The art of influence

Whether you're conducting a one-on-one meeting, motivating your sales team or giving a key presentation, your success is largely determined by your ability to influence. The ability to influence and get buy-in for your ideas from your colleagues, boss or clients is not something that can happen overnight, but is the culmination of good communication, trust and intuition.

Influence is one of the key skills of successful business people. Anyone looking to get buy-in for their ideas can use the tools outlined below in order to be more effective:

1. Really understand the key decision maker
People often have a personal preference for how they like to receive information. Noticing how they like to have the information presented and what has been successful in the past can help to present your information in their preferred style. Find out what the key decision maker's preferences are. Do they prefer to receive all new proposals in writing, see it in a diagram or chart or do they prefer to talk it through first or have a demonstration or practical example of how it will work?

"Find out what the key decision maker's preferences are. Do they prefer to receive all new proposals in writing, see it in a diagram or chart or do they prefer to talk it through first or have a demonstration or practical example of how it will work?"

Jan Hills, founder, PR with Guts

Remember your preferences might not always match that of the person you're trying to persuade or influence. I was once working with a client who preferred to receive information as a diagram or model and because this was her preference, this is how she presented the information to her boss. She was finding it difficult to engage him in her ideas and didn't know why. In fact, her boss preferred to receive new information in writing and by simply changing her presentation style, she was better able to engage her boss in the ideas.

2. Take a look from the other person's perspective
Quite often, you will find that it's not just people senior to you that you need to influence. If you are managing a team, influence is a vital part of the managerial mix especially if you are dealing with change management. Changes within a company can often be met with opposition or uncertainty and the change process can risk hitting stumbling blocks if not presented to the team members in a positive and thoughtful way.

In order to persuade and influence someone to buy into changes, you need to first think about what the benefits are from the perspective of the other person. To do this, you need to put yourself in their shoes. Think about how any changes will affect them and what priorities and assumptions the person has about the situation and about themselves – what are their "hot buttons"? For example, if you're suggesting a new role or project for that person, it's important to understand what aspects of the proposition will appeal to them. One person may feel that an attractive project involves the opportunity to learn new skills and be given new challenges. For someone else, it might be to work on a project they are familiar with or that they know the rest of the team well.

By looking at the situation from the other person's perspective, it will help you to present the proposition in a more appealing way and help to head off any fears or reservations they might have from the start.

3. Consider what information should be given first
In addition to the preferences about how they like to receive information, also consider what information people like to receive first. Some prefer the big picture first and the details later, some like to know how it's similar to what has worked before, some need external data and evidence to back up a new idea and others rely on a gut feel. Take time to learn these preferences and present the information in a way that suits the key decision maker. Remember, it's ok sometimes to ask them – "how would you like to go over this – top line first or detailed from the start?"

4. Make sure you've covered every angle
If a lot is resting on one point of influence, then before you approach that person, it can sometimes help to ask a colleague to quiz you from different perspectives to see if you've thought the idea through from every angle. Get somebody else to play different roles (e.g. the key decision maker, their team, employees etc) to test you.

5. Examine your motivation
Do you believe in the proposition yourself? If not, you are less likely to be able to influence others so you need to work out why a particular result is important to you.

Rehearse your idea mentally (and physically) to get your arguments clear in your own mind first.

6. Trust your gut
Finally, remember that it's ok to use your intuition. Use it to tell you if you have covered every angle and whether or not it will be good for the business. If you have a nagging feeling or have very low energy about the project, chances are there's a reason.

So, by getting the proposition or idea clear in your own mind and having a clear understanding of the other person's perspective and motivations, it becomes easier to present an idea or an argument in an assured, convincing way. Understanding the impact of internal and external events on the key decision maker means that you will be able to understand how you can help, support, challenge and influence them.