Happy New Year! In the spirit of having a frenzy of improvement in the New Year, here’s our tips on how to get better at preparing to influence (so why not choose someone to practise on right now!?)
Following on from our last blog about preparation for conversations in general, these tips will give yourself the best chance of success when you want to influence someone, or are going into a negotiation, especially if you feel nervous:
Prepare good notes and have them with you, along with plenty of paper to write on. Make sure your notes are easy to glance down at – don’t write out every word you are going to say. Make a checklist of things you must cover and tick them off. Highlight things that musn’t be missed. If appropriate, pre-circulate figures so everyone has a copy to work from.
Control the environment: Find out where you’ll be meeting so you can visualise it better. You may want to go and see it beforehand. Whenever possible, arrange to meet on neutral territory. Arrive early and arrange the room how you want it. Have water available or note where it is. This can be handy if you need to walk away for a break during deadlock. Try to sit at 45 degrees to someone else, it feels less adversarial. If you want to influence where they sit, pull out that chair very slightly before they arrive.
On the phone: Book a meeting room, and set up a handsfree so that you are free to write notes and sift through your papers. Stand up for difficult conversations!
Our next Influencing Skills course is running at Exeter International Airport on 10th & 11th February 2010.
All our courses are now eligible for Train to Gain funding – many of our clients can now claim back up to £1000 for our courses! For more information, call us on 01392 82 6127.
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