persuasion Using action verbs will make your statement more convincing because your audience will engage their emotions, consciously and subconsciously. Verbs that are abstract or overused do not communicate excitement. Sixteen AttentionGrabbing Words With so many words in the English language to pick from, you must be very particular about which ones to use. Some will grab attention more than others. The following sixteen words are commonly used to effectively sell a product:9 Benefit Money Easy New Free Now Fun Proven Guarantee Results Health Safe How to Save Love YouYour Always pulls best Among all those on the list, the word "free" always gets attention anytime it is used. Suppose you were in charge of designing and wording the fliers your company is planning to send out in three weeks. Which phrase would you use? 16. Half price! 16. Buy one-Get one free! 16. 50 percent off! Each of the three denotes the exact same offer, but the second phrase is the most effective. In fact, studies have shown that phrases using the word "free" outsell other phrases stating the exact same thing, only in different terms, by 40 percent!10 "New" is another big word. Think about its use in politics. For Franklin Roosevelt, it was "The New Deal"; for John Kennedy, it was the "New Frontier." Then there were Ronald Reagan's "New Beginning" and Bill Clinton's "New Covenant." Politicians aren't the only ones selling with the word "new." Think of all the times you've seen advertisements proclaiming "introducing," "all new," or "first time ever." Vocal Techniques: Keep People Attentive and Listening How we say the words we choose is just about as important as the words themselves. Our voice is a powerful instrument that can motivate the troops or lull them to sleep. There is a huge difference between presenting and persuading. Your voice is a complete arsenal of persuasive techniques in and of itself. For example, you can say the same thing but mean five different things, depending on the tone of your voice. You can say "Thank you" laden with sarcasm, love, hate, anger, humor, or surprise-just by changing the tone and inflection of your voice. Peter Blanck, in his research, found that judges communicated their bias and attitudes by the tone of their voice. The juries in California were twice as likely to convict trial defendants when the judges already knew the defendants had a record and prior convictions. The law simply states that a judge cannot share this private information with the jurors, but, as researchers found, judges can convey their attitude toward defendants when the words and tone of voice in their instructions to the jury lack warmth, patience, and tolerance.11 You can change your rate of speech, your vocal fillers (um, uh, ah), the volume, pitch, inflection, emphasis, and even the pauses that you use. You can keep an audience listening with both ears and with full energy, rendering them absolutely spellbound because of the power of your voice. persuasion