Persuasion is not about manipulation.
It is about leading the other to arrive at a decision which they recognise as beneficial for them, or at least the right decision in the circumstances.
Aristotle wrote a seminal work about persuasion and identified three elements to persuade:
- Logos (facts, data)
- Ethos (credibility, deriving from authority, energy and connection)
- Pathos (emotion and connection, with the use of story as a powerful tool)
I have written previously about Aristotle and persuasion.