How to Become More Convincing: 3 Original and Effective Methods

Some people are born charismatic leaders and gifted orators, but everyone can become more convincing. All you need is to master the right skills and get some practice. To boost your chances of success further, try combining different techniques to develop a unique personal persuasion style.

3 Tricks That Will Help You Become More Convincing

1. Amplifying Your Attitude

This method relies on the so-called ‘amplification hypothesis’, which is a proven method of influencing human attitudes. The essence of this method is to up your attitude to make others perceive you as more convincing. On the other hand, you can soften your attitude to ‘mellow out’ the audience. Choose the method based on the people you need to influence.

In practice this should work like this:

• Use emotional attacks and up your attitude when encountering resistance of an emotional nature.
• Use logical arguments and low-to-neutral attitude in arguments with cognitive-minded individuals.

2. Influencing a Highly Focused Mind

Influencing a thoroughly focused mind through suggestion is a practice often called ‘hypnosis’. Avicenna first documented this method of convincing in the early 11^th century. Since then, people developed numerous techniques of implanting subliminal suggestions. The majority of them focus on getting the other person relaxed and promoting specific reactions from them through verbal commands.

To achieve the desired state, a practitioner can use setting (aromatherapy, light, sounds) as well as various mental medication techniques. In essence, meditation during which one repeats specific mantras for confidence, calm, etc. is a form of self-hypnosis.

There are many methods of such influence that one can learn, but it’s imperative to be very careful when using them. You must also understand that this technique requires practice, time, and certain control over the interactions with your audience. Therefore, it might not help you become more convincing in everyday life. However, it certainly will allow you to make a more significant impact through private conversations.

3. Manipulating Information

Note that information manipulation doesn’t mean outright lying. In fact, it mostly relies on not telling lies but still breaking the Grice’s conversational maxims. This means that you must either omit or present information in a light that will benefit you personally.

For example, a student telling their professor that they’ve forgotten to hand in the essay on time because they suffered some personal drama. The student might very well have had some problem, like having their pet injured, breaking up, losing a job, etc. However, this doesn’t mean that they’ve done the essay on time and forgot about it. They also might have had this problem at a different time. The point is to be convincing when presenting only the information that helps persuade your conversation partner.

This method works best when you provide only snippets of information. Meanwhile, you must deliberately mention other topics or make references that will lead people to the conclusions you want them to make. The actual relationship between the topics is irrelevant for a master of this art.

Final Thoughts on How to Become More Convincing

According to Harvard Business Review, possessing the skill of persuasion is a necessity for success in the modern world. Mastering various skills on changing your attitude as well as influencing the opinions of others will help you become more convincing. Just be sure to use the right approach for the right audience.