Bu siness skills: b et ter me etings 1 — 21 business englisch bu sin es s e n g L is

CAREERS
Fo
to: priv
at
37 
1/2021
Business Spotlight
grin
,
Grinsen;
hier:
Schmunzeln
humility
[hju(mIlEti]
,
Bescheidenheit
insight
,
Erkenntnis
route 
[ru:t]
,
Weg
timely
,
zeitnah, fristgerecht
Not a one-way street
Whenever people ask me in seminars for tips on how they can 
influence others more effectively, my response is always the 
same. I ask them instead why they don’t want to learn how to 
be influenced. Why don’t they want to be on the other end of 
the influencing process, supporting the influencer to reach their 
goals in a timely and effective manner? 
My questions typically generate a moment of pause, perhaps 
a grin or two. They reflect on the insight that influencing should 
never be a one-way street. We need to enter discussions with 
humility. Yes, we have our convictions, but there may be anoth-
er perspective, another route to success, another need not yet 
expressed. And we have to remain open to these possibilities. 
But now I’m trying to persuade you that you may have got it 
all wrong about influencing. It probably doesn’t feel great. But 
that’s the whole point.
DEVELOPING YOUR INFLUENCE
Think about a key stakeholder — a colleague, 
a leader, a supplier or a customer — whom 
you would like to convince of something 
specific. Think about your answers to the 
following questions as part of an action plan 
for developing an influencing strategy. This 
action plan will also help you to develop a 
learning cycle about your ability to influence. 
You can repeat the cycle at regular intervals in 
the coming months. 
COMPREHEND
• What are the interests and priorities of the 
other person in relation to my topic?
• What might prevent them from under-
standing my priorities and interests?
• What factors hidden from me (people or 
processes) may be influencing this person?
• How might I deal with these factors?