MAKING PERSUASIVE ARGUMENTS PODCAST LESSON TRANSCRIPT

Transcription

1 MAKING PERSUASIVE ARGUMENTS PODCAST LESSON TRANSCRIPT INTRODUCTION When you think about it, so much of business involves influencing others. Sometimes, the influence effort is effort-less. On other occasions, though, you will encounter objections. In this podcast, you will hear techniques that work, that help you get your message across. They will make your job of persuading others easier. Basically, when presenting an argument the recommendations are: 1. Remain professional at all times. 2. Restate the comment. 3. Convert the objection to a question, if possible. 4. Turn the objection around. 5. Cite research. 6. Anticipate objections. 7. Involve others. In the two situations that we re going to look at, we ll see how these recommendations are put into action. SITUATION 1 Listen now as Annette tries to persuade Roy. She feels their team should study a specific work process in order to improve efficiency. Roy thinks it would be a waste of time. Annette has just finished making her proposal at the weekly staff meeting. DIALOGUE 1 You just don t give up, do you, about flow charts? Roy, you know me. I m not a quitter. Flow charts are too important to give up. Don t you think we ve heard enough? Roy, you re not a quitter either. Remember last year when you fought to eliminate the organization chart? Everyone listened to you respectfully. Let me just say we have better things to study. I respect your opinion, but the research shows flow charting eliminates unnecessary steps in work processes. I don t see how it could. We ve done these processes the same way for more than 10 years now. And that s part of the problem. We haven t analyzed the steps in a long time to see if they can be streamlined. It s going to take a long time to do an analysis like that. What would you consider a long time? It ll probably take two weeks for each process. 1

2 Actually, I ve benchmarked with other divisions. With two people working on a given process, the study only takes three days. What other divisions are doing this? I ve talked to people in our three U.K. offices and also Mr. Patel in our Bangalore location. They ve all reported savings of both time and Well, I guess I ll support you. Just as long as I don t have to be part of the two-person study team. That s fine. As long as you will support our recommendations for streamlining the processes. DEBRIEF 1 You heard Roy make a rather impolite comment at the very beginning of this exchange. He said: You just don t give up, do you, about flow charts? But you also heard Annette refuse to respond to this. Instead, she maintained a professional stance. She said: Roy, you know me. I m not a quitter. She restated his comment by using some of his very words: Flow charts are too important to give up. To quit means to give up or stop doing something. She could also have said something like: No, I don t like to give up. The flow charts are so critical to cutting costs that I can t give up. I am willing to fight hard for causes that are worthy. And this one is worth our time. Flow charts are the only way to learn where we are being inefficient. Annette did something else that was both clever and persuasive. She turned the situation around. When she said: And neither are you. Remember last year when you fought to eliminate the organization chart? she reminded Roy of his own willingness to pursue something he believed in. She went further by saying: Everyone listened to you respectfully. In effect, she was asking Roy to extend her the same courtesy that had been extended to him. Other ways to express the same thought include: You were able to present your ideas without interruption. People withheld their objections until you had finished. Our team mates were willing to give your idea a try. 2

3 You know what it is like to fight for something you believe in. Annette is also a good listener. She heard Roy say: We ve done these processes the same way for more than 10 years now. She countered by using his fact as part of her argument. She pointed out: And that s part of the problem. We haven t analyzed the steps in a long time to see if they can be streamlined. Often, you can persuade others by using their own words. Annette might also have said: Ten years is a long time. We need some updates. The same way is not necessarily the best way. After 10 years, it s time to try something new. Roy voiced another objection when he stated: It s going to take a long time to do an analysis like that. Annette, though, used a question to show she was listening to him. Her question also clarified a misunderstanding on Roy s part. Annette asked: What would you consider a long time? By pressing Roy just a bit, she was able to gain an advantage. She was able to tell him that the study would take much less time than he thought. There are other tools Annette used in her effective persuasion. She showed she had done her homework by mentioning research. Also the fact that she contacted other offices shows that she knows what she is talking about. Here s what she said: Actually, I ve benchmarked with other divisions. In this case, the word actually is used to prepare the listener for an opposing viewpoint. By citing other divisions, Annette strengthens her case. She also weakens the opposition. This technique has other advantages. It shows she has involved others. And it nullifies Roy s argument that her plan is a waste of time. Others are using it and succeeding with it. When you have an opposing viewpoint to present, you could express it in several other ways: I will have to disagree with you there. On the contrary, it will take less time than you think. In fact, we can do this fairly quickly. I have to tell you that you are wrong about that. I stand behind my figures. I m sorry to tell you that your information is not accurate. Annette has done a masterful job, hasn t she? She anticipated arguments and was ready to answer them. She had her facts at hand and was able to win Roy over. You can be more effective yourself by applying some of the techniques you have just been listening to. Effective persuaders win arguments by remaining professional, restating comments, and changing an objection into a question they can answer. They also turn comments around, cite 3

4 research, anticipate objections and involve others. You heard Annette do all of this. You can do the same. SITUATION 2 Let s now look at another situation. Nancy is attempting to persuade others to adopt a plan she has been working on. Her idea was prompted by the CEO's recent speech about good corporate citizenship. Nancy is hoping to encourage her co-workers to establish a local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. She wants her colleagues to volunteer their services and that means working for free. Unfortunately, her presentation is interrupted several times. Her colleagues have several questions. Fortunately, Nancy is prepared for them. As you listen, pay special attention to the ease with which she is able to overcome objections. DIALOGUE 2: Nancy. Nancy. First, I'd like to thank John for allowing me this time at our regular staff meeting to present my idea. I thought of this after listening to our CEO, Barry Winter, speak last month about good corporate citizenship. My plan involves some time on your part. But time spent volunteering has its own rewards. You mean we can volunteer to work on your plan instead of doing our regular work? Not quite. This project is done at weekends. But if Mr Winter can give up a weekend, the rest of us probably can as well. Just what is this project? It's the Habitat for Humanity. Are you saying Barry Winter is going to be banging in nails? That I'd like to see! And see it you will. Mr Winter is the first person I went to and he signed up immediately. He has promised to be there, hammer in hand. How many weekends would we have to commit to? Just one. These homes can be built in a single day. That's hard to believe. A team in Shelby Alabama, in the States, actually built a house in three hours, 24 minutes, and 34 seconds. That's the international record for the fastest home-building time. That's even harder to believe. Look, our team has done some pretty remarkable things. Remember how we organized the symposium on ISO-9000 in only two weeks? If we could do that, we could do this. Yes, but, we were being paid to organize the symposium. If we build a house, it will be on our time. Trish, I know you well enough to know that money is not the only thing that motivates you. The people who have worked on these projects speak with pride about their accomplishments. You 4

5 know, we're actually very lucky. We have good jobs and nice homes to live in. Not everyone in this country is so fortunate. I have here an essay written by a child in Southwark. It tells what Habitat did for him and him family. Southwark? That's where I grew up. Perhaps you know this child, Rawlston Marion. He talks about his Habitat house. He's made new friends and is doing better in school since he moved in. If we do this, do you think Mr Winters would like me to write an article for the company newsletter? I can't speak for him, of course. But I think he'd be quite pleased to see it. Naturally, he will be even more pleased to see us on the 20th of next month. Can I list our team, then, as participants in this worthy cause? DEBRIEF 2 From the start, Nancy did several things do advance her persuasive cause. Can you find five effective techniques in her opening remarks? "First, I'd like to thank John for allowing me this time at our regular staff meeting to present my idea. I thought of this after listening to Barry Winter speak last month about good corporate citizenship. My plan involves some time on your part. But time spent volunteering has its own rewards." Here's what was noteworthy. 1) She expressed appreciation to John for allowing her time. If Nancy was this considerate now, her would-be followers probably realize she will be appreciative of their later efforts. 2) She alluded to their CEO. People tend to pay more attention when a prominent, wellrespected individual is mentioned. 3) Without showing off, she indicated that the CEO s words impacted her. Better still, she said she took action on the basis of those words. 4) She didn't try to cover over the fact that some sacrifice would be required. Her actual words were, "My plan involves some time on your part." 5) Nancy pointed out that helping others through volunteering is a very rewarding pursuit. Appealing to the basic decency in the average human being may seem like a trick. But, in fact, doing this will make others more likely to join your cause. Other suitable sentences related to volunteering follow: You know as well as I do, I believe, that when we help others, we feel better about ourselves. Our nation is a nation of volunteers. We don't hide from our civic responsibilities. Many of you are already active in various charities. This one requires minimal time. Nancy is a masterful persuader. She referred to their CEO again. And this time, she said he signed up immediately to be part of the project. Many employees will want to participate in something their leader is endorsing. Here's what she said: "Mr. Winter is the first person I went to and he signed up immediately. He has promised to be there, hammer in hand." The opportunity to see the head of their organization in work clothes, hammering in nails, probably appeals to many people. Nancy has created an image in the heads of her listeners. And those mental pictures can be powerful persuaders. 5

6 Further, Nancy is prepared. When people object to the time-commitment, she has the facts ready. She tells them that a house can actually be built in a matter of hours. She knows the exact time and the place where this happened. She is indirectly issuing a challenge. There are probably some people on the team already wondering if they could beat that time. One of her most effective methods involved reminding her colleagues of past accomplishments. Nancy is showing leadership when she reminds the team they are capable of meeting difficult challenges. She says: "Look, our team has done some pretty remarkable things. Remember how we organized the symposium on ISO-9000 in only two weeks? If we could do that, we could do this." Here are some other ways you could instil pride and persuade others in similar circumstances: We are known for pushing back the boundaries of the impossible. Others regard us as the "go-to" team. We've always done more than is expected of us. She reminds her co-workers how lucky they are. The average person is very willing to help the less fortunate. But people have to be reminded to do so, sometimes. Nancy points out not in a condescending way that people feel good when they can give back. She tells "I know you well enough to know that money is not the only thing that motivates you." Nancy may not have read the research, but a number of reports show that money is not at the top of the list of motivators. When Thomas objects to giving up his time, Nancy is ready. She has a copy of an essay written by a young man. He lives in a Habitat home. Nancy goes beyond this physical persuasion tool, though. She very effectively persuades by personalizing the situation. Nancy says: "I have here an essay written by a child in Southwark. It tells what Habitat did for him and him family." We immediately go from the abstract to the specific we can almost see the face of the child. Finally, Nancy declines to speak for someone else. It must have been tempting to say, "Yes, of course he would like to see it." Nancy wisely declined with these words: "I can't speak for him, of course." Instead, she offers her opinion: "But I think he'd be quite pleased to see it." And, she wrapped up her argument with a reference to their CEO. "Of course, he will be even more pleased to see us on the 20th of next month." Many salespeople make an excellent presentation and then fail to ask for the order. Nancy, by comparison, ends by asking for a commitment to "this worthy cause." Thank you for listening to this podcast. We hope you have picked up several ideas to increase your own persuasive power. In summary: 6

7 Remember to have your facts ready. If possible, cite someone in authority who is supporting your efforts. Issue a challenge. Appeal to people's good nature. Be careful not to speak for someone else. 7