The capacity to persuade others is a vital leadership skill for various situations. It might be the most helpful skill you pick up in your lifetime.
The ability to exert influence within a group increases productivity. Having power also allows you a platform to share your ideas and be heard in any setting. Lastly, being influential at work can give you more say over the final product of any endeavour.
Developing the skills necessary to become an effective leader and influencer takes time and effort. It’s a skill that, like any other, needs to be practised and developed. That said, taking a class on how to persuade others is a fantastic method to review the finer points of practical discourse. If you do it right, it can make you a more influential leader or team member. To that end, I’ve compiled a list of techniques that can help you become a more persuasive person:
Create a safe environment by establishing trust.
If you are in a position of power, you can probably force people to do what you say. However, free will is missing from this dynamic. Earning the respect of your peers is essential if you want to exert real influence.
This hypothesis draws on the well-known observation that social motivations for altruism are enhanced when people have a positive emotional connection to the recipient. In the same way, that trust is the bedrock of any happy and fruitful romantic relationship; it is the same for professional ones.
To your relief, trusting your coworkers need not be a difficult task. The only thing you need to do is lead by example and be forthright and truthful. People will feel more comfortable opening up to you if you do this. Leaders must make their teams feel safe enough to speak their minds in front of them. You must be patient as this will take some time.
Communicate Carefully
The ability to influence others in the workplace depends on your interpersonal skills, as you will learn in any course on the topic. That’s because one of the keys to getting buy-in from your team is investing time and effort into developing trusting relationships with each individual. Knowing your coworkers will help you acquire their tacit support for your ideas and decisions. As a result, it’s beneficial to make an effort to get to know your coworkers personally and foster productive relationships with them.
How your coworkers see and respond to you is heavily influenced by how well you mix with them and build personal connections. Building rapport with others increases the likelihood that they will listen to what you have to say. If you treat them as equal team members rather than just workers, you can forge genuine bonds with them.
Adopt the practice of attentive listening.
Some people believe that shouting above everyone else is key to effective communication. You risk being ignored by others if you talk over people and refuse to listen to them.
It only takes little effort to make others feel like you’ve heard them, yet it can mean the world. To respect and care for others, you must acknowledge and offer them your full attention, and with your silence, you express that they deserve your attention. Also, they are more likely to demonstrate the positive qualities you are looking for if you go to them for assistance, as this again shows your respect.
None of this will occur, though, if you have a habit of being so wrapped up in your head that you only listen to other people half the time. Make it a habit to actively listen to others, and you will solve this problem. In particular, active listening entails not just hearing someone speak but also grasping the whole meaning of what they are saying.
It would help if you stopped what you were doing the next time someone approached you, faced the person talking, maintained eye contact, and listened to what they had to say. Changing your posture, facial expressions, and tone of voice can profoundly affect how your coworkers respond to you.
You can’t expect to receive the benefits of influence without first contributing to the success of those around you. After all, when you ask for buy-in, others will want to know that they can count on you to give the same level of dedication.
Consider enrolling in a programme tailored to your needs if you want to learn more about using influence in the workplace to effect positive organisational change.
To learn more about being an Influential Leader, check out our course: PRIORITY INFLUENCER.
You can also tailor your program with our short sessions designed to engage and upskill managers and supervisors across all levels of the organisation in managing in this new era. Please reach out to discuss the options and how we can tailor a program for you depending on the goals and outcomes you are after. CONTACT US.