Your voice is one of the most potent tools you possess.
You can be visionary, brilliant and skilled, but if you can’t convince others to support your mission, you won’t thrive. Simple as that.
I cringe when I see people use their voices aggressively, but I know it’s because they don’t understand the arts of discourse and persuasion. They think power only comes in the form of intimidation…passive or aggressive. They’re trying to strong-arm their way to success. Taking an argumentative posture is the opposite of influencing. It’s certainly a path, but it’s not one I recommend.
Instead I suggest you use your voice far more judiciously. Here are three tips for advancing your persuasiveness:
- Everything starts with listening. When you truly hear the other person’s view, you can see where there are common goals. You can find middle ground. And you can overcome objections.
- Never raise your voice or use an irritated tone. You’ve lost the race the moment this happens. If you find yourself growing irritated, take a breath. In fact take several. If you can’t speak with calmness and compassion, reschedule the conversation.
- Notice what’s in it for the other person. How will they benefit from your plan coming to fruition? Or, how can you support them with something they want to bring to life?
Experiment with the power of persuasion.
Lastly, I’m extending a warm welcome to all our new readers and a big thank you to those who’ve been reading this blog in it’s various iterations for more than a decade now. Your continued readership and support is greatly appreciated.
I want you to know that over the past few months I’ve been burning it up creating new content for you and building a new website to host that content. It’s all designed to help you lead and live better. I’ve been working on four new books and a few other cool digital products based on my most popular coaching programs. Many of these tools will become available when the new site launches in early 2014. Stay tuned.
Again, thanks for reading. As always I welcome your feedback.