As a leader we're regularly faced with situations where we need to persuade others. We try to persuade parents that our camp is the right choice for their child. We try to convince staff members to act in a particular manner. We attempt to get campers to respond positively to a key message. Whatever the situation, our success as a leader often times hinges on our ability to persuade others.
So how do we effectively get others to listen to and respond to our message? In her book Persuasion in Action, Kathleen Reardon looks at the criteria people use in determining how they will respond to a leader's attempt to persuade them. She calls this the ACE Theory. When evaluating someones attempt to persuade us people consider three factors: appropriateness, consistency and effectiveness.
Appropriateness is whether people perceive what they are being asked to do as the right thing based on generally accepted norms. Consistency considers how the proposed action compares with what has been done in the past in similar situations. Effectiveness is the degree to which people believe the proposed course of action will lead to the desired end result.
We can be the most effective in persuading others when our develop our message in such a way to address the issues of appropriateness, consistency and effectiveness.
