day 989: Persuasiveness

"I am telling you this so that no one will be able to deceive you with persuasive arguments"

I recently had a conversation about truth in advertising and the reliance that consumers have on corporations keeping themselves in check as it relates to telling the truth about their products and services.  It seems once every few years there will be news about a company that is making false claims and their advertising comes under scrutiny or is recalled.  What is amazing about this is that so many times the advertising messages are very far-fetched and it seems clear that they cannot be true, but still we purchase over and over as if our sensibilities have been left behind.  It could be lots of reasons, but one is that the advertising is so persuasive. Madison Avenue (and all other advertising companies) have our number.  They know what we fall for, what makes us cry, what our insecurities are, what are our fears, what makes us feel powerful, strong and attractive.  They know us, at least in the general, and they get to us over and over again. That said, we as business people have to be sure that we don't allow our marketing and advertising teams to make up a story that is not true. Each of us need to temper our persuasiveness to be sure we are always telling the truth and being consistent in that truth.

Our world of work, society and people all around us are constantly trying to persuade us to to do, try, and change. As believers, especially in our workplaces we have to be able to stand true and not fall for the persuasive arguments that counter our beliefs and convictions.  This week we will all be faced with these tests and Paul tells us to stand strong.  Consider today that the power of persuasion cannot overpower the Holy Spirit and that He will be there with us to countermand any persuasions if we only rely on Him!  Be strong this week!

Reference: Colossians 2:4

day 959: Persuading Others

"Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him...Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise." 

We all have had to give a persuasive presentation at some point in our work lives. Even if the only one that was required was the time in an interview when you had to sell yourself to someone else, it had to be persuasive. For others, the boardroom is a place where persuasive presentations take place all day long. The room is full of doubters, supporters and those sitting on the fence. In walks the young salesperson who has the big idea on how to increase revenues for the quarter. The salesperson has a presentation deck ready to go and with the launch into the spiel the supporters start to take their rallying positions, the doubters are looking for the flaws and the fence-sitters are watching the room and trying to determine which way the momentum will swing. As the presentation comes to a close the doubters spring forward first; peppering the presenter with one question after another seeing if composure can be broken and if true persistence and commitment is present. The supports wait. They hold back so that at the moment of lull they can shift the tide and bring the presenters boat back up swiftly. And then moment comes when the fencer-sitters start to show their colors and one by one they declare their position. In a matter of minutes a battle has been won or lost all on the persuasiveness, or lack thereof, of the presenter. This is how business gets done. If you are not persuasive and influential in your presentations, then the position is lost. Learning how to be persuasive, how to deliver strong and compelling presentations, and having an arsenal of influence skills are key to success in business.

As believers we also have to be resolute in our faith, but we don't have to worry about being persuasive and influential with God. In fact, He doesn't pay any attention at all to those skills from us. He wants the opposite. He looks for us to deny ourselves of these when we come to Him and instead allow Him to flow over and wash over us as we stand by and let it happen with joy and acceptance. What is common about how we approach God and how we approach the boardroom, is that with each we must enter without wavering. We see this in Hebrews 10:22-25: "Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him...Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise." Today, you may have to give a persuasive presentation and win over a bunch of people at work. You should not be afraid to ask God to go into that presentation with you and bring forth His power to help you through that presentation. But, as you enter into that moment with Him know that you can do so with a trusting heart, full sincerity, and the hope that is pure. For God always comes through for us and no matter what we have to present to Him it is like presenting to a room of supporters when we can't even finish the presentation before someone says, "we get it, you've convinced us and we believe in you". It is that feeling of support that God wants us to allow Him to settle down inside of us today. Let His loving persuasiveness persuade you today!

Reference: Hebrews 10:22-25 (New Living Testament)

day 361: Persuasive Words

We all know persuasive people. These are the people that when they speak others listen. They seem to always have the right words to get others excited, engaged and motivated. We tend to many times look at great sports coaches, politicians, celebrities, religious leaders, CEOs and teachers as those who are most persuasive in our culture. These are people who use their brain and their words to get their work done. They find a way to stir up emotions in others and end up having an influence on them. In the work world I find that the most persuasive people are the ones who are consistent in their actions and words so that when it comes time to influence and get others to follow, people want to do so because most of all, they trust them. Trust comes from respect and the belief that another will be there for you if needed. Trust is built through caring about the needs of others. Trust comes from using the words that have others knowing that you understand them and care for and about them. We get all riled up thinking that to be persuasive we have to spout off being the smartest and sometimes the loudest person in the room. Many times it is those who say the least, that when they speak everyone listens. The Bible says the same in Proverbs 16:21; "The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive." Today you may need to be the one who can be persuasive. It might be the big presentation or the customer call or the simple act of getting a co-worker to play along. Whatever the situation, try today to use your understanding of others and some pleasant words to be persuasive. Those pleasant and caring words could be the most persuasive of words you could ever find to use.

Reference: Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Testament)

day 298: Persuasion

We all know people at work who are more persuasive than others. It seems like no matter what they tackle and who they have to convince, they are able to persuade, convince and win over others. Sometimes it is their knowledge, other times it is their experience, but mostly it is their ability to influence and how they use their personality and communication skills to persuade other people. A lot of times these are also people we like because they have figured out how to connect with many different types of people. The other characteristic that makes them so persuasive is that they have confidence that others may think cannot be possible. It is like the confidence is automatic and unwavering within these individuals. It's impressive. When we look at these people and then compare ourselves, we likely ask the question, "What is it that they have, that I don't?" Once dissected past the skills, knowledge and experience, looking at confidence levels is probably most important area to becoming more persuasive. No one can be persuasive if they lack confidence in themselves and their position. I not only see this regularly in business but also in many people's lives outside of work. As believers there is no reason for us to lack confidence in anything we do, because if we take the power of God with us into every situation, then we can go forward with all the confidence needed. We read this in Ephesians 3:12; "Because of Christ and our faith in him,we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence." This says that if we can go to God boldly and confidently with our needs and issues, then we can rise from His throne with the same confidence and boldness. From there, we can walk forward with that underlying foundation of being persuasive. The more persuasive each of us can be, then the more others will look at the examples within our lives that make us different and our lives intriguing to others. Today, think about what it is that you need to be more persuasive.

Reference: Ephesians 3:12 (New Living Testament)

day 213: Persuasive Presentations

We all have had to give a persuasive presentation at some point in our work lives. Even if the only one that was required was the time in an interview when you had to sell yourself to someone else, it had to be persuasive. For others, the boardroom is a place where persuasive presentations take place all day long. The room is full of doubters, supporters and those sitting on the fence. In walks the young salesperson who has the big idea on how to increase revenues for the quarter. The salesperson has a presentation deck ready to go and with the launch into the presentation the supporters start to take their rallying positions, the doubters are looking for the flaws and the fence-sitters are watching the room and trying to determine which way the momentum will swing. As the presentation comes to a close the doubters spring forward first; peppering the presenter with one question after another seeing if composure can be broken and if true persistence and commitment is present. The supports wait. They hold back so that at the moment of lull they can shift the tide and bring the presenters boat back up swiftly. And then moment comes when the fencer-sitters start to show their colors and one by one they declare their position. In a matter of minutes a battle has been won or lost all on the persuasiveness, or lack thereof, of the presenter. This is how business gets done. If you are not persuasive and influential in your presentations, then the position is lost. Learning how to be persuasive, how to deliver strong and compelling presentations, and having an arsenal of influence skills are key to success in business. As believers we also have to be resolute in our faith, but we don't have to worry about being persuasive and influential with God. In fact, He doesn't pay any attention at all to those skills from us. He wants the opposite. He looks for us to deny ourselves of these when we come to Him and instead allow Him to flow over and wash over us as we stand by and let it happen with joy and acceptance. What is common about how we approach God and how we approach the boardroom, is that with each we must enter without wavering. We see this in Hebrews 10:22-25: "Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him...Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise." Today, you may have to give a persuasive presentation and win over a bunch of people at work. You should not be afraid to ask God to go into that presentation with you and bring forth His power to help you through that presentation. But, as you enter into that moment with Him know that you can do so with a trusting heart, full sincerity, and the hope that is pure. For God always comes through for us and no matter what we have to present to Him it is like presenting to a room of supporters when we can't even finish the presentation before someone says, "we get it, you've convinced us and we believe in you". It is that feeling of support that God wants us to allow Him to settle down inside of us today. Let His loving persuasiveness persuade you today!

Reference: Hebrews 10:22-25 (New Living Testament)