Developing Powerful Influencing Skills in the Workplace

In today’s fast-paced, contemporary world, social media platforms have become so popular that almost anybody with a smartphone is hooked to at least one of them. It is a place where people and businesses can become overnight celebrities, earning themselves the title of ‘social media influencers’ or ‘influencers’. 

Influencers are people who have the power to affect the decisions of others because of his or her authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with his or her audience. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as “the act or power of producing an effect without apparent exertion of force or direct exercise of command.”

What about you? Do you consider yourself an influencer? You may not have a large number of followers on social media, but are you able to persuade others without having to exert much force?

Developing Powerful Influencing Skills

Powerful influencing skill is underpinned by the other social awareness capacities of Emotional Intelligence (EI). Conversely, the stronger the EI, the more powerful the influencing skill will be. It acts on the premise that you can’t force people to do what they are not willing to do, but you can get them to want what you want by wielding effective tactics for persuasion. 

Persuasion stirs the mind to think and influence translates it into action. People that are effectively influenced don’t just follow to obey or fill in a need, they enthusiastically follow because of a created internal desire to act out of a shared conviction.

Here are some tips on how you can develop this competency:

• Identify influence opportunities; discuss influencing strategies with others (especially those who are skilled at influence); listen and be open to learning new approaches to communicating with others about these opportunities.
• Learn how to develop a rapport with others so that they will be more open to your communications.
• Know when to be assertive, when to make suggestions, and when to ask questions.
• Identify what motivates others and craft a message that appeals to those motivations.
• Be clear about what exactly it is you want to influence and plan your messages ahead of time.
• Develop ways of expressing what you want to say at key points in an influencing conversation.
• Frame your messages to appeal to and make sense to the other person.
• Consider in advance what some objections might be and how you might overcome them.
• Use data, statistics, and endorsements from credible, respected authorities to help make your case.
• Make your thinking transparent – there are undoubtedly good reasons for your proposal.

Developing this competency will help you become skilled at winning people over and use complex strategies like indirect influence to build consensus and support. Powerful influencing skills will also help you become a masterful storyteller, grabbing the attention of others, and imparting information that grabs people’s attention. Because of this competency, you will be able to persuade, convince, or impact other people to support your agenda. 

Do you feel that this is a competency that you need to develop?

At People Builders we have a team of expert trainers and coaches who can help you and your team develop Powerful Influencing Skills. Contact us today for a quick chat to see how we can partner with you to train and coach you and your team.