How to Be Persuasive at Work

By Omar Sommereyns, Monster Contributor

Want to know how to be persuasive—especially when you’re looking to conquer the workplace? Let’s begin by citing a few great minds on the art of persuasion.

Abraham Lincoln’s well-known adage of aligning people to your ideas by making them your friend is a good place to start. The eminent journalist Edward R. Murrow asserted that “to be persuasive, we must be believable.” Yes, indeed. And then there’s this quote by the immortal Aristotle: “Persuasion is achieved by the speaker's personal character when the speech is so spoken as to make us think [them] credible.” Ah, alright, now we’re going a bit deeper. But, dear reader, there’s quite more to internalize.

Persuasion is the power to effectively convince others to take on an idea you’re proposing or to perform an action of your liking. So why does being persuasive matter at work? Undoubtedly, it’s a very useful skill and can lead to success on multiple levels. That includes:

  • winning over hiring managers during job interviews
  • influencing team members to elevate productivity
  • swaying leadership to adopt your vision for a project
  • enhancing your sales abilities to raise your numbers above the competition

As you review our guide below, we’ll teach you three reliable persuasive techniques to help you become a smooth-talking grandmaster within any domain.

1. Make Your Enemies Your Friends

Yup—Lincoln was right. And remember that other saying about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer? There are reasons you hear that a lot, including some Buddhist wisdom to be gleaned and the notion of the “near enemy.”

Plus, the insight here can be simplified by considering how you’ll likely always have a few enemies around at one time or another, but rather than let that erode your soul, you can flip the script by dealing with them head-on.

Have you ever felt jilted at work? Were you overlooked for an assignment or didn’t receive credit for an idea? Or maybe you’ve been entangled in a vicious cycle of envy? Well, here’s how to be persuasive to turn around those nasty relations in your favor:

Avoid Arguing and Try Seeing Their Point of View

Don’t let your ego take over. Even if, within your heart of hearts, you strongly feel that you’re right about not making those changes to a project timeline, swallow your pride and line up your views with your difficult coworker. Tell them they’re actually right, and that you appreciate their viewpoint. Heck—even impart how their feedback helped you see the light. Do this for a few weeks until you’re inching closer to a sense of camaraderie.

Emphasize Their Statements Through Repetition

Studies have shown that repeating what your peers (or work colleagues) say can make them feel more valued and heard. So if your coworker mentions, “I think we should upgrade our project management software,” you could chime in by adding, “That’s a great idea. I’ve been thinking about upgrading our outdated software too.”

Additionally, research published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology has demonstrated that repeating key points during a meeting or discussion can positively affect decision-making. So not only will you bring yourself closer to your coworker’s side, you’ll also contribute to potentially convincing others to agree, which will make them feel better about the whole scenario and will further ingratiate you too.

Point Out and Compliment Their Expertise

Making anyone around you feel smart and competent is always a good move if you want to get into their good graces. Back out of altercations and take the higher road. Maybe ask your coworker to explain a topic that truly interests them—let them sparkle (just enough) on the workplace stage.

Go Out of Your Way to Do Them a Favor

And then ask for one yourself. A certain largesse of spirit can go a long way, and you can make more persuasive headway with an offering. For instance, spend a weekday evening researching those new project management platforms and then email some options to your coworker. The next week, ask them to cover for you when you have to leave the office an hour early for, say, a dentist appointment. If they accept, you’ll know that your persuasive strategies are beginning to swing to your advantage.

But if none of these are constructive—and your professional rivals are just downright unshakeable—then let karma do its thing, and read on for more methods on how to be persuasive at work.

2. Make Sure You Are Credible

Murrow continued his quote on how to persuade people by adding: “To be believable, we must be credible. To be credible, we must be truthful.” Seeking truth is, of course, the journalist’s main objective, but being sincere and truthful in any speech is obviously a noble intent in general—and your audience can discern that integrity and will be more inclined to believe you (and hence be influenced too). Always:

  • Back up your opinions with facts and show proof, as needed. Being firm in your opinion is important, but not merely for the sake of being stubborn. Any assertions you provide should be accompanied with suitable evidence, relevant research, credible sources, or solid statistics even if the office knows you’re an expert in your field.
  • Don’t impose any personal agendas, and tailor your message to your audience. Ensure it’s about benefiting your team or department as a whole, rather than aggrandizing yourself or prioritizing your own personal needs. Try to remain goal-oriented—and show them that you care about the company. You can even try shaping your arguments so cleverly so that your colleagues think the idea (or some version of it) was theirs all along.
  • Expand your lexicon and enhance your vocabulary. Think of your words as different shades of paint, which can appeal to people on both emotional and intellectual levels, depending on their hue. And this isn’t about using big words to impress. It’s about having the right tools to proficiently express yourself in precise terms.
  • Let others speak first and use their names when responding to them. Speaking over people is not only annoying, but it also reduces the merit of your arguments. Be patient and listen. Others will then more readily pay attention to what you have to say—and ultimately give more credence to it

3. Make Yourself Truly Charismatic

Exuding confidence is one thing, but you don’t want to be arrogant. When the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote about “personal character” in his Rhetoric treatise, he was referring to one’s personality, charm, and magnetism. And there’s a better word for all that: charisma.

Charisma is alluring—it fascinates, it brings people in closer, it can even mesmerize. When you’re thinking about how to convince someone to take your side or to give you an assignment, consider how you can inspire them with your strength of character. A commanding and irresistibly charismatic presence will help you achieve your goals—and a bit of flattery will also come in handy. Meanwhile, keep in mind these two other quotes from Rhetoric for extra tips on how to be persuasive:

  • “[Your] character may almost be called the most effective means of persuasion [you] possess.”
  • “Persuasion may come through the hearers when the speech stirs their emotions. Our judgments when we are pleased and friendly are not the same as when we are pained and hostile.”

Keep Developing Your Persuasive Techniques With Monster’s Help

See? Anyone can get ahead by practicing and implementing these pointers on how to be persuasive in the workplace. Now, create a free Monster profile, as we’ve got heaps of additional career advice to send straight to your inbox based on your needs and preferences.