Persuasion Effective Strategies for Getting Others to Do What You Want Them to Do A Presentation for the Ohio Network of Physician Recruiters

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PersuasionEffective Strategies for Getting
Others to Do What You Want Them to DoA
Presentation for the Ohio Network of Physician
Recruiters

• Kendall L. Stewart, M.D.
• October 27, 2004 Draft

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Why is this important?

• All of us are constantly being persuaded.
• Most of us are continually trying to persuade
  others.
• Persuasive skills are critical to every leaders
  success and most folks happiness and
  contentment.
• But the ability to resist persuaders is important
  too.
• With insight and effort, all of us could improve
  our persuasive skills and increase our resistance
  to distracting persuaders.
• This presentation will provide insight.
• The effort is up to you.

• After listening to this presentation, you will be
  able to
• Give three reasons why the ability to persuade is
  critical to every leaders success.
• Cite three reasons why successful people are very
  discriminating about which persuaders they will
  permit to engage them.
• Describe three practical strategies for
  persuading others more effectively

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Why must successful leaders become effective
persuaders?

• Organizational excellence is a team sport.
• Every leader is competing with an endless number
  of other persuaders.
• Every potential supporter already has a long list
  of priorities and these will not change unless
  the leader makes a compelling case.
• Most peopleeven the well-intentioneddo not know
  what to do next.
• The typical leader focuses on others failure to
  follow instead of their own failure to lead.
• This posture permits them to excuse their
  ineffectiveness as a persuader and dramatically
  limits their opportunities to make a difference.

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Why do successful people ignore most persuaders?

• Most persuaders offer distractions, not
  strategies (fad diets).
• Most persuaders seek consumers, not producers
  (movie rental vendors).
• Most persuaders hawk illusions, not reality (diet
  pills).
• Most persuaders sell easy, not hard
  (battery-powered exercise belts).
• Most persuaders promise quick results, not
  gradual progress (day trading).
• Most persuaders promote gratification, not
  self-denial (large meal portions).
• Most persuaders promote longing, not acceptance
  (skinny models).
• Most persuaders foster dissatisfaction, not
  contentment (the latest styles).
• Most persuaders pursue their own best interests,
  not yours (brokers).

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What are some effective strategies for persuading
others effectively?

• Take persuasion seriously.
• Evaluate your need to persuade.
• Be persuaded yourself.
• Prepare to persuade.
• Choose the right moment.
• Ask permission to persuade.
• Focus on the common ground.
• Make a compelling case.
• Persuade ethically.
• Address resistance directly.
• Persuade tentatively.

• Utilize clarifying questions.
• Persuade repetitively.
• Use market forces to your advantage.
• Identify and address perceived needs.
• View persuasion as an investment.
• Admit the weaknesses in your case.
• Be open to effective rebuttal.
• Give something in return.
• Take responsibility for your mistakes.

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Ask permission to persuade.

• Why should you?
• Conveys respect
• Obtains informed consent
• Focuses listeners attention
• Invites critical thinking
• Holds the persuader accountable for making the
  case
• Clarifies expectations
• Sets a time limit
• Encourages clarifying questions

• How can you?
• Is this a good time?
• Can I set up a time to make my case?
• Now, Im doing my best to sell you on this.
• May I make my best case?
• I realize that it is unreasonable to expect you
  to embrace my position unless I make a
  compelling case.
• I want to make sure that I address all of your
  questions or concerns.
• Have I made my case?

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Address resistance directly.

• Why should you?
• Resistance always exists.
• Failure to address this up front is a major
  tactical mistake.
• Those who will raise these issues openly are the
  leaders friend, not her enemy.
• Identifying barriers to successful persuasion
  early in the persuasion cascade is critical.
• This approach enhances the leaders credibility.
• Openness disarms those who are inclined to be
  disruptive.

• How can you?
• Realize that resistance will occur.
• Identify it early.
• Admit the weaknesses in your argument early.
• Make critics comfortable with voicing their
  concerns.
• Thank critics for voicing their concerns
  appropriately.
• Thank them for voicing their concerns
  inappropriatelyjust not as enthusiastically.
• Ask the critics how their resistances could be
  overcome.

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View persuasion as an investment.

• Why should you?
• Encourages careful preparation
• Demands thoughtful deployment
• Calls for a respectful approach
• Permits episodes of irreconcilable differences
• Minimizes win-lose mentality
• Decreases the emotional stakes around a given
  issue
• Permits partial commitment
• In most organizations, the relationshipnot a
  given issueis what matters.

• How can you?
• Remind yourself of this reality every time you
  begin the persuasion process.
• State this priority publicly.
• Make it clear whether you are
• Informing
• Consulting, or
• Seeking consent.
• If you dont, they will assume you are seeking
  consent.
• Never pretend to persuade if the decision is
  already made.
• Ask them to give it a chance as a personal favor
  to you.
• Remind them that change is expected as a part of
  continuous improvement.

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What can you conclude?

• The ability to persuade others is a critical
  coping skill.
• The ability to resist persuaders wiles is also a
  critical coping skill.
• While not everyone is a natural persuader, a
  little improvement goes a long way with this
  skill.
• Because there are so many inept persuaders in the
  world, standing out from the crowd is not all
  that hard.
• The practical strategies weve discussed can
  really make a difference in your work and your
  life.
• But thinking about these approaches in not
  enough.
• You must actually try these things!

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Where can you learn more?

• Cialdini, Robert B. Influence The Psychology of
  Persuasion, Quill, 1984.
• Gardner, Howard. Changing Minds The Art and
  Science of Changing Our Own and Other Peoples
  Minds. Harvard Business School Press, 2004.
• Packard, Vance. The Hidden Persuaders. Pocket,
  1984.
• Stewart, Kendall L., et. al. A Portable Mentor
  for Organizational Leaders. SOMCPress, 2003.

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How can you contact me?
Kendall L. Stewart, M.D. Medical
Director Southern Ohio Medical Center President
CEO The SOMC Medical Care Foundation, Inc. 1805
27th Street Portsmouth, Ohio 45662 740.356.8153
stewartk_at_somc.org Webmaster_at_KendallLStewartMD.c
om www.somc.org www.KendallLStewartMD.com
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What questions remain?
www.somc.org
Southern Ohio Medical Center
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Performance ?