Influencing
Communicate with Why
Communicate with Why
4 minutes
How do you move from relationship to influence? They key to communicate and influence effectively is to know your audience as well as your own style and preferences when communicating. By understanding who you are talking to, you can tailor your message to align with their needs, preferences, interests or expectations – in other words, what’s important to them or their why!
Use the other person’s ‘why’ that you have identified as a starting point to tailor your message. For your more difficult stakeholder, take a step back and plan the conversation with these steps.
1
Tailor the message
Use what you have uncovered about your audience to tailor your message to land with impact. For example, for an analytic thinker, provide data and evidence or for a people person, link ideas or plans to how it will effect others and the considerations you have made.
2
Actively listen
We all know how to actively listen, but this is about keeping it front of mind. You will have a more receptive audience if they feel heard.
Use questions starting with: what, how, when, where and who to understand their perspective more clearly. Influencing isn’t just about speaking; it’s also about how we listen to others and how we show that we are listening, and responding appropriately. Messages must be received as well as sent.
Use questions starting with: what, how, when, where and who to understand their perspective more clearly. Influencing isn’t just about speaking; it’s also about how we listen to others and how we show that we are listening, and responding appropriately. Messages must be received as well as sent.
3
Tailor your communication style
Tailor your communication style (tone, pace, energy and language) and message based on your previous interactions with who you are speaking to. Be conscious of how you normally communicate and what you could do to make it more engaging for this person.
4
Don't panic
Back yourself and what you know. Acknowledge what the other person says and respond accordingly. When trust is already built, you can position your message correctly and take more risks based on the relationship you have already established.
by
Hellomonday