Before we begin, remember these key points:
- Have a clear intention: What do you want to achieve through your conversation? Is it to convince someone to buy something, invest, or agree to something?
- Be strategic: Figure out what emotions the person needs to feel to take the desired action. This could be happiness, sadness, or excitement.
- Be flexible: Change your strategy if needed, based on the actual conversation and the person's response.
Here are 3 powerful techniques for influencing people through conversation:
1. Storytelling:
- Stories are great for evoking strong emotions in people.
- Tailor your story to your goal. For example, if you want to sell something, tell a story about a previous customer who benefited greatly from the product.
2. Suggestions:
- Suggestions are subtly influencing someone to do something by linking it to positive emotions.
- There are two types:Direct suggestions: Clear and straightforward statements, like "Can you open your hand?"Indirect suggestions: Disguised hints that nudge the person towards the desired action, like "Working on myself is so rewarding!" (This indirectly suggests the person should also work on themselves.)
- Always combine suggestions with emotions for maximum impact.
3. Feel it yourself:
- Emotions are contagious. If you project genuine enthusiasm, it can rub off on the other person and make them feel the same way.
- To influence someone to feel excited about something, genuinely feel the excitement yourself while speaking.
Remember:
- Mastering these techniques requires practice and development in:Emotional intelligence: Understanding and managing your own emotions, and recognizing and responding to others' emotions.Storytelling: Skillfully crafting engaging narratives.Delivering suggestions: Effectively using both direct and indirect suggestions.