Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, was one of the great masters of persuasion. In his product launch speeches, he would talk about the features of something he had not yet named, leave pauses to build expectation, and finally pull an iPhone out of his pocket. In this way, he was able to persuade his audience and make them want a product they had not yet been able to touch or try.
What Steve Jobs did masterfully to persuade them was to use intrigue. He didn't reveal all the details until the last moment. He told a story and created expectation. That is how he captured people's attention and created emotion. It's not about winning, it's about persuading, convincing another person to do something voluntarily.
It's also important to distinguish between selling and persuading. Winning involves a struggle, a confrontation with another person, but if we act with respect and wisdom, we will understand that winning is just something that satisfies our ego and we don't need it. We need to find and have the wisdom that our goal should not be to win, but to persuade and convince another person to do what we want because they want to do it.
Techniques for Persuasion
One of the tools that can be used to persuade someone is reverse psychology, a behavioral technique used by psychiatrist and author Viktor Frankl. Reverse psychology consists of changing a person's behavior by telling them to do what we do not want them to do. In this technique, we use aspects opposite to our goal so that the person rejects our suggestion and does what we really want. In this way, the person will resist taking orders and end up doing what we want. Therefore, the technique works because of what is called "psychological resistance," which occurs when we are told something that we think may be a restriction on our freedom and ability to make decisions.
On the other hand, researchers at Yale University, including Hovland and McGuire, conducted a study on persuasion. They concluded that for a persuasive message to change attitudes and behavior, it must first change the recipient's thoughts or beliefs. This change occurs whenever the recipient receives beliefs different from his or her own that are associated with stimuli. There are four key elements to the persuasion process. The effectiveness of a persuasive message depends on them, and they are: the source, the content of the message, the communication channel, and the context.
How can you persuade others?
The art of persuasion is a complex learning process involving many factors such as intelligence, empathy, humor, sincerity, respect, a genuine willingness to unite positions to reach an agreement... Therefore, with intelligence and respect, we will comment on some of the secrets of the art of persuasion.
Sincerity - The source of the persuasive message is linked to sincerity. The source must be seen as trustworthy and genuine for the message to be sincere. It's good to think of our interlocutor as an intelligent person who will know if our message is sincere or not. Fabricated evidence or facts should not be used; if our interlocutor catches us in a lie, we and any of our messages will lose all credibility.
Timing - For our message to be effective and persuasive, the timing of our communication is critical. It's also important not to use too much embellishment so that the main message is not lost. It's also necessary to know how to manage silence and remain silent when we should.
The Experience of Others - The third element is based on the importance of considering the value of sincere testimonials from other people. Many companies today have achieved their success based on the testimonials and experiences of others. What a third party or a user says about a company is more credible than what the company says about itself, which is why collaborative companies based on user opinions and mutual cooperation are increasingly developing.
Persuade Through Reciprocity - This is the last basic element of persuasion. When we receive something, we feel indebted to the giver. That's why the technique of giving free samples is used in marketing to attract customers, or in spy movies, we often see scenes where the protagonist, to gain someone's trust, tries to get them to give him something, even if it's just a toothpick. But in this sense, it is necessary to consider who we are dealing with and what their needs are. In this way, we will create an environment of reciprocity and exchange to be able to persuade intelligently.
The art of persuasion is not an innate gift. Instead, people who pay attention to the needs and interests of others can persuade them with empathy and with messages and actions that encourage others to follow them because their messages align with their goals or ambitions.