Influencing & Negotiating

Influence

Influence is power. No matter who you are, where you work, or what your professional goals are, achieving more influence in the workplace is critical for success. Gaining influence on a team can help you work together more effectively. Gaining influence in a supervisory position can make you more respected and appreciated. Gaining influence in a meeting can make your voice more likely to be heard and acknowledged.

Influence has countless advantages, but gaining that influence, like learning a skill, takes time and effort. Fortunately, there are many strategies you can use to cultivate this characteristic.

Objectives

How?

Ask – yes just ask, studies show people say yes 3 times more than people expected

Negotiating

Being able to negotiate successfully is a key managerial skill, especially as more and more work gets done through complex networks of individuals. Negotiation is a problem-solving process in which two parties have conflicting interests. You persuasively explain your case and the other person (or group) – your counterpart – explains theirs. Your aim is to achieve maximum benefit from the discussion whilst being aware of the need to reach agreement. To do this you bargain by exchanging offers and counter offers, concessions and compromise until you reach a mutually acceptable solution. Negotiating well requires a careful balance. Human behaviour is unpredictable and every negotiating situation is unique and often complex and uncertain. There are no prescribed rules; however, there are certain principles that generally apply to all negotiations.