四条秘诀助你掌握劝说的艺术

本文选自专栏《谋生的工具》（Tools of the Trade）。在这个每周更新一次的专栏中，各领域的专家会提供可行建议，帮助你在工作效率到募资等方面迅速且高效地见到成果。

不义前，德里克·洛克和扎卡里·托马拉解释了怎样让人们相信你传递的讯息。洛克和托马拉分别是凯洛格商学院和斯坦福商学院的营销学教授。

商业之道往往关乎塑造他人的观点。要想让投资者相信你的想法价值千金，让合伙企业开出一个公平的价格，或是让顾客接受你的服务，你就需要掌握说服的艺术和技巧。这一点众所周知。然而，有一点往往被忽视：说服他人不仅需要依靠塑造观点的能力。想要让他人依照你唤起的想法来行动，你需要建立一种信念感，即“观点的确定性”（belief certainty）。

观点的确定性指的是，我们多么相信自己对某件事情的观点。从许多研究中我们发现，人们可能产生一致的观点，比如对某个新产品都有正面的评价，但是对于这个观点的相信程度，却会有所不同。例如，两名顾客可能都喜欢一家新餐厅，但是其中一个人确信那里的食物真的很棒，另一个人则不太肯定。这个差别非常重要！坚信自己观点的人更可能据此行动起来，无论是为他们支持的职位投票，还是购买他们喜欢的产品。简而言之，劝说是一回事，而让一个想法深入人心，营造持久的观念，最终带动人们的行为，又是另一回事。

有哪些简单的方法可以建立听众的确信感？以下是我们的四项重要发现：

1. 指明缺点。我们往往认为，劝说他人时要强调优点，同时费尽心思轻描淡写地带过缺点。但是研究表明，与其完全忽略缺点，指出一两个缺点（当然，也要强调优点）往往更有效果。能够指明某个想法的缺点，表明你已经做足了功课，这会让你的话更具权威性。所以下一次进行商业游说时，可以试着指出方案的缺点，再谈谈如何克服它们。

2. 通过重复来强化印象。研究表明，我们越频繁地重复某个观点，就会越坚信它。在表述清晰的基础上，每次重复，都是一次促使对方行动的机会。所以下次当经理、同事或顾客对你的想法表示欣赏时，鼓励他们详细说说。“你为什么这么想？”这样一个简单的问题，能够巩固他们的观点，认为你的想法真的很棒。

3. 把事情简单化。我们越能简单地解释自己的所作所为，就越能让他人相信我们的观点是正确的。因此，如果你能让听众轻易找到理由支持你的立场，就能赢得信任。例如，在推销产品时，与其让人们去思考你产品的一长串潜在用途，不如简化一下。想出一个用途比想出一堆用途更容易，这能让听众确信他们的确会使用你的产品。

4. 鼓励共识。当有人表示喜欢你的产品，你很容易认为自己已经成功说服他们了，任务已经完成了。但我们都知道，人是社会性动物。可以利用这一点。其他人分享观点时，往往等于散发一个信号：这个观点是“正确的”。这意味着什么？当人们喜欢你的产品时，告诉他们其他人也得出了同样的结论，从而巩固这个观点。你可以通过展现在Facebook页面上“赞”你的用户数，或让他们看看Twitter上对这个产品的正面评价。在如今这个社交媒体年代，建立共识的工具前所未有的普遍。

“观点的确定性”能在说服过程中能起到关键的作用。为了成为一个更有效的劝说者，挑战自己，让自己脱离塑造观念的简单模式，努力激发人们的确信感。如此一来，你就有机会让你的听众更加坚定，从而促使他们采取行动支持你。（财富中文网）

作者：Derek Rucker, Zakary Tormala

译者：严匡正

审校：任文科

This article is part of Tools of the Trade, a weekly series in which a variety of experts share actionable tips for achieving fast and effective results on everything from productivity to fundraising.

This week Derek Rucker and Zakary Tormala explain how to get people to believe in your message. Rucker is a marketing professor at The Kellogg School of Management, and Tormala is a marketing professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Business is often about shaping other people’s beliefs. Convincing an investor your idea is worthy, a corporate partner to give a fair price, or a customer to adopt your service requires insight into the art and science of persuasion. That’s well known. What’s often overlooked, however, is that persuasion requires more than the ability to mold an opinion. To get someone to act on the beliefs you’ve inspired, you need to also create a sense of conviction, or belief certainty.

Belief certainty refers to how confident we are in our opinion about something. Across dozens of studies, we’ve found that people can hold the same belief, such as a positive attitude toward a new product, but differ in how confident they feel about said viewpoint. For example, two consumers might both like a new restaurant, but one is convinced that the food is truly excellent, whereas the other is less sure. This difference matters—a lot! People who are certain about a belief are more likely to act in accordance it, whether that’s voting for a position they support, or purchasing a product they like. Put simply, it’s one thing to persuade, but another thing altogether to make an idea take root and create a lasting opinion that drives behavior.

What are some simple ways to build certainty in an audience? Here are four key findings from our research:

1. Note the negative. We often think persuasion is about focusing on the positives, while downplaying the negatives at all costs. But research shows that instead of ignoring the negatives entirely, it’s often more effective to address one or two (while still emphasizing the positives, of course). Addressing an idea’s weaker points shows you’ve done your homework, which gives your words more authority. So the next time you make a business pitch, try addressing its limitations and then explain how they can be overcome.

2. Reinforce with repetition. Research indicates the more frequently we repeat a belief, the more confident we becomes in that position. In addition to adding a perceived sense of clarity, each repetition provides another opportunity to incite action. So the next time a manager, coworker, or consumer says something favorable about your idea, encourage them to elaborate. A question as simple as ‘Why do you think that?’ helps encourage the belief that your idea is truly great.

3. Make it easy. The easier it is for us to articulate why we feel the way we do, the more likely we are to be convinced that our belief is correct. As a result, you can build certainty by making it easy for an audience to come up with their own reasons to support your position. For example, in a sales pitch, instead of asking people to come up with a long list of potential uses for your product, try lowering the bar. Coming up with one application is easier than coming up with a handful of them, which can bolster an audience’s conviction that they’ll actually use the product.

4. Encourage consensus. When someone says they like your product, it’s easy to assume you’ve successfully persuaded them, and so your job is done. But we know people are social animals. Use this as a tool. When people find out that others share their view, it sends a signal that the view is “correct.” The implication? When people like your product, reinforce that opinion by assuring them others have reached the same conclusion, perhaps by linking to the number of consumers who have “liked” your Facebook page or directing them towards positive comments on Twitter. In today’s age of social media, tools for building consensus are more prevalent than ever before.

Belief certainty is a crucial lever in the persuasion process. To become a more effective persuader, challenge yourself to move beyond the simple act of shaping opinions and strive to inspire conviction. Doing so can reveal opportunities to make your audience more certain and, thus, to promote action and advocacy.