How to have persuasive conversations

There's endless opportunities to have persuasive conversations. Through door knocking, talking to people at a stall, or out and about in your community, at work or over family dinners.  

In this series of short videos, we will talk you through the structure of an effective persuasive conversation. This'll help you effectively engage, persuade, and get a diverse range of people on side by practicing listening deeply and finding ways to relate to each other. Download our persuasive conversation structure guide which'll help you adjust the content of your conversation to be relevant to your cause or campaign.  

What's a persuasive conversation?

A persuasive conversation is intentional, builds connection and gives people an opportunity to take collective action. We need to be honest about the purpose of the conversation from the beginning.  

Throughout the conversation we need to listen and relate to the person that we're speaking to. This involves exploring their principles and motivations, finding commonality, and sharing some of your story to relate to them and build trust. 

Connecting to people's visions, hopes and dreams allows us to understand them more, which helps us find relevant ways of moving them into action. There might not be one kind of action that you ask everyone to do, but a range of actions which you can pick from to suit different needs.  

Each conversation will be different, but the structure provided will allow you to guide the conversation through to a clear way for that individual to participate in your campaign. Persuasive conversations are also a great way to start an ongoing relationship with the members of your community.  

Exercise: think of a conversation that you've had in your life where you have been persuaded to do something or change your mind about a topic. What was it that motivated you to change your behaviour? 

The spectrum of allies

When thinking about an issue, there will always be a spectrum of opinions, interest and understanding. This'll be informed by people's knowledge, personal and diverse experiences.

When we campaign, we won't be able to bring everyone to the same understanding, but we can shift where people fall on that spectrum. Through listening to and understanding the person you're speaking to, you build the trust needed to safely challenge or agitate that person towards your campaigning aim. Here, you need to find appropriate entry points and actions for them.  

Marshall Ganz: the story of self, us now

Marshall Ganz is a civil rights organiser from North America. He developed the storytelling theory of "self, us and now". This theory demonstrates that there are 3 parts to successful narratives that allow people to engage and understand your issue.  

The story of self is your personal story and journey with the issue you're campaigning on. Why is it important to you and what actions have you taken?  

The story of us is the story of the community and neighbourhood. This could be the campaign story to date, or it could be about looking at the context of the community you're campaigning within.  

The story of now is about the urgency of the issue, and why there's an opportunity to act now.  What will the impact be if this isn't achieved?  

These 3 strands can be put together and be told in under 5 minutes. You can also use the separate elements throughout your persuasive conversations, so they're all included by the end of the conversation.  

Exercise: spend some time exploring what your story of self is and reflect on which parts of that story you're comfortable sharing with others.  

How to start your conversation

At the beginning of your conversation, it's important to be clear and honest about the purpose. Try to: 

• Introduce yourself.
• Say you're a volunteer.
• Explain the purpose of the conversation and how long it might take.

End your introduction with an open question to the person you're speaking with. This'll allow them to start sharing about themselves.  

Examples of open questions could be: 

• What do you like about living here? 
• How has the neighbourhood changed in the time you have been here? 

As you listen to the person speaking use further open questions, that is, questions which can't be answered with a yes or no. Practice active listening to build rapport and to understand more about them. You can do this by:

• Exploring their background principles, motivations, and concerns.
• Listening more than you talk. We recommend listening for 70% and speaking 30% of the time.
• Repeat parts of what they say to demonstrate you're understanding them.
• Endorse what they're saying and show understanding and empathy.  

Building a connection

After we've spent time listening to the person you're talking to, we need to show connection and overlap the between us. You can do this by:

• Connecting your background, principles, motivations, and concerns with theirs. 
• Highlight where you have commonalities and relate to them.
• Bridge these commonalities back to your issue, purpose and campaign 

This is the time to bring in the details about your campaign. Explain your cause.

• What's the problem and why does it matter?
• What's the solution?
• What is your plan to make that work?
• How can the person you are speaking to get involved? 

Make sure you keep connecting with their hopes and motivations, showing the commonality between you.  

How to make an "ask"

Making an ask is a way of gaining a commitment from someone and establishing a relationship with them.  

When you're making an ask:

• Be specific about what you're asking them to do. Make sure that your ask is relevant and achievable for the person you're speaking to.  
• Use concise language.  
• Don’t apologise or say thank you. You aren’t asking them for a favour, you're offering them an opportunity to act on their motivations and principles.  
• Ask how they'd like to stay in contact following the conversation. This establishes the relationship and allows you to nurture it. And if you have a way to follow up, you can help someone stick to the commitment they have made.  

An example of an effective ask looks like this:

Can you come to our next meeting on Tuesday at 7pm? Can I take your number/e-mail so I can send you a reminder?  

An example of an ineffective ask would look like this: 

I hope to see you at a meeting sometime in the future, the details are on our website.  

Exercise: use our downloadable persuasive conversation sheet and add in the details of your campaign. This can form the basis of your conversations. Practice these conversations with your group members to build your skills and confidence.  

If you'd like any further support around holding persuasive conversations, email [email protected]