Book Review:
The Five Paths to Persuasion
By Matthew Arnold Stern Know your audience. This is the
cardinal rule of all communication, and it is especially important when it
comes to persuasion. The problem is figuring out how to approach the person
you're trying to persuade. Does that person get easily excited by cool new
ideas? Or does that person need plenty of facts and figures before making
a careful decision? Or does the person refuse to listen to any ideas
unless he or she is the one who comes up with them? The Five Paths to
Persuasion by Robert B. Miller and Gary A. Williams with Alden M.
Hayashi shows you how to identify different types of decision makers and
the decision-making methods they use. The authors present five main
categories of decision makers. Although I'm usually wary about
pigeonholing people, the
authors back up their categories with exhaustive research and provide plenty
of examples of famous executives who fit those groups. As I read those
profiles, I saw how useful these groups are and how others I've worked with fit
into them. For
example, does the customer seem to light up when you give an innovative
proposal and swiftly offers you a firm commitment, but that person never returns
your calls when you expect to complete the order? You may be dealing with
what the authors call a charismatic. Such decision makers embrace risk and
new ideas and make decisions quickly. They won't act on those decisions,
however, until they feel the pieces are in place. They're willing to change
their minds if they discover that the pieces don't fit. Or, when you give
a presentation, does the executive constantly interrupt you and ask pointed, hostile, or maybe even downright rude questions? You may have other
words to describe that person, but the authors label such people as skeptics. As
aggressive as skeptics may seem, you can persuade them if you establish your
credibility, state your case without putting that person on the defensive,
and try not to become defensive yourself. For each of the different types
of decision makers, the authors provide clear descriptions of their
decision-making methods and the reasons behind them, and the techniques you
should use before, during, and after you meet with them. All of the
information is clearly written as bullet points, fascinating case studies,
and easy-to-follow charts. What if you're not sure what type of person
you're trying to persuade? The book provides a handy tool called a
Behavioral Dial that shows you the differences between these decision-making
styles and helps you identify by process of elimination where the person fits. One chapter shows you
how to avoid mistakes in identifying different types of decision makers by
focusing on what executives do rather than what they say or how they claim
to act. What if you need to persuade large groups? The Five Paths of
Persuasion gives you helpful suggestions and a PowerPoint outline that
addresses the needs of the majority of listeners. You will also learn how to
turn an "elevator speech" into a dialogue that can bring the results you
seek. The Five Paths of Persuasion is a valuable and enlightening
tool that will help you understand different types of decision makers. When
you know your audience and how they make decisions, you will know the right
approach to sway them to decide in your favor. Purchase This Book Today on Amazon.com
The 5 Paths to Persuasion: The Art of Selling Your Message
Related Topics
Store
Creative Writing Tips
Communication Tips
Negotiating by using win-win
Writing
Links
More Links
|
