In those lists tested by advertisers, you'll almost certainly find the word, 'you'. It's a classic for advertisers. Most consider it the single most powerful word in their vocabularies, bettering even words like the classic words referring to the idea of getting something without paying and to having intimate relations.

I'd like to suggest that you use 'you' too, but for another reason. That's because using the word 'you' helps us to focus on the recipient, as we discussed earlier. After all, the writer who tries to get 'you' into every paragraph doesn't have much choice but to be focused on the recipients, rather than herself or himself.

Try it for yourself. Make an attempt in all your writing, whether you're writing a speech or document, to get 'you' into every paragraph, and see what it does to make your words more persuasive.

Third, watch out for, and eliminate barriers to persuasion. Every day I get more than a hundred of pieces of unsolicited email, the kind we've all grown to know and dislike. While I go through and delete 99% of these messages without even seeing the contents, I can't help but wonder how many of these would-be entrepreneurs chose the wrong business.

It's certainly hard enough to sell when you're a legitimate business with legitimate products. So, think how hard it must be to sell when you're pushing questionable products to people who don't want your messages, let alone your products.

And, to cap it off, take note of how many spammers mangle the language in their subject lines (the only part of their messages I see). Spelling mistakes, misplaced or missing punctuation marks, and case confusion are just a few of their writing sins.

Now, we're all apt to make mistakes from time to time, but if you want to persuade someone to do something, please don't forget to use your spellchecker. And, proofread a hard copy of your document. Then run the spellchecker again.

When we make mistakes, and especially mistakes in the subject line of email messages, we distract our readers, and that reduces our powers of persuasion.

One more suggestion about barriers. Review the chapter called "Misused Words and Expressions" in Strunk & White's Elements of Style. Or use a similar source; many guides to good usage can be found both online and off. Little things mean a lot when we're trying to persuade. Don't let them bring you down.

There you have three techniques for increasing your persuasiveness: focusing on the people receiving your message; using persuasive words, especially 'you'; and eliminating barriers to persuasive communication, like spelling mistakes. Any one of these techniques will help you be more persuasive. Using all three will do wonders for your powers.

When you next set out to send an important message, pause long enough to ask yourself if persuasion is your goal -- either directly or indirectly. If you do want to persuade, then ask yourself if you've focused your message on one or more of these techniques, which provide a starting point for persuasive communication.

About the Author

Robert F. Abbott, writes and publishes a free newsletter which delivers communication ideas to your inbox every month. .