What is ethical persuasion?
Ethical persuasion is the ability to influence a decision through relevant evidence, clear reasoning, genuine consultation, and respect for the other person’s freedom to disagree.
See how well you build understanding, make a credible case, and preserve the other person’s agency.
Answer as you are today
Choose the answer that best describes your recent behaviour at work. No email required.
What does ethical persuasion mean?
Ethical persuasion is the ability to influence a decision through relevant evidence, clear reasoning, genuine consultation, and respect for the other person’s freedom to disagree.
Why it matters at work
Leaders rarely succeed through authority alone. Persuasion helps people understand the case for action and commit voluntarily, while ethical boundaries keep influence from becoming manipulation.
What this assessment measures
Audience understanding
Learning what matters to the other person before making the case.
Credible case
Combining evidence, logic, and a clear request.
Consultation & agency
Inviting participation without pressure or hidden tactics.
How to interpret your score
Your overall result is normalised to a 0–100 scale. Use it to choose a practice area, not to compare your worth with somebody else.
Build your persuasion foundation
Your answers point to a few recurring situations where a simple routine could make your response more reliable.
A useful persuasion base
You already use this skill in some situations. The opportunity is to make it more dependable when pressure or ambiguity rises.
A strong persuasion pattern
Your answers suggest a reliable pattern. Keep testing it in harder situations and watch for the dimension that trails the others.
Designed for reflection, not diagnosis
The ten behaviour-based statements cover 3 practical dimensions. Responses run from “Never” to “Almost always”; negatively worded items are reverse-scored. Overall and dimension results are converted to a 0–100 scale. The assessment is educational and has not been psychometrically validated.
Read the full assessment methodology and editorial standards.
Research that informed this page
Gary Yukl and J. Bruce Tracey (1992), “Consequences of Influence Tactics Used With Subordinates, Peers, and the Boss”, Journal of Applied Psychology.