From Good to Great: Mastering Persuasion Skills for Public Speaking Success in 5 Easy Steps

To become a more effective and competent speaker, you must learn the art of persuasion. The ability to influence others and evoke emotions can benefit you both in your professional life and your personal life.

Here are 5 persuasive speaking strategies you must try.

1. Evoke emotions by tapping into your audience's feelings.

People are emotional creatures; they won't be interested in what you say if you can't get them to feel something.

2. Use personal anecdotes.

Use personal anecdotes to connect with your audience on a deeper level. Sharing your experiences can help your audience understand your point of view and why a certain issue matters to you. People love stories because they allow them to relate their experiences with those of others. They help them see how others overcame challenges or made similar positive changes. Share your story if you’ve experienced something like what your audience has experienced. You can even tell them how this experience affected you personally—and how it might affect them too.

3. Incorporate rhetorical questions into your speech.

Rhetorical questions are a great way to engage your audience because they require a more insightful response than “yes” or “no.” Rhetorical questions get people thinking critically about the issue (and maybe even agreeing with you). They also draw attention to an idea without having to provide an answer for it. For example: “Have you ever thought about skydiving?” or “What problem are we trying to solve here?”.

Rhetorical questions can be a great way to add a bit of flair and make your audience feel like they’re on your side.

4. Use Inclusive language.

Your speech should be inclusive and accessible to everyone in your audience. If someone doesn’t understand something you’re saying, they might be unable to follow along with your argument or see why they should care about it.

Don’t refer to your audience as “you” or “your team.” Instead, talk about “we” and use words like “our” and “us.” This will make it seem like you’re talking directly to them, not to them. For example, instead of saying, “You should implement this new program to improve customer service,” implying that the audience is at fault. Instead, state, “We should implement this new program to improve customer service,” which implies that everyone can make a difference.

5. Focus your message on how it can benefit the audience.

By offering a solution that addresses their needs or concerns, you will capture their attention and persuade them to take action. Audiences’ ears will perk up, and you will have their immediate attention if they think you can help them solve and address issues. For example, you want to persuade your boss to let you and your staff work remotely. You know your boss has to make department budget cuts. Then your message could address how working remotely will save on rent, utilities, and related office expenses.

Using these five persuasive speaking strategies, you can take your public speaking skills to the next level and become a master of persuasion.