How to be More Convincing Through Context

Everyone wishes they could be more convincing. And in a perfect world, a logical argument would do the trick….

But it doesn’t.

So what can you sprinkle into your next conversations that will level-up your convince-o-meter?

These three, easy to implement tips right here in this article! Fancy that!

These tips will help you:

get buy-in from your team
draw your prospects into your marketing message
and make your sales calls easier

What’s Convincing?

Human beings are convinced through emotion. Emotion is a constant in the influential equation. No matter how Spock-like the person you want to influence (your influence partner) might be, they will still be swayed through emotion.

Once we acknowledge that, then we look at the two main categories of emotions: positive and negative. What puts your influence partner in a positive mood? What puts them in a negative mood?

When you’re trying to convince someone to take action toward something, then you’ll likely be focusing on either,

1. helping them fix a problem they have OR

2. helping them move towards a goal they have (or both).

If you’re helping them with a problem, then you should stay curious about what specifically about that problem puts them in a negative mood.

On the other hand, if you’re helping them move towards a goal, you’ll want to be curious about what specifically about their goal puts them in a positive state.

Now that we know the two paths you’re potentially taking to be more convincing, your next question is how do I do that?

Convincing through Context

You might have heard the phrase, “content is king.” If this is the case, then context is its queen.

You can enrich your content by wrapping it in influential context.

Humans are association-creating beings. Meaning, our minds are always linking data points with similar, associated data points.

For example, if I were to say “Disney,” you will have a series of images, feelings, memories, and other associations just with that one word. You could think about their famous mouse, a vacation you took to Disney World, or scenes from your favorite Disney movies might flash through your mind. Now, if you hate Disney, then an entirely new set of negative associations might come to mind.

When you can tap into their full thought scheme by using context, your influence partner will have a stronger emotional connection to your content.

Here are three simple ways you can find influential context.

WHEN

There are milestones throughout your day that anchor you into an emotional state, either positive or negative.

Therefore, the context of time can be a triggering event.

For one client I worked with, lunchtime was an anxiety-inducing milestone because she was very introverted, but worked in a very extroverted corporate culture. So, at lunchtime, she would feel stress and anxiety around whether she should mingle with her coworkers, or if she could come up with just one more excuse to break from the pack and do something on her own. So, every day, when the clock hit 11:30, her blood pressure would start to rise.

There are a million different WHEN association possibilities. So, ask yourself…WHEN does my influence partner feel worried about a problem? Or, WHEN does my target client face their problem?

WHEN do they think about their goals? If they’re frustrated that they haven’t achieved those goals yet, WHEN do feel that way? WHEN do they daydream about their goals?

Another perfect example of using the WHEN context in marketing is 5 Hour Energy. Their entire campaign advertised solving the afternoon slump. Their marketing was time-based because it addressed and answered the question, WHEN does this problem occur?

So, after people saw the ads, they’d look at the clock during their workday afternoon, feel the slump in energy and think, “Oh, I need a 5 Hour Energy.”

In fact, even 5 Hour Energy’s title is time-based. How long will this drink give me energy? 5 whole hours.

Their marketing team knew people had an association with that afternoon slump, like brain fog or a struggle to stay awake at their desk at that particular time. So, they attached that time of day with their product, and now you associate that slump feeling with their solution. Pretty smart, huh?

Your turn! Ask yourself:

When is my influence partner (or target market) thinking about the problem I’m trying to solve?
When do they feel annoyed?
What time of day do they think about this problem or the goal I’m trying to help them accomplish?

WHERE

Spatial context is another strong triggering event.

The physical location of your influence partner can easily drum up positive or negative associations.

That makes the next question, WHERE does your influence partner think about the problem or goal you want to help them with? WHERE are they when it comes to mind?

Some examples:

As your target market sits in gridlock traffic on their way to the office, do they dream about owning their own business and working from home?
Does your ideal client struggle to be productive when they open up their inbox and it’s flooded with emails filled with “fires” that need to be put out?
Do they feel anxiety every time they’re standing in front of the refrigerator door, trying to make healthy choices…but really just want to grab the leftover pie?
Are the movies their safe haven, where they can completely unplug, escape, and not think about their problems?

When you find the answer to WHERE you can more easily address your influence partner’s problem or goal because you’re simply describing the WHERE context.

When do you this, their entire body becomes anchored into those physical and emotional sensations that they associate with that context. This is how you can get someone to be more compelled to have interest in what you have to say – solving their problem or helping them with their goal.

Rather than describing your coaching services, it’ll better serve you if you frame that content around the context of WHERE. For example, when you finish our coaching program, you’ll never have to sit in traffic again, losing hours of your life flipping through podcast episodes. Soon, your office will be less than 100 steps away from your bed.

With the WHERE context, you’re able to incorporate the space in which they wish they’ve already accomplished their goal, or where they wish they no longer had to deal with their problem.

WHO

People can also add influential context to your content.

Certain people can trigger positive and negative states in just a split second – whether it’s just the thought of them, by their very presence, or through their actions.

WHO adds to your convincing context because you can flesh out your content by adding players to the influential story you’re weaving.

So, ask yourself, WHO are they with when they feel the pangs of the problem or the hopes for a solution?

Examples:

Does your influence partner feel a wave of stress anytime their boss knocks on their office door?
When they cuddle with their partner at night, do they secretly hope that their partner doesn’t notice their body “flaws”?
Do they find the motivation to strive for a goal when they are with their kids?
Is there someone they wish they could be?
WHO represents their goals in life?

WHO can be someone in their life now (kids, boss), someone who used to be in their life (an ex-boyfriend, a deceased relative), someone they wish they could be (JLO, Steve Jobs), or someone they hope they never become (an estranged father, a bully from school).

People shape our associations with problems and goals because they help us remember what we wish to avoid and what we wish we could accomplish.

Breathing Life Into Your Content

Be aware if you’ve been too myopic in how you present your ideas.

The person you want to convince doesn’t experience their problems or goals in a vacuum.

There are many triggering events, times, places, and people that cascade associated emotions. Breathe life into your content by wrapping it with context.