Use "Experience" as Your Edge in Influencing

Communication expert Dianna Booher knows how to turn your conversations into gold. Using different words or phrases in your speech can raise credibility, build rapport, and get you the sale! Today she shares her advice on using your experience to position yourself as an expert.

Others can argue about your facts, data, surveys, or research--and they often do! They can disagree that your product or services outshine the competition. They can doubt that your offering will resolve their problem. They can disagree that your ideas will correct a problem, meet a challenge, or take best advantage of a great opportunity.

But no one can dispute your experience. Your experience is yours alone. No one else has lived through it, observed its effects, and been shaped by it. When you state an opinion or respond to a question during a presentation “based on your experience,” state that experience with confidence.

For example, a buyer asks: “I think customizing the assessment is a waste of time. Why are you thinking we need a customized version added to our intranet before we roll this out to our own customers?” Your response: “That has to be your final decision, of course. It will delay the project by approximately two months. But in my experience in handling these projects for more than 70 clients during the last two years, I can recall only two clients who skipped that customization phase. And both regretted the decision because their own employees proved to be a great cross-section of the population to test user acceptance. I offer that experience for your consideration.”

Of course, others may try to discount your experience as “unrelated,” “irrelevant,” or “dated.” But as long as you show relevancy to the situation at hand, you’re the expert on your own experience.

Your experience can be accepted or rejected, but it’s still your experience--and irrefutable as such.

Author of 42 books, Dianna Booher, CSP, CPAE, delivers keynotes, breakout sessions, and training on communication and life-balance issues. Her latest books: Speak with Confidence, Your Signature Life, Your Signature Work, E-Writing, and Communicate with Confidence. www.Dianna-Booher.com