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Mark Clemente is a business consultant I met online. He sent me an intriguing e-mail noting that all effective persuasion tactics stem from the ancient teachings of Greek philosopher Aristotle. Some of his key lessons, which are incorporated in his book Winning Through the Art of Words, include:
- Show Credibility– Aristotle wrote extensively about the “ethical appeal” or ethos, which emphasizes the importance of establishing your credibility as a principal means of persuasion. Take stock of what you have done in the past – including specific personal and professional accomplishments – that highlight your ethos (“wisdom, moral character, and good will” – as Aristotle would say). Factor these into your personal messaging or “positioning” to cite, where appropriate, in face-to-face and written communications.
- Find Ways to Identify with Your Audience – The importance of striking a common bond with your listener is a core strategy of rhetoric. Aristotle places emphasis on audience analysis to establish how a speaker and audience are similar in terms of shared interests, beliefs, background, etc. For upcoming interviews or new-business meetings, conduct online research to spot ways to identify with the people with whom you’ll be meeting. Then strategically work those identification opportunities into your overall messaging and communication approach.
- Use Logic – Persuasion requires sound reasoning. In this context, Aristotle wrote of the “logical appeal” or logos and use of the rhetorical syllogism. This is a series of statements comprised of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion – where, “If A is true, and B is true, then C must be true.” The syllogism is another valuable tool for messaging and communication strategy development. Articulating a syllogism that advances your position – in terms of an advantageous conclusion – provides a solid structure for crafting any persuasive communication.
- Incite Positive Emotions – Aristotle’s “emotional appeal” or pathos highlighted the importance of establishing a specific emotion in your listeners in order to facilitate persuasion. It’s necessary, wherever possible and appropriate, to incite positive emotions in your audience that will help instill positive feelings toward you. Aristotle wrote of the importance of human emotions such as emulation, confidence, and friendship – for example, a salesperson “tries to make a friend” in establishing a new-business relationship.
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Comments
05.12.09
Interestingly enough, these are some of the same principles of stand-up comedy.
Show credibility: "You've seen him on Comedy Central and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, welcome to the stage..."
Find ways to identify with your audience: "How many married couples do we have in the audience? Here's what I think about marriage..."
Use logic: "If the opposite of pro is con, what's the opposite of progress?"
Incite positive emotions: That's what laughter is!
Not sure what that means, other than maybe comedy is a good tactic for persuasion. I just found it interesting.
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