Development of People Influence Skills

Skills to effectively influence people are vital to any social interaction. Communicating with colleagues, managing a company, conducting business negotiations, resolving conflicts, speaking at conferences, concluding deals – all these are life situations in which communication skills are required.

Not everyone is born an excellent speaker, knows how to be convincing, inspire trust, successfully gain authority, take the initiative, build boundaries in communication, gently influence people, and achieve their own goals. Nevertheless, this is not a problem, since influence skills can be learned!

Our influence skills training course is taught in an accessible interactive form. We help participants improve the efficiency of negotiations, master the tools of influencing people, acquire practical skills in commercial mediation, and increase self-confidence.

Negotiation Science

The main components that we discuss in training:

• Influencing people – tools, methods, features;
• Strategies for successful business negotiations;
• The main qualities of a person who can influence others;
• Beliefs that hinder success;
• Appearance and its influence on interpersonal interactions;
• Establishing rapport. The ability to build trust;
• Empathy. Emotional intelligence;
• Joining – various techniques;
• Mirroring;
• Personal motives;
• Techniques for persuading and defending one’s position;
• Implicit elements that have a considerable impact on the communication process – gestures, facial expressions, behavior, voice timbre;
• Speaking to an audience – how to attract and hold attention, how to present yourself and argue your opinion;
• Manipulative methods – how to recognize and defend yourself against them.

Five Key Points to Keep in Mind

In our training, we often stress the importance of the following five significant pieces of advice. Following this counsel, you can ensure the stable growth of your Influence skills.

1. Think about your audience

Wherever you communicate with people – at negotiations, at a conference, in a narrow circle of colleagues, at an executive meeting, one-on-one – it is imperative to think about the interlocutor and speak in a language they would understand. Does the person understand the topic, what are their views and values, how to explain the nuances to them, how to attract their attention, and how to provide them with useful information?

2. Thoroughly prepare for any talks, however menial

It would help if you took notes and plan. Of course, improvisation can bear great results. Nevertheless, you must prepare a solid base even if you are going to improvise by collecting and analyzing the information, feeling the topic, and studying your audience’s interests.

3. Listen carefully

Oddly enough, the dialogue sometimes resembles two monologues – each speaker pushes their point, disregarding the opponent’s opinions. Not everyone is ready to listen to their interlocutor, to be sensitive and attentive. And without this, no successful communication is possible.

Listening attentively, delving into a person’s words, trying to understand them is not so easy! But at our training, we teach empathic listening, which your interlocutors will appreciate. And you will increase the chances of successful negotiations.

4. Clarify unclear statements by rephrasing

It is essential to rephrase the conversation when appropriate. “Did I understand you correctly that ..?” These are the right questions to avoid misunderstandings. You also show that you respect the other person’s words.

5. Practice your influence skills by speaking in public

Skills of speaking in front of a broad audience, at a conference, conducting discussions with colleagues will come in handy for a career boost. Capturing the audience’s attention, being an exciting storyteller, influencing listeners, defending one’s position, and changing the audience’s mood are the critical skills of a leader, anyone who wants to achieve success in a business environment. We teach these irreplaceable skills in our training.

Personal Success is Possible

By the end of the influence skills course, most of the participants can:

• Competently and enthusiastically express their thoughts, providing influence to the audience;
• Lead discussions;
• Defend their points of view;
• Present themselves confidently;
• Rationally and emotionally influence the interlocutor;
• Behave assertively when the need arises;
• Behave congruently. Congruence is the ability to behave following the uniqueness of the situation, the peculiarities of interaction;
• Conduct a dialogue in an acute conflict situation;
• Express their thoughts to any audience.

We provide our students with a wide range of knowledge about interpersonal interactions:

• Strategies of influence – direct and indirect;
• Models of rational belief – arguments, theses, reinforcements;
• Active empathic listening, etc.

Conclusion

Strategies and ways of influencing people are important knowledge for commercial and personal success. CMA Consulting has vast experience in conducting pieces of training that help business owners and managers, individual employees, and departments of the company to achieve their goals efficiently.

We will teach you negotiation and conflict resolution skills; you will feel a surge of strength and self-confidence, supported by theoretical and practical knowledge. We are waiting for you at our training, always ready to contribute to your business success and career growth.