Influencing

I spent some time in George Best International airport in Belfast recently coming back from a fundraising workshop with the charity Concern Worldwide UK When I entered the airport departure lounge I saw the usual television screens with departure and arrival information but I also saw something I had never seen before… Normally, when your…

manns face showing happy and sad expressions - emotion in presentations

Why is it that so many business presentations are dry, dull and ineffective? Well, it could be the presenter’s delivery style, or it could be the tedious and wordy powerpoint slides they insist on using, but I think there is an even more dangerous principle at work here. I think that most business presenters think…

I heard my good friend Jim Culverwell use the phrase “pitching beyond the room” last night whilst discussing his approach at networking meetings like BNI and Peer Group Learning. I loved the phrase because it sums up a truth that most people who network seem to completely ignore and I had to share it with…

Today I was phoned by a guy who I have met on a couple of occasions at local networking events. he works for a company called the disc directory, a local on-line business directory covering Portsmouth and Southampton. Now I’m pretty hard on tele-sales people but his approach was so refreshing that I just had…

Even the most experienced managers can be paralysed by nerves. I see it almost every time I run a course and I know that, with the help and support of a good coach and fellow students this fear can be overcome. There are lots of techniques to help including; Deep breathing Visualisation Holding a little saliva in your…

I was running an influencing skills workshop earlier this week and part of the course involved a presentation by me on Prof Robert Cialdini’s six principles of influence. (NB: If you haven’t read professor Cialdini’s book on Influence, you really should!) One of the principles is called consensus and it embodies the idea that we are more…

Tonight, after the regular Toastmasters meeting, a few of us met in the pub for a pre-Christmas drink and an expected turn in the conversation led me to my topic of this post. It’s all about how you can use your presenting space as a metaphor for some of the concepts you are conveying verbally.…

Last week I gave you an example of how one marketeer used the “scarcity principle” to influence potential customers to take action. Today we’ll be taking a look at another of Dr’ Robert Cialdini’s principles of influence – Social proof. I was reminded of this recently during the lunch break from a course I was…

A couple of days ago I listened to a telephone Seminar by UK marketing and wealth expert Chris Cardell. Now Chris’s workshops are always good value not only for the content he shares but also for the way in which he uses them to sell his products and services. Chris is a master at building…

One of the common traits of successful influencers is their ability to instantly read their customers and adapt their communication style to suit that of the client. Once I was coaching someone who was seeking to influence the senior partner in an accounting firm. The consultant’s natural style was extrovert, chatty and very positive. When…

Influencing secrets – Tell your audience what you want them to do!

Presentation emotion – the key element!

Pitching beyond the room

A cheeky sales approach that worked

Use conscious attention to dissolve your nerves

Influencing Cultural Change in Organisations

Using spacial metaphors to reinforce your messages

Selling & Inflencing Tips – Social Proof

The Scarcity Principle In Action

Selling & Influencing Tips – Match The Clients Style