What is the nature of persuasive communication?

So this is going to be a long answer so sit back, grab a cup of coffee and relax!

I have spent a couple of years researching about Neuro Linguistic Programming which primarily focuses on persuasion skills.

Communication in all form is persuasive to a certain degree if you ask me. The intent of communication is to influence the other party about your beliefs and/or ideas. Regardless of the content or the aim of the communication there is always underlying persuasion going on.

Now, what you might be interested in is conscious persuasion. A communication whereby the sender is consciously aiming to persuade the receiver. In this the nature completely depends on the relation between the sender/receiver or on the value of the sender.

Let me give you an example. If a beggar asks for money on a subway station people may just look away. But what if you are at a subway and you see a movie star or a famous model at the counter searching for change? You'd immediately offer them money without even thinking. That's what value means. And it does play a big role but there is something to watch out for.

People with knowledge and skills of persuasion are those who can use subliminal actions to persuade you indirectly. Some of these skills include mirroring the listeners body language, using the words focusing on their sensory thought process (feel, see or hear). For example, some people are very auditory. You may find them describing everything in auditory terms. Other may relate to language on visual level. "I see what you are saying" vs. "I hear what you are saying". Different people have different relations. So thats how trained people make persuasion possible and effortless.

Another thing about persuasion is the push and pull. If you corner the listener and forcefully try open persuasion they will lose whatever value you hold in their eyes and they'd not take your bait. If you play in a balance by maintaining a steady watch on what they're saying and using certain hooks to pull them in then you are in for some luck.

Persuasion is an art like anything else. It is a skill that can be developed and mastered too. As per the nature of persuasion that's all I can relate to right now. Also, another thing that maybe related to this topic is the art of indirect suggestion.

One of the first things you may want to start doing is not saying "no" to the listener/client. Your answer should ALWAYS agree with the listener. Just agree with them completely and make them feel safe and secure and then find out hook points to pull them in.

For example: If you are a salesman selling a sofa and your client says your product is very high priced. Your first response should be "Yes, you are correct. This is a high priced sofa." and then you can add "That the high price is only due to the high end quality of the material". The client may say "I can find the same product for half the price elsewhere". Your immediate response should be "Yes you are correct. You can find the exact same product at XXX store for half the price. I know that too. However, their product does not use genuine Italian fabric which we do."

That's all I can think of right now! As I mentioned, it's an art that you can master. I can refer you to some books if you are interested for further reading. Cheers!