Use These Phrases to Sound More Persuasive at Work
For something that most of us have to do on a daily basis, navigating workplace communication can be tricky: there is often a fine line between assertiveness and aggressiveness, helpfulness and pushiness, arrogance and trust.
Ideally, you want to impress in a way that convinces your co-workers that you know what you’re talking about without coming across as an obnoxious know-it-all who thinks they’re always right. Here are a few phrases to help you find balance and sound convincing at work.
What does it mean to be “reliable” at work?
At its core, trust is your ability to be believable and trustworthy of others, according to Selena Rezvani , workplace leadership coach and author of Fighting Back: How Smart Women Ask for — and Stand Up for — What They Want. In fact, she says that trust is a critical aspect of any professional relationship.
“Part of authentic communication means you have to own your voice and claim recognition for the value, skills and experience you bring to the table,” Rezvani wrote in a recent article for MSNBC . “At the same time, credible leaders show that they are intellectually humble.” This means acknowledging your mistakes and giving credit where appropriate, highlighting the accomplishments and contributions of your peers.
According to Rezvani , once you earn trust in yourself at work, you are more likely to have your peers turn to you for advice and help. Not only can this potentially lead to other opportunities in the company now or in the future, but it can also give you more influence over the decisions and opinions of your colleagues given that they trust you, she explains.
Phrases that will make you sound convincing at work
So how exactly do you sound more convincing at work? Rezvani suggests using these phrases in workplace communication:
- “I would like to acknowledge the work / pay tribute to…”
- “Here’s what we know today… Here’s how we will build on it in the future…”
- “I would like to get feedback from you…”
- “Let’s summarize…”
- “I appreciate you sharing this. It’s new/scary/difficult…”
- “I wanted you to know that X is on track/on track/on budget.”
- “I miscalculated…”
- “Thank you for the compliment. I’m also delighted with how it turned out!”
Read Rezvani’s full article on MSNBC to learn more about how to sound persuasive at work.