The Power of Persuasion at Work

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Venesaho: We tend to forget when we're trying to persuade some one on two sides. She says it's so much easier to persuade the person who's closer, and you're more likely to be successful. But she adds that sometimes people aren't ready to show their side of the story. Venesaho suggests giving them time to digest what they've been told before following up with a follow-up request.

We all need to be persuasive. Maybe you’re trying to get clients to buy into your idea, trust your expertise, or sign on with your company. Or perhaps you want to convince colleagues to start a new initiative, or kill one you think is doomed to fail. Which persuasion tactics are most effective? How do you know if someone is starting to be swayed by your reasoning and what else might you try to win their full support? If you’ve failed to persuade but still believe in the cause, what’s the strategic way to try again?

An expert on influence at work answers these questions and more. We’re joined by a woman working in construction who shares her successful and unsuccessful attempts to persuade others and we highlight key principles and techniques that we can all use.

Guests:

Raven Hoffman is a senior estimator for a tile and stone contractor.

Vanessa Bohns is a professor of organizational behavior at Cornell University and the author of the book You Have More Influence Than You Think: How We Underestimate Our Power of Persuasion, and Why It Matters.

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