Getting a team, a client or a boardroom to say yes rarely comes down to having the strongest argument -- it comes down to reading the room and adapting how you communicate to the person in front of you. Influence and persuasion are two different tools for that job, and knowing when to use which one, and through which source of organisational power, is what separates leaders who move people from leaders who just talk at them.

This hands-on course works through both models in detail, covering how influence and persuasion styles shift for different people and situations, and giving participants space to practise the techniques and get feedback from their peers along the way.

Who Should Attend?

• Team leaders, managers and employees involved in negotiation or team leadership.
• Department heads across companies and institutions.
• Anyone who wants to get better at influencing and persuading key decision-makers and stakeholders.

Knowledge and Benefits

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Define influence and persuasion, and know when each one is the right tool.
• Identify sources of power within an organisation and use them to increase influence.
• Apply different influence styles to different people and situations, including social styles.
• Adapt persuasion tactics to different counterparts: supportive, neutral, or actively opposed.
• Engage an audience by analysing and responding to their needs, and build a pitch that earns buy-in.

Module 1: First Impressions and Reading Your Audience

• Why first impressions set the tone for influence
• Identifying what your audience actually needs before you try to persuade them

Module 2: Influencing Without Formal Authority

• Building influence when you don't hold positional power
• Creating a strong presence, including in virtual settings

Module 3: Persuading Different Types of Counterparts

• Approaches for a supportive team: clear language and understanding real needs
• Approaches for a neutral or uninterested team
• Approaches for an opposing team: leading with benefits, not just features

Module 4: Preparing and Delivering the Pitch

• Preparing properly before any persuasion opportunity
• Using a motivational sequence to structure the message
• Closing: turning agreement into a completed commitment