Go Further than Persuading. Build Consensus.

For the next few minutes I’d like you to think about the way you communicate in the workplace. Think about how you deliver information, and think about the efforts you make to persuade and build consensus with your colleagues.

The concepts of persuasion and consensus are critical to success in the workplace. Persuasion and consensus lead to sales, decision-making, momentum and, at times, alignment and collaboration… all good things. The person who has the ability to persuade and build consensus has huge value inside any organization.

The person who has the ability to persuade and build consensus has huge value inside any organization.

But there are different ways of approaching the concepts of persuasion and consensus, and sometimes persuasion and consensus are very different.

Persuasion versus Consensus

Persuasion is about generating outcomes. I can persuade you to behave or think in a certain way, or to remember a certain something. But while you may do what I want you to do, you may not necessarily feel good about it.

Consensus goes a step further. Consensus is not only about how you act or think, but how you feel about it. Sometimes persuasion and consensus are the same. I can persuade you to purchase a product, and at the same time build consensus that the purchase was a good idea. But other times I can persuade you to do a certain something because, for example, I am your boss and you have no choice. I persuaded you to take a certain course of action, but I may have failed to cause you to feel good about. I achieved persuasion, but I did not achieve consensus.

This may seem like a modest difference, but it isn’t. Here’s why. Many people approach persuasion merely as an effort to get the outcomes they want. They use whatever leverage they have available to them to cause the reactions they seek.

But the truly skilled communicator tries to persuade and build consensus as often as possible. The truly skilled communicator not only seeks outcomes, but also positive reactions and feelings toward those outcomes.

My friends and colleagues at Switch & Shift are beautifully focused on creating a better workplace. And the concept of building consensus touches many themes critical to building that better workplace. Building consensus requires an understanding of what other people think, what they care about and what they don’t care about. Building consensus requires an awareness and respect for others, and a high degree of emotional intelligence.

How are YOU building consensus?

So now, let’s bring it back to you and the way you communicate. How much time do you spend thinking about others’ perspectives? When you’re getting ready to lead a meeting or a conference call or give a presentation, how much time do you spend thinking about who else will be in the room and how to position your topic in the most valuable way?

When we pursue consensus, we are focused automatically on critical behaviors that will lead to a better workplace. We will respect our colleagues and think about their perspectives.

Persuasion is a critical skill. But take it step further and think about not only persuading outcomes but building consensus. You and your organization will benefit immensely.