Influencing

The course is highly participative and based on real life situations and examples provided by the participants. The emphasis is on practical tools, techniques and tips rather than abstract theory. The transfer of learning from the course to the workplace is greatly increased by involving participants' managers in identifying relevant scenarios for their people to work on during the course and put into practice afterwards.

Introduction to influencing

Identifying the major challenges facing you in your role
The skills and qualities you needed to be an outstanding influencer
Five influencing styles
Six principles of persuasion - reciprocity, consistency, scarcity, social proof, liking and expert endorsement
Why ethical behaviour matters so much in the 21^st Century

Building trust and rapport – the basis of influence

Why trust matters
Credibility and trust
How to come across like an expert
Building rapport through body language and presence
Understanding how people are different through perceptual filters
Cross cultural issues
Increasing your self awareness – the second and third positioning technique
From rapport to trust – the four qualities of a trustworthy person
Practical tips for creating confidence and other useful mindsets
How to say no, deliver bad news, provide critical feedback and still have the other person like and respect you

Powerful communication

Why business communication often fails
Twenty techniques for powerful communication
How to make a convincing case – the power of stories and metaphors
Structuring a convincing argument
How to make an emotional connection

Selling

How B2B selling is different from B2C
SPIN selling – a powerful approach to selling ideas
Asking the right questions to identify the real issues
Listening to cues, smoking out objections, trial closes and other techniques for moving the discussion in the right direction
Understanding how different personalities respond to different approaches
The importance of closing the deal and how to do it

Negotiation

Top twelve negotiation tactics
How to negotiate when the other side appears to be in a stronger position
Seven steps to negotiating like a pro
What win/win negotiation really means
Why creativity is essential in finding a win/win solution
How to be creative, especially if you think you are not

Creativity and problem solving

Four approaches to decision making – rational, political, intuitive and creative
Tools for rational analysis
Understanding power dynamics in political decision making
How to unlock your intuition
How to be creative

Coaching and facilitation

How to get the other person to come up with ideas
Why they are more likely to be committed if they think it's their idea
The SOCA model for engaging others
Understanding convincer strategies
Specificity – the key to ensuring people do what they say they will
How to put your new influencing skills into practice

Dealing with difficult people

Twenty common manipulative influencing techniques – how to spot them and how to deal with them
How to put yourself in an assertive state when emotions are running high
Emotional ju-jitsu; how to turn the other person's stubbornness to your advantage
The positive intention technique and other sleight of mouth methods for dealing with tough situations

What they said

"Thank you for the influencing skills programme last month. Earlier this week I had the real life selling/negotiation meeting that we'd discussed on the course. As you know I was very concerned about how [the other person] would react, but following your feedback I was able to handle the meeting in a very assertive way and got a result that everyone was just delighted with. This was definitely one of the best training courses I've attended. It was great to learn techniques that I was able to put into action straight away."

"This was an immensely useful and practical programme. Larry's expertise and positive presentation style left a lasting impression on participants. Larry will certainly be carrying out more development work for us in the future."

"Thank you for last week, it was excellent and I went off to do my session truly inspired. And it worked. I was pretty hot for 3 solid hours with a very disillusioned group - and between us we moved mountains..."