Success and managerial effectiveness hinges on the use of influence at all levels of an organization. In this Influencing Skills training course, you learn how to apply influence strategies to gain commitment from others and foster collaboration. Through practice sessions, video simulations, self-assessments and role-playing activities, you acquire the specific skills, behaviors and attitudes to achieve desired results without relying on the use of direct authority.
Objectives
The purpose of this course is to provide an understanding of the key concepts of persuasion and their implications along with various theories revolving around persuasion and rhetoric. Participants will be able to present their ideas in a logical, objective and highly persuasive form with a good knowledge of variable elements of rhetoric, creative thinking, and semiotics. Whether in the form of visuals, oral or written, participants will be able to clearly deliver a concept, an idea or a way of life.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course the participant will be able to:
- Apply influence strategies to gain commitment and foster collaboration
- Gain buy-in by dynamically adjusting your approach to others
- Achieve goals by enhancing trust and cooperation
- Deal effectively with challenging behaviors to overcome resistance and inertia in others
- Use knowledge and competence to influence others
Who benefits from this course
- Managers, team leaders, supervisors
- Public speakers
- Communication specialists
- HR directors and officers
- CEOs, and C-suite officers
- Marketing officers and managers
- Sales and Customer Service officers
- Anyone looking to improve their influencing communication skills
Course Outline
1. Defining Influence
-
- Identifying the three critical elements
- Building value with others
- Working with resistance for positive outcomes
2. The Elements of Influence
Five critical factors for influencing others
-
- Applying the five factors: capability, perceived value, perceived value realization, perceived cost, perceived risk
- Using an influence formula to guide your planning
Achieving and maintaining commitment
-
- Stating your desired results
- Going beyond compliance
- Creating collaboration
Recognizing manipulation and taking positive action
-
- Differentiating manipulation from influence
- Gaining an agreement you can count on
3. Building Your Foundation
Establishing and maintaining trust
-
- Creating trust-based relationships
- Maintaining ethics and integrity
Developing rapport
-
- Establishing immediate rapport
- Applying techniques for building rapport
Listening for multiple perspectives
-
- Building active-listening habits
- Tuning in rather than tuning out
4. Applying Six Major Influence Strategies
Identifying strengths and limitations
-
- Leveraging the advantages of each strategy
- Creating your personal plan
- Building and expanding your network
- Negotiating for desired results
Thinking strategically
-
- Executing the most appropriate strategy
- Avoiding pitfalls and traps
5. Expanding Your Power Base
The six types of power
-
- Referent
- Information
- Expert
- Legitimate
- Reward
- Coercive
- Extending your personal power
Developing political intelligence
-
- Navigating organizational politics
- Strengthening working relationships
- Adapting the way politics work according to cultural norms
- Identifying and applying political strategies effectively
Working with multiple perspectives
-
- Transforming resistance and inertia in others
- Adapting flexibly to influencing situations
6. Practicing Exemplary Leadership
Implementing five leadership practices
-
- Modeling the way
- Inspiring a shared vision
- Challenging the process
- Enabling others to act
- Encouraging the heart
Developing your personal leadership plan
-
- Assessing your leadership profile
- Strategies for cultivating your leadership skills
- Influencing a paradigm shift in others
7. Dealing with Challenging Behaviors
Recognizing the interplay of perceptions
- Managing the six challenging behaviors
- Overcoming the tendency to take things personally
Taking powerful actions
- Identifying and applying deflection techniques
- Developing remedies for difficult situations
- Employing specific strategies for challenging behaviors
- Converting confrontation into cooperation