CHAPTER 6
The power of
how you say it
H
ave you ever made a compelling case for something
and been right? And known you were right? And had a
sound logical reason why you were right? And even had
a mountain of good hard evidence to show you were right?
Yet despite all this, you were still unable to persuade the other
person?
Of course you have; we all have. The reason for this is the big
E: emotion. Emotion is why we do
things. Most decisions are really
made on emotional grounds; we
just use logic and evidence to justify
them.
This chapter investigates how to
use your language to tap into peo-
ple’s emotions. This means three things: inspiring enthusiasm,
framing the proposition and using language that connects you
to your listener.
Inspire
When reason is not enough, you must inspire. When you can get
people to feel emotions, they are far easier to influence. When
we feel a strong emotion, we become less analytical; it is almost
as if the blood flowing to the emotional centre of our brain has
been diverted from the logical part.
most decisions are really
made on emotional
grounds; we just use
logic and evidence to
justify them
106 brilliant influence
The particular bit of our thinking that is compromised concerns
assessment of scale. So, when we are scared by a public health
threat, the fear leads us irrationally to discount the scale of the
problem. A dreaded disease affecting three people will cause
almost as much concern as one affecting 3,000.
On the other hand, say you are a painter and decorator and are
discussing how much work is needed in my house: by conjuring
up how good my family and I will feel when you have repainted
the walls and the woodwork in my lounge and, while you are
here, how much we’ll love it if the hall is repainted and feeling
fresh and homely . . . now I am starting to be compelled by the
emotion. Consequently, the difference in price will seem less
than if you had just given me the additional price quote.
Visualising the future
Getting an emotional response requires that you make the situa-
tion real for people. You need to conjure up imagery and physical
sensations with your language. This means working hard to use
simple language, rooted in the physical senses. This may sound
easy; it is not. This is especially true in these days of corporate-
style management-speak.
brilliant
example
The following is an example of a worthy vision that corporate executives
might have for their organisation:
“I have a vision of an ethnic diversity where everybody has full equality
of opportunity and where we can harness the synergies of a multi-ethnic
workforce, collaborating to construct an enhanced community.”
We sort of know what this means, and it sounds good. What would happen
if we allowed ourselves to use everyday language and to use that language
to paint vivid pictures? Here is an alternative version:

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