Persuasion is one of the most important skills a business leader should possess.

You need to be a transformational business leader to provide strategic guidance and help your staff grow while overseeing the overall development of your organisation. As a transformational leader, you’re not just focused on your staff finishing their task lists, you’re also deeply invested in the success of your people and your company.

Being persuasive allows you to be a more effective leader, giving you the ability to confidently and clearly communicate your vision and objectives to your team so that they understand your perspective. It’s not enough to have the “right” or “logical” solution, you have to have your staff’s buy-in and get them invested in your plans to steer your organisation in the right direction. You need to be able to persuade your staff to not only see things your way but also feel excited about the upcoming changes and plans for the company.

While your responsibilities may not seem directly related to being persuasive, this skill can help you in different aspects of your journey as a business leader. It helps you establish credibility as you convince more people to see things from your point of view while allowing you to become a better listener so that you tune into what people are saying and can respond accordingly. 

Why is persuasion a leadership skill?

Being persuasive allows you to get people on the same page, with confidence and consistency, enabling you to achieve your goals more efficiently.  A dynamic workplace will comprise staff that feel encouraged and empowered to share their own thoughts and opinions, so this means that you need to know how to listen to their feedback while also being able to get their buy-in on your ideas. Getting staff buy-in is crucial in making your ideas come to life. When you have your staff’s full support, each member can contribute something to upcoming projects, especially since they have unique skill sets that can be relevant to your plans.

In a modern workplace where each staff member has their own voice, it’s important to implement leadership strategies that will help you to effectively manage and support your employees. A key strategy to becoming a better leader is learning the ability to be persuasive. 

Persuasion is a leadership skill because it allows ideas to go from unknown to impactful, especially in the context of organisations where habits have already been set as traditions. It’s managing the balance between being a good listener and being a good communicator. 

When you can convince more people to try new or even unconventional ideas within the organisation, you can actually improve your business processes and products. For example, Apple founder Steve Jobs is known to be a corporate storyteller because of his ingenious ability to communicate and present his ideas. Apple has grown to where it is now because Jobs was able to share his thoughts about his product and vision with conviction and enthusiasm. Bill Gates of Microsoft is another example of a successful business leader with great persuasion skills, and he’s known for explaining complex subjects in a simplified manner within the tech industry as well as for his humanitarian work.

3 ways you can communicate more persuasively

We’ve shortlisted three strategies that you integrate into your standard procedures and management practice so that you and your leadership team can further hone your persuasion skills. 

1. Know your audience

It isn’t effective to want to persuade everyone of the value of your idea, no matter how relevant you may think it will be to them. Understanding your audience–customers and staff–will help get your message across to people who really need to hear it and convince them to follow. They need to be convinced to listen to what you’re saying in the first place, and your idea will cut across if you’re able to connect with them based on what they find valuable. 

One approach is unlikely to work for two different audiences because they have unique motivations and pain points. For example, your customers might be time-poor executives who need the technical services you offer, even though they don’t fully understand the breadth of the solution you offer. In this case, it would be helpful to communicate how your services address their pain points in layman’s terms so that they can quickly understand why your firm is the best option.

On the other hand, your employees will be extremely familiar with your organisation’s processes and services. Key areas that will make them pay attention to your message can include streamlined workflow, improved work-life balance and professional development opportunities. If your proposed ideas or projects intersect with any of these areas, you’re more likely to get your staff’s buy-in.

Whether they’re your customers or your employees, knowing your audience will allow you to identify the right messaging and tone to use so that you build a strong connection with your audience, and enable them to understand your thoughts and ideas.

2. Push for your end goals

It’s a challenge for someone to believe in what you’re trying to get them to do if they don’t understand what you’re doing it for. Laying out your end goals at the beginning of your discussion can make it easier for your audience to follow your train of thought as you introduce changes or new processes. You can document your end goals either as a vision statement or as business objectives so that you have a clear overview of how they contribute to your organisation’s overall success. 

It’s a matter of ensuring that all parties–you and your staff or your customers–walk away from the conversation with something they want, and can only achieve with your insight. Learning the end goals first is one of the several approaches you can use when it comes to talking to different audiences and convincing them to support your decisions and plans.

3. Model the right behaviour

The best way to convince people to follow your lead is by practising what you preach.

Someone you’re persuading to do something will likely not follow your lead if you do the exact opposite of what you’re communicating. That’s why it’s crucial to be consistent in both action and messaging–you will influence others more if the behaviour you’re demonstrating is the same as what you ask of them because it makes them feel more secure and relieved. 

Modelling the right behaviour can be effective in persuading others to mimic your actions,  especially during times of uncertainty. Being consistent with your words and actions will make you more trustworthy and reliable, encouraging people to listen and be open to your ideas. 

Being persuasive might be something you’ve taken for granted as a leadership skill, but it’s definitely something to prioritise especially as you continue to grow and scale your business.

Are you ready to lead with conviction? Reach out and be guided by expert insights for your practice.