The Overlooked Power of Persuasion in Business:
In business, we’re taught to sharpen our logic and climb the hierarchy. We build credibility with data, argue with reason, and secure compliance through authority. But there’s a third channel of influence—quieter, subtler, and often ignored—that may matter just as much, especially when reason fails and authority doesn’t reach.
In a Gresham College lecture on lawgivers through history, Professor Melissa Lane draws from ancient political thought to outline three sources of influence: Force, Reason, and Persuasion. Force needs no explanation. Reason is the realm of logic, planning, and evidence. But Persuasion, as she defines it, is something richer and deeper—linked not to argument or coercion, but to emotion, ritual, imagination, and shared meaning.
In today’s organizations, Persuasion is the most underdeveloped and least understood form of influence. And yet, it may be the one we need most.
What Is Persuasion—Really?
Forget the slick connotations of persuasion as sales or spin. In Lane’s framing, Persuasion draws on passion, sensing, musicality, customs, ways of life, morality, subliminality, and ceremony. It’s the realm of embodied presence, of emotional resonance, of knowing what will feel right before it can be logically justified.
The ancient lawgiver didn’t just impose rules or argue for change. They shaped culture. They wove laws into rituals, stories, songs, symbols, and shared emotional experiences. They understood that people don’t follow ideas—they follow what feels like them.
Persuasion is not weaker than logic or force. It’s what gives both their lasting hold.
Why Business Overlooks Persuasion
Modern organizations lean heavily on Reason—metrics, analysis, frameworks—and, when needed, on Force—position, incentives, compliance mechanisms. These are visible, countable, and teachable.
But Persuasion? It’s hard to measure. It resists spreadsheets. It’s about how you show up, how you speak, how you make others feel, what rituals or symbols give meaning to the work. It may feel “soft,” “subjective,” or even unprofessional.
That’s why it’s often left to chance. Few leadership development programs teach cultural literacy, storytelling, embodied presence, or the symbolic side of organizational life.
Yet these are precisely the skills that distinguish leaders who are followed from those who are merely obeyed.
Why We Need Persuasion Now
The need for Persuasion is growing:
- In diverse, global teams, cultural nuance matters more than policy.
- In remote and hybrid work, emotional connection is harder to build—and more valuable when achieved.
- In an age of distrust and information overload, logic alone doesn’t move people; emotion does.
- In complex, cross-functional systems, you often need to influence without authority—Persuasion is your most sustainable tool.
And when the stakes are high—when logic is uncertain and formal authority limited—it’s often the emotional resonance of a message, a ritual, or a leader’s presence that gets people aligned.
Practising the Persuasive Self
Unlike Reason or Force, Persuasion is not about proving or enforcing. It’s about evoking—a response, a sense of belonging, a felt meaning.
So how can you develop it?
Start by creating safe, low-stakes environments to experiment with:
- Presence: Practice how you hold a room—not through volume, but through intentional silence, rhythm, eye contact. Try it in team meetings or briefings.
- Storytelling: Frame your points with personal or team narratives, not just data. Test this in presentations, 1:1s, or project retrospectives.
- Rituals: Introduce small, symbolic acts—like opening a weekly check-in with a team value, or celebrating milestones with something meaningful.
- Cultural fluency: Pay attention to the symbols, codes, and customs that matter in your team or region. Ask questions. Observe carefully.
- Emotionally attuned language: Don’t shy away from expressing how something feels or why it matters, especially when leading change.
Most importantly, treat your everyday interactions as a lab for persuasion. You don’t need a title change to test presence or try a new story form.
Reclaiming the Middle Path of Influence
We often think of influence as a battle of minds or a matter of control. But persuasion asks something more human: How do you make others feel aligned, understood, seen?
Reason and Force have their place. But Persuasion is what makes ideas stick and change last. It doesn’t demand submission or agreement—it invites participation.
If you want to lead—not just manage—don’t just sharpen your thinking or grow your authority. Shape your presence. Use emotion wisely. Pay attention to the symbolic. Rehearse your resonance.
And ask yourself:
Where could I practise the art of Persuasion—safely, consistently, and with intention?
Because this neglected skill may be the one that sets you apart when it matters most.