How to influence people.

Summary

In this impassioned speech, the speaker underscores the paramount importance of communication as the key to leadership and influence. They delve into the art of persuasion, asserting that it extends beyond sales to include shaping actions and perspectives. The speaker shares insights on how to effectively persuade, emphasizing the need to understand an individual's motivations, intent, desired outcomes, and the justness of the cause. They illustrate this with a recruitment narrative, highlighting the power of aligning personal aspirations with a greater purpose.

Takeaways

• 🗣️ The most important gift and tool for leaders is communication, as it is essential for influencing others.
• 🎯 Communication aims to either persuade someone to take action or change their perspective.
• 💼 Selling is a part of persuasion, but the art of persuasion is broader and includes various methods to influence others.
• 🌱 Rapid business growth requires creating leaders who can not only perform tasks but also inspire and persuade.
• 💡 Understanding the motivations of an audience is crucial for effective communication and persuasion.
• 🚀 Intent refers to the impact a person wants to have, which is different from their motivation for taking action.
• 🌟 The end state or desired outcome is a key component in persuading others, as it provides a vision of the future.
• 📈 A just cause underpins effective persuasion, making the audience believe in the righteousness of the goal.
• 🌱 The speaker uses a real-life example of recruiting a candidate to illustrate how to apply motivation, intent, and desired outcome in a persuasive conversation.
• 🔥 Passion and conviction in communication are infectious and can significantly influence others to join a cause or take action.

Q & A

What is considered the single most important gift in the world according to the speaker?

The speaker considers the gift of communication as the single most important gift in the world.

Why is communication essential for leaders?

Communication is essential for leaders because they cannot influence where they cannot communicate, making it a critical skill for leadership.

What are the two primary reasons humans communicate according to the speaker?

Humans communicate primarily to either get someone to do something they want them to do or to get someone to see something from their perspective.

How does the speaker relate sales to persuasion?

The speaker sees sales as a part of persuasion, where it involves getting someone to see value and take action on that perceived value.

What is the broader concept that includes the art of sales, according to the speaker?

The broader concept that includes the art of sales is persuasion, which the speaker describes as a broader science.

Why is it important for the speaker to help their team learn how to communicate?

It is important for the speaker to help their team learn how to communicate because they are growing rapidly and the speaker needs to create leaders who can inspire and persuade.

What is the speaker's self-assessed strength in the context of communication?

The speaker believes their strength lies in their ability to persuade, which they consider a gift they are unequaled in.

What is the first part of the process to learn how to influence and persuade, as mentioned by the speaker?

The first part of the process to learn how to influence and persuade is to understand motivations, which are the reasons behind people's actions.

What is the difference between motivation and intent according to the speaker?

Motivation is why people do what they do, while intent is the impact they want to have or the outcome they desire.

What does the speaker suggest is necessary for a cause to inspire people?

The speaker suggests that for a cause to inspire people, it must be a just cause, one that is rooted and grounded in people's perspective of the world.

How does the speaker illustrate the application of understanding motivation, intent, and desired outcome in a real-life scenario?

The speaker illustrates this by discussing a recruitment conversation with a candidate named Claire, where he connects her potential role with the company's mission to a broader impact on Africa's future.