Master the Art of Influencing Others: The 30-Second Rule

To move ahead in business and relationships, the aim is not to win people over. The aim is to be able to do so in 30 seconds or less. Do you wonder why? Research shows that if you can’t influence people in that time frame, you will never achieve it anyway, because that’s how long the attention span of the human race is. That is the typical duration of ad slots and news stories. Welcome to the attention economy. If you want to influence people, you need to learn the basics of showbiz.

Are you thinking that you can’t possibly make it in such a short time? Think again. The intro paragraph above took you about 21 seconds to read. If you are still reading, something is right here.

Imagine you’re about to show up to a meeting. You have your presentation ready, a proposal to make, and all you want is their buy-in. The only problem? You already know the majority of the participants simply don’t see things your way.

The temptation is to cram as many stats and info onto a fancy PowerPoint to make them get it, right? Wrong! You need their attention, and you will either win or lose it within the first 30 seconds.

30 seconds is your best weapon to influence people

Building influence in 4 steps

The 30-second message idea was introduced by business communications consultant Milo Frank in his book How to get your point across in less than 30 seconds in 1986. Here’s an overview:

1.      Have a clear objective

Make sure you know what you want to achieve from the get-go. Wanting to improve the bottom line for example is not precise enough. Wanting funds to make an investment in X that will improve the bottom line is. Clear-cut objectives will not only get you what you want. They will also earn you recognition as a go-getter.

2.      Know what your audience wants

Once you know your objective, it’s time to understand your audience’s needs and interests. The idea is to find the middle ground that satisfies all. Example:

Employee to boss

Objective: I want a promotion

Company's pain point: high employee turnover

Approach: a company needs to preserve its culture to survive long-term

During my time at Goldman Sachs as a marketing consultant, the role was 50% actual marketing tasks and 50% chasing approvals. My approach was clear. I was leading the presentations by showcasing how much the company is expected to make for every dollar spent on marketing. And I was failing miraculously, meeting after meeting.

One day the penny dropped. Making money is the second thing Goldman Sachs cares about. The first is brand. It wasn’t until I started talking about how the marketing campaigns would enhance the firm's reputation that I got stakeholders to say yes.

 

3.      Find a provocative hook

Hooks are dangled at you every single day. It’s what entices, fascinates, excites, captivates, allures, makes you want to buy or keep reading. Newspapers call it a headline, TV calls it a teaser.

Imagine you want to persuade management to expand to a new territory that might be considered risky due to the lack of technological advancement, but there is next to no competition and revenues are likely to start rolling in fast.

One way to go about it is by saying “We need to be looking for new business opportunities wherever they may be”. Or you can lead with a hook, “Would you pass on the opportunity to create a monopoly, if all it took was a reasonable investment in tech?”.

The first one is a platitude, the second gets people to perk up.

TV calls it a teaser. Business people call it vision.

4.      Finish with an effective close

An effective close is a specific action within a specific timeframe, also known as call-to-action in marketing. Instead of asking the meeting participants to share what they think, ask them to write down the pros and cons of what they heard over coffee and cake, so that you can address their concerns at the next meeting.

How to influence people at business meetings

Throughout my corporate years, I haven’t met a single person who hasn’t experienced meeting burnout. It doesn’t have to be that way. The truth is the speakers are usually not well prepared.

Next time you are the meeting organiser, start applying the principles behind the 30-second message before the meeting begins. Prepare the agenda by emailing the objective, the approach, the subjects and your expectations. For example:

Objective: To improve cash flow

Approach: To sell or not sell an investment

Subjects to be discussed:

1.      The investment has not been profitable but there is room for improvement

2.      There is an available buyer but at a reduced price

3.      Sell now or wait for a better price

Please prepare a 1-minute statement for your opinions and suggestions. The meeting will start at 10 am and finish at 10.30 am sharp.

Not only they will be impressed, they will also be grateful. There are meetings of course, where more discussion than that is necessary. But when it’s your turn to speak or answer questions, you are better off sticking to 30 seconds. It’s your best weapon to persuade people and get your point across.

Putting it all in practice

Here's the “30-second” cold email that got a Mayfair-based holistic clinic to refer clients to me for eft tapping.

Your turn. Think of an objective that you would like to persuade management, your boss, or your associates to agree on. Now try to find a hook for it. It’s a creative process and might take a while before you can start thinking that way naturally.

Finding it hard? What if I told you that I can help you get there with eft tapping over a free zoom call in max. 20 minutes? Would it be a good investment of your time? If so, feel free to reach out here.