--- title: "Daily Buzz: Start Building Your Persuasion Skills" id: "45227" type: "post" slug: "daily-buzz-start-building-your-persuasion-skills" published_at: "2019-01-07T22:30:57+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T23:24:41+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/01/07/daily-buzz-start-building-your-persuasion-skills/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/01/07/daily-buzz-start-building-your-persuasion-skills.md" excerpt: "Effective communication is no longer just a soft skill; the ability to persuade gives you a competitive edge. Also: how to deal with an executive transition." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "Communication Skills" - "persuasion" - "public speaking" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Director" - "Executive Team" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Daily Buzz: Start Building Your Persuasion Skills Effective communication—particularly the ability to speak well publicly, whether to a small group in the office or a to a crowd from a stage—is often considered a nice-to-have soft skill but not a must-have competency that can make or break success. But according to a new [LinkedIn analysis (opens in a new tab)](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/skills-companies-need-most-2019-how-learn-them-paul-petrone/) , persuasion is one of the skills most worth learning in 2019, and that means public speaking is more important than ever, says Carmine Gallo, author of *Five Stars: The Communication Secrets to Get From Good to Great*. “In a world built on ideas, the persuaders—the ones who can win hearts and change minds—have a competitive edge,” [he says in a post on Inc. (opens in a new tab)](https://www.inc.com/carmine-gallo/public-speaking-is-no-longer-a-soft-skill-its-your-key-to-success-in-any-field.html?cid=hmside4) And strengthening those persuasion skills will only bring you closer to your business goals. “Calling public speaking a ‘soft skill’ diminishes its value in a world that cherishes the hard sciences,” Gallo says. “Public speaking isn’t soft. It’s the equivalent of cold, hard cash.” ### Exit The Right Way > When it comes to executive transition, what process is best for your organization? [https://t.co/Gnv6nL6Naq (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/Gnv6nL6Naq) > > — Nonprofit Quarterly (@npquarterly) [January 7, 2019 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/npquarterly/status/1082301129634050048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Transitioning away** **from your leadership role?** It’s best to approach any change with as much transparency and planning as possible. Once your departure has been announced, you’ll enter a “neutral zone,” says the “Nonprofit Whisperer” advice columnist at *Nonprofit Quarterly*. “This is a phase that you, the board, staff, and community will enter when you publicly announce your departure. It is the time that bridges the old and the new,” [she writes in a new post (opens in a new tab)](https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2019/01/07/nonprofit-whisperer-should-the-new-and-the-old-ceo-ever-overlap/?utm_content=82175763&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&hss_channel=tw-61206610) . “You (and maybe a coach or mentor who can provide a sounding board) must think very carefully about how long you want people to be in the neutral zone.” Staying around to onboard your successor is an option, but it can also cause confusion. “Your presence will provide comfort and assurances to staff and others, but it may also make it difficult for them to let go,” she says. “You may want to consider getting a transition coach to talk this over with you and (if the organization can afford it) outside counsel from an executive transitions consulting firm to help the organization identify the stages of transition it is in along the way and support the pacing that is right for your organization and the new leader.” ### Other Links of Note **Many meetings are going digital.** [Ask these four questions (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.memberclicks.com/should-you-host-a-virtual-conference-in-2019-4-questions-to-ask-yourself) to see if your conference should follow the trend, from the MemberClicks blog. **Amping up** **your communication strategy?** *Nonprofit Marketing Guide* lists [27 tools to consider (opens in a new tab)](https://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/blog/2019/01/03/27-communications-marketing-tactics-nonprofits/) . **Onboarding** **is the first introduction** employees have to your team. [This is what your process should look like (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/onboarding-process) to make a great first impression, says the HubSpot blog. (Wavebreakmedia/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Jeff Hsin](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#Communication Skills](https://associationsnow.com/tag/communication-skills/) [#persuasion](https://associationsnow.com/tag/persuasion/) [#public speaking](https://associationsnow.com/tag/public-speaking/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoMichelle Poler Previews Her Keynote for ASAE’s The Exchange!April 30, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/04/30/michelle-poler-previews-her-keynote-for-asaes-the-exchange/) - [VideoSales is Not a Dirty WordOctober 7, 2011](https://associationsnow.com/2011/10/07/sales-is-not-a-dirty-word/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: More Than Marketing: The Power of Strategic CommunicationsJuly 30, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/30/associations-now-presents-more-than-marketing-the-power-of-strategic-communications/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: Why Slower Marketing Can Drive Stronger Member Engagement (Episode 27)June 25, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/06/25/associations-now-presents-why-slower-marketing-can-drive-stronger-member-engagement-episode-27/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2019%2F01%2F07%2Fdaily-buzz-start-building-your-persuasion-skills%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !