Want to be more influential? It’s as easy as ABC — Sage Campus // Replace title block colour with text shadow

This post is one in a series of guest blogs by Dr Zina O’Leary, Senior Fellow at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government and internationally-recognized leader in research methodologies. Zina is the author of SAGE Campus’ upcoming Present Your Research, Research Proposal and Research Question online courses, launching in 2021. The courses are inspired by SAGE’s popular Little Quick Fixes book series and you can read Zina’s last post on presentations that influence here.


Barely an interaction goes by in which you’re not trying to influence another. It may be on the home front where you are trying to get someone to take out the trash, clean a room, eat their vegetables. Or it might be at the workplace where you are trying to get your team to adopt a new practice; your boss to give you a more responsibility; or a client to calm down.  In fact, most of our day, we are trying to influence others.

Yet influencing others is a challenging art. Simply saying what you want to happen does not guarantee uptake. Instruction is one-way communication. Uptake requires that others not only hear you, but act. Beyond this is the transfer of both action and belief; where your agenda, and maybe even your values, become shared.

Indeed an art. Not only do you need to work through the complexities of managing your own agenda, you need to do this while navigating the world of the other. Only then can you determine what elements of your message are most critical and how they can be best shared.

So is there a framework that can help you navigate this tricky terrain? Well, yes. Just use your ABCs. 

Awareness

This is about diagnosing the world of the other. We might know our own agenda, but think about the benefits of your agenda to those you are trying to influence. Highlighting a potential win-win, is always a good strategy. Also become aware of the personal and political space of those you’re approaching. What’s going on for them? What deadlines to they face?  What pressures are they managing?  Finally, consider what motivates them. Are they motivated by inspiration, by efficiency, by hierarchical power, by personal relationships? The more you know, the more strategic you can be.

Belief

The best way to convince someone of something is to be genuine. Share your passion, share your conviction, share your excitement. In short, share your belief. Make sure those you want to influence know why this is a good idea, not only for you, but for them.

Clarity

It is important to be clear in both content and delivery. Tailor your message through your awareness and beliefs, and be clear on key points. Think about arguments, but also think about tone. One good strategy is to assume that all are potential allies. If you go in thinking that you have an individual’s support, you are more likely to get it.

So that’s it. If you are aware of the other, share your beliefs, and have clarity in your approach, you will absolutely see your levels of influence rise.


If you want to learn these skills yourself or are interested in assigning them to your students, researchers or staff, register your interest for a free module of the online courses at the pages below:

Libraries can request a 30 day free trial to SAGE Campus for institution-wide access. Recommend us to your library or request a free trial today if you are an institutional administrator.

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