Good idea? Sell it with your persuasion skills

Do you have a good idea to share with your boss? Maybe you’ve solved a thorny problem or discovered a way to shortcut a process. Well, this should be easy: Just tell your boss and get started on implementing your good idea.

Uh, nope. For whatever reason, it’s almost never that simple. For one thing, there’s that “tell your boss” part. Your average boss has a lot to think about, so receiving a mandate from an employee isn’t going to be very welcome.

It’s time for a new tool in your toolkit — one that approaches the situation from your boss’ point of view and emphasizes the benefits to your boss (not you) for making the change. We’re talking about the art of persuasion.

Persuading someone is miles better than telling, asking, directing, ordering, pleading, cajoling, threatening, or any of the other methods we resort to when we need to get something done. One reason is that persuasion preserves the dignity of both parties while ensuring that each benefits somehow from the new situation.

This, by the way, is the difference between persuasion and manipulation. In manipulation, the one who wants something is tricking the other person, and may use misleading information. In persuasion, the one presenting the idea provides accurate information while standing ready to compromise if needed.

If you’ve taken a rhetoric class or been part of a debate team, you may remember that persuasive arguments are based on one or more of three pillars: emotion, logic or authority. For examples of an emotional argument, just turn on the television. Those ads raising funds for abused animals aren’t relying on bar charts. Instead, they’re flashing continuous images of shivering puppies to tug on your heartstrings.

Although that must be effective (or the ads wouldn’t be running), using an emotional appeal isn’t your best choice at work. An argument based on logic (if we do this, we’ll get these results) or an outside authority (my research turned up these studies) is an argument that your boss can present to higher management for approval. Arguments based on puppy eyes, not so much.

Which brings us back to persuasion and getting your boss on board with your idea. Or, for that matter, getting anyone on board with any idea. In a typical day at work, you may need to influence and motivate anyone from outside clients to colleagues to your own reports.

Here are some fundamentals to help you master the persuasive approach.

1. Center your request on the other person’s goals. Are you sure your boss needs to solve this problem? Or is it something that’s been bugging you? Dig to find how it would serve goals your boss has. Would it save money? Free someone to work on a project your boss cares about? Make the department look good?

2. Present benefits, not details. This is a corollary to staying focused on the other person. Describe specific benefits (“We’ll save four hours a week and free Tom for the Jackson contract”), not mind-numbing details (“The 4.7% adjustment will impact 2.6% of team hours while adding 9.8% more…).

3. Use personal pronouns. While formal language might seem professional, it creates distance and robs the conversation of urgency. Compare: “Operations that employ safety protocols result in fewer lost days” to “If we bring in a stronger safety program, we can cut our lost days in half.”

4. Show empathy. Is your boss overwhelmed or struggling with a different problem right now? You might think it best to wait but that begs the question: When would be better? Since you can’t easily predict the best timing, pivot to acknowledging the other person’s situation as you make your request. 5. Minimize feelings. While this idea might be important to you, you’ll be more persuasive if you keep your feelings to the side. Otherwise, you could mistake honest feedback for a direct challenge on you or your work.