Throughout time we, humans, have been susceptible to persuasion. Many have excelled in this art and are using it to obtain our trust, gain our support or promote an idea. These people are so good, they can easily work our brain without us even realizing it. Simply by speaking to us, they can find their way into our subconscious and persuade to help them. And all the above can happen while we are listening to their voices.
Time and time again, the public, including myself, is tricked and deceived by those men and women out there, who can use their voices as a weapon. They can use it when addressing people face-to-face, on TV or even on radio… But how? What tactics do these people have that we don’t know about?
Repetition, is one of the most effective and timeless persuasion techniques that has been used throughout history by various figures. It is so widespread that is used in almost every speech known to man. For example, in one of his most famous speeches “We shall fight them on the beaches” Winston Churchill gives us a powerful example of repetition. By monotonously repeating “We shall fight”, he managed to convince the entire British population that they can and will protect the country against the Nazi war machine and that they will never surrender. Such simple example of repetition worked wonders, proving Churchill to be successful and improving British morale in the time of need.
Fast-forward it to 2008, where you will find the same tactic used by the US presidential candidate Barack Obama. In his inauguration speech, Obama frequently has used the repetition of the “You and I”, as well as “Together we…”. Despite being very different to Churchill’s repeated expressions, these serve the same purpose – to unite the nation and stand together. Continuous use of these phrases throughout the speech builds up and supports the ambitious atmosphere around him. Moreover, the use of personal pronouns reinforces the underlying message and builds up the emotional connection with the audience.
Another key aspect of persuasion is body language. Although we don’t realize it, psychologists agree that 60-80% of language is in fact body language. You might think: “How? We use so many words compared to movements!”. In fact, those were my first thoughts. However, if we look closely, the way you carry yourself and the movements you make (voluntary and involuntary) say a lot more about you than your words. Those movements could give away your habits or show your intention. My favourite quote is in fact: “Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important”. If we jump back to the 2008 – Barack Obama makes a lot of hand gestures in his speech. Often, you can see him cupping his hands and aiming them towards himself. This has a trusting effect on the audience. It tells us that he truly believes in what he is saying, and that we too, should do the same. Adding on, Obama often uses his thumb and index finger to emphasize important points. By doing this he, in fact, quite literally makes a point. The use of hand gestures during his speeches also gives Barack Obama authenticity and charisma to his character.
Final aspect that I will discuss is the power of voice. If you look at any successful speaker, they show great prowess in this aspect. But what is meant by the power of voice? To each person, there is their own definition, but to me it means the ability to use voice (no facts or figures, just intonation) to convince the audience of something. In the examples before, both Churchill and Obama are able to use their voice to start small and end with a roar of applause. They are able to focus the attention of the audience on what matters simply by manipulating the tone and pitch of their voices. We, the audience, listen to their voices and at one point it becomes unimportant to what they say but how they say it.
Look at this example: not too long ago, I have had a discussion with one of my peers as he recently had to work with someone he doesn’t particularly like. Generally, I don’t like to discuss other people’s relationships but that day, I felt curious and asked why. The answer was so simple. He said: “I don’t like the way he speaks. I like the way my friends speak, or my boss speaks. But not the way he speaks”. No insults came up in that conversation – nothing. He didn’t like his partner, because of the way he spoke. If this is not a proof of the power of persuasion, I don’t know what is.