The Art of Persuasion Hasn’t Changed in 2,000 Years

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1:02More than 2 ,000 years ago, Aristotle outlined a formula on how to become a master of persuasion in his work, Rhetoric. Many great communicators have used it throughout the ages to deliver some of the most influential speeches, presentations, and to share their ideas with the world. Ideas are the currency of the 21st century. The ability to persuade to change hearts and minds is perhaps the single greatest skill that will give you a competitive edge in the knowledge economy, an age where ideas matter more than ever. Use Aristotle's five rhetorical devices in your next speech or presentation to sell an idea, attract investors, build brands, inspire teams, trigger movements, and become a master of persuasion yourself.

1:50Establishing your ethos or character is vital if you want your audience to trust you. It's the part of your talk when your audience gains insight into your believability, the story detailing your time working with death row inmates, airlifting food to typhoon-ravaged communities, or vaccines to underserved populations. If a speaker's actions don't back their words, they lose credibility and ultimately their argument. So don't read out your degrees, accomplishments, and awards. Establish your character and build a sense of trust between you and your listeners. After all, humans are hardwired to search for reasons to trust another person.

2:30Our ancestors had an instant to decide if a stranger was friend or foe. A simple reminder that you are committed to the welfare of others will build your credibility before you lay out your argument. Next, appeal to logos, or reason. Why should your audience care about your idea? How does it help them save money, earn a profit? What steps do they have to take next? These are logical appeals that will help gain you support. Use data, evidence, and facts to form a rational argument. Pathos, or emotion, is the third and most important device. According to Aristotle, persuasion cannot occur in the absence of emotion.

3:11People are moved to action by how a speaker makes them feel. And the best way to transfer emotion is through storytelling. 21st century research backs this up. TED Talk curator Chris Anderson finds that when tales of failure, awkwardness, misfortune, or disaster are told authentically, they hasten deep engagement and that the most personal content is the most relatable. And neuroscientists report that stories trigger a rush of oxytocin in the brain, the moral molecule, that connects people on a deeper emotional level. Next comes metaphor, which Aristotle said gives language its verbal beauty. When you use a metaphor or analogy to compare a new idea with something that your audience is already familiar with, you turn your idea from abstract to concrete.

4:00Warren Buffett likes to say that he looks for companies that are economic castles surrounded by moats that make it hard for competitors to enter the industry use metaphor to turn words into images it's a powerful tool that'll give your audience a clear understanding of your idea and will help them remember and share it with others and finally brevity is a crucial element in making a persuasive speech an argument Aristotle said should be expressed as compactly and in as few words as possible. He also observed that the opening of a person's speech is the most important since attention slackens everywhere else rather than at the beginning.

4:40The lesson here is start with your strongest point. The good news for communicators is that Aristotle also believed that persuasion can be learned. And while the tools we use to communicate ideas have changed in the past 2 ,000 years, the human brain has not. The same formula that work then will work now. Practice them to change perspectives, unleash human potential, and maximize happiness.