The Subtle Art of Persuasion and Influence
At the most basic level, influence and persuasion hinge on arousing specific emotions in others.
Persuasion is the art of swaying others and winning them over to your ideas or proposed course of action. People who are persuasive or who have influence are skilled at winning people over and adjusting their presentations to appeal to their audience.
A couple of years ago, I was privileged to be part of an exciting start-up competition called RampUp Weekend Manitoba. The premise for this competition was simple, about 50 competitors pitched their business ideas to strangers. Competitors then tried to persuade others to join their team and transform their ideas over the weekend of the competition into a live business. Business ideas were then presented to a panel of judges for amazing prizes.
I had a business idea that aimed to tackle the scourge of fake news and bias and was able to pitch my idea to strangers. I ended up putting together a strong team consisting of a lawyer and a couple of software developers to put together a minimum viable product.
Although my team didn’t win the competition, it was a good exercise in using my social skills to influence and persuade others to my cause. I have been able to improve these skills since then and they have been vital to my professional success. It has…
