Knowledge Resource Centre

Influence and Succeed: How to Win People Over Every Time

Fiona Elsa Dent

In organisations and in life, influence is a key skill. It helps earn co-operation from colleagues, ensures your voice is heard and makes you a better leader. In the fast-changing business world, where traditional managerial hierarchies are disappearing, it will be those who can influence others who will be successful.

In Influence and Succeed, Fiona Dent examines what influencing involves and helps the reader to understand and develop the key skills and techniques that are essential for successful influencing. With a wide breadth of topical areas including communication skills, the role of technology, strategic and group influencing, the book is a both a compendium of knowledge and a practical guide to influence. Dent introduces the reader to her 'ten tips for influencing', a combination of simple advice and insightful knowledge:
 

• Be patient, influencing is a process
• Listen actively, to gain knowledge
• Be flexible and adapt to other peoples' ideas
• Build, link and develop ideas together
• Show understanding for others in order to establish common ground
• Express yourself fluently - with emotion and facts
• Check everyone has understood - to ensure people are with you
• Be enthusiastic
• Remember the unextinguished fire - it only takes one person to doubt your idea
• Above all, prepare and plan

From understanding and developing personal skills to those needed for managing large organisations, this 'how to' guide is packed with useful advice which any manager seeking inspiration can learn from. This book is squarely aimed at anyone who relies on negotiations and discussion to succeed in the work place.