Newsletter 8 - How to be taken seriously

Here is a list of random tips to consider if you want to be listened to and believed. Which ones do you need to work on?  

• Communicate clearly. Really listen to others. Express yourself accurately.

• Watch your nonverbal communication.  Look at yourself in the mirror, on video.

• Do you look steady and convincing?

• Connect with the language and style that the others use. Listen to how they talk.

• Be clear in your own mind about the outcomes you want, and keep reminding yourself.

 

• Aim to get what you and the others both want. The famous win-win approach.

 

• Put yourself into other people's shoes. What's it like to be them?

 

• Give credit when things go right, and accept responsibility when they don't.

 

• Know what motivates the people around you.

 

• Be confident and firm.

• Manage your own emotions: don't be ruled by them. 

Do your homework. In order to do all the above effectively, you need to learn about the people you want to influence, the situation you're in,

and the way your organization works.

Things to avoid. Persuasion, manipulation or coercion may work in the short term but they create resistance in the long term. As a manager you need to gain the co-operation of others: so keep developing your genuine influencing skills.