IMPACT: Influencing Skills.
An insight is not an insight unless it leads to action.
Premise
Not everyone realizes that they have an influencing style that is unique to them or that they can alter that style depending on who they are trying to influence. This course introduces participants not only to their own influencing style but also to influencing theory through which they can understand that style and know when and how to modify it.
Principles
The most important principle to understand is that what people intend when they communicate is rarely how it is received. Each person involved is influenced by their own lens. Therefore, it is important not only to understand your own natural style of influencing but also the lens through which it is likely that your attempts to influence will be received. The second principle is that there is a comprehensive framework that decodes influencing styles and that it is possible not only to understand your own style but also how to modify it depending on the circumstances.
Process
Prior to the module, we ask participants to fill in an influencing style questionnaire. This enables them to understand broadly what their natural style is. We then discuss the results in the session itself before moving into the theory of influencing and its nuances. At two points in the module, we break into triads in which one person tries to influence another while a third takes notes and observations. The first occasion deals with natural influencing styles while the second challenges participants to change up their styles dependent on the situation. In-between, we discuss tools to use to decide how to adopt one style over another while, at the end, we discuss how to deal with conflict and how to influence senior management.
End Result
Participants leave the module with a better understanding of their own innate influencing styles as well as tools to decide how and when to modify these as circumstances dictate.
“The training made something that seems “big” (being more influential) feel more achievable/less daunting, by breaking things down into small, clear behaviors.”
Research Manager
Major bank