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Tip 323: Get past clichés, platitudes, and truisms. |
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"You can't teach an old dog new tricks." "You pay for what you get." "Haste makes waste." "Let sleeping dogs lie." "He who hesitates is lost.'' When you resort to summing up your argument with one of the axioms, you give up your most powerful tool. People resist ruts. They'll think you're simplifying a complex problem and falling back on lazy thinking. Come up with your own new slogans and truths. |
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Tip 324: Don't beg the question. |
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Begging the question means stating the obvious or stating an assumption that sounds as though it doesn't need additional proof. "It's obvious that . . ." "If we continue to collect more information, we'll have more facts upon which to base our decision." "I suggest users perform these tests quarterly because the results will give them further information." "The salvage consultants determined that we should reinforce the welded joints because this was the wisest preventive solution." "More testing may be useful because it may shed more light on the subject." |
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Persuasive language involves a logical presentation of facts and information, not a fanfare of fancy, overblown pronouncements that are trivially true. |
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Tip 325: Anticipate questions. |
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If you were the decision maker, what would you want to know before giving your approval? Go through the five Ws as prompters: Have you covered who, when, what, where, why, as well as how and how much about your answer? If not, prepare to do so. |
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Tip 326: Use others' questions to make your own points. |
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When someone raises a question, think of bridging. How can you answer and then bridge back to a key point you want to make? Question: "How long did you say delivery on the widgets would take?" Answer: "Delivery will take about 6 weeks; that's why we need a decision this week." Question: "How complex will installation be and what kind of downtime will we have?" Answer: "It's complex. And if it's not done right downtime can be 6 to 10 days. That's why I think the credentials of the vendors are critical to our decision. As I mentioned earlier, the technicians at Universal can guarantee . . ." |
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