Essential Influencing and Persuading Skills

Course details

How can we be of influence to those around us at work? How do we frame our proposals to persuade another person, not that our way is the right way, but to see how our thinking and ideas may also benefit them?

This course is designed to enable you to be more confident, influential and persuasive at work through recognising the link between how you think, act and feel and the impact this has on you and on others.

Is it right for me?

This introductory level course is suitable for anyone who wants to develop their range of communication skills and discover the behaviours that will create influence.

If you want to effectively get yourself heard and encourage others to align with your values and thinking in the workplace, this is a good way to spend two days of your professional development.

What will I learn?

By the end of this course you will be able to:

• Identify your own preferred influencing style.
• Communicate in a more persuasive manner with colleagues and individuals from outside your organisation.
• Develop more effective and creative behaviours for influencing and persuading.
• Explain complicated ideas in a manner which aids understanding and increases the likelihood of success.
• Communicate with increased confidence at meetings.
• Become a more active listener and use enhanced persuasion skills to act as an opinion shaper.

Pre-course Activity

To gain the maximum benefit from the course, you will be sent a pre-course questionnaire to complete which asks you to consider current expectations. This will help you set the context of the course and the information you provide will be used on the day as part of the course activities.

What will it cover?

The Difference Between Influencing and Persuading

• Defining influence and persuasion
• Setting the context for influencing and persuading in your role

Positive and Assertive Communication

• Your personal communication style
• Communication style, self-analysis/skills audit
• Not saying 'yes' when you know you should be saying 'no'
• Expressing your ideas in an assertive and effective manner
• Contributing at meetings and gaining cooperation from others

Persuasive and Influential Communication

• Ensuring your communication is clear, concise and easily understood
• Enhancing your questioning and listening skills
• Persuasive communication - gaining others' agreement
• Creating a positive impression when dealing with senior colleagues

An Introduction to Transactional Analysis (TA)

• An introduction to the TA ego states
• How TA can help us be more persuasive
• Knowing our own ego states, when we are triggered into non-assertive behaviours and by whom

Personal Development

• Preparing a personal action plan
• Top tips to support your return to the workplace