The ability to influence others is an important skill to possess. You can do far more with the help of others than you can ever accomplish alone.
Influencing others is helpful in many aspects of life, not just the workplace. You can become more effective at influencing your spouse, children, friends, and other family members. It can be handy when purchasing a new car or dealing with the plumber.
You might be thinking, “I can’t even make my dog come back in the house.” These tips might not help much with your pet, but they will pay off with the people in your life.
Try these ideas to be more influential with others:
- Enhance your communication skills. Influential people have great communication skills. Become better at addressing large groups, small groups, and individuals. Learn how to get your point across and how to captivate others.
- Be more passionate. Most people are just dragging along, hoping to survive another day. Passionate people can change the world. They have a big advantage when it comes to influencing others. Live your life doing things that you’re passionate about and you’ll have more influence.
- Be more confident. Those who lack confidence have a hard time convincing anyone of anything. If you want to influence others, it’s important to be confident. There are plenty of books and free advice on how to enhance your self-confidence. Get busy.
- Build your charisma. Think you can’t learn to be charismatic? Don’t be silly. There are plenty of resources for those willing to put in the work. Studies have shown that charisma is a learnable skill. Practice makes perfect!
- Build your social network. Influencers know a lot of people. And it’s not just how many people you know, it’s the particular people you know. Seek out the important people in your field and make contact.
- Use reciprocity to your advantage. It’s well known that others are more likely to do something for you if you do something for them first. Use this fact to your advantage. To whom can you lend a helping hand? Do something for someone else before you ask for a favor.
- Be respectful to yourself. Value your time. Others can sense when you’re lacking in self-respect. If you don’t respect yourself, others will assume that you don’t deserve their respect either. Look out for yourself and don’t be afraid to say “no” when appropriate.
- Be interested in others. When you show interest in others, you’re demonstrating one component of charisma. People will also be more interested in you if you’re interested in them.
- Smile. It doesn’t mean you walk around with a silly grin on your face 24/7. Smile when appropriate and smile warmly. Everyone responds positively to a genuine smile.
- Give your full attention. It’s so rare to come across someone that isn’t distracted, so you’ll stand out just by paying attention. Give your full attention in your interactions with others. They’ll feel flattered and be more open to your ideas.
- Give praise. Compliment someone when they are deserving. It’s important to show that you can recognize the accomplishments of others. Avoid complimenting too frequently, or it will be less meaningful.
- Make influence a goal. Set a goal to be more influential and take action to achieve that goal. Practice these skills daily.
The ability to influence others is useful in the workplace and in other areas of daily living. There are few things that will boost your career more than increasing your level of influence. You can also use your skills to convince your children to study, your spouse to be more loving and supportive, or your neighbor to clean up his yard.
