Positioning Your Argument

Abstract

You have formed a view on an issue that is important to you, but without the backing of key colleagues for your ideas, plans, or proposals, you cannot move ahead. You decide to speak with them so that you can influence them toward your point of view. You know what you want to say and how you want to say it. Your arguments make complete sense to you. Adopting your proposals will result in clear benefits to your organization, its customers, your work, and/or the work being done by your colleague or colleagues whose buy-in you need. But when it comes to it, no one else gets what you are saying. You are frustrated to realize that your attempts to influence your colleagues toward your way of thinking are not working. Your words are crystal clear and your arguments compelling as far as you are concerned. What you have said and how you have said it make total sense to you, but you are hitting a brick wall as far as your colleagues are concerned. Your views are dismissed, sometimes immediately, and at other times they are considered in insufficient detail to leave you satisfied that you have been heard. You are stymied and you don’t know why.