What is Essential Skills of Persuasion and Personal Performance?

Updated

Essential Skills of Persuasion and Personal Performance is a learning and content site focused on the science of persuasion and the art of influence, led by Tom Vizzini and Kim McFarland. It is aimed at people in sales, leadership, or everyday situations who want to communicate with more impact. The site combines articles, video/channel content, an event calendar, and a subscriber membership option. If you want practical persuasion techniques rather than academic theory, this is the type of resource to evaluate; if you need credentialed academic training, look elsewhere.

Who runs it and what it covers

The site presents itself under the heading “Essential Skills of Persuasion and Personal Performance” and names Tom Vizzini and Kim McFarland as the people behind its persuasion and influence content. The stated focus areas are:

  • The science of persuasion and the art of influence
  • Building instant rapport
  • Shifting mindsets
  • Communicating with impact

The material is positioned as immediately usable strategies rather than abstract theory, with examples oriented toward sales, leadership, and everyday influence.

What you will find on the site

The homepage shows several content formats working together:

Format What it looks like on the site
Articles / blog posts A “Latest Post” area and a “Recent Posts” list with titles on topics like anchors, optimism, and New Year’s resolutions
Video / channel content A channel invitation describing the persuasion techniques covered, with a “Subscribe to our channel” prompt
Events An “Event Calendar” listing items such as a “Winner’s Circle Webinar” at 12 AM Eastern Time
Membership A “Winner’s Circle” invitation and a “free subscriber membership” option to “keep in touch”

Recent post titles visible on the page include “The Power of Bad Anchors,” “Bad Advice Monday,” “The only New Year’s resolution you should make… it is not what you think,” and “Why is Optimism Important?” These suggest a mix of persuasion technique content and broader mindset/personal performance commentary.

How the membership and access work

The site invites visitors to “Join Our Winner’s Circle” or click to get a “free subscriber membership” and keep in touch. There is also a login area on the page (username/email and password, with register and lost-password links), which indicates that some content or participation may sit behind an account.

Two cautions before you sign up:

  • The page describes a free subscriber membership, but it does not state terms, what the membership includes, or whether any part of the site is paid. Treat the free membership as a newsletter-style connection unless you confirm otherwise.
  • The page shows a “Subscribe to our channel” prompt and a webinar listing, but no pricing or payment details. Do not assume paid offerings are free, and do not assume everything is paid either — the page simply does not say.

Is it a good fit for you?

Use these conditions to decide:

  • Consider it if you want applied persuasion and rapport-building techniques for sales, leadership, or daily communication, and you are comfortable with a personality-led, channel-and-membership format.
  • Check the recent posts first if you want to judge depth and tone before registering. The visible titles mix technique topics with motivational/mindset pieces, so skim a few to see whether the style suits you.
  • Look elsewhere if you need accredited coursework, formal certification, or a structured curriculum with defined learning outcomes — the page evidence does not describe any of these.

Practical next steps

  1. Open the homepage and read two or three “Recent Posts” to assess whether the writing matches the “immediately usable” promise.
  2. Review the “Event Calendar” for upcoming webinars if live sessions interest you; note the listed time is Eastern Time.
  3. If you want to stay in touch, use the free subscriber membership link, then check what communications you actually receive before relying on it for ongoing training.
  4. If you are evaluating it for a team, confirm directly what the Winner’s Circle involves and whether any costs apply, since the page does not specify this.