How to win ANY argument: These are the four different ‘persuasive’ personality types – and knowing yours will help you get whatever you want
- Speaking professional Michelle Bowden has revealed the four persuasive types
- The Wise Owl persuades by establishing the credibility of their message
- The Commanding Eagle persuades by conveying their personal authority
- The Friendly Budgie persuades by building goodwill with those around them
- The Captivating Peacock persuades by arousing enthusiasm and passion
- We all tend to have a primary, secondary and least preferred type
A communications coach has revealed the four ‘persuasive’ personality types that will help you in any situation – whether it’s trying to convince your boss to approve your leave or win an argument with friends.
Michelle Bowden, a certified speaking professional has delivered her Persuasive Presentation Skills masterclass for more than 12,000 people and works with the who’s who of international business to help them win multi-million-dollar bids and projects.
Now, she’s written her new book How to Persuade to equip readers with the skills, tips and actions you need to get exactly what you want, every time.
From the Wise Owl to the Commanding Eagle – these are the four different persuasive types you need to know about and how to use them to your benefit.
Michelle Bowden , a certified speaking professional has delivered her Persuasive Presentation Skills masterclass for more than 12,000 people
Poll
Which is your primary persuasive type?
Which is your primary persuasive type?
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‘Our persuasiveness is limited by our communication style and often we don’t take full advantage of the opportunities that present,’ Michelle says.
When the stakes are high and it’s important that our stakeholder listens and takes the action that we require, it is essential that we are persuasive.
Our unique persuasion style and personality traits ensure that some people are easier for us to persuade than others.
If you’ve ever felt unsure of the most effective way to persuade someone, or you just want to hear the word ‘yes’ more often in your life, one thing is for sure, you need to develop your ability persuade in any situation, not just the easy situations.
There are four persuasive types and we all tend to have a primary, secondary and least preferred type.
What are the four persuasive types?
TYPE
THE WISE OWL
THE COMMANDING EAGLE
THE FRIENDLY BUDGIE
THE CAPTIVATING PEACOCK
DRIVEN TO PERSUADE BY
Establishing message credibility
Conveying personal authority
Building goodwill
Arousing enthusiasm and passion
What are the four types?
Type 1: The Wise Owl
Type 2: The Commanding Eagle
Type 3: The Friendly Budgie
Type 4: The Captivating Peacock
Why are these types named after birds?
There are several psychological assessment tools, such as MBTI and DISC, that are administered commonly in businesses so that we uncover our strengths and weaknesses.
In the heat of the persuasive moment, if the model that explains your persuasive approach is too academic or theoretical, you might not remember the characteristics of each type.
If you can’t remember the characteristics, then that might mean that you don’t have the ability to flex or adapt your approach in a way that’s going to achieve persuasive success for you and for them.
There are four birds whose characteristics perfectly match the characteristics of the four persuasive types.
Linking a bird to each type makes it much quicker, easier, and more fun for you to identify people’s persuasive preferences out in the bigger world and then adapt your approach so you can increase your persuasive reach and achieve the outcomes you are seeking.
The Wise Owl believes the facts speak for themselves. They are logical, rational, analytical, thoughtful, discerning, intelligent, dispassionate, methodical, prepared, researched, critical, scholarly, sober, judgmental
Type 1: The Wise Owl
The Wise Owl has an innate drive to persuade by establishing the credibility of their message. They are thought of as wise because they are discerning, and able to judge what is true or right.
The Wise Owl believes the facts speak for themselves. They are logical, rational, analytical, thoughtful, discerning, intelligent, dispassionate, methodical, prepared, researched, critical, scholarly, sober, judgmental.
The following behaviours are consistent with the Wise Owl:
· Provides sound arguments based on evidence and thorough analysis.
· Conducts thorough research.
· Analyses the data before drawing conclusions.
· Demonstrates good judgement through deep understanding of the argument.
· Uses a rational, well-structured flow for outlining their argument.
· Demonstrates composure and calmness in the face of antagonism.
· Assumes that everyone will be as interested in the analysis as they are.
Possible weaknesses for the Wise Owl are:
· May over-rely on complex data.
· Often gets bogged-down in the detail.
· Pedantic tendencies may cause them to lose people in the detail or miss the overall point.
· Objectivity may be perceived as detached and inflexible.
· May care more about showing how knowledgeable they are than winning hearts and minds.
Type 2: The Commanding Eagle
The Commanding Eagle has an innate drive to persuade by conveying personal authority. They are thought of as commanding because they are assertive, imposing, and inspire confidence.
The Commanding Eagle believes they’ve done this before and you should just trust them! They are commanding, authoritative, expert, credible, trustworthy, confident, imposing, assertive, forceful, believable, composed, articulate, honourable, respectful, experienced.
The following behaviours are consistent with the Commanding Eagle:
· Strives to be seen as a subject-matter expert.
· Self-promotes naturally.
· Is calm under pressure.
· Draws on examples, analogies and stories to prove expertise.
· Expresses views forcefully.
· Uses an authoritative, confident, commanding tone of voice.
· Argues that action should be taken because it is right or wrong based on value or principle.
· Does not shy away from difficult issues.
Possible weaknesses for the Commanding Eagle are:
· May care more about doing things their way than building rapport.
· Tends to be dominant and take over.
· Can be critical of less experienced people’s ideas.
· May be thought of as arrogant.
· May be described as didactic, impatient, and condescending.
The Commanding Eagle has an innate drive to persuade by conveying personal authority. They are thought of as commanding because they are assertive, imposing, and inspire confidence
What is the most persuasive word in the world?
According to Michelle, ‘because’ is the most persuasive word in the world.
Researchers determined that people don’t really listen objectively. They hear the word, ‘because’ and they automatically assume that it’s a reliable, robust reason for doing the thing.
Why is this? Well, it’s actually in our DNA to need explanations. People like to have reasons for what they do. We need to know why. And even when the reasons given are not legitimate reasons people tend to go along with whatever is being asked.
People who don’t know ‘why?’ don’t buy. So give them the why, and then watch them buy: your idea, your product, your service.
The takeaway is this, people need a reason to approve your idea, support your assumptions or fund your proposal. In fact, we know that if you say, because it will help you to ….’ you’re 34% more likely to persuade than if you just left the because and the reason out of your sentence.
When we ask someone to do us a favour, we will be more successful if we provide a reason. This single word has transformed every facet of my life from my client relationships, to my personal relationships, to my ability to close deals, and my overall persuasiveness as a passionate educator.
I recommend you start trying this too. Link your idea, your pitch or your argument to the action you want your customer, colleague or prospect to take by using the word because, and they will be more compelled to take action. Be sure to say, ‘because’ with the best reason you can think of in all your communication: your emails, proposals, phone calls, zoom meetings and pitches. It’s going to work because you’re showing why something works or what your customer or prospect will get out of your idea.
Remember when there is no why, people don’t buy, so give them the why and watch them buy!
Type 3: The Friendly Budgie
The Friendly Budgie has an innate drive to persuade by building goodwill. They are thought of as friendly because they are warm and caring, and naturally build rapport with others.
The Friendly Budgie believes the more you give, the more you get. They are genuine, warm, likeable, caring, generous, disarming, empathetic, respectful, candid, interested, open, diplomatic, conciliatory, connected.
The following behaviours are consistent with the Friendly Budgie:
· Is non-judgemental and accepting of other people.
· Quickly builds rapport with most people.
· Actively tries to get to know people.
· Remembers key facts about others.
· Uses active listening.
· Finds ways to help people.
· Genuinely compliments others.
Possible weaknesses for the Friendly Budgie are:
· May be seen as lacking authority.
· May be conflict-avoiders.
· May lose sight of own goals or needs.
· May be seen as a push-over.
· May be thought of by others as so friendly they are too good to be true, or insincere.
The Friendly Budgie has an innate drive to persuade by building goodwill. They are thought of as friendly because they are warm and caring, and naturally build rapport with others
Type 4: The Captivating Peacock
The Captivating Peacock has an innate drive to persuade by arousing enthusiasm and passion. They are thought of as captivating because they command attention, exude charm, and excite.
The Captivating Peacock believes, ‘all the world’s a stage’ They are captivating, charismatic, charming, magnetic, inspiring, confident, attractive, outgoing, optimistic, enthusiastic, infectious, interesting, expressive, emphatic.
The following behaviours are consistent with the Captivating Peacock:
· Communicates confidently, dynamically, and often dramatically.
· Uses an expressive, animated communication style.
· Derives pleasure from being the centre of attention.
· Overtly expresses emotions such as passion, excitement, and joy.
· Socialises easily in gatherings.
· Tells memorable stories to entertain and inspire.
· Dresses smartly or in a unique way.
Possible weaknesses for the Captivating Peacock are:
· They may be seen as melodramatic.
· They may be seen as superficial.
· Can be thought of as ‘over-the-top’.
· Can take too long to get to the point.
· May over-state the facts in favour of entertainment.
You’re not trying to persuade yourself! Do what you can to be as persuasive as possible in all four approaches and watch your persuasive success happen, Michelle says
As you can see, whether by rational thought or feeling, we all are all persuaded by different things.
Michelle’s ‘How to Persuade’ book reveals the skills you need to get what you want
Some people won’t be persuaded by you unless your argument is rational, logical, and backed by verifiable facts and research. Other people really care about the credibility of the messenger.
They need to know that you have the runs on the board and the vibe that you really know what you are talking about. They need to know you are someone they can trust because you are an authority in your field.
Then there are people who need to know that you care about them; they need to feel a strong emotional connection to you before they are open to being persuaded by you.
And finally, there are people who need to sense your passion and enthusiasm before they will be persuaded by you. They need to be swept up in your excitement.
The point?
You’re not trying to persuade yourself! Do what you can to be as persuasive as possible in all four approaches and watch your persuasive success happen!
Michelle’s ‘How to Persuade’ book reveals the skills you need to get what you want
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