Persuasion Techniques & Executive Leadership Training

In Executive Leadership Training, Persuasion Techniques Are a Valuable Tool

I conduct executive leadership trainings for companies such as Genentech, Oracle, the Ritz-Carlton Hotels, and the Warner Bros., to name a few. For up-and-coming execs, honing the power of persuasion is critical. Persuasive leaders with expertise and a strong vision will inspire their workforce to greatness. In executive leadership trainings, persuasion techniques are therefore an important tool that aspiring leaders can take home and begin using immediately.

During my corporate trainings, a technique called “Power to Persuade” often serves as a valuable tool. With this technique, audience members learn to enhance the following attributes in themselves. Whether they manage a small team or a large workplace, all leaders can put this technique into practice right away.

  1. Persuasive

    Being persuasive means knowing how to convince others to support your idea or point of view. A leader with a strong vision will only be effective if she knows how to inspire her employees to believe in her vision as well. Effective leaders also have the confidence to persuade employees and influence them to accept the tough choices they sometimes have to make, and to persevere through challenging times. They’ve honed a natural charisma that makes people trust their choices. Creating influential leaders is the key to a company’s competitive advantage.

  2. Collaborative

    A collaborative leader encourages people to work together for a common purpose. By modeling an attitude of openness, respect for others, and curiosity about their ideas, this leader helps create a culture of collaboration. A collaborative leader ensures there is a clear flow of communication, and that all group members understand their roles and feel valued. When others see this type of leader in action, it creates a culture that values teamwork. In my leadership trainings, I emphasize that executives should use the collaborative element of this persuasion technique each day to make their people feel valued.

  3. Consensus

    Being consensus-oriented means working to gain agreement and approval from everyone prior to implementing an idea. That way, everyone feels invested in the plan. Gaining consensus can take time, because people must discuss an idea until they come to agreement. Through discussion, however, they all come to understand the plan better and iron out any serious areas of disagreement. A great leader knows, too, that input from others will strengthen the plan as well, so he continually seeks advice from others as he develops it.

  4. Alliance

    Cultivating alliances means aligning yourself with influential and powerful people. That means every leader should find mentors and advocates who can help propel her career forward. Aspiring leaders should seize on networking opportunities, such as industry conferences, that can put them in contact with powerful allies. To maintaining these relationships and ensure allies can advocate for her, an aspiring leader must make time to update her allies on her successes and future goals.

Sharing persuasion techniques in an executive leadership training will leave your star employees excited to hone this skill. As your workplace fills with strong leaders, you’ll find that teams work more effectively and succession planning comes naturally. Your best people will feel challenged and appreciated, making them more likely to stay with your company for years to come.

Copyright © 2024 Joel Garfinkle, All Rights Reserved. Joel Garfinkle is recognized as one of the top 50 coaches in the U.S. He is a Master Certified Coach with 25 years of executive coaching, corporate training, and speaking experience. He is the author of 11 books, including Executive Presence: Step Into Your Power, Convey Confidence and Lead With Conviction. He has worked with many of the world’s leading companies, including Google, Amazon, Deloitte, Eli Lilly, Starbucks, Ritz-Carlton, Oracle, and Microsoft. Subscribe to his Fulfillment at Work Newsletter which is delivered to over 10,000 people. You can view his video library of over 200+ easily actionable 2-minute inspirational video clips by subscribing to his YouTube Channel.

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