Brilliant Influence

Introduction

Influence is one of the most powerful skills around. It allows us

instantly to earn the trust and respect of others, and lead and

manage teams, individuals and situations with power, confi-

dence and success. Most crucially, it enables us to make things

happen in all aspects of our lives. The positive effects of influ-

ence are far-reaching yet no one ever teaches us how to develop

this essential life and work skill.

Brilliant Influence has been written to change all this. I have spent

the past 20 years analysing the behaviour of skilled communi-

cators and influencers in commercial, political and voluntary

arenas. I have worked with many inspirational teachers and

researched the scientific literature to bring you a step-by-step,

practical guide to influence.

Influence is all about how you can affect other people’s attitudes

and behaviour. We do this by the way we communicate – both

consciously and unconsciously. Brilliant Influence will show you

how to influence colleagues, business contacts, friends and family,

by honing the unconscious messages you send out, improving your

conscious communication skills, and creating powerful, compelling

messages that appeal to people’s psychological needs and desires.

The three components of influence

The amount of influence you have depends on three things: you

(your confidence and presence), your message (how you craft a

Introduction xi

speech, a conversation, a presentation), and the way you deliver

your message (how you negotiate and persuade). To master the

art of influence you need to be strong in each area and Brilliant

Influence shows you how to do just that.

Part 1 focuses on the first of these three components – you and

your role in the influencing process. I will start with the funda-

mental components of influence and move on to look at specific

areas such as body language and how to use other people’s

decision-making styles to influence their choices. I will end the

section by studying how a range of psychological insights can

enhance your effectiveness as an influencer.

Part 2 looks at your message. Both what you say and how you

say it are equally important in the influencing process, so we will

explore both. In Chapter 5 we will examine how you can put a

structured and compelling message together; and, in Chapter

6, you will learn how you can use your language to inspire and

engage your listeners.

Part 3 will help you to make the most out of your message and

develop your own personal influencing style. You will learn how

to negotiate and balance your interests with others, how to build

a network of influence, and how to put together all the tools

and techniques in this book to handle common influencing

challenges.

To become a brilliant influencer takes time and practice. I am

certain that, if you master each of the three components of

influence, you will become a better influencer and, eventually,

become capable of Brilliant Influence.