The ability to influence others in a positive sense, e.g. to achieve something together, is one of the basic abilities of each HR professional. That is why the British website HR Magazine published ten practical recommendations on how to make others respect you, listen to you and work with you. The author of the recommendations is Fiona Dent, director of executive education at Ashridge Business School.
1. Remember that influencing is a time-consuming process, not a one-time activity. Key assumptions of your success in influencing include patience and the ability to establish and maintain a meaningful dialogue.
2. Just promoting your opinions is not enough. You must also be able to actively listen so that you could work with the opinions of others.
3. Another important capability is related to listening to others - flexibility. While promoting your views, you must be able to compromise and adapt to others.
4. Learn to cooperate. Search for common points you can develop together. Talk specifically about whose idea you like and why.
5. Show that you understand others. Ask them for their opinions on current events.
6. Make sure you really understand each other. Continuously check how your opinions are changing and whether you can still count with each other.
7. To promote your views, you will need the right combination of facts and emotions. Any facts themselves are not enough. Learn to express your feelings not only using words but also nonverbally.
8. Cultivate your passion. Show the energy you put into what you are doing.
9. Pay attention to the people you cannot convince and search for the reasons why this is so.
10. Definitely do not underestimate careful preparation and planning. Nothing else but the failure to plan is the most common cause of your disability to influence others. Do not make excuses for a lack of time. It is worthwhile to invest your time in becoming familiar with all the people involved, finding out what interests them and how it is possible to work with them.
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