persuasion, motivation and inspiration test
assess your communications abilities to persuade, motivate and inspire (ethically of course)
How persuasive, inspirational and motivational are you? Your personal communications techniques and style are crucial factors in your efforts to persuade and motivate others. Some people instinctively possess these capabilities, although most don't. You can do a lot to improve your effectiveness as a leader and motivator by understanding and using some simple communications techniques and principles, which are assessed and illustrated in this quick simple quiz.
Take this simple free self-test, designed by author and attitudinal development expert, Dr Marlene Caroselli, to help you assess your own capabilities for persuasion, and motivational and inspirational communications.
This simple free quiz will give you a quick and broad indication of your leadership and inspirational and persuasive capability, and of areas to improve, particularly in the way you speak to and communicate with people. It is obviously mostly for fun, and yet the principles and learning contained within it are solid and helpful to all who aspire to being better at inspiring, motivating, leading and persuading others to pursue a worthy cause.
motivational leadership self-test
1. To convince others that you are credible and trustworthy do you....
A. Cite statistics
B. Share an
anecdote
C. Use a combination of statistics and anecdote
2. Lee Iacocca has been named the sales-person of the century. Which of these sentences belongs to the persuasion-meister....
A. "It is imperative for us to
unite, to grit our teeth, to aspire to new heights."
B. "For in the dew of
little things, the heart finds its morning and is refreshed."
C. "It's a
leader's job to bring the bad news, to get people to believe things they don't
want to believe, and then to go out and do things they don't want to do."
3. A persuasive leader.....
A. Listens as much as he or she
talks
B. Tells it like it is
C. Enjoys the use of power
4. people who are effective persuaders....
A. Use little words
B. Rely on
current buzzwords
C. Teach their followers via very long words
5. Parallelism (deliberate repetition of words or phrases)...
A. Is annoying to listeners/readers
B. Creates a monotonous impression
C. Is an effective persuasion-tool
6. 'Chiasmus' refers to...
A. A style of footnoting references
B. An expression that uses a word(s) from the first half of the sentence in
a new way, in the second half of the same sentence
C. A literary device
used by scholars
7. Definitions...
A. Should be provided from a
reputable source
B. Sound patronizing
C. Are most effective when newly
coined
8. An expression such as 'our children are our future'...
A. Has lost its effectiveness due
to overuse
B. Appeals to a broad spectrum of listeners/readers
C.
Reminds us of purpose
9. 'The real challenge for business people is to get communication out of information' according to..
A. President George W Bush
B.
Management expert Peter Drucker
C. Futurist Alvin Toffler
10. Metaphors...
A. According to Aristotle, when
understood, represent the beginning of genius
B. According to
management-guru Warren Bennis, help effect change
C. According to Jose
Ortega y Gasset, philosopher and Spanish Civil War revolutionary, are the most
fertile power on earth
answers to motivational leadership self-test
Give yourself one point for each correct answer.)
1. B. Research by J Martin and M Powers found the anecdote by itself was most effective in establishing credibility.
2. C. The gutsy, direct, feisty style of this super-salesman is shown in this sentence.
3. A. 'One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears.' We fully concur with this assertion by statesman Dean Rusk.
4. A. Winston Churchill may have said it best: 'Big [wo]men use little words.' Check out the words of others who have exerted great influence: Reverend Martin Luther King ('I have a dream...'); John F Kennedy ('Ask not what your country can do for you..."); Mother Teresa ("We can do no great things - only small things with great love.").
5. C. There are very many examples of inspirational quotes containing lots of repetition, particularly from national leaders and politicians. They use repetition because repetition works. For example Churchill's WWII rallying speech, '....We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets...'
6. B. Listen to the persuasive power contained in these unforgettable phrases: President Jimmy Carter: "America did not invent civil rights. Civil rights invented America." Jesse Jackson: "I was born in the slums, but the slums were not born in me." Baseball great Leroy Satchel Paige: "Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it don't matter."
7. C. It's tedious and seldom informative to hear a dictionary definition. Much more persuasive is an original definition, for example, this by Lon Watters: "School is a building that has four walls with tomorrow inside."
8. A. Sentences that are overused, obvious truisms, lose their power because people have heard it before and therefore become 'immune' to what was once an original exciting expression. To restore power to such a thought, add an original spin. For example, "To protect our future, we must protect our children."
9. B. Peter Drucker, Father of Modern Management Science, challenges all of us to convert data to meaningful thought.
10. A., B., C. Although they should never be mixed and should be used sparingly, the metaphor can create a truly lasting concept. "The Iron Curtain," for example, or "The Glass Ceiling." Warren Bennis once remarked, "If I were to give off-the-cuff advice to someone seeking to institute change, the first question I would ask is, 'How clear is your metaphor?' "
self test score interpretation
9-10 You've persuaded us! A score this high indicates a true gift. If you're not in a leadership position, you should be.
5-8 You know a good deal about the power of words. Ideally, you're using that power both wisely and well.
1-4 If you're a believer in continuous improvement, you'll take the time to learn more about how to win ends (ie, achieve goals) and influence people.
dr marlene caroselli - biography
Dr Marlene Caroselli, author of over 50 business books, is an international keynote speaker and corporate trainer for Fortune 100 companies, government agencies, educational institutions, and professional organizations. She contributes frequently to a number of well-known publications (among them Stephen Covey's 'Excellence' publications and the 'National Business Employment Weekly'). Her first book, 'The Language of Leadership', was a main selection by Newbridge's Executive Development Book Club. A more recent title, 'Principled Persuasion', was named a Director's Choice by Doubleday Book Club. Her latest book, '50 Activities for Promoting Ethics in the Organization', has been co-released by HRD Press and the American Management Association.
More information about Marlene Caroselli is available at her website, which also includes a wide array of business and other topics.
The contribution of this material is greatly appreciated.
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© Marlene Caroselli original content, Alan Chapman edit, code and design 1995-2009