Useful Language — Persuasion & Influence

These are the phrases native speakers actually use when they want to persuade someone at work — without sounding pushy. Reuse them as they are.

💡 Suggesting instead of stating

It might be worth trying…“It might be worth trying a shorter meeting format.”
What if we…?“What if we asked the client directly instead of guessing?”
Perhaps we could…“Perhaps we could split the project into two phases.”

🎯 Framing around what they care about

This would help us…“This would help us hit the deadline without extra staff.”
From your point of view, this means…“From your point of view, this means fewer support tickets.”
The main benefit for you would be…“The main benefit for you would be more visibility on progress.”

📈 Building your case step by step

The data shows…“The data shows a 15% drop in response time.”
Based on what we’ve seen so far…“Based on what we’ve seen so far, the trial is working.”
If we did X, we’d probably see Y“If we ran a pilot, we’d probably see fewer errors within a month.”

🤝 Inviting agreement

Does that make sense?“Does that make sense, or should I explain further?”
What do you think?“What do you think — is this worth trying?”
Would you be open to…?“Would you be open to a one-month trial?”

Listen: the language in action

Pitching a change to a sceptical colleague

Grammar in play: should / could / might for suggestions. The dialogue puts this module’s grammar point to work in a real professional exchange — listen for the phrases from the box above.

Show transcript

Elena: James, could I borrow you for five minutes? It’s about the onboarding process.

James: Sure. Though I should warn you, I’m quite happy with the current one.

Elena: I know. But it might be worth trying a shorter version. New clients keep telling us the first week feels heavy.

James: Hm. Shorter how?

Elena: What if we moved the technical setup to week two? Perhaps we could start with one simple welcome call instead.

James: That could work. But wouldn’t clients feel lost without the setup?

Elena: They might, so we’d keep a help page open from day one. The data shows most clients don’t touch the settings in week one anyway.

James: Interesting. And what’s in it for my team?

Elena: The main benefit for you would be fewer support tickets. If we did this, we’d probably see calmer first weeks on both sides.

James: You should have led with that, honestly.

Elena: Noted for next time! So — would you be open to testing it with five clients this month?

James: Five clients, one month. If the tickets go down, you’ve won me over.