Communication Skills
Influence
The ability to influence others permeates all aspects of business. Whether you are asking you boss for a raise or persuading your team to work overtime on a project, persuasion is important. How can we become more effective at influencing others?
Psychologists have uncovered numerous ways in which human behavior differs from conventional wisdom, and yet is still predictable. Though many of us feel that we make decisions rationally, the research shows that this is not completely accurate. Understanding how we actually make decisions can be a huge asset during business negotiations. One of the leading researchers on influence, Robert Cialdini, has identified six key drivers of influence:
- Amicability - People are influenced more by those who they like.
- Reciprocity - If you help someone, they will help you.
- Expertise - People give more weight to the opinions of experts or authority figures.
- Peer influence - People tend to copy the decisions and behaviors of people like themselves.
- Consistency - People try to make decisions consistent with past behavior.
- Value - People place greater weight on things and information that is scarce and in demand.
In our training, we come to understand these ideas and learn how to use them naturally in business settings. You may be surprised at the power these skills give you.