Successful people are skilled in establishing rapport and gaining commitment from colleagues and customers. This course will help delegates achieve their business goals by training them how to influence others inside and outside the organisation. The course will enable delegates to: Develop a network of influence and build stronger relationships with colleagues, clients and customers Assess their influencing skills and plan for further development Improve their interpersonal skills in key areas like listening, establishing rapport, managing conflict, and negotiating Plan and prepare for exercising influence with a variety of people and in a variety of contexts Increase their influence with their management and within the organisation

• Internal consultants and managers in staff functions who need to influence others in the organisation
• Line managers involved in implementing change initiatives
• Project managers who need to manage project stakeholders
• Anyone who needs to develop their skills in selling ideas and building support across their organisation

Developing a network of influence
• How to build your network of influence
• Sources of power - positional and personal power
• How to build trust and credibility
• Overcoming the Swamp - strategies for influencing others

Personal influencing skills
• Influencing skills self-assessment: challenges and opportunities for development
• Positive influencing behaviour
• Listening actively to influence
• How to influence a client or sponsor
• Pacing and leading to influence
• Influencing others - Engaging skills
• Influencing others - Channelling skills
• Case studies in personal influence: what would you do?

Planning and preparing for influence
• Exercise: how to build enthusiasm and commitment
• Planning to influence - the hard and soft approaches
• The Sunflower Analysis
• Influencing upwards: how to influence the boss
• Influencing difficult situations
• Win/Win - how to achieve positive outcomes in negotiations

Influencing the organisation
• Assessing your organisational circumstances
• How to build coalitions
• How to work with key stakeholders
• Influencing skills at meetings
• How to manage conflict in meetings
• Case studies in influencing the organisation: what would you do?