Persuading and influencing skills

Topic: Persuading and influencing skills


We discussed Persuading
others – influencing skills in
previous lessons.
The ability to influence and
persuade others is an
absolutely critical element of
leadership.
Think of any prominent politician – Clinton. Obama,
Thatcher, Churchill, the key politicians in your country
– whatever their politics or yours, you cannot deny their
charisma, their ability to put forward an argument and
take people with them
Think about charismatic leaders of industry such as
Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerfield. Larry
Page, Sergey Brin . Their success emanates from being
able to influence people, and persuade them to
implement their Vision.
This is a skill that is very highly prized by business and
commerce. Recruiters are looking for people who can
lead and influence their teams. Companies who
recognise the talent should nurture it, keep those
people close to them and harness the power for their
targets and their commercial gain.
Although this is intrinsically an inborn talent, like all
talents such as golf, tennis, playing football, it can be
coached, and polished and honed to bring out the best
of it. .
Using Influencing skills is an activity that is closely
related to negotiating, and calls for the same kind of
thinking and understanding of the motivation of others.
Possession of this skill will help you to enhance your
career, and it is also a life skill –we need to persuade
others in life every day -family, friends, children You
need to analyse this ability, deconstruct it, and
understand how it can work for you .You need to work
on how to get others to want the things you want, how
to connect with people and build trust
The Six Principles of Influence
Robert Cialdini established The Six Principles of
Influence, which were published in his book, “Influence:
The Psychology of Persuasion.” in 1984.
The principles are: reciprocity, commitment, social
proof, liking, authority, and scarcity. Read Persuading
others – influencing skills for more detail.
Let’s briefly consider each one of Cialdini’s principles
1. Reciprocity -People feel obliged to return a favour.
Always do a good turn if you can, people will
remember and be more sympathetic to your cause.
2. Commitment and Consistency -Everyone like to be
consistent. Get people on your side and they will
probably stay there. Get them to commit and “buy
in”, perhaps by involving them in the development of
the idea.
3. Social Proof or “herd behaviour “. Once the first
people commit to you, others will follow, especially
if they themselves are influencers
4. Liking-People will be influenced by those they like,
or who belong to their age or racial group.
5. Authority – People accept the lead of those in
positions of authority. Target support from senior
people even if they are not decision makers for your
project
6. Scarcity- Things are more attractive when they are
scarce or there is a time pressure
What makes a successful influencer?
Some of these skills are innate, others can definitely
be practiced.
Successful influencers usually have a likeable
personality, and connect with their audience by building
rapport. Usually empathetic, they have confidence in
their own ability, and are reliable and responsible. They
are good at building trust.
They are good listeners, so practice and hone your
active listening skills.
And are usually excellent communicators. Again this
skill can be practiced
Practice your influencing skills before a meeting where
you want to propose something. Consciously consider
your audiences’ wants and needs, and deliberately
construct an argument, demonstrating how your
proposal will meets those needs. Explain the benefits,
remembering not to confuse these with features.
Persuading and influencing people is an important skill
and one you should definitely work on.