Effective Influencing Skills

The ability to influence people effectively and so convince them of the merit of your way of thinking is a fundamental skill that every professional should have.

All managers know how hard it can be to make views heard, despite having persuasive points to make. Leadership in modern successful organisations is primarily about persuading and influencing, and not about telling people what to do, or giving orders.

Influencing takes skill, and the skills can be defined, practised and developed. This training programme explains the techniques required to project your ideas and influence the way people think.

Participants will learn to:

• Identify their own influencing style and explore its implications
• Encourage others to align with their thinking in the workplace
• Communicate in a persuasive manner by using the ‘push’ & ‘pull’ levers of influence
• Gain agreement, cooperation and commitment from others

This course is suitable and relevant for anyone whose success depends on their ability to win the agreement and cooperation of others.

Understanding Influencing

• Defining ‘influencing’, ‘effective influencing’ and ‘persuading’
• Recognising influencing from non-influencing activities
• The use of authority, command and control
• Identifying useful influencing situations
• Benefits of influencing effectively

Building Your Network

• Using influence effectively within an organisation
• Establishing, analysing and developing an effective personal network of contacts

Planning to Influence

• Establishing the other persons starting position
• Setting influencing objectives
• Identifying true opinions in others

Influencing Styles

• Identifying our own influencing style
• The ‘Push’ and ‘Pull’ levers of influence
• The five main influencing styles
• Improving success by varying our style

Video Case Study

• An interactive video case study allows participants to analyse influencing attempts in action

Positive Influencing Behaviour

• Using engaging (pull) and channelling (push) behaviours
• Increasing success by using the persuasive funnel

Video Content

• A variety of video content is used to reinforce the learning including the Video Arts production ‘From no to yes – The constructive route to agreement’

Personal Development

• Action planning the transfer of learning to the workplace

“The trainer had a brilliantly natural and engaging style that made the subject come to life. His openness enabled people to feel comfortable in showing their areas of potential weakness. I have gained a clear understanding of how I can influence better in different scenarios.” Rebecca Fountain, Marketing Manager, Lifelong Learning UK

“I gained an understanding of the importance of effective influencing both in work and my personal life. These skills will be used.” Louise Chu, Lifelong Learning UK

“I now have a clear understanding of influencing styles and the different components that contribute to effective influencing. The course was great time well spent.” Liz Moore, Stagecoach

• Managing conflict using the TKI
• Understanding others using Myers Briggs personality profiling
• Coaching skills for managers