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How to answer "Tell me about a time you had to persuade someone"

This question asks for a time someone didn't want to go along with your idea at first, and you changed their mind. Tell one time in four parts: what you wanted, why they weren't sold, how you made your case and what happened. Spend most of your answer on how you made your case.

The story should show how you change a mind. In a strong one, you find out what worries the other person, and then you answer that worry with something they can see for themselves, like numbers, a sample or a short trial.

There are two common traps. One is a story where you got your way because you outranked the other person, or kept asking until they gave in. That shows pressure, and the question is about persuasion. The other is a story where the other person comes off as foolish. That makes the win sound easy, and it can sound like you look down on people who disagree with you.

The structure: what you wanted, why they weren't sold, how you made your case, what happened

Say what you wanted and who had to agree, in a sentence or two. Then say why they weren't sold, the way they would put it, and why their worry made sense. Then say how you made your case, in order: what you asked them, what you showed them and what you offered. End on what happened, with something you can name, like a date, a number or what they said later.

Aim for about a minute, and no more than two minutes. It's a version of the STAR method with the other person's worry in the middle, since that's the part you had to answer. Write each part as a few words, then answer out loud from those notes.

The short answer

If they want it quick, two sentences will do: "[Who] didn't want to [your idea] because [their worry]. So I [what you showed or offered], and [what happened]." Then stop and let them ask for more.

How to pick the story

Pick one where the other person had a good reason to say no. If they agreed the moment you asked, there's no story.
Pick one where you found out what worried them before you made your case.
Pick one where you showed them something, like numbers, a sample, the two options side by side or a short trial.
Pick one with a result you can name, like a change that stuck, a sale or a plan that worked.
If you can, pick one where you had no authority to make them say yes, like a client, a customer or a coworker on another team.
If you're a student or a new grad, a group project, a club or a part-time job all count.

Six sample answers

The people and companies below are made up. Read each answer out loud with a timer. Each runs about a minute. Then swap in your own story and keep the shape.

To change someone's mind

"I work in IT support at a small law firm. After a fake sign-in page nearly fooled someone in our office, I wanted everyone to turn on two-step sign-in. The partners didn't want it. They sign in many times a day, and they said a code on their phone every time would slow them down. That was fair, so I looked for a way to make it quicker. Our email system could remember a laptop for 30 days, so on their own laptops they'd usually enter a code about once a month. I asked one partner if he'd try it for six weeks, and I set it up with him in about ten minutes. When the code came up again after 30 days, it took him a few seconds, and he said it was the only time he'd noticed it. He told the other partners the same thing at their next meeting, and all six had it turned on two weeks later."

Without authority

"In my first year teaching fourth grade, I was on a team of four teachers. We each graded writing our own way, so the same essay could get a different grade depending on whose class it was in. I wanted us to use one shared rubric, but I had no say over how anyone else graded, and two of the others had taught for over fifteen years. When I brought it up, one of them said a rubric would take hours to build and wouldn't fit her lessons. That was fair. So I offered to draft it myself from the writing standards we were all teaching, and I asked if we could try it on one assignment. We each graded the same five essays with it, with the names covered, and compared. Our grades were within a point of each other on four of the five. The two of them reworded a few lines, and we used the rubric for the rest of the year."

A customer

"I work at a bike shop. A customer came in to buy a road bike for her commute, and she'd already picked one, the most expensive model on our floor, because it was the lightest. When I asked about her ride, she said it was eight miles each way, partly on a gravel path, and she'd be carrying a laptop. That bike had thin tires and nowhere to attach a rack. She'd done her homework, and a light bike does help on a long ride, so I didn't want to just tell her she was wrong. Instead, I asked if she'd ride two bikes on the gravel lot behind the shop: the one she'd picked and a hybrid with wider tires and rack mounts that cost about $400 less. She rode both and chose the hybrid. A few months later, she came back for a tune-up and brought a coworker who wanted the same bike."

A client

"I'm a freelance graphic designer. A bakery owner hired me for a new logo, and she wanted it to include a detailed drawing of her storefront. She'd had the drawing made when she opened, and it meant a lot to her. I liked it too, but the logo had to work on the small round stickers she puts on her boxes, and at that size the fine lines would blur together. I could tell her that, but I thought it would mean more if she saw it. So I printed two versions at sticker size, her drawing and a simpler one with just the awning and the shop's name, and put both on one of her boxes. Then I asked which one she could read from across the counter. She picked the simpler one right away. We put the full drawing on her menu board, where it had room. She's used the new logo on her boxes, her stickers and her sign since spring."

With numbers

"I'm the office assistant at a moving company. We didn't take deposits, and some weekend customers canceled the day before their move, which left a crew with no work on our busiest days. I wanted to ask for a $100 deposit when people booked. The owner's worry was that customers would book with another company that didn't ask for one. That was a real risk, so I went through our booking calendar first. Over the past two months, 7 of about 60 weekend moves had canceled the day before. I showed him those seven days and suggested a deposit we'd keep only if someone canceled the day before. Anyone who moved with us would get it back off the final bill, so they wouldn't pay anything extra. I asked if we could try it on weekend bookings for two months while I kept count. We booked about the same number of weekend moves, and only three canceled the day before. He kept the deposit and asked me to add it for weekday moves."

A group project

"In a marketing class, my group of four had six weeks to plan a campaign for a local business and present it. Two of my teammates wanted to split up the work and put the slides together the weekend before. On our last project, that plan had us rehearsing for the first time in the hallway, so I wanted an earlier deadline. When I asked why they liked waiting, they said they had midterms in week three and couldn't take on more until those were over. So I made the ask smaller. I suggested we each send a rough one-page draft at the end of week four, after midterms, and meet once to fit the pieces together. They both agreed. At that meeting, we found that two of our sections said the same thing, and we still had two weeks to fix it and rehearse twice. After we presented, the owner of the business asked for a copy of our slides."

What to leave out

Pressure. A story where you won because you outranked them, or kept asking until they gave in, answers a different question.
A villain. Say what worried the other person and why it made sense, even if you still thought you were right.
Tricks. Leave out any story where you hid a downside or rushed someone into a yes.
A long setup. A sentence or two on what you wanted is enough.
An ending with no result. If they agreed, say what happened after. If they didn't, see the FAQ below.
Private details, like a customer's name, anyone's health or numbers your company keeps private.

How to tell it

The hard part is the middle, when you describe the pushback. If your voice turns sharp when you get to "and she said no," it can sound like you're still annoyed with them, and the story starts to sound like an argument.

Say their worry the way they'd say it, in an even voice. "He said a code every time would slow him down" sounds like you listened.
Say what you showed them, as well as what you said. Numbers, a sample and a trial are easier to picture than "I explained my reasoning."
Say "I" for what you did and "we" for what you did together, so it's clear which part was yours.
Pause before the result, then say it plainly. If your answers tend to run long, see how to stop rambling.

The same question in other words

"Tell me about a time you persuaded someone", "Describe a time you had to persuade someone", "Tell me about a time you had to convince someone" and "Give an example of a time you persuaded someone" all ask the same thing. Answer them the same way.

"...to change their mind" wants a before and after, so say what they thought at first and what changed it, as in the law firm answer. "...to see your point of view" asks the same, so add what you learned from their side. "Tell me about a time you influenced someone without authority" asks for a time you had no power to make them say yes, like the teacher answer. "...to do something" or "...to take action" wants the action they took, like the deadline in the group project answer. "Describe a time when someone persuaded you to do something" turns it around: tell it from your side, and say what changed your mind. If the story is mostly about pushing back on your boss, see how to answer "Tell me about a time you disagreed with your manager". If it's about a coworker you clashed with, see how to answer "Tell me about a time you had a conflict at work".

Practice it out loud

A chatbot can tidy up the story. You still have to say the pushback without sounding annoyed, and that's hard to judge until you hear yourself. So practice the way you'll give it: out loud and on a timer.

Write the four parts: what you wanted, why they weren't sold, how you made your case and what happened. A few words each.
Answer from your notes into your phone's voice recorder, and time it.
Play it back and listen to the part where they said no. If you sound annoyed or rushed, say it again more slowly.
Check that you said what you showed them, as well as what you told them. If it's missing, add it.
The next day, answer without the notes. Then have a friend ask the usual follow-ups: "What would you have done if they still said no?" and "Would you do anything differently?"

For the rest of the interview, there's a 15-minute routine in how to practice for an interview by yourself. The other common questions are in how to answer interview questions.

Practice it with an AI coach in Charisma Lab

Charisma Lab is a speaking coach on your iPhone. In Speak, tap INTERVIEW under PRACTICING FOR. Then tap the center, say what the job is and tell the coach you're practicing "Tell me about a time you had to persuade someone." Tell your story one part at a time, since a pause of about two seconds ends a take. You hear each take played back. When something is off, the coach says what to fix, then the mic opens again.

To practice making your ask smaller, try Train's The Reasonable Request. It's open from the start in the Influence track. It shows you a demanding line, like "You need to commit to this permanently," with a smaller ask to try saying instead, like "Would you be willing to try this for a week?" An AI scores each take out of 10. Setup is free. If you tap MAYBE LATER when it shows the price, then SKIP FOR NOW when it asks you to sign in, setup goes on to a short live session with the coach. After setup, the app needs Pro, which is $14.99 a month in the US. See pricing.

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FAQ

How long should my answer be?

About a minute, and no more than two minutes. Keep what you wanted to a sentence or two, and spend most of the rest on how you made your case.

What if I couldn't persuade them?

You can still use it, if you can say what you tried, what you learned about their side and what happened next. A story where you got part of what you asked for works too. If the story is mostly about what went wrong, see how to answer "Tell me about a time you failed".

Can I use a sales story?

Yes, if the customer's needs come first in it. Say what they needed and how you showed them the product fit, as in the bike shop answer, where the customer bought the cheaper bike.

What if I've never had to persuade anyone at work?

Think smaller: a new way of doing a task you got a coworker to try, a customer you talked out of the wrong product, or a deadline you got a group to move. Students can use a group project, a club or a part-time job.

How is persuading someone different from leadership?

A leadership story is about getting a group to a goal. A persuasion story can be about one person and one decision. For a time you led a group, see how to answer "Tell me about a time you showed leadership".

More practice guides

Updated November 4, 2026.