When you encourage someone, you are not persuading them to simply take an action or perform a task.
You are not giving praise or trying to get them to do something they may not want to do.
Encouragement is the act of inspiring someone to live through their heart. It is tapping into their inner strength. It is rising to an occasion or surmounting an obstacle.
When you encourage, you give courage. It is such a powerful word, so embrace it wholeheartedly.