Providing Influential Communication that Achieves Results

The Power of Influential Communication

” If a leader can’t get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn’t even matter.”

Gilbert Amelio

Have you ever experienced a time when you needed someone’s agreement on a decision that you knew would vastly improve the results of your team, department or organization? Think about it. You enter the conversation with confidence because you really believe in your ideas. You also have a belief that the other person has the same level of passion to achieve success. Then it happens… you discover that you and the other person so critical to the success of your ideas are not in alignment on the direction to take to reach the goal. The next words you speak will determine your ability to influence the other person to take the direction you desire.
So what went wrong? Suddenly it is clear that your strategy to achieve success is different than the strategy of either your peer, subordinate, or boss. Now what? I believe you must immediately focus on your ability to influence through your communication style. The most important step you can take in demonstrating leadership influence is to use your critical listening skills.

Too often we spend more energy trying to be heard rather than taking the time to listen to what others are actually saying. Make no mistake. In your desire to get your point across in order to achieve agreement, listening is one of the most challenging leadership skills to master. Listening is hard work because at the very moment you want to focus on making your point, a better strategy ia to suspend your own needs to control the conversation. Instead, focus on listening with awareness and intent.

Are you asking why at this critical moment you should place all your focus on listening to the other person? It is only by listening intently can you determine the insight you need to understand how the other person thinks. Once you have the necessarykey insight, you are now in a position of strength to position your viewpoint in a influential manner.

Another aspect of providing powerful influential communication is to be mindful of how you choose your words. The objective is to always strive to maintain the relationship in a positive manner despite any differences that may surface during the conversation. Your words always leave a lasting impression so be mindful of what you say and how you say it, especially in the heat of the moment.

When you are passionate about a particular topic you need to constantly maintain awareness of the enviroment to ensure your message is not lost. How do you encourage a person through your words to express his or her viewpoint even when you don’t agree? The key is to never forget that the end goal is to achieve alignment. You don’t need 100% agreement but you do need the other person to partner with you in ensuring the main ideas where you are aligned get implemented.

I want to hear from you. Please leave a comment on how this topic of influential communication is resonating with you. How do you point out when others” perspectives are wrong in your opinion without ruining the relationship?