June 6, 2011Psychology Today reveals how storytelling helps persuasion.
Peter Guber writes (excerpt):
[T]elling purposeful stories is certainly the most efficient means of persuasion in everyday life, the most effective way of translating ideas into action . . . .
. . . Stories, on the other hand, are state-of-the-heart technology—they connect us to others. They provide emotional transportation, moving [...]
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May 14, 2011The New York Times covers the topic of divorce lawyers discovering evidence from social networking sites. Included is a comment about the role of fault in a no-fault divorce.
Nadine Brozan writes (excerpt):
“No-fault does not mean that fault is irrelevant,” said Kenneth P. Altshuler, a lawyer in Portland, Me., and the president-elect of the American [...]
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May 12, 2011The Financial Post offers four steps to effective persuasion focused on identifying a problem facing the other person that you can help solve.
Sandra Folk writes (excerpt):
Clearly identify your goal. . . .
Determine your approach. [reason, logic, and facts; values and emotions; credible studies or spokespersons]
Be prepared with evidence. . . .
Use compelling language. . . [...]
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March 12, 2011BNET highlights 5 tips for improving public speaking from a Harvard Business Review blog entry by Dan Pallotta (who offers 8 more tips).
Dave Johnson writes (excerpt):
Know the goal of the speech. . . .
. . . Memorize your speech word for word. Because only then can you add emotion and emphasis to it. . . [...]
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October 9, 2009The ABA’s McElhaney on Litigation suggests replacing chronology with groups of vivid word pictures.
Jim McElhaney writes (excerpt):
http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/give_chronology_a_timeout
McElhaney on Litigation
“. . . Tell them the story. . . . [P]ut together a series of verbal snapshots that you create out of the evidence. . . .
“Then show them word pictures again in your case-in-chief [...]
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September 24, 2009PowerHomeBiz.com reveals 5 powerful and persuasive moves for getting through a person’s mental defenses based on the work of Mark Goulston, the author of JUST LISTEN. The 5 tips include:
“Do you really believe that?”
The Power of Hmmm . . .
The Stipulation Game
The Impossible Question. [“What would make it possible?”]
The Power Thank You. [1: a [...]
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August 14, 2009The ABA’s McElhaney on Litigation reminds us of how to persuade a judge.
Jim McElhaney writes (excerpt):
“You are talking directly to a fellow human being about the ‘gut stuff’ of life. What’s right and what’s wrong. Fair and unfair. Just and unjust. This is all about the power of a story to grab the heart of [...]
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August 8, 2009Courtroom Performance’s new book, The Lawyer’s Winning Edge: Exceptional Courtroom Performance highlights four aspects of persuasion.
Lisa L. DeCaro and Leonard Matheo write (excerpt):
Remember these four important truths, and filter all advice through them:
1. Every speaker is different. . . . Be honest with yourself, and with your audience, at all times.
2. Never try to “be” [...]
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July 10, 2009ABA Journal’s McElhaney on Litigationshows how to make your closing argument ring true.
Jim McElhaney writes (excerpt):
Cabbages and Insance Goats
“Thirty years ago, the late Craig Spangenberg of Cleveland said, ‘The greatest weapon in the arsenal of persuasion is the analogy, the story, the apt comparison to something the jurors know from their own experience to [...]
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June 25, 2009Bloomberg shows how persuasion requires explanation and gives 3 tips for becoming a more effective communicator.
John Baldoni writes (excerpt):
Define what it is. The purpose of an explanation is to describe the issue, the initiative, or the problem. . . .
Define what it isn’t. Here is where the leader moves into the “never assume mode.” [...]
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April 3, 2009The ABA Journal’s McElhaney on Litigation features the topic of persuasive cross-examination and the difference between being firm and a jerk.
Jim McElhaney writes (excerpt):
“You can be firm. You can be insistent. You can be tough when it’s called for. But you’ve got to be fair, polite and respectful—throughout the case and especially on cross.”
****
“Learning how [...]
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March 31, 2009The Twin City’s Star Tribune shows different ways of persuading people, including 5 negotiation ideas from Benjamin Franklin.
Harvey Mackay writes (excerpt):
•Be clear, in your own mind, exactly what you are seeking.
•Do your homework, so that you’re fully prepared to discuss every aspect and respond to every question and comment.
•Be persistent. Don’t expect to “win” the [...]
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March 8, 2009The Observer pays attention to psychologists like Robert Cialdini [Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion] and Robert Levine [The Powers of Persuasion] studying persuasion skills.
Sarah Wilson writes (excerpt):
• Reciprocity is one of the most powerful tools of persuasion [give someone something before trying to to persuade them to give something back] . . . .
• Having [...]
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August 23, 2008MSNBC and Prevention Magazine summarize simple principles of persuasion and negotiation, and they further discuss examples for putting them into practice.
Kalee Thompson writes (excerpt):
1. Speak confidently
Get directly to the point, but make sure you aren’t domineering. . . .
2. Make eye contact
Holding someone’s gaze calms them, according to studies, and indicates you have something [...]
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August 16, 2008Business Week shows us ways to improve our presentations by following the lead of politicians and successful ad campaigns.
Carmine Gallo writes (excerpt):
[Anaphora.] Repeating a phrase at the beginning or end of successive sentences is a powerful rhetorical technique that business leaders can use to capture the attention of their audiences. It does not have to [...]
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August 15, 2008The New York Times reminds us that trial is inherently uncertain, a gamble that often does not payoff. The study to be published in September’s Journal of Empirical Legal Studies showed that 61 percent of plaintiffs who rejected settlement offers got less at trial and 24 percent of defendants who rejected offers paid more, [...]
Posted in General, Persuasion/Advocacy, The Practice No Comments »
August 12, 2008CNN and Real Simple help us us think faster and better on our feet through improv (excerpt):
1. The “yes…and” technique
The “yes…and” technique gives you the chance to acknowledge what’s been said and then move the conversation to a new place, where you just might discover something — or someone — delightful.
Using “yes…and” can also help [...]
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August 7, 2008The Freakonomics Blogs at the New York Times includes an interesting discussion on “getting what you want” with Robert Cialdini, Noah Goldstein and Steve Martin, the authors of “Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive.”
Annika Mengisen’s post addresses questions like:
How to ask for a raise
How to get the highest price for something on eBay
How [...]
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July 18, 2008McElhaney on Litigation reminds us that the point of cross examination is to tell the jury your side of the case.
Jim McElhaney writes (excerpt):
“Because,” said Angus, “trying to argue the case gets in the way of your most important job on cross—which is to be the real witness. The point of cross-examination is to let [...]
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June 8, 2008New Scientist teaches lessons from the science of persuasion.
Dan Jones and Alison Motluk write (excerpt):
Persuasion is a key element of all human interaction, from politics to marketing to everyday dealings with friends, family and colleagues. “Persuasion is a basic form of social interaction,” says Eric Knowles, emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Arkansas [...]
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