Whether you are pitching a proposal to management at a company meeting or coaxing a client to purchase that big order, being persuasive is vitally important in the business world. It’s tricky enough as it is to have the proper delivery and get the words just right, but when you need to do it in a secondary language, then preparing well is a must. How can you reach your audience in such a way that draws their attention? What can you say to get them to seriously consider your proposal? Let’s have a look at a few strategic suggestions.
One linguistic strategy is using tag questions. What are tag questions? They are short contrasting questions at the end of a statement. An example would be: “You wouldn’t want to miss out on this opportunity, would you?” In this case the “would you” is the tag question. It emphasizes the statement making the listeners think twice about it and allowing them to confirm the fact. It’s a powerful tactic to have someone consider a point. Here’s another example: “This is the best solution, isn’t it?” Notice that if the statement is positive, then the tag question has to be negative and vice versa.
Another strategy for persuasion when using business English is making use of short sentences. Why short sentences? Quite simply, they are concise and to the point. They are small bite sized pieces of information that are easy for your listeners to chew on. Also, when you take a moment to pause at the punctuation between short sentences, then the message really sticks out in their mind. Often, people attempt to impress others by using long, elaborate sentences that really in the end muddy the point they are trying to make, leaving those listening wondering what is really important. Furthermore, when people attempt to do this in a secondary language, then there is more chance of a grammatical mistake occurring that draws attention away from the message and any persuasive effectiveness. Just keep it short. Get to the point. Make it simple. Do you see what I mean?
Our final strategy that you can use is one that gets your listeners involved in what you are saying. You can accomplish that by regularly using the word “you” when speaking to them. Studies have shown that when people hear the word “you,” it naturally gets their attention and signals that the information concerns them. Yes, this includes you! You see it, don’t you? The simple beauty in English is this one word grammatically works if you are talking to just one person (the second person singular), or a whole room full of people (the second person plural). Consequently, when trying to persuade several people at once, each person will hear “you” and get the impression that the message is for them personally.
So, there you have it! Obviously, there are many more linguistic strategies that we could discuss, but I will let you absorb these first and then we can consider others in subsequent articles. Try these out. Practice at work or with a friend and master wielding these tools of the tongue in order to hone in on your powers of persuasion!
Comentários