your children, many benefits can get them to a better future. Influence and persuasion training will give them a hold on their lives and make them strong and confident individuals. They won’t shy away from interacting with people and developing strong relationships. Mentioned below are the key benefits of influence and persuasion for kids:

• Building leadership qualities from an early age.

• Fine Tuning their communication skills.

• Learning to develop strong relationships with people based on trust.

• Getting prepared for a successful career in the future.

• Building credibility and earning the trust of people.

• Shaping a confident and convincing personality from an early age.

• Developing problem-solving abilities.

• Enhancing their emotional intelligence.

Why are persuasion and influencing skills important in life?

We come across various situations every day where we need to convince people to achieve our goals. Consider the example of salespeople who cannot achieve their monthly targets without mastering the art of persuasion to convince people to purchase their products. We use influence and persuasion in our daily lives to better our relationships. We have highlighted below how these skills are important in our lives:

• Develop a clear rationale

Knowledge of influence and persuasion develops logical and deductive reasoning. It helps us see clearly through a situation and analyse what is happening in that situation. Developing a clear rationale enables you to find the best solutions to any problem and offer your advice. Want to Develop critical thinking and growth mindset in 60 days? Book a FREE Class NOW!

You will always state well-researched facts to prove your point in a conversation with the correct logic and reasoning. People who exaggerate their points without valuing the correct information lose their credibility and trust. A clear rationale also keeps you away from the unethical tactics of others’ persuasion who use false information to manipulate people’s decisions.

• Build a successful career

Persuasive skills are beneficial in climbing the ladder of success in your chosen career. With an influencing personality, you can never go unnoticed at your workplace. People with strong personalities are always recognised and get rewarded for their skills. With the art of influence and persuasion, you can win support and get people to listen to your ideas.

If your job needs you to talk to customers and clients regularly, persuasive skills are essential to get your work done and convince them to agree. You can also motivate your team and bring positive changes in their attitude and behaviour with the help of persuasion.

• Gain self-confidence and self-esteem

The quality of making big changes and leading people in the right direction are not small tasks. Inculcating these abilities in life requires strong desire and determination. When you master the art of influence and persuasion, it gives you better control over your life, enhancing your self-confidence.

Achieving self-made goals and targets, building trust among colleagues and friends, and witnessing positive changes in your life, enhances self-esteem, and you feel more confident about achieving greater success.

• Become a leader

There is an important role of influence and persuasion in leadership. Great leaders encourage logical thinking and motivate action. They can influence others by making others see good in any opportunity through intellectual tactics. Leaders are self-aware, and they continually work on themselves for personal development. They move people toward innovation by appealing to the mind (rationality) and emotions in people.

The courses that teach influence and persuasion intend to develop a strong and inspiring personality to lead changes in an organisation and society. So, when you learn the art of influence and persuasion, you can produce great outcomes at your workplace and motivate others to bring out the best in them.

• Establish your career as a writer

Influence and persuasion skills are also quite effective in a writer’s career. With the help of these skills, you can craft your writing effectively by presenting your thoughts in a manner that stirs and motivates your readers.

• Make your opinions heard.

The power of rhetoric has been recognised since ancient times in history. The great Greek philosopher Aristotle highlighted the importance of rhetoric and gave a treatise on the art of persuasion as early as the 4th century BCE. With new information sprouting every day and so many people asserting their opinions on various social media platforms, the power of persuasion has become more important now than ever. Influence and persuasion training helps individuals find their voice and present their thoughts boldly and convincingly.

Benefits of having skills in influence and persuasion.

• Earn trust and respect from others.

• Carve your influential position in society.

• Advance in career.

• Develop strong and meaningful relationships with people.

• Become a part of bringing positive changes in the life of others.

• Achieve long term career goals.

• Build rapport with clients, customers, and colleagues.

• Influence important decisions for your benefit.

• Earn a position of responsibility.

• Get exposed to better opportunities to succeed in life.

• Gain strong communication skills and express yourself without any hesitation.

How to improve the art of influencing and persuasion?

• Active Listening

The most important aspect of persuading people is first being aware of their emotions. Leaders are empathetic towards people while addressing their problems. When you listen to what people are saying, you will find commonalities that you can relate to and earn their trust.

The courses that give influence and persuasion training teach active listening skills to students from an early age so that the kids pay attention to such details. Carefully listening and analysing people's problems also enhances the emotional awareness that is the first step in finding the problem and giving its solution.

• Improve communication skills

You can only influence and persuade people with excellent communication skills. If you convey your ideas in a clear and confident voice, then it is more likely that people will listen to you and get convinced. So, working on communication skills is crucial to improving influence and persuasion. Want help in developing communication skills in your child? Book a FREE Communication Class NOW! Professional training courses hone young kids in the art of public speaking and persuasion to prepare them for a successful future. 

• Develop logical and deductive reasoning

In order to learn the art of persuasion, it is essential to develop an analytical mind. Logical and deductive reasoning enables you to identify problems and find logical and effective solutions to solve them. Influence and persuasion training also enhances research skills in individuals to support their arguments with valid proofs and facts.

• Being agreeable

Good leadership qualities include being agreeable with the people you want to influence and persuade. If the leader is not respecting the beliefs of others, then people would feel that they are being manipulated or forcefully coerced. It will create a negative impact. Hence, it is important to learn to be agreeable even when the situation is not per your liking.

• Developing good interpersonal skills

Leaders leverage their strong network to advance in their careers and influence change. We all need good interpersonal skills to develop a trusting bond with people to persuade them. When people like you, it will be easier for you to influence and persuade them.  

Influence and persuasion in public speaking

Persuasive speaking is an important component of public speaking. Whether you are giving information in your speech or asserting your points, the skills of influence and persuasion decide whether you can convince your listeners.

We witness many signs of persuasion in public speaking, like marketing campaigns, advertising, the speech of political leaders and social activists, TED talks, and many more.

Persuasive speeches are given to influence people and seek attention towards speech, building trust with people and motivating change in others.

Conclusion

The skill of influence and persuasion is essential in our everyday lives. Knowing these two skills can bring effective changes in our lives and that of others. It helps people develop strong interpersonal skills to enhance their social relationships and win a buy-in. Learning these skills early in life prepares an individual for a successful career and develops a strong and influential personality.

FAQs

1. What are influences and persuasion?

Influence and persuasion are the two key ingredients in determining a successful life. The meaning of influence and persuasion is to sway others by causing changes in their behaviour and attitude and create a powerful response. Influence investigates what can affect people emotionally, and persuasion induces long-lasting changes by creating an environment of persuasion.

2. What type of influence is persuasion?

Persuasion is a powerful force that drives changes in people. It is distinct from coercion, where the listeners are brainwashed and do not get any choice but to act on their decision. So, influencing people can bring positive changes in society and change their beliefs, respecting their choices.

3. What are the six principles of persuasion?

1. Reciprocity

2. Commitment/Consistency

3. Social proof

4. Authority

5. Liking

6. Scarcity

4. What is an example of influence?

The most common example of influence is witnessing political leaders and social activists influencing change in society. Another example can be advertisements and social media influencing us to buy certain products.

5. What are the seven principles of influence?

1. Reciprocity

2. Commitment

3. Social Proof

4. Authority

5. Liking

6. Scarcity

7. Unity

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