Increase Your Power With These 9 Influencing Tactics
Become persuasive with these techniques
Influence makes us powerful and is a crucial skill.
How many tools do you have in your influencing toolbox? If you have only 1 or 2 tactics your impact is going to be very limited.
Let’s fix that with these 9 potent influencing tactics.
1. Gather an army in support
People adopt the behaviour of those around them.
- Chances of being obese increase by 57% if a close friend is obese
- Sitting near a high achiever increases performance by 16%
This tactic involves using others as our allies in persuasion. Think of it as gathering an army alongside you so it isn’t only you trying to influence.
Ways to do this:
- Use quotes from others supporting your idea
- Mention the number of people who agree with you
- Tell stories of those who have implemented your idea
This tactic is even more compelling if your allies are like your audience in some way:
- similar age
- similar job
- similar location
in your allies will all increase your influence.
2. Appeal to consistency
People want to behave consistently.
This works in 2 ways:
a. People want their behaviour to match their words
Gorden Sinclair, a Chicago restaurant owner, struggled with no-shows. People were making table reservations, not turning up and not canceling.
He solved the problem by getting a small commitment. He stopped saying, ‘Please call if you change your plans’. Instead he said ‘Will you call us if you change your plans?’ The no-show rate dropped from 30% to 10%.
You can be more influential by asking people for a commitment eg. Are you coming to the event?
b. People also want their actions to be consistent with their previous behaviour.
This is why companies try to get us to take on trials or buy small amounts.
Find ways your proposal is consistent with what your target audience has done before. This will make you more influential.
Example:
Last year you were keen to adopt the new software to make us more efficient. So I thought you’d be interested in this new app that could save us time.
3. Use the power of authority
People tend to obey those in authority.
In the Milgram experiment participants gave electric shocks. Instructions came from an authority figure. People gave lethal shock levels because someone dressed in lab coats told them to!
How can you show your authority/expertise?
- qualifications
- professional experience
- personal experience
It is also effective to mention authority figures who support or have used your idea.
4. Give a reason (any will do)
The most common influencing tactic is to provide a reason.
In a bizarre experiment, Ellen Langer got a researcher to ask to use a photocopier. With 3 versions of the request.
Version 1 (request only): “Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the machine?”
Version 2 (request with a real reason): “Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the machine, because I’m in a rush?”
Version 3 (request with a fake reason): “Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the machine, because I have to make copies?”
Notice that version 3 gives a reason but doesn’t make sense. Surprisingly, this senseless reason performed well.
Look at these results:
Version 1: 60% let the researcher skip the line
Version 2: 94% let the researcher skip ahead in line
Version 3: 93% of people let the researcher skip ahead in line
Providing a reason is influential (even if the reason doesn’t make sense!)
5. Raise objections before they do
This might surprise you. But when you raise objections to your idea, it is more persuasive than if the other person raised it.
Your honesty in admitting a weakness inspires trust. This then adds weight to everything else you say.
If you raise an objection to your idea you need to do 2 things:
- represent the objection fairly (you will lose credibility if you misrepresent an opposing view)
- deal effectively with the objection
6. Make them really like you
It’s a cliché to say people buy from people, but it’s true.
The more they like you, the more persuasive you are.Do everything you can to build a positive relationship and rapport.
Simple suggestions:
- emphasise anything you have in common
- listening and paying interest
- smiling!
If you are making a public presentation then find a way to humanise yourself. For example, mention family or hobbies briefly.
7. Give something
Human beings are wired to return favors and pay back debts
If you:
- give a gift
- do a favour
- pay a compliment
you generate positive feelings in your target audience.
When you then try to persuade them later your chances of success will be greater.
This can be used on specific people you want to influence. But it also explains why taking a generous approach to life is so powerful.
8. Scarcity is seductive
When people think something is in short supply. They want it more!
How can you use this?
Perhaps there is something rare about your proposal? Time limits can encourage people to say yes. Maybe it isn’t available to other similar organisations.
Anything that implies what you are offering is scarce will increase your influence.
Be careful not to appear desperate though. This will contradict tactic 1 — implying no one else is interested!
9. Inspire their imagination
Getting people to imagine what could be, can move them to action.
Feelings are more powerful than reasons for influencing behaviour. Many great leaders have effectively used this tactic. Think Martin Luther King ‘I have a dream’ or John F Kennedy’s speech about putting a man on the moon.
When people imagine a preferred future their brain gets to work in closing the gap. Working out how to get there. Once people start doing that they will soon get on board with your idea.
It is not easy persuading others. Deploying a wider range of tactics will increase your influencing power. Use these 9 techniques as a checklist next time you need to persuade someone.
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