Insights with Dzigbordi K. Dosoo: The psychology of persuasion in public speaking

By Dzigbordi KWAKU-DOSOO

Last month, I attended a Leadership Summit, where I watched the conference room fall silent as the keynote CEO stepped to the podium. Though his presentation contained the same data points as the previous speakers, something fundamental shifted in the atmosphere.

By the time he concluded, the entire executive audience was leaning forward, ready to champion his vision. This wasn’t merely effective public speaking – it was persuasion mastery at work.

In today’s insights, we explore the psychology of persuasion in public speaking and why understanding these principles can transform you from just another speaker into a catalyst for change.

Beyond Words: The Hidden Dimensions of Persuasion

I recall a local assembly where a community leader spoke passionately against a proposed mining project that threatened our communal lands. Despite her opponents having more formal education and flashy presentations, it was her genuine connection with the community’s concerns and her clear vision for sustainable development that truly won people over by the end of the session.

“Facts tell, but stories sell,” says communication expert Lisa Nichols. This simple truth captures what many technical speakers miss: human beings are moved first by feeling, then by logic. Our minds might process information, but our hearts decide what to do with it.

The Three Forces of Persuasion

In my experience coaching executives through high-stakes presentations, I’ve found that persuasive speaking relies on three fundamental forces:

• Authentic Authority

People follow those they trust, not just those with credentials. I once coached a young entrepreneur preparing to pitch to investors. She was worried about her lack of industry experience compared to competitors.

“Your vulnerability is your strength,” I told her. When she openly acknowledged what she didn’t know alongside what she did, investors leaned in. They trusted her self-awareness more than her competitors’ polished but hollow confidence.

True authority doesn’t come from pretending to know everything. It comes from being honest about what you know, what you don’t, and why your perspective matters regardless. When you speak from this place, people feel your authenticity rather than just hearing your words.

• Emotional Intelligence

Every audience sits with unspoken questions: Why should I care? How does this affect me? What will I feel if I follow your advice?

I coached a finance director struggling to get buy-in for a major systems change. His initial presentations were data-heavy but emotion-light. We worked to help him understand the emotional landscape of his audience – their fears about disruption, their frustrations with current processes, their hopes for improvement.

When he addressed these emotional realities alongside the technical details, resistance melted away. He wasn’t just selling a system; he was offering peace of mind.

The most persuasive speakers understand that emotions aren’t irrational forces to be conquered – they’re essential navigational tools that help us determine what matters.

• Strategic Simplicity

In a world drowning in complexity, clarity becomes precious. Your audience doesn’t need to know everything you know – they need to grasp the essential truth that will change their perspective. Complexity demonstrates knowledge but simplicity demonstrates understanding.

The Psychology Behind What Works

We can imagine what makes a presentation persuasive and what doesn’t. When you stand before an audience, your message travels through psychological filters that determine whether it will be accepted or rejected:

• The Trust Filter

Before people evaluate your ideas, they evaluate you. Research shows we make trust judgments within seconds of someone beginning to speak. These judgments happen largely beyond conscious awareness, based on:

Does this person seem genuine or performative?

Are they consistent in their verbal and non-verbal communication?

Do they acknowledge complexity or oversimplify?

Do they respect my intelligence or talk down to me?

I once watched a brilliant scientist fail to persuade a community meeting because he addressed them as if they were ignorant rather than simply non-expert. His information was correct, but it couldn’t pass through the broken trust filter.

• The Relevance Filter

Our brains are wired to conserve energy by ignoring anything that doesn’t seem immediately relevant to our needs, fears, or desires. This is why starting with your credentials often fails – the audience hasn’t yet determined if your topic matters to them.

I know a non-profit leader who transformed her fundraising results when she began opening talks with the human impact of the problem rather than organizational history. By addressing what the audience already cared about, she opened the relevance filter, allowing her other points to flow through.

• The Memory Filter

It is often said that we forget nearly 90% of what we hear within a week. This is because our brains are constantly filtering vast amounts of sensory input, prioritizing what is most relevant for survival, decision-making, and emotional significance. However, certain types of information tend to stick more than others. Here’s why:

Emotional Impact

Our brains are wired to remember emotionally charged moments. Whether it’s joy, fear, surprise, or sadness, strong emotions activate the amygdala, a part of the brain responsible for processing emotions and enhancing memory storage. This is why we can vividly recall events like a wedding, a traumatic incident, or a moment of great achievement, but struggle to remember what we had for lunch last Tuesday.

Connection to Existing Knowledge

When new information connects to something we already know, it is easier to integrate and retain. The brain is constantly looking for patterns and associations, linking new data to existing mental frameworks. This is why analogies, prior experiences, and background knowledge play a crucial role in learning and memory retention.

Storytelling & Metaphors

Facts alone are forgettable, but stories are memorable. Our brains process narratives in a way that engages multiple areas—including those involved in emotion, visualization, and sequencing—making them easier to recall.

Metaphors also help bridge the gap between the unfamiliar and the familiar. When something complex is explained using a simple metaphor, the brain latches onto the imagery and meaning, improving retention.

Emphasis & Repetition

The more something is repeated or emphasized as important, the more likely we are to remember it. This is why advertising slogans, political speeches, and classroom lessons rely on repetition. The brain interprets frequently repeated information as significant and stores it in long-term memory.

Here are 4 keys to help you develop psychological persuasion in your speaking:

1. SPEAK TO IDENTITY, NOT JUST INTELLECT

People make decisions that align with who they believe themselves to be. Frame your message not just as something to do, but as something congruent with their self-image. “As someone who values innovation…” or “For those of us committed to excellence…” connects your request to their identity.

2. CREATE CONTRAST TO CREATE CLARITY

Our brains are wired to notice differences more than absolutes. Show the gap between where things are and where they could be. Paint the pain of the status quo before offering the solution. When you create this tension-and-release pattern, persuasion happens in the contrast.

3. BUILD BRIDGES OF FAMILIARITY

New ideas face resistance unless connected to existing beliefs. Start with what your audience already accepts, then build a logical bridge to your new proposition. This “yes ladder” approach guides them from established ground to new territory step by step.

4. EMBODY YOUR MESSAGE

There’s profound truth in the saying, “The medium is the message.” If you’re speaking about courage while seeming fearful, or about simplicity while being convoluted, your non-verbal signals will override your words. The most powerful persuasion happens when you become living proof of your message’s value.

When you approach persuasion as service rather than conquest, your audience senses your intention even before understanding your information. True persuasion requires the vulnerability of caring deeply about your message and the response it receives. It means risking rejection because you believe the message matters.

As author Marianne Williamson reminds us, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. “When you speak with the intention to genuinely influence others – to change minds, inspire action, and transform perspectives – you step into that power. The psychology of persuasion isn’t about tricks or techniques at heart; it’s about the courage to matter. And that courage, like confidence, can’t be taught – but it can be found within yourself, one persuasive conversation at a time.

Are you ready for TRANSFORMATION?

Dzigbordi Kwaku-Dosoo is a Ghanaian multi-disciplinary Business Leader,

Entrepreneur, Consultant, Certified High-Performance Coach (CHPCTM)

and global Speaker. She is the Founder and CEO of The DCG Consulting

Group.

She is the trusted coach to top executives, managers, teams, and

entrepreneurs helping them reach their highest level of performance through the integration of technical skills

with human (soft)skills for personal development and professional growth, a recipe for

success she has perfected over the years.

Her coaching, seminars and training has helped many organizations and individuals to

transform their image and impact, elevate their engagement and establish networks

leading to improved and inspired teams, growth and productivity.

The post Insights with Dzigbordi K. Dosoo: The psychology of persuasion in public speaking appeared first on The Business & Financial Times.

Read Full Story