(Suggested length 1, 2, or 3 hours)
Yes! It’s one of the simplest words in our language. But, arranging to hear it from colleagues, clients, customers, and even family members is not simple at all — at least not without knowing certain secrets of the persuasion process. The dual purpose of this program is to reveal a valuable set of these powerful secrets to participants and to do so in a way that will enable them to achieve their professional goals more rapidly.
In addition, the emphasis will be on how participants can increase the likelihood of Yes! without having to change the features and merits of their case but, instead, by changing only — and more persuasively — the way they present those features and merits. Consequently, this program would be of particular benefit to those individuals and organizations that have a strong case to make but have not realized an equivalent return because critical others have not been convinced to open their ears and minds fully to that strong case. The secrets of persuasion covered in the program are specifically designed to open such ears and minds.
So that participants can implement the program material immediately and with confidence, its content has been crafted to have the following elements:
It is scientifically grounded. Persuasion is no longer just an inborn art, available only to those who instinctively know just what to say and when to say it. After more than a half-century of research, it has also become a solid science; and the researchers who study it have uncovered a set of hidden rules for moving people toward Yes! that can be learned by all who want to become more persuasive.
It is ethically appropriate. There is an important distinction between persuasion and manipulation. The approaches advocated in this program can be used in entirely non-manipulative ways that never deceive or coerce others into assent. Rather, they inform/educate others into Yes! by providing honest evidence for wise decisions. In so doing, these ethical approaches preserve the personal relationships necessary for long-term business success.
It is not widely known. The intent of the program is not to re-teach or reinforce what participants already know. Instead, it is to bring to light some little-recognized aspects of persuasion that will give them an advantage over competitors in two ways: (1) by covering research that in many cases is so new that it is unavailable to the general public, and (2) by showing how this new research often runs counter to common but mistaken tactics that rivals will continue to employ.
It can involve small changes in practice. A goal of the program is to show participants how to make relatively minor modifications to their persuasive practices that will result in major increases in their effectiveness. Although busy, overloaded participants may well be reluctant to learn and deploy large-scale changes to their existing workplace approaches, they are willing to make small alterations that they are convinced will lead to greater success. For this reason, the program focuses on strategies that require small changes — a few words or the sequence of a few words—yet have the largest impact on Yes!