When you address someone using “you,” you’re personalizing your message. You make it clear that you’re talking directly to them and considering their individual needs, thoughts and interests.
When you let the listener know you care about them, they’ll be more open to listening and agreeing with your persuasion efforts.
It’s tempting to be more formal when you’re addressing a group, like giving a speech or writing an email to a list of recipients.
It’s called the “generic you,” and its results are definitely not generic! It makes what you’re saying seem more personal and relatable, which will help you win people over.
“We,” “us” and “our” are inclusive words that show you consider yourself as part of the team. This creates a sense of unity and mutual collaboration.
When you position yourself as a partner to your listeners or readers, they’ll be more receptive to what you’re talking about, since you’re working with them, not preaching to them or ordering them to do something.
People like hearing their own names. It makes them feel like you really see them, and that they’re important to you.
Just don’t overdo it! If you keep using the person’s name over and over again, you wind up sounding insincere and will erase those goodwill feelings you had initially evoked.
You don’t want to sound like a broken record, but you do want to reiterate the idea or concept you are pitching two or three times, in subtly different ways. The last part is key.
when you’re trying to persuade someone to go along with your suggestion, don’t just state it flat out. Use someone specific as an example, even yourself, to explain why it works. Stories about people are more compelling than dry facts and figures.
Power words evoke a strong emotion in listeners and readers, sometimes without them even knowing it.
Of course, the specific words you’ll use depends upon what you’re trying to persuade someone to do, but some examples include: “proven,” “easy” and “new.”
It’s a common practice to use them in sales and advertising, but they work in personal or business situations, too.
Rhetorical questions — queries that don’t need an answer but can have one — get people thinking.
The result is people are usually more interested in what you’re talking about because you’ve engaged their imagination. And they’re subtly guided to the conclusion you want them to come up with, without having to hammer it home.
After you’ve mentioned your main point, follow up with an explanation of why you’re bringing it up: “I need you to do this because…” or, “This new concept will work for us because…”
It’s human nature to react well to rational explanations. So when people hear “because,” they think you’re being reasonable and you’re sharing legitimate justification for your request. This makes them more inclined to go along with it.
Even if your “because” explanation isn’t that great, people will likely still be open to your proposition, because it sounds legitimate.
In that same vein, words and phrases that indicate “cause and effect reasoning,” such as “accordingly,” “consequently,” “due to,” “for this reason,” “since” and “therefore” can also help you craft a more persuasive and effective argument.
