Steps to effective influencing
Dr. Jay A. Conger’s steps to effective influencing.
- Establish credibility
- Frame for common ground
- Provide evidence
- Connect emotionally
# Establish credibility
Make the case for why your audience should listen to you.
When trying to persuade another person to listen to you, it helps to establish credibility. Ask yourself, why should this person listen to you? According to Conger, it is best to draw credibility from both expertise and relationships.
You can build credibility by showing a level of expertise on the topic at hand. It also helps to have “a history of sound judgment.” If you find that you lack expertise on a subject, don’t worry! You can work to increase your knowledge through education or research, or you can even ask an expert for help.
You can also build credibility through strong relationships with your audience and others around you. Conger found that influential leaders tend to show their trustworthiness and willingness to do right by their colleagues over time, and in turn, people are more likely to listen to them.
# Source of credibility
- Expertise
- Relationships
# Frame for common ground
Make the case for how your idea can benefit your audience.
The next step in effectively persuading people is to frame for common ground. You can do this by making a case for how your idea would benefit your audience, and you can determine how your ideas will benefit your audience by gaining a strong understanding of them and what they value. Pay close attention to what matters to your audience by listening carefully and gathering information during meetings and conversations. Then they frame your ideas based on your audience’s needs and interests.
# Provide evidence
Make your case through hard data and persuasive Storytelling.
The third step is to provide evidence that supports your ideas. As Conger notes, though numbers are important, the best persuaders pair numbers with vivid language**.** They share stories, examples, and metaphors to help influence their audiences. Using vivid language can help bring your figures to life and draw stakeholders’ interest to your proposal.
# Connect emotionally
Demonstrate to your audience that you’re emotionally committed to your idea. The fourth step is to connect emotionally with your audience. In this step, you illustrate that you are emotionally invested in the idea that you are presenting. But crucially, Conger notes, you must also do your best to determine and match the emotional state of your audience.
# Example
I’d like to propose a new onboarding process for graphic design hires.
(Provide evidence) In reviewing our new hire surveys, 80% of recent graphic design hires have assigned a negative rating to our onboarding process. When I followed up with respondents, I learned that our graphic designers lack access to relevant information that could help them acclimate to our organization faster. To address this issue, I would like to create a digital welcome packet containing design-specific onboarding documentation.
(Frame for common ground) I have met with leaders on the graphic design team to discuss this idea, and they agreed that a design-specific onboarding process might help increase the productivity of new hires, since a better onboarding process would enable them to be better prepared to take on projects in their first few weeks on the job.
(Establish credibility) In my previous role, I designed a similar, role-specific onboarding process, which increased our new hire satisfaction rates by 60%. I think a new process could benefit employees here, as well.
(Connect emotionally) It can be overwhelming to join a new company. A smoother, more personalized onboarding experience might help set the tone for the kind of support new graphic design hires can expect from our team.
# Key takeaway
In this influencing statement, the project manager:
- Provided evidence from company surveys to set the stage for her proposal.
- Framed for common ground by noting how a new onboarding process might increase employee productivity.
- Established credibility by outlining her previous experience with launching similar processes.
- Connected emotionally by encouraging her audience to reflect on past experiences they may have endured as a new hire.