The Soulful Art of Persuasion: The 11 Habits That Will Make Anyone a Master Influencer

Second, persuasive people are generous. They give habitually and without expecting things in return. I’m not just talking about money or physical gifts. Persuasive people also are generous with advice, opportunities, introductions, respect, and emotional positivity. You never get the impression that they are just looking out for themselves.

People who are skilled at seeing commonalities instead of differences also find it easier to relate to people of different backgrounds, experiences, ages, and seniority. Adopting a commonality-based point of view is easy, so long as you’re willing to make the effort. That process begins with these techniques: Make the choice to emphasize similariti

We can decide to be more empathetic. And we can do it by adopting two goals: Becoming naturally curious Listening more, judging less

When you let your freak flag fly, it shows the other person that they are trusted, respected, and welcome.

Rule 2: The Simple Power of No

HABIT 1: Being your own weird self makes it difficult for others to see you as phony or manipulative, and allows them to recognize you as a unique individual. HABIT 2: The power of storytelling will help you to reframe contentious issues and offer your point of view in a way that resonates on a human level. HABIT 3: Never be closing and avoiding th

Of all the ways of persuading another person to action, inspiration is without a doubt the most profound, and in a lot of cases the most powerful. If you can be a source of inspiration for others, you’ll rarely struggle to have your opinions taken seriously. Your views will carry the weight of authority. And people will go out of their way to grant

The result is a form of influence that is far more powerful than reason alone. Logical arguments force us to accept a certain conclusion whether we like it or not, but soulful persuasion attracts us to a position. Genuine persuasion is about engaging rather than insisting.

Pick four people a week to touch base with. It doesn’t need to be a long email or phone conversation—it could just be a quick “I was thinking about X and that reminded me of you” text message. It could also be a face-to-face meeting or scheduled phone call.