PERSONAL SPECIAL ..................INFLUENCING

PERSONAL SPECIAL INFLUENCING Influencing others is not just a useful, but an extremely important attribute to have. Interestingly, influence has been the subject of considerable research, the most notable of it by Dr Robert Cialdini, Regents’ Professor of Psychology and Marketing, Arizona State University, who’s spent 30 years not just studying, but narrowing down his findings to six key principles, published in his 1984 book ‘Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion’. They include: reciprocity, commitment (and consistency), social proof, liking, authority and scarcity. Sreeradha D Basu speaks to experts to decode the science behind influencing others better 1 Improve your Interpersonal Skills People are more likely to say ‘yes’ to you if they like you. So, it’s worth making the effort to work on your interpersonal skills, says Swapnil Kamat, founder, CEO and chief trainer at executive education and training firm, Work Better. “People like dealing with positive people, so it’s important to project both a positive body language as well as positive facial expressions. Also, people like dealing with others who are like them,” suggests Kamath. 2 Go out, do Something for People Not only does it make you a better person, but it’s likely that people will reciprocate. “Most people have this innate instinct to return favours. So, if you have done a favour for them in the past, it’s human nature to try and equalise that,” says Kamath. 3 Come Across as a Figure of Authority People who come across as a figure of authority tend to influence others in a big way. It could involve anything from power dressing to associating with a figure of authority or becoming an expert at what you are doing. 4 Talk About Previous Examples As a society, we get influenced by what everyone else is doing. “People are comfortable going ahead with something when others have done it in the past,” says Kamath. Ad agencies use precisely this mindset to drive home their message. 5 Build Better Trust and Connect It’s important to motivate and praise the employee so that he feels positive about the work that he has been assigned to, says Udit Mittal, MD, Unison International. “One should give their employees flexibility in schedules and take genuine interest in their work-life balance. Such small gestures definitely make a lot of difference. Giving due credit for past successes also helps,” he says.

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