Persuasion Definition, Process, Skills, and Examples

Persuasion Definition, Process, Skills, and ExamplesPersuasion Definition, Process, Skills, and ExamplesPersuasion in the workplace (or other environments) entails convincing others to follow a course of action, to agree to a commitment, or to purchase a product or service. Employers especially value persuasive skills in their personnel because they can impact so many aspects of the workplace, resulting in increased productivity. Persuasion techniques are also used in political and fundraising campaigns, public relations, legal procedures, and other areas. Persuasive skills are required when one needs to influence project stakeholders. These stakeholders might include customers, co-workers, current or prospective bosses, business partners, subordinates, donors, funding sources, judges, juries, consumers, voters, and prospective employees. The Persuasion Process The process of persuasion typically involves the following stages 1. Assessing the preferences, needs, and predispositio ns of a targeted individual or group.Persuading others is most easily accomplished by explaining how a proposal you are suggesting would be mutually advantageous. In the sales sector, this stage of the persuasion process is called consultative advising, during which a skillful salesperson will first ask a client about their preferences or requirements before presenting a product solution. Examples Analyzing a job andcustom-tailoring a cover letterso that its in sync with the key qualifications of a position.Designing an incentive program for a sales kollektiv.Developing a campaign slogan for a political candidate.Tailoring advertising copy to the preferences of a target demographic group.Writing the script for a telephone fundraising pitch in order to raise money for a charitable organization. 2. Establishing a rapport with targeted stakeholders.Once youve established what exactly target stakeholders need, you can use this information to begin to build rapport with them. Keep in min d that, in many work environments, building rapport is a never-ending process. For instance, even after you have achieved team buy-in for a project, you should continue to build rapport for future collaborations by praising team members, throughout the phases of the projects completion, for a job well-done. Examples Asking a customer how her son or daughter is faring in college as part of building a relationship with thestudent and their family.Complimenting an employee on the successful completion of a task.Composing a letter or schmelzglas to prospective donors on behalf of a schools fundraising effort.Praising someone after they have completed an especially rigorous stage of their workout program.Recruiting volunteers for a community service project. 3. Clearly articulating the benefits of accepting a proposed agenda or course of action. Having spent some time in the first stage of persuasion listing the needs of your stakeholders that you can supply, youll be well-equipped to de scribe to them the benefits of adopting your proposal. In sales, this stage is sometimes described as making a value-added proposition but focusing on the benefits of your offering is a good strategy no matter what the circumstances. Examples Articulating the benefits of working for an employer as part of a recruiting information event held on campus.Encouraging a patient to adopt a healthier lifestyle.Presenting an argument to a judge for a motion during a trial or pre-trial proceeding.Recommending to senior management that they hire additional personnel for your department.Securing and writing a celebrity testimonial as part of a commercial for a product or service. 4. Actively listening to the concerns of stakeholders and uncovering any objections to a proposal.When you are in the situation where you need to persuade others about a course of action, its best to predict and be prepared for possible objections (there is always someone who will try to throw a spanner into the works ). Objections will be easier to overcome if youve clearly made an effort to listen to and respect other peoples concerns about a new project or venture. Examples Meeting with a staff member to assess his or her reaction to a proposed restructuring of the company.Securing signatures for a petition.Making the decision with your management team to make staff or funding cuts.Explaining the necessity of quality control and delayed deadlines during construction projects.Leading a hiring committee that is evaluating several top candidates for a single position. 5. Presenting counterpoints in order to overcome any objections.This is one of the most challenging stages of the persuasion process. If youve accurately predicted possible objections, though, you should be able to marshal counterpoints convincingly. Examples Educating a customer more thoroughly about the multiple benefits of a product or by presenting competitor analysis.Negotiating a salary increaseor additionalvacation time.Negot iating or renegotiating the terms of a contract agreement.Presenting a rationale to upper management in order to expand a departmental budget.Responding to opposing counsel during a legal court trial. 6. Recognizing any legitimate limitations to a proposal.People are generally more amenable to persuasion and negotiation if you demonstrate transparency in the process as well as your willingness to recognize valid objections to your plan. Examples Accepting that your team will have to work with a smaller budget than youd hoped for.Accepting that you may not be able to get extra time off work if there is a staffing shortage.Acknowledging that someone has provided you with constructive information you didnt know about when you first suggested a project.Realizing that you will need to increase your salary offer in order to secure a top-notch employee. 7. Modifying a proposal as needed in order to find common ground with stakeholders.Most proposals be they sales initiatives orworkplace n egotiations require compromise. Its good to know ahead of time which elements of a proposal you can be flexible about. Examples Conducting union negotiations for higher salaries or improved benefits.Convincing opposing parties in a divorce mediation to accept a fair proposal.Offering a proposal to hire an assistant for the lead salesperson in a company who has indicated that he or she might leave due to concerns about their workload.Reducing the established price of a product or service. 8. Clarifying the terms of any final agreement.No one wants to have to go back and begin the persuasion process all over again because a stakeholder hasnt clearly understood the final terms of an agreement or contract. Clarity in explaining the anticipated consequences of an agreement is crucial. Examples Educating a new employee about conditions for their hiring and / or termination.Establishing learning contracts with students in a classroom environment.Reviewing a contract with a client before fi nal signage.Providing two weeks notice of your intent to leave your job, listing your last day of work. 9. Conducting follow-up in order to determine if any stakeholders have lingering doubts about a proposal.Not only do follow-ups with stakeholders build rapport, but they also help you to track the success of an agreed-upon venture. Examples Designing and distributing customer feedback surveys.Reviewing ansprechbar product reviews following a product launch.Calling a patient following a medical or dental procedure to check on their recovery status.Asking a client if they require final changes before their official sign-off on a project. Is Persuasion a Skill You Can Acquire? Persuasion, like determination or charisma, is a soft skill for many people one that is often an innate personality trait. However, the art of persuasion can certainly be improved (like tangiblehard skills) with the right training. Many sales programs, in particular, offer on-the-job training in how to per fect your powers of persuasion.

Ways to Request Help From a Project Sponsor

Ways to Request Help From a Project SponsorWays to Request Help From a Project SponsorThe relationship between a project manager and a project sponsor is much like a traditional employee/manager relationship. The project sponsor may not be the project managers direct manager or even in the project managers chain of command. Still, the project sponsor supports the project manager as the project team works toward a projects completion.? Like a supervisor, one of the biggest ways a project sponsor supports a project manager is through handling issues only someone with the project sponsors organizational clout can handle. When project managers run into harte nusss only project sponsors can solve, here are the things project managers should do. Exhaust All Other Options Project sponsors tend to be at the organizational level where most decisions are difficult ones because if a decision is easy, it is made at a lower level. They have to make tough decisions quickly sometimes with limit ed information. As a project manager, you need to make aya you have exhausted all other options for resolving your problem before going to the project sponsor. For instance, say you have a project team member who is not living up to his commitments. Before taking the issue to the project sponsor, you should try resolving the issue one-on-one with the project team member. When that doesnt work, you should go to the team members supervisor. Once that fails to resolve the issue, you can take the problem to the project sponsor. You have exhausted your options for resolving the issues from the bottom up. Now, the project sponsor can work on the issue from the top down. The project sponsor should work out the issue with his or her peer and inform you of their agreed upon course of action. The last thing you want to happen is having the project sponsor come up with a resolution you could have implemented under your own authority without any help. Sometimes this happens. Everyone makes mis takes. Learn from these situations when they occur, and you will be a better project manager for it. The next time a similar situation comes up, you will handle it better than you did before. Be Specific About What You Need While project sponsors are accustomed to working from incomplete information, a project manager should not leave out relevant information. It is important for the project sponsor to have context for the situation needing his or her attention. Once the project sponsor has an appropriate context for the decision, be specific about what you need from the sponsor. Do you need direction on how to proceed? Do you need the authorization to take a particular action? Do you need a problem solved? Do you need resources you cannot obtain yourself? If you havent thought through precisely what you need, you might come to a decision about what you need but find out later you were mistaken. Think through the issue before taking it to the sponsor to minimize the risk of wast ing each others time. Keep Your Request Focused Project sponsors are busy people. Countless issues pull at their schedules sucking their time away. When a project manager has a genuine need for the project sponsors time, this is not a bad thing or an intrusion upon the sponsors time. Time spent with the project manager and project sponsor should be highly productive. Keep your request focused so you use only as much of your sponsors time as necessary. As your sponsor experiences productive one-on-one time with you, he or she will look forward to your meetings. People at high levels of organizations often spend their time in unproductive meetings they must attend. Participating in a productive meeting could be an energizing change of pace for your project sponsor.

Use Our Hostess Resume Template for Word To Write for Success

Use Our Hostess Resume schablone for Word To Write for SuccessUse Our Hostess Resume Template for Word To Write for SuccessIntroductionWhen it comes to applying for a job, your resume serves an important purpose in showing hiring managers why youre the best candidate for the position. A great resume can help you get ahead of the competition and get called for an interview. Our writing guide shows you how to write a professional resume, including a summary statement and sections on skills, work experience, and education. Our hostess resume template for Word and tips give you the tools you need to draft a document that will help you get noticed.Hostess Resume Template for Word Misty JamesDallas, TX 11111E mistyjamesanymail T 555 Personable and gracious demeanor with commitment to superior service Calm under pressure and able to multitask in busy environments Excellent communicator and skilled at active listening for guest satisfactionPerfect Your Skills SectionYour skills section give s you the weg to elaborate on your particular skills and experience to show the recruiter how your expertise matches the position. The hostess resume template for Word is a good example of this, combining both hard skills and soft skills. In listing your skills, only include ones that directly relate to the job youre applying for. A good rule of thumb is about six bullet points without periods. Pull keywords that apply to your skills from the job description and incorporate them. Use them exactly as theyre written so they get picked up by applicant tracking systems, also known as ATS. A few of the top skills that hostess positions require are listed here Personable and professional with focus on guest satisfaction Able to manage busy environments and ensure clear communication Effective scheduler capable of maintaining organized reservation systemPolish Your Work History SectionYour work history section serves to provide the hiring manager with an accurate idea of your professional career path thus far. It demonstrates whether you have the right experience for the job as well as what you can likely contribute to the position, and should be both compelling and easy to skim.Descriptive paragraphs are difficult to skim, so list your experiences by using bullet points with periods. Include metrics, which are quantifiable results or accomplishments, wherever possible. The hostess resume template for Word listed things such as increased overall guest memberships by 15% after six months. Each bullet point should begin with an action verb. Use a variety of verbs to keep your resume engaging. List your current or most recent position first and work backwards from there, modifying verb tenses as needed.Here are two examples that demonstrate how to write up your work history Hostess Jeremys Fine Dining Nashville, TN 10/2013Associate of Science in Hospitality Management 2013Greenburg Community College