Your expectations rule your influencing skills
When you were nine years old, you could persuade your father to buy you a new bicycle. Soon after you passed your 10th standard, you could convince your parents to let you opt for the course you liked.
In your interview, you could impress upon the interviewer that you are best suited for the job and got the offer. Later, you managed to make your team work on weekends to meet a decisive deadline.
You talked a difficult client into signing a contract with your company. Now what is the secret behind these achievements?
It is your power to influence people
Influence is the ability to get things done in a desired way. It is a key factor behind one’s success and happiness. It also plays a great role in building relationships. It is a premise for negotiations.
Influence can appear in many forms. It can be in the form of wealth, status, power, cause or ability to communicate. Of these the abilities to influence by virtue of one’s position, one’s communication skills and work for a cause are generally seen at workplaces.
In today’s scenario of lateral organisations, the ability to lead is ‘the decisive factor’ for growth. And leadership is all about influencing others. The power to influence is an inherent skill of human beings. However, the degree of our success improves with our efforts to develop this skill.
What does it take to influence people? Firstly you should be clear about your expectations from others and communicate this to them. Part of this also includes influencing people to work towards common objectives especially at the workplace. If you are a team leader or a manager this ability to influence is vital for the success of the team.
The skill to communicate your cause effectively to the other person is the most important part of influencing.
Some pointers to develop influencing skills:
Build rapport: People listen to or agree with you only when they have a good relationship with you and trust you. So, identify yourself with them and respect their viewpoint.
Listening: To convince people you must be a good listener. Listen to the concerns of people. This makes them feel that you value them and that their ideas and issues are considered and respected.
Understand: Comprehend the expectations of the other person and empathise with him by listening and observing him. This helps you in designing a strategy to influence them.
Strategy: Device a strategy to put your ideas forward. People agree to something when they gain something out of it or they feel that it is right to do so. So consider what would entice the other person and highlight it.
Style of influencing: It can include inspiring, pleading, convincing, offering, demanding and also threatening. Sometime the process may involve steps allowing one of these at each stage.
Accommodate ideas: One can influence others only when one is ready to accept others’ ideas. Be ready to accommodate others’ needs or alter your plans if it is for a better cause.
Man is a social animal. His progress inevitably depends on the people around him who may or may not correspond with his ideas. Thus it is essential to polish your influencing skills in order to succeed
NITYA SAI SOUMYA
faqs@cnkonline.com
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