Influencing Skills Training

The ability to influence people is essential for leaders to manage teams in a complex world of work. Skills in influencing help leaders in setting a vision, getting buy-in, and managing delegation with their teams. When leaders can influence well, they are better able to deliver clear messages and present a point of view to stakeholders with confidence. The purpose of this workshop is to help leaders feel confident in their influencing style and use it to achieve better outcomes with their teams and stakeholders.

Working with organisations across Australia, we know that communication is the #1 skill sought after by leaders and teams. Here are some reasons why influencing skills are essential in modern workplaces:

1. Increased stakeholder engagement: Leaders are managing more complex networks than ever before in this highly connected, digitised world. Leaders will need to influence things like contracts, project scope, budgets, timelines, and resource requests. Working across these large stakeholder networks is made easier with strong influencing techniques.
2. Rise of ‘human skills’: More and more, organisations are helping leaders develop both technical skills and soft skills. Leaders with strong communication skills, who can positively influence others and earn the team’s respect, are in demand. Influencing strategies will help leaders connect their team to goals and aims, so they can achieve outcomes.
3. Technology and rise of AI: Advancements in technology and the way we work will automate more manual work, changing job roles and what organisations consider valuable. Leaders with highly developed influencing skills, who can promote and manage organisational change, will become increasingly desirable.
4. Complex world of work: Living in a ‘VUCA’ (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) environment means that leaders will need to give confidence and assurance to their teams constantly. Influencing techniques help leaders present a clearer picture for their teams so they understand priorities and expectations.
5. Role clarity: Because the lines are more blurred in modern workplaces, employees will continually need role clarity and tasks defined. Good influencing and negotiation skills give leaders an edge in dealing with conversations related to role clarity and finding agreement on tasks – so outcomes can be achieved.

Overall, influencing skills can help leaders navigate these challenges and develop greater self-confidence. With Influencing Skills Training, coaching sessions, and support from peers, leaders can uplift their influencing style and put across a point of view in a way that audiences will respond.

With the help of Influencing Skills Training, fundamentals that leaders and teams can put in place to enhance capability include:

1. Communication: Leaders who can apply effective influencing skills are better able to manage different communication styles in their direct reports. Leaders understand why people might need a particular influencing style, and they can flex and adapt communication techniques to the situation at hand.
2. Self-confidence: New situations, projects and ever-changing work environments call for strong and positive influence from leaders. They are better equipped to support team members when they have strong interpersonal skills, articulate problems clearly, and identify solutions. Leaders who are influencers can make a big difference to the self-confidence of their direct reports as well.
3. Relationship building: The ability to engage in active listening and positive influencing techniques help leaders build healthy relationships with others. Leaders can improve this by engaging in positive body language and making eye contact, while they communicate their needs and expectations clearly.
4. Perspective taking: Conflict can arise when there are different perspectives in the workplace, but leaders who are skilled in influencing can navigate this with team members. Leaders who stay calm and objective in situations and look for the ‘win-win’ have a greater impact on workplace culture and get results.
5. Decision making: When leaders communicate decisions in a positive way while considering the rights of others, they get better buy-in. Leaders can build this this capability by weighing up both positive and negative impacts of a decision and by being ‘clear but kind’. Strong influence helps team members remove ambiguity and feel more certainty about a direction.

By developing capability in influencing skills, leaders can grow their interpersonal skills and achieve outcomes with people, and on projects and performance.

What is Influencing Skills Training?

Our Influencing Skills Training workshop is specifically designed for leaders to boost self-esteem and develop skills in effective communication. It aims to provide learners with the strategies, tools and resources to apply their learning and lead with greater confidence. Our experienced facilitators have worked with many Australian leaders on influencing skills and will share case studies and stories to help your leaders.

Why should my organisation offer Influencing Skills Training?

Making Influencing Skills Training part of your leaders’ professional development can help leaders with an action plan to become more confident. It can also help participants break through barriers to grow capability and leadership skills. The workshop experience is designed to help team leaders learn from each other and build connections that will be sustained in the real-world.

Who can attend Influencing Skills Training?

Influencing Skills Training is designed for leaders. The skills we focus on helps leaders understand ‘hard and soft’ tactics, assertiveness and persuasion skills, so they can confidently put forward a case. However, this training can be easily customised for team members or executive groups as well.

Is Influencing Skills Training only available in person?

We deliver a lot of in-person workshops across Melbourne and Sydney but Influencing Skills Training can be delivered in an in-person workshop or as online training; depending on the organisation’s set-up. It is typically made up of strategies, discussions and a series of activities to support on the job application.

The training can be complemented with coaching sessions with a Thinka coach. Coaching plays an important role in challenging old behaviours and building fresh confidence and capability in each of the participants. Organisations might also opt for a blended program that makes use of an online course and other forms of media as well.

Enhance Influence and Collaboration with carsales

1. What was the objective?

The carsales Marketing team play an integral role in the organisation, servicing every department. However, there was a lack of confidence in the team and an opportunity for stronger stakeholder relationships. So, the objective was to empower the team to become pillars in the organisation.

2. How did we do it?

We worked closely with the General Manager, Consumer Marketing, to understand more about the diverse team. Drawing on the GM’s experience and insights from the team’s latest feedback survey, we identified the team’s needs and developed a 2-hour virtual workshop and course materials on enhancing influence and collaboration.

3. How was it integrated and what were the results?

The content in the workshop focused on how the Marketing team could build influence through trust and lead outcome-driven collaboration in all situations – even with challenging stakeholders. Through reflections and facilitator-led discussions, participants were able to explore how they wanted to grow as individuals and as a team.

Then, we challenged them in group breakout activities to bring the models and strategies they’d learnt to life. The team left with key insights (about themselves, their team, influence and collaboration) and actionable strategies.