Abbott*s insights into art of persuasion (AAP)

AAP Sydney school students have quizzed Tony Abbott about how to persuade people to their point of view.

It was a timely lesson for a prime minister facing problems persuading the country of his policies.

During a visit to Seaford Public School in Sydney on Friday morning, Tony Abbott was grilled by students learning the art of persuasion.

Asked how he persuaded MPs to do what he wanted them to do, Mr Abbott said it was important to find something "that is very important to them".

"If you can pitch what you are proposing in terms of helping to make our people and our country better off and safer, that is normally a pretty good place to start," the PM said.

"I don't want to pretend that it's easy."

As he was speaking, Treasurer Joe Hockey was in Melbourne testing the waters on budget policy with Senator Ricky Muir, continuing a round of talks with key cross bench senators.

Asked by student Imogen what happened when people did not agree with his point of view, Mr Abbott joked: "That rarely happens."

But he said: "Even the most successful governments sometimes have to accept that some things they want to do, for all sorts of reasons, can't happen."

Another student was keen to know what the prime minister learnt in primary school that helped him in his role.

"Make friends and keep them," he said.

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