Why Knowledge is Not Persuasive
Like many professionals, I’ve long placed heavy reliance on my expert knowledge. Years of experience as a commercial lawyer have trained my brain to sniff out ambiguity in contract wording like a bloodhound! I can’t turn it off. Whether I’m reading an IKEA manual, a board game instruction sheet, or a commercial contract, my brain instantly zooms in on every possible grey area.
Take this sentence: “The customer must pay invoices within 30 days.” Most people would consider that crystal clear. Me? I immediately start asking: 30 days from when – receipt or issue date? What if the invoice is invalid? Or partially invalid? What then…? You get the picture.
This hyper-vigilance is part of the job, and while it serves a purpose, it has its limits – especially in negotiation.
Expertise Shapes Perception, But Doesn’t Persuade
Whatever your field, your knowledge becomes a lens through which you view the world. An architect notices building details most of us never see. A chef identifies what went wrong in a dish after one bite. A dentist knows your bite alignment the second you smile. We all develop mental filters that shape our perception.
In negotiation, however, these filters can become blinders. Lawyers over-rely on legal analysis. Accountants lean too heavily on valuation models. Sellers count on their product knowledge or past customer experience. We fall into the trap of thinking that negotiations are like math equations: get the facts right, and the outcome will follow. But that’s not how it works.
The Surprisingly Ineffective Expert
Let me illustrate this with a real-world experience. Recently, I was involved in negotiating a complex, high-stakes agreement with a critical supplier. My predecessor had engaged external counsel to lead negotiations due to the regulatory complexity.
When I joined my first call, I observed the senior partner we had instructed passionately explaining why the supplier’s interpretation of a regulation was flawed. He was technically flawless. He did a much better job at explaining the intricacies of the law than I could have. But it was clear the counterparty had stopped listening about four minutes in. They weren’t interested in the legal details – not because they misunderstood them, but because they had no intention of conceding. They were stalling.
Eventually, I felt like I had to cut in. I simply stated that we would not accept a non-compliant position and were prepared to walk away if they insisted. That was it. Ten seconds. Silence followed. Shortly after they conceded.
The partner we had instructed wasn’t wrong – he was just ineffective. His expertise didn’t move the needle because persuasion isn’t about being right.
The Surprisingly Persuasive Non-Expert
To drive this point home, let me introduce you to a former colleague of mine. I won’t reveal his real name, of course, so let’s just call him Tom. Tom was, by any technical measure, not a strong lawyer. Moreover, he had transferred to a new practice area, and his lack of subject matter expertise was fairly obvious.
Yet Tom consistently closed negotiations in weeks that others seasoned lawyers dragged out for months. He made mistakes, yes, but he got reasonable results fast.
How? Adam was persuasive.
He spoke with calm authority and fatherly warmth. Even when delivering tough messages, he exuded composure. His voice was deliberate, his tone soothing but firm. Listening to him argue was almost hypnotic, like a Paul McKenna recording.
One day, after he completely outmanoeuvred me in an internal disagreement, it hit me: He sounded persuasive, so he was persuasive. He did not win the argument because he had better facts. He won the argument because of the way he spoke.
That moment changed how I view negotiations. Tom wasn’t relying on technical knowledge – he was relying on his delivery.
Persuasion is Performance
This isn’t to say you don’t need to know your stuff. Being well-informed matters. But knowledge doesn’t persuade on its own. How you communicate it makes all the difference.
Here are some practical tools I’ve used to improve my delivery – many of which I wish I’d known earlier in my career.
1. Vary Your Tone Intentionally
Avoid monotone delivery. Varying your tone keeps people engaged and helps convey sincerity. Make sure your tone supports your message and does not conflict with it!
Warm and friendly: Builds rapport.
Confident and assertive: Conveys authority.
Calm and steady: Useful in tense moments.
Passionate and energetic: Inspires and motivates.
2. Pace Your Speech for Impact
Slow down to emphasize important points.
Speed up slightly to show enthusiasm but do not rush.
Pause strategically to create anticipation or give weight to a statement.
3. Use Vocal Emphasis
Highlight key words with pitch or stress.
Match your vocal energy to the emotional weight of your message.
4. Brevity is Persuasive
(Yes, this is coming from a lawyer!) People don’t need paragraphs – they need clarity. A short, firm “We can’t accept that” is more powerful than a long-winded explanation.
5. Eliminate Fillers and Qualifiers
Avoid:
Filler words: um, like, you know.
Qualifiers: I think, I believe, maybe.
Question talking: Ending statements with a rising tone as if you’re asking a question.
Why? Because these habits signal insecurity. Even if your message is strong, your delivery invites challenge if you get these wrong.
Say “No, we’re not going to do that.” instead of “Um, I don’t think that’s really going to work for us?”
The first says you’ve made a decision. The second says you’re waiting for their permission!
6. Stay in Role
At first, speaking with authority may feel like acting. That’s OK. Stay in character. Over time, it becomes second nature – your negotiator voice.
Final Thoughts
As Scott Adams wrote in Win Bigly, people are more influenced by emotion, repetition, visual cues, and simplicity than by technical facts.
So, yes – do your homework. Know your stuff. But remember: Knowledge is not persuasive. Delivery is.
Don’t just focus on being right. Focus on being heard, understood, and compelling. That’s the real craft in negotiation.