An important part of the Pre-Persuasion Checklist is determining what the audience's current acceptance level is for the subject you want to present.

Ask yourself the following questions when making this determination:

1. Knowledge: What does my audience know about the topic I want to talk about?

2. Interest: How interested is the audience in my subject?

3. Background: What are the common demographics of my audience?

4. Support: How much support already exists for my views?

5. Beliefs: What are my audience's common beliefs?

Understanding different types of audiences will also help you determine their acceptance level. Following are some different categories of audiences and how to deal with each of them.

The Hostile Audience

This group disagrees with you and may even actively work against you. For a hostile audience, use these techniques:

* Find common beliefs and values.

* Use humor to break the ice.

* Don't start the presentation with an attack on their position.

* You are only trying to persuade on one point; don't talk about anything else that could be considered hostile.

* Because of your differences, they will question your credibility. Increase your credibility with studies from experts or anything that will support your claim.

* They will try to find reasons to not like you; don't give them any.

* Don't tell them you are going to try to persuade them.

* Express that you are looking for a win-win outcome rather than a win-lose situation.

* If possible, meet with the audience more than once before confronting them on areas of disagreement.

* Show them you've done your homework.

* Respect their feelings, values, and integrity.

* Use logical reasoning as clearly and as carefully as possible.

* Use the Law of Connectivity and the Law of Balance.

The Neutral or Indifferent Audience

This audience understands your position but doesn't care about the outcome. The key to dealing with this group is creating motivation and energy--be dynamic. To persuade the indifferent audience:

* Spell out the benefits to them or the things around them.

* Point out the downside of not accepting your proposals.

* Grab their attention by using a story. Make them care by showing them how the topic affects them.

* Get them to feel connected to your issues.

* Avoid complex arguments.

* Use concrete examples with familiar situations or events.

* Identify why they should care.

* Use the Law of Involvement and the Law of Social Validation

The Uninformed Audience

These people lack the information they need to be convinced. To persuade the uninformed audience, you should employ the following tactics:

* Encourage them to ask questions throughout the presentation.

* Keep the facts simple and straightforward.

* Find out why they are uninformed.

* Use examples and simple statistics.

* Quote experts the audience respects.

* Stress your credibility, such as degrees, special expertise, and experience.

* Make your message interesting in order to keep their attention.

* Use Law of Dissonance and Law of Scarcity.

The Supportive Audience

A supportive audience already agrees with you. You may think that persuading these people is easy, but remember that your goal is to get them to take action, not necessarily to just agree with you. These techniques should be used with a supportive audience:

* Increase energy and enthusiasm with inspiration

* Prepare them for future attacks by inoculating them against other arguments.

* Get them to take action and to support your cause.

* Let them know what needs to be done.

* Use testimonials to intensify the commitment

* Use Law of Esteem and Law of Expectation.

Most audiences are a mix of all four of these types. Find out the dominant audience type that will be present and tailor your remarks accordingly. Of course, mix in some techniques from the other three areas since your prospects will always be a blend of all four.

Conclusion

Persuasion is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life.Ask yourself how much money and income you have lost because of your inability to persuade and influence.Think about it.Sure you've seen some success, but think of the times you couldn't get it done.Has there ever been a time when you did not get your point across?Were you unable to convince someone to do something?Have you reached your full potential?Are you able to motivate yourself and others to achieve more and accomplish their goals?What about your relationships?Imagine being able to overcome objections before they happen, know what your prospect is thinking and feeling, feel more confident in your ability to persuade.Professional success, personal happiness, leadership potential, and income depend on the ability to persuade, influence, and motivate others.