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Answer: To persuade others of your value and the value of your ideas.
So What Is Influencing?
Influencing is getting your own way, especially unobtrusively.
Most managers do it, most of the time.
You can influence others simply be being you (notice how easily children are influenced by the behaviour of those around them)
You can influence covertly, behind the scenes
You can use more open strategies and tactics
Great influencers manage to get other people to go along with their ideas while maintaining the relationship. If people feel manipulated, relationships will be damaged. It is important to understand the different strategies available to you and to plan your approach.
Mastering The Art:
Increasingly todays managers are measured by their ability to influence others in the workplace. Being able to get people to do what you want has a direct effect on:
The well-being of your staff
The prosperity of your company
And, ultimately, your own destiny
You are probably already successful at influencing others some of the time. How can you become consistently successful? If you can identify your strengths and weaknesses and make a few changes, nothing can hold you back.
Typical Areas Of Open Influence:
A lot of the time, especially in business, influencing is necessary and we accept it as part of human communication. It operates openly and usually follows a recognised process. Open influence can be seen in:
Meetings
Presentations
Sales conversations
Debates and discussions
Change management
Reports
Proposals
Negotiations
Performance management
Process management
Typical Areas Of Hidden Influence:
Influence can also operate in a less open and direct manner. Your behaviour will be noticed by others, even though you are not necessarily trying to influence them. Your words will always be interpreted, however subtle or oblique. In short whether we mean to influence or not we are constantly beaming out influential messages to the world.
Hidden influence, which is often delicate, slow and on-going, works well in the following areas:
Changing an image or behaviour
Altering attitude
Networking
Communicating non-verbally
Developing and maintaining rapport
Counselling others
Acting as a mentor
Maintaining customer relations
Using metaphor and analogy
Nurturing relationships
What Makes An Effective Influencer?
Winning influencers share attitudes and behaviours that ensure consistent success. Studies have shown that they:
Indicate the benefits of their ideas
Neutralise resistance, preferably in advance
Find alternative ways to influence others
Listen attentively to what others say
Uncover needs and wants
Empathise continuously
Notice how others respond
Create and maintain rapport throughout
Eliminate weak statements from their language
Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse
In Summary: Five Easy Steps To Influence
Here are the five main steps to effective influential communication. Make this pattern second nature, leaving you to concentrate on the detail.
Gain Rapport
Be on their level, recognise their beliefs and values; match their behaviour patterns and blend your personality characteristics with theirs.
Ask Questions
Elicit needs and different responses; probe to identify their motives, attitudes and feeling.
Listen Actively
Demonstrate that you are listening: listen with all your senses; suspend judgement.
Stress Pertinent Benefits
Summarise how specific benefits of your proposal accurately reflect their needs.
Work Towards A Decision
Ask question which will force a decision (or rejection); test interest through hypothetical questions; make positive statements which assume their acceptance.
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