HOW TO CONVINCE SOMEONE: 18 PRACTICAL AND EFFECTIVE TIPS - GEOGRAFÍA - 2025

In this article I will explain how to convince someone, be it a woman, a man, a client, your parents, children and in general anyone. Developing this skill will help you both in your professional and personal life, as it will allow you to influence other people.

To convince a person of what you believe is to make him accept a new belief or renew his knowledge about pre-existing ideas. Not all people will accept your ideas from the first try, but there are ways to increase your chances of convincing others of what you believe or want.

If the person you are trying to convince has prior knowledge or experience of what you are dealing with, your goal will be to change their beliefs and "suggest" that there are others. After that, you can present yours.

If the person does not have prior beliefs about your proposal, you can start by talking about them.

How to convince others? 18 Practical ways

1-Look for a need to solve

Think of the different needs to cover from Maslow's Pyramid.

Surely you can find something to solve in the other person, some need that the other person is seeking to cover: from being hungry (physiological need), going through wanting to learn social skills (need for social adaptation) or traveling and seeing the world (need to self realisation).

2-Offer rewards

If you know what need is the least covered by the person to be convinced, offer a reward. There is nothing wrong with this, it is a simple exchange.

The reward can be from economic, to doing a job, teaching to do something, etc. Find something that doesn't cost you too much. For example, if you are an electrician, you can give in return the repair of an appliance.

3-Create urgency and scarcity

Conveying a sense of urgency is communicating to the other person that your product or proposal will not always be available.

On the other hand, transmitting scarcity is communicating that your product or your person is limited and that at any time they can go or spend.

4-Choose the right moment

If you want to convince someone of something, choosing the right moment will be important to get the best result. If you talk to people when they are more relaxed, open and in a good mood, you will have a better chance of giving in to your requests or proposals.

Also, people are more influential if they feel indebted for something. If someone is thanking you for something, this is the perfect time to ask them for a favor. There is nothing wrong with asking for favors, as long as you do not disrespect the other person.

5-Meet people and find out what they want

If you build rapport and your client, friend or family member likes you, it will be much easier for you to convince them of what you want. If you do not know the person well, it is necessary to do so and find common ground between you, in addition to communicating them. People tend to feel more secure and comfortable with people who look like them.

Another point to remember is not to talk too much about our life and to talk much more than what the other person likes. Ask questions to find out what he likes and is passionate about, then ask questions about what he likes and finally convey that that something interests you too.

6-affirm your intentions

To make your opinions and what you want clear, use affirmative phrases. If you don't like your partner going out at night, say, "I would like you to go out with me more at night." If you want your child to study, say "this afternoon you have to study and finish your homework" instead of "you are not studying at all."

Speaking affirmatively will help you make your intentions clear and avoid misunderstandings.

7-Provide evidence

If, for example, you have to convince a colleague to participate in a business with you, give them proof that it will work.

Provide clear evidence to support your proposals, arguments, and ideas. The more evidence you can give to support and strengthen your argument, the less skeptical the other person will feel and the easier it will be to convince them.

8-be persistent

It is not about being heavy, but about trying to keep the proposal in mind of the other person and not forget it.

When you see her, you can talk a little about what you want to convince her and then talk about something else, continuing to talk about the subject only if the interlocutor is interested.

9-believe in your idea

If you don't believe in your idea, no one will. This is logical because you will not show motivation, persistence and enthusiasm when communicating it. When someone is convinced of an idea, they transmit energy and manage to make others believe it as well.

This, for example, applies to entrepreneurs who believe that their idea is valuable; they tend to pass it on to other people, are persistent, and often build a business. The more convinced you are of your ideas or of what you want to propose, the more confident and convincing you will be to others.

10-Use your non-verbal language

Non-verbal language deserves a wide section. Did you know that 93% of the effectiveness in human communication is determined by non-verbal language?

The influence and impact of our communication is determined by:

• 55% non-verbal language
• 38% paralinguistic elements.
• 7% verbal content

Being a leader of an organization or a television presenter, requires that we communicate effectively with others. How do we get it? How can we influence others using our non-verbal language?

Some aspects of effective non-verbal and paralinguistic communication are:

• Look: direct, horizontal and relaxed. With it you can indicate that you serve the other person and are interested. Don't keep it too fixed because it can be interpreted as intimidating.
• Facial expression: expresses the emotional state and indicates attitudes towards what is said or heard and towards the other person. You must show a consistent facial expression with what you say.
• Smile: be sincere and consistent with the situation. It indicates a close and friendly attitude. Inconsistent or unnatural smiles have the opposite effect.
• Posture: straight and relaxed. Neither overly firm, nor overly relaxed. Communicate attitudes and emotions.
• Power pose: If you want to feel more powerful or stronger, take a "power pose." Researcher Carney found that when people sat or stood in a position of power, they felt more powerful and also increased their testosterone level. This pose requires you to expand: spread your arms and legs and keep them uncrossed.
• Gestures and facial movements: clarify or support what is said, indicating attitudes and moods. Avoid repetitive gestures and show gestures consistent with your mood.
• Distance: the closer the relationship, the less personal distance there will be.
• Personal appearance: transmit a physically and psychologically cared appearance.
• Language: speak clearly and fluently. The tone of the voice shows the attitudes and moods. Avoid monotony and think about what you are going to say to avoid misunderstandings.

11- Posture

If you pay attention to charismatic leaders, you will see that they very often show positions of "power"; It is an open posture that conveys self-confidence.

Imagine convincing someone of how good you are or how good your product is with your arms closed. This will make you appear smaller, not very persuasive, and not confident in your own product.

So next time, when trying to convince others: look with your head straight (not down), shoulders back and back straight.

12- Movement of the hands

When communicating with others, move your hands to accompany the verbal message. There is research confirming that we see people who communicate with gestures more competent and confident, compared to others who leave their hands still or in their pockets.

Hand gestures help the audience to visualize the message and to better remember and understand the message.

14-Imitate the postures and actions of the person you are talking to

This will build a rapport between the two of you, while facilitating communication.

15-Speed ​​of speech

It must be determined by the situation. Speaking slowly makes the communicator appear calmer, while speaking quickly makes it appear that we are reactive to external circumstances.

If you call an ambulance because you have witnessed an accident it would not be wise to speak fast, and on the contrary, can you imagine asking for marriage by speaking fast?

16-Changing voice tone and pauses

Two tricks to keep the audience's attention (be it one person or many) is to pause between sentences and change your tone of voice. Something like the narrator of a story or story.

Talking in a high tone will make you appear more anxious and nervous, while speaking in a medium tone will make you appear more confident and strong.

17-Smile and use a sense of humor

Ak smile you will probably make the other person respond with a smile and lower their defenses. The same using a sense of humor.

18-Eye contact

Looking the person you want to convince in the eye can also help increase your level of influence. Are the leaders who speak looking at the audience not more convincing to you than those who read the speech?