Analytical Reading - Second Stage Flashcards
What are the the key skills the authors list for effective influencing?
The authors list:
1) Communication skills: Listening, Questioning and Probing, Awareness of Body Language, Language and Paralanguage;
2) Awareness of others’ needs: Building Rapport, Pacing;
3) Adaptability: flexibility to adjust your approach, language and views to suit different influencing situations;
4) Conflict: dealing effectively with interpersonal tensions
5) Impact: showing energy and commitments to making things happen
6) Networking: managing relationships in order to effectively build networks
7) Personal approach - your personal characteristics and how you apply them to the influencing situation
8) Persuasiveness - persuades and influences in a way that gains commitment tailoring approach when necessary
9) Political sensitivity - understanding agendas and perspectives of others, recognising and balancing needs of the group and the broader organisation
10) Self awareness - recognising own temperament, skills and motivations and their impact on performance of self and others
111) Visioning - ability to provide inspiration by focusing on the big picture
Questioning - What are the two basic types of question?
The open question, to which there are many possible answers, and the closed question, to which you require a specific answer.
Questioning - What are the different types of open questions?
Open questions can be used to probe and to clarify. The probe question is used to show interest or encouragement, seek further information, explore detail, demonstrate understanding, regain control. The clarification question is used to test your understanding of the issue. Ex: “So what you are saying is….”, “Let me see if I understand, …?”
Questioning - What are the six habits to effective questioning?
Phrase questions positively
Use language the other parties are comfortable with
Focus on one topic at a time
Be short and to the point
Demonstrate genuine interest
Show that you are listening by demonstrating understanding
What is the most important aspect of body language?
It is that the body language is synchronised with the words and paralanguage used.
What is paralanguage?
Paralanguage is about timing and pace, volume, use of silence, use of interjections, and accent.
What should one pay attention too in his choice of words?
In NLP, we use to learn words that respond to the three sub-modalities of visual/auditory/kinaesthetic. It is important to notice which sense is predominant in an individual’s language and appeal to that one in order to create better rapport.
Also, positive is more effective than negative.
Why does empathy matter?
It is important to prepare and know the people you are trying to influence. By putting yourself into their shoes and asking yourself some searching questions, you can begin to analyse where the other person is coming from and what is affecting their perspective about the issue under discussion.
What is Pacing?
Pacing is a technique from NLP which involves avoiding any mismatch between your body language and theirs and your tone of voice and theirs. It is used to build rapport or demonstrate empathy.
Quote one of the most important aspects of conflict management
Ability to manage one’s own emotional response to people’s differing perspectives on an issue.
When faced with conflicting views on an issue where influencing the way ahead is important it is best to be tough on the issues but caring about the relationship. Explain.
By this, we mean developing the capability to question, explore and fully investigate the issue but remaining neutral to the people involved. What you are doing is demonstrating a genuine interest in the people, the issue and their views and therefore less likely to become involved in conflict.
What is persuasiveness?
It is about recognizing and anticipating alternative points of view. Anticipation is key to allow you to prepare in advance for differences of opinion. Identifying the reason for the resistance is essential and will enable you to plan the most effective influencing process.
What are some of the typical reasons behind resistance?
Typically resistance to change is for one of the following reasons:
1) Conflicting loyalties, beliefs, values or attitudes
2) General apathy or scepticism
3) Negative views of you the influencer
4) Fear of the unknown
5) Lack of information or misinformation
6) Reluctance to experiment or risk aversion
7) Threat to core skills, competences, status or earnings
What technique Charles Prince recommend to avoid getting in a downward spiral when disagreeing?
He suggests that you take the point of the other persons idea that you do like and say something like - “What I like about your thinking is…”
Which questions are helpful to ask oneself after an important discussion to raise self-awareness?
It is useful to jot down notes about the following:
1) What worked?
2) What was difficult?
3) What did you feel you did well?
4) What could you have done better?
5) How did the others react to your approach?
6) What were your feelings during the interaction?
7) What will you try differently next time you are in a similar situation?
8) What will you try next time you have to influence these people?
