Influencing skills: a how-to guide, or, How to get what you want without making enemies

Influencing others and negotiating for what you need are vital components of the information professional’s toolbox. Following a series of workshops on negotiating and influencing skills which I was involved in delivering at various conferences and universities a few years ago, I’ve become much more aware of the value of these skills in action. As a lifelong people-watcher, I find it fascinating to have an insight into the reasons behind the success, or otherwise, of someone’s tactics and the vital messages they communicate by what they say and how they say it. I’ve enjoyed working out how to deploy the skills myself and have sharpened my awareness of the effect the techniques have on what I’m trying to achieve. This article will introduce these influencing skills, identify when they’re used and why they’re important and share some ideas of useful approaches and phrases.