Negotiating Your Way to the Top


Six Effective Persuasion Tips to use in the Workplace

March 2008  Print

What do the Kyoto Protocol, buying a car and even your own career progression have in common?

Answer: They all hinge on having strong and effective negotiation skills!

Negotiation – a discussion intended to produce an agreement – is perhaps the single most important skill to attain in business. In one form or another, we all use persuasion professionally through business development, staff management, performance reviews or client service, and at various levels throughout the organisation regardless of your role.

Persuasion is a vital ingredient in any negotiation, however persuasion does not need to be antagonistic or difficult.

DDLS has a preview seminar of its new Conflict Free Negotiation and Influence training as one of the sessions available as part of our ‘TrainIT for Charity’ day on 24 April, 2008.

The seminar will provide insights into topics such as understanding different personalities, listening skills, questioning skills, and navigating hierarchies.

>> Register to attend TrainIT for Charity

 

Principles for Negotiation Success

According to the Harvard Business Review no leader can succeed without mastering the art of persuasion.

In his article titled ‘Harnessing the Science of Persuasion’, Robert Cialdini proposed six principles of how to influence people. The principles are as follows:

    1. Liking

People like those who like them.
Find common elements between two people to establish rapport. Managers, for example, can use similarities to create bonds with a recent hire. Praise can also be used to enhance or change an attitude as long as its use is genuine.

    2. Reciprocity

People repay in kind.
Give what you wish to receive. At a business level, this means managers can gain the first-mover advantage when trying to elicit positive behaviour from employees by displaying it first. Reciprocity builds trust, cooperation and positive attitudes.

    3. Social Proof

People follow the lead of similar others.
Humans inherently rely on one another for validation, whether it be in a social or professional environment. Persuasion can be extremely effective when it comes from peers. This includes testimonials from satisfied customers or teamwork on a project.

    4. Consistency

People align with their clear commitments.
To have colleagues and business associates go beyond warming to your idea through liking or reciprocity, you need to persuade them to commit to your idea. A choice made actively – written down, noted verbally or otherwise made explicit – is effective. So get it in writing.

    5. Authority

People defer to experts.
A well-selected expert can offer an efficient and valuable short-cut to good decisions: ensure the person you need to influence is aware of your qualifications and level of competence. A certificate on the wall or a colleague’s endorsement can do wonders for perception levels.

    6. Scarcity

People want more of what they can have less of.
Show your audience what they may lose – not what they may gain – by accepting your offer. The persuasion of scarcity can be used by any manager who possesses exclusive information that supports an idea he or she wants adopted.

 

Do you need to improve your negotiation and influencing skills? Get a preview of our Conflict Free Negotiation and Influencing training at our ‘TrainIT for Charity’ day on April 24, 2008.

>> Learn more about TrainIT for Charity