Let’s face it, in today’s world we make multiple decisions on a daily basis whether it’s work-related or personal. There are times when we’d like to make a positive change at work but require upper management to sign-off or perhaps we need to gain trust with a client in order to provide them with a better solution. It’s times like these when we need to understand how our approach with others can make a difference in the outcome that we’d like. A certain approach is not guaranteed that you’ll convince others, however, if you’re authentic, convey confidence and practice the tips below you’ll be well on your way. To be clear when discussing influencing people, we do not mean influencing to manipulate.
Below you’ll find a couple easy tips to follow from Fast Company’s article by David Hoffeld called, 3 Science Backed Ways To Influence Other People’s Decisions. We’ve extracted some key points from the article for your reading pleasure.
The first step toward gaining a little more leverage over how your brain—and others’ brains—make judgments is simply to understand the rules it follows to do so. Getting better acquainted with these three may help you become more influential with others.
1. Show Confidence To Win Trust
Who is the brain more likely to trust: someone who has a proven track record but doesn’t communicate confidently or someone with a weak history but who confidently shares their ideas? The answer may not surprise you. Carnegie Mellon researchers recently found that people are far more likely to trust someone who projects confidence, even if they don’t have much of a track record to show for themselves.2. Sound Upbeat
Does the tone of voice doctors use with patients predict how likely they are to be sued for malpractice? One groundbreaking study found that surgeons who sounded glib and unconcerned were far more likely to have litigation brought against them than were those who used an empathetic tone.
3. Make It Clear There’s A Decision To Make
There’s now a wealth of scientific data suggesting that people make decisions contextually, which means that influencing others’ decisions means framing their choices properly. And one of the best ways to do that is simply to prepare them to actually make a choice.
If you liked this article you might also enjoy reading, 10 Tips for Conveying Confidence – Fake It Till You Make It.