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TRANSCRIPT
Local Commissioning Advocates
Commissioning in context
Persuasive communication
Supported by UCB Pharma through an educational grant.
UCB has no editorial control on the contents.
© Copyright Epilepsy Action 2012
Campaigning
Lobbying
Journalism
Public relations
Advertising
Negotiating
Selling
Influencing
Persuasive
communication
Promotion
Publicity
How the process works
Communication process
o Source
o Target
o Message
o Channel
Speak
Write
Draw
Look
Listen Read
The source (you!)
o Expertise makes you credible
o Genuineness makes you trustworthy
o Presentation makes you attractive.
These three characteristics make it more likely
you will be able to persuade.
The target (who you are influencing)
o Intelligence means they are more likely to understand your message and less likely to be persuaded by a one-sided argument.
o Self esteem - very high makes them resistant to changing what they feel is right and very low makes them feel threatened by you.
o Frame of mind, mood and environment are all important.
The message should be
o Simple
o Clear
o Succinct
o Repeated
Direct route: gives the arguments for (and
against)
Indirect route: emphasises the source – eg
eminent professor, NICE, DH, etc.
Techniques of persuasive
communication
1. Focus on the other person’s (or the
organisation’s) needs.
o First take the time to listen and understand.
o What are their drivers?
o What are their must-dos?
o What’s in it for them?
o Spell out the benefits.
o Build your communication around their
needs rather than your wants.
2. Use positive and persuasive
language, for example:
o The benefits to you will be..........
o It will help you deliver on ....... by .......
o What you will gain will be.......
o This will save you money by.....
o You will be able to show better value for
money by.......
o The evidence shows that .......is more cost-
effective because........
3. Stay focused and clear
o Stick to a few simple messages.
o Stick to the point.
o Refer to sources of evidence, but don’t quote
chapter and verse.
4. Reiterate
o It’s called the broken record technique:
keep saying the same thing – drive the
message home.
o Find different ways to deliver the same
message without sounding repetitive.
Common mistakes
o Using logic, persistence and personal
enthusiasm to get others to buy into the
idea.........
o .........is just not enough!
But this is what we all tend to do
Things that don’t work
o Going for the “hard sell”
o Refusing to compromise
o Basing your approach on cast iron arguments
o Thinking you can succeed in a one-off
attempt.
So what works?
Jay Conger, Professor of Organisational
Behaviour at the University of Southern
California researched over a 12-year period the
characteristics of successful business leaders and
agents of change and studied the academic
literature on persuasion.
Conger, J.A., (198) The Necessary Art of Persuasion (Reprint) http://www.annbadillo.com/leadership/files/necessary_art_persuasion_jay_conger.pdf
Conger’s research indicated....
.....that effective persuasion involves four steps:
o Establish your credibility
o Identify common ground
o Use vivid language and compelling evidence
o Connect emotionally/build rapport
Establish your credibility
o Be consistent and reliable – say what you will
do and make sure that you do it
o Show that you are well informed
o Be trustworthy.
You want people to believe in you.
Identify common ground
o Find out what matters to the other person or people
o Do this by listening, having informal conversations as well as formal meetings
o Get to know those you wish to persuade
o Seek out ways of getting “win-win” (a shared solution or compromise).
You want people to feel you understand them.
Use vivid language and compelling
evidence
o Give examples and stories that bring the factual material to life
o Use vivid words and pictures to communicate more succinctly than using many words.
You want people to engage emotionally with the subject.
Connect emotionally
o Be aware of and “own” your emotions and
let them be visible, without becoming florid
o Try to read and get a good sense of the
other person’s or people’s emotional state
o Smile!
You want to build a rapport.
Local Commissioning Advocates
Commissioning in context
Persuasive communication
Supported by UCB Pharma through an educational grant.
UCB has no editorial control on the contents.
© Copyright Epilepsy Action 2012