Providing Compelling Evidence

The real message isn’t what you say. It’s what the other person remembers." – Harry Mills.


The evidence you provide to support your proposal—such as testimonial, examples, statistics, and graphical evidence—can strengthen your persuasiveness.


Testimonials enhance persuasiveness when they come from sources your audience considers expert and credible. For instance, if you’re advocating the adoption of a new technology, provide quotations from companies similar to yours that have adopted the technology with excellent results.

Examples capture people’s attention by turning generalizations and abstractions into concrete proof. To illustrate, cite examples of what a proposed new technology can accomplish.


Statistics become especially effective if you make them understandable an memorable. How? Help people grasp the meaning of large numbers. For instance, to convey $1 trillion, say, "If you were to count a trillion one-dollar bills—one every second, 24 hours a day—it would take you thirty-two years." Personalize numbers: "four out of ten people in this room exaggerate their expenses." Cite jaw-dropping comparisons: "Our main competitor processes orders fifty times faster than we do."


Graphical evidence, such as slides, flip charts, videotapes and product samples can boost your success. That’s because three-quarters of what people learnt they acquire visually. Choose a medium that’s appropriate to your message; convey one concept per slide or other visual; and consider the psychological impact of colors. (Red, for example, means "We’re in debt" to financial managers, but to engineers it signifies that a wire has electricity running through it.) Also, when you create charts and tables, first determine the main trends or patterns you want to emphasize, and then take care not to distort or misrepresent information.

ACTION POINT: When carefully selected and compellingly presented, evidence in all its forms can help your audience see how reasonable your idea really is.