6.3 Persuasion

Persuasion is almost an art. In sales, the ability to persuade can have a direct relation on the success in closing the deal. In order to effective in persuading a person or group to agree to a certain point of view we should "know" our audience to some degree and prepare our case accordingly. When at a boardroom meeting with top executives you might want to assemble you data in such a manner that best communicates what you want them to see and hear. Use of graphs, spreadsheets, etc. having the same data can communicate a slightly differenct message simply by where the emphasis is placed......changing the format from numbers to percentages, changing the scale of a graph to accentuate a score when the score is marginal at best. We can do this in a fair and balanced manner which then allows others to accurately assess for themselves or we can skew the message by providing additional emphasis on some points and very little, if any, on other points.

Whether it is in the setting of the home or business, our ability or inability to effectively persuade can have varying results. At times it is of the utmost important that our persuasive ability is critical.......in raising our children we need communicate to them a variety of information that is not only for their general development, but also for their safety. On the other hand, we have seen company CEOs completely dismantle large businesses as a result of persuading others within the company to follow a certain business model. Enron is one example: this company falsified documents and continued to do so over time until the company no longer was capable to operate.

Instructors at different levels of our educational system have a fantastic opportunity to provide direction to others in how one can effectively listen and evaluate information. Lacking the such assessing skills can leave a person to come to inaccurate conclusions after hearing a speech or reading an article. Persuation in the media can not only consist of what is being presented but also how it is presented as well as what is left out of the discussion. Depending upon how the information is presented can determine how the audience responds.