How can you balance persuasive speeches with honesty?

I will question the premise of this entire debate by asking instead 'how can you persuade others in a speech _without_ honesty?' People persuade themselves. You will never persuade someone to do something they don't want to do AND preserve a relationship (unless maybe you're selling a dress 👗 on Vinted!) Your role as a persuasive speaker is to help your audience to see a different side of the question. It's only by authentically and honestly tuning in to their concerns that you can persuade them to try a different path.

If your purpose is to persuade, then be completely honest from the start. It may feel counter-intuitive, but being straight with your audience will make your message as genuine and relevant as possible. (Your audience might be better at detecting BS than you think.)

In defining your purpose, I think you really need to look at the audience. Why are they there? What are they expectations? What are their needs? Where can you take them? Once you answer these questions, it will become clear what your purpose is.

If you want to persuade your audience of something you need to first know what they current think, believe, want, understand, feel about your subject. I’d swap around points 1 and 2. Where the audience is will be your starting point in the presentation and help you define where you want to take the audience.

Being genuine and passionate always resonates more than trying to be flawless. Consider your audience carefully and tailor your message to resonate with them. It's not just what you say, but how you present it that makes the difference. Authenticity and understanding your audience are key to impactful communication.

Know all the facts. Present the facts in a clear manner. Never raise your voice or attack the other party personally. That's the recipe for success.

Sometimes, being honest about the LACK of things you have in common with your audience can be a more authentic route to persuasion. Addressing the elephant in the room and your shortcomings right at the start, can actually help get them onside. They see that you haven't tried to pull the wool over their eyes. They feel seen and respect you more for it. Perversely, they are then in a place to be more receptive to your message.

In my experience, knowing my audience includes knowing their language. By using our common language coupled with our common values allows for an authentic conversation about concerns and changes. Transformation, change management and reengineering an organization or a mindset will require commonality and innovation.

Seine Zielgruppe auf Augenhöhe begegnen ist der Schlüssel das Publikum zu gewinnen. Dabei darf man offen mit seinen Fehlern umgehen und auch mal eine Frage mit „das weiß ich nicht“ beantworten. Das macht einen authentisch.

You can use 3 types of credibility in your presentations: 1. Expert 2. Curated 3. Opinion Expert is you have solved their problem before. Curated is when you are working with someone/ something which has solved their problem before. Opinion is just your opinion, but you have evidence to show how you arrived at that opinion. Any of these types can work, you just need to be very clear about which one you are using.

This is where being « honest » comes in. If you’re just making up evidence, examples or experiences, then I’d suggest you shouldn’t even be presenting on your subject. Honest examples from your experience (something that happened to you or someone you’ve encountered or worked with), delivered as mini stories will help the audience connect with the subject and the audience will be more likely to be convinced. Choose evidence that the audience can relate to to avoid losing them or disinteresting them.

Stories are the most credible evidence their is. They don't all have to be stories, it could be something you saw or read, but a story is much more powerful than data and facts. it also gets the audience engaged.

You cannot persuade an audience you are not connected with. Anybody can say anything. What would make your speech stand out is how you say it and the emotion it evoke. One way to appeal to emotion is to share honest similar stories of your experience. One time, I had the opportunity to speak to some public secondary school students in Lagos State, Nigeria and I shared similar stories of my own struggles while I attended a public secondary school. The students were glued to my speech the entire time. They could easily relate and the speech was inspiring.

No emotion in the speaker = no emotion in the listener. It's not dishonest to elicit an emotional reaction in your audience. It's actually the necessary delivery mechanism for change. Only way it happens. I would argue that you CAN use fear or guilt in a positive and ethical sense. For example: relating a story to your audience about how your young child asked you to put your work phone away on holiday and the immense guilt that made you feel as a result, would be the opposite of uplifting...but it would have a chance of producing the desired change in your audience's behaviour i.e. becoming a better father or mother.

The equation for persuasion is made of three parts: 1️⃣ Your credibility as a speaker. Are you trustworthy? Do you have the expertise to speak on this topic? Are you invested in your audience? 2️⃣ Your présentation content, and more specifically, your facts, data, and information. 3️⃣ Your ability to connect your content to human emotion. Think storytelling, think humor, think metaphors. If you remove one of these elements from the equation, you can’t actually persuade! Here’s a hint: this element speaks directly to honesty and feelings. When you cook your presentations with all three effectively, you’ll dish up some steaming hot, delicious persuasion free of coercion or deceit.

Storytelling is a powerful tool in persuasion, as it creates vivid imagery and fosters empathy and emotion. By sharing stories, you allow your audience to see themselves in the narrative, building a deeper, more personal connection that goes beyond facts or data.

Ziel ist nicht die Manipulation, auch wenn man natürlich mit Emotionen auch manipulieren kann. Die eigene ehrliche Überzeugung zu transportieren ist automatisch mit Emotionen verbunden.

Embrace your uniqueness: Your distinct combination of experiences, background, and expertise is unparalleled. Be yourself, as no one else can offer what you uniquely bring to the table.

My lived experience gives me the balance to be able to tell my truth But at the same time let people see my varnability in telling my truth, which persuades them to understand the topic that i'm speaking on.

Honesty here is paramount. If you are inventing experience or qualifications eventually your audience will find out and you will be totally written off as a fraud and as unprofessional.

Ohne Glaubwürdigkeit keine Überzeugungskraft. Wer wirklich von seinem Thema überzeugt ist, überzeugt auch andere. Die eigene ehrliche Überzeugung erzeugt automatisch Glaubwürdigkeit.

I think this appeal to 'humility and open-mindedness' is a better frame than balancing 'honesty and persuasion'. Honesty and persuasion don't need to be pitted against each other ideologically. They aren't mutually exclusive qualities. You need to present ideas with conviction. But I'd like to think that if you can present your ideas with the confidence of someone who's done the work, whilst simultaneously acknowledging that you have blind spots like everyone else, is the most persuasive stance of all. Competence + an openness to the idea that you would reverse your stance in light of better evidence.

Regardless of your expertise, remember the value of humility. Being humble allows people to connect and relate to you more easily.

The most important thing is to be yourself. yes, you can be the best, most polished version of yourself, but if you are not true to who you are, the audience will see and feel it, and you won't get the full impact from your talk.

Especially in front of a global audience, honesty is key. Never compromise on honesty in any way! This does not weaken your storytelling abilities or the emotional buy-in, which is what many may fear. If it comes down to facts & figures, honesty cannot be compromised either, as there will always be someone to fact-check you. Provide sources and context; if there is contradictory data or evidence, say so and establish credibility.

Honesty and persuasion are not opposing topics. Honesty and manipulation maybe, but manipulation is not the same as persuasion. In the words of Seth Godin, manipulation is when “I get you to do something, but if you knew what I knew, you wouldn’t do it.” Persuasion is simply showing someone a better perspective. It should be an act of service to make their life better.

Rob is spot on here! It's a silly question to consider balancing being persuasive with being honest. It's only an issue that's going to raise its head if what you're trying to do is dishonest or disingenuous in some way. Assuming that your presentation is intended to help people (and if not WHY NOT!) then what on earth is the problem... do both/be both!

Offer up facts both positive and negative honestly. Share knowledge openly. Be passionate about your presentation and your primary views will show through.

Ditto what Rob D. Willis and Simon Raybould said. When I looked at the topic, my first thought was "What kind of question is that?" Though it does remind me of the internet about 10 years ago when there was a sudden proliferation of authenticy coaches charging a fortune teaching people 'How to be you'.

You are the most persuasive when you’re YOU. Authenticity shines brighter than the sun. Your audience acts like a pack of bloodhounds trained to sniff out inauthentic messages or presenters. Step one: Be you. Step two: Be interesting! When you’re interesting, your audience is interested. Step three: Get good at — and tell — personal stories. Human emotion and storytelling are the most compelling and memorable parts of any presentation.

Everything noted here should apply to every kind of speech. You need to know your audience, you need to establish credibility, etc. The part that makes telling the truth in a persuasive speech is that the truth comes out as passionate sometimes. When you are speaking and you are passionate, I'm all ears. Tell the truth and use that to persuade your audience.

A speech that persuades using dishonest tactics in addition to misrepresenting facts, cherry picking data, and emotionally swaying the audience without valid reasons all mentioned here is not inclusive. There are other ways of being dishonest that speakers need to avoid. Speakers who try to win the audience over by offering unrealistic or unachievable outcomes also misleads the audience and distorts the truth. Finally, presenting someone else's work, ideas, or words as your own without proper attribution is also dishonest manipulation. Avoiding these and the other dishonest methods used to influence the auduence ensures your persuasive speech is built on integrity and a genuine desire to inform and persuade ethically.