How To Build Influence And Get The Outcome You Want
Learn how to use four key influencing styles
Welcome!
Hi this is John with this week’s Developing Skills - Skills for Developers looking to develop their careers.
If there is a topic you’d like to see covered, please let me know by replying to this email📧
Tip of The Week: Understand Influencing Styles and How To Use Them To Drive The Outcomes You Want.
When we want to persuade people to do something, change their mind or change their behaviour most of us default to the the influencing style that we feel comfortable with, which is often logical and data driven.
Unfortunately it’s rarely the most effective style, particularly when dealing with people who aren’t our immediate teammates.
In this article I’m going to introduce your to four influencing styles and explain how and when to use them.
The Logical And Rational Style
The logical and rational style of influence places and emphasis on logical reasoning and objective data. The focus is presenting clear, well structured and data-driven/evidence based arguments.
This approach is effective when a well-structured and logical argument is required to influence decisions. To make it work requires that the arguments are presented in a logical sequence creating a clear narrative that is easy to follow.
The Emotional And Personal Style
The emotional style of influence focuses on appealing to the emotions of the audience. It recognises that people are first and foremost emotional beings and our emotions heavily influence how we feel and the decisions we make.
This style is effective when it evokes strong emotions, creating a sense of urgency, desire, fear or hope, which in turn makes the message more memorable and compelling. This style needs to be used authentically and with care, which will build trust and strong connections with the audience.
If abused it is manipulation, which will undermine trust.
The Cooperative And Collaborative Style
The cooperative and collaborative style of influence focuses on building positive relationships with people. The focus is on understanding the needs of others, asking questions to find common ground and seeking to create a sense of unity. The focus is on finding mutual wins that meet the goals of all parties.
To use this style effectively requires:
Active listening: seeking to understand the point of view of others, their concerns and their needs. It involves showing genuine interest and empathy.
Collaboration and teamwork: involving others and creating a space for them to contribute, expressing gratitude for their contribution and welcoming diverse perspectives.
Building rapport and trust: investing time into building real relationships with the people involved and earning and retaining their trust.
Building consensus: engaging in constructive dialogue to explore different points of view and facilitate collective decision making.
The Assertive And Experienced-Based Style
This style is direct, assertive and confident, using confidence, knowledge and authority to influence others effectively. To use this style express ideas, opinions and recommendations with conviction and provide supporting evidence, expertise or authority to support them.
There is a fine line between being assertive and being overly pushy and forceful. Take care to avoid overstepping the mark and alienating the intended audience.
What Now?
Next time you need to influence, think about the person you need to influence and which of these styles will work best with them. Be mindful that it may be more than one.
Which style most suits you and which do you find hardest to use?
Three Ways I Can Help You Level Up As A Software Engineer:
I’m available as a coach to help you or the software engineers on you team level up.
I run a YouTube channel sharing advice on software engineering.
I have a course on building your personal brand on LinkedIn, it explains how I’ve built an audience over over 190,000 on LinkedIn and changed my life.