Ten Persuasion Tips - 2 Cor. 5:11
Introduction: People are more likely to change their opinions if you state your beliefs than if you let the audience draw their own conclusions.
* Pleasant forms of distraction can increase the effectiveness of a persuasive appeal.
* Information, by itself, almost never produces permanent changes. In time, the effects of oratory and persuasive communication wear off.
* People are more likely to change when the message is repeated more than once, and when the desired conclusion is presented at the beginning or at the end of the presentation, instead of in the middle.
* A persuasive appeal is more effective when people are required to be active (for example, by discussing an issue or by having to exert oneself to get information) than when they are merely passive listeners.
* Attempts to change people by arousing guilt and fear rarely bring lasting internal change.
* People are most likely to be persuaded when they perceive that the communicator is in some way similar to themselves. A communicator’s effectiveness is increased if he or she expresses some views that are also held by the audience.
* An audience is more likely to be persuaded if they perceive that the communicator has high credibility.
* If you assume that the audience might be hostile, it is most effective to present facts first (building a case), give more than one side of the argument, and present your position at the end.
* Communication is most effective when information comes through different channels (for example, through pictures, brochures, media "spots," and rational arguments), from different people who present the same message, and repeatedly over a period of time.
G. Collins, The Magnificent Mind, p. 193.
1. BE HOLISTIC. Persuasion involves causing a person to believe something. Effective persuasion involves rational, social, cultural, emotional and spiritual elements. Most people who comr to Christ do so as a result of seeing how a particular need is met through a personal- saving faith relationship with Jesus Christ. To convince people involves praying that the Spirit of God will give you wisdom to know the best way to bring people to have a personal relationship with Christ using contextualized motivations that are effective, suitable and along the lines of culturally conditioned values. For example, everyone in the USA cherishes freedom. Christ gives people freedom from sin, self-destructive practices and bondage to the powers of evil.
2. GIVE ASSURANCE OF ACCEPTANCE AND BELONGING. Persuade people by assuring them that all who come to Christ will be accepted in His family and gain a sense of eternal belonging to our heavenly Father and His children. When individuals feel that they are accepted and belong they are secure. IN ww2 Hitler’s youth felt accepted and cherished the feeling of belonging to a powerful movement. These young people gladly offered themselves as living sacrifices for an evil cause because they were made to feel special through their sense of belonging and acceptance. People in America are tired of just being tolerated they want to belong and feel accepted and loved. People who come to Christ will find a loving, accepting and embracing Father who provides them with a Christian family that provides unconditional acceptance, love and belonging.
3. PROVIDE INCENTIVES. Persuasion experts tell us that people make decisions on the basis of where they think they will get the greatest rewards. Occassionally companies will offer incentives to purchase their products to enhance the positive benefits that will come to those who buy their goods. Realize that a wide array of motivations are important to appeal to a broad audience. Some people have felt needs that are drawn to the offer of forgiveness, but others need the assurance of eternal life to bring them to make a decision to trust Christ as their Savior and Lord.
4. SUPPORT SMALL CHANGES. Many people need to be brought along slowly before they are ready to make a decision to place saving faith in Christ as their Lord and Savior. It is hard for some people to repent and ask Christ to come in to their lives as Savior until they have come through stages of belief, understanding and conviction of their sins. Ask the Spirit of God to convict them of their sins, righteousness and judgment to enhance the person’s realization of their need to be reconciled with God through faith in Christ.
5. DESCRIBE THE CONSEQUENCES OF FAILURE TO BELIEVE IN CHRIST. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord. (Psa 112:1,2)Help people know that the consequences of failure to decide for Christ are judgment, eternal separation from God and agony in hell forever. Jesus spoke more about hell than heaven because he knew that people are persuaded by the awful consequences of failure to believe in Him for their forgiveness of sins. John 3:36 Jesus warned, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on Him." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
6. APPEAL TO PEOPLE’S NEED TO BE DELIVERED FROM FEAR. Paul wrote, "For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved." (Rom. 10:9,10) Help persuade people by teaching them how Christ delivered us from all our fears. 2 Tim. 1:7 says, "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline." Jesus frees us from the fear of shame, guilt and enslavement to our self-destructive sinful tendencies. Jesus provides us with His own righteousness, holiness and sanctification as we trust Him to be our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
7. APPEAL TO PEOPLE’S NEED TO BE ENCOURAGED. We live at a time when many are depressed, weary and tired. Paul writes, "Since there is encouragement in Christ, consolation of love, fellowship of the Spirit, affection and compassion." (Phil. 2:1,2) What a motivation to help people come to Christ when they see in you how He buoys you up with His inspiring courage, faith, hope and love through the power of His Spirit.
8. APPEAL TO PEOPLE NEED TO CONTRIBUTE TO AN ETERNALLY PROFITABLE CAUSE. Jesus said, "He who believes in Me, the works that I do will He do also and greater works than these will He do because I go to the Father. And whatever you ask in my Name I will do it to bring glor to the Father." (John 14:12-14) Through Christ we can do everything God asks us to do. We are able to make lasting and significant contributions for an eternal cause that will influence the lives of millions. There is no greater satisfaction than knowing you are doing the will of God that will bring others to Christ where they will find love, joy, peace, patience and goodness.
9. USE ALL FOUR ASPECTS OF PERSUASION AT THE PROPER TIMES. WARN THE IDLE, ENCOURAGE THE FAINTHEARTED, HELP THE WEAK AND BE PATIENT WITH EVERYONE. (I Thes. 5:14) Realize that persuasion takes on these four major aspects: warning, encouragement, helping and showing patient kindness. Know when it is best to use each of the four aspects of motivation to the people you are seeking to persuade. Ask the Lord for the wisdom, sensitivity and cultural know-how to use one or a combination of the above four means of persuasive motivation.
10. PROVIDE EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHO WERE PERSUADED TO TRUST AND OBEY JESUS. Inspiring testimonies of people who have turned from selfishness to serving Christ are often the most powerful persuaders you can use. The Bible is replete with examples like the apostle Paul who wrote, "Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." (Phil. 3:8,9) Help them read and hear of powerful testimonies from you and your friends that have given evidenced of the fruits of the new life of Christ in you. Certain testimonies will be more persuasive to some people who come from similar backgrounds. Greater identification can be found with certain audiences through the testimonies of people who have overcome problems through Christ’s power. Ask the Lord to give you testimonies through internet sites like needhim.com
Conclusion: Reconciliation means the end of hostility and the establishing of peace between people that were formerly at odds with one another. Without saving faith in Christ all people are enemies of God. Jesus provides each person with complete forgiveness and total reconciliation with God when they trust Him to be their Savior and Lord. Only God can initiate the reconciliation through Christ but we can respond to His kind offer of eternal life as we ask Christ to come in to our life and make us His child forever. God wants us to proclaim this ministry of reconciliation to everyone that changes all aspects of our life, relationships and future. May the Spirit and the word of God help you to be more effective in your persuasive ministries. He is not willing that any should perish but that ALL would come to repentance.
Conclusion: Bill stopped in at Abie’s little general store, looking for a bottle of mustard. The shelves were loaded with salt -- bags and bags of salt. Abie said he had some mustard, but that he would have to go down to the cellar to find it. Bill went down with him, and there to his surprise were still more bags of salt. Everywhere he looked he could see salt.
"Say," said Bill, "you must sell a lot of salt in this store!"
"Nah," said Abie sourly. "I can’t sell no salt. But that feller who sells me salt -- boy, can he sell salt!"
