NW WISH Event: Influencing And Increasing Your Impact

Push or Pull – What’s you style?

Sarah engaged us all from the first moments, sharing her personal experiences and connections with housing. Using volunteers, Sarah physically demonstrated the difference between the Push and Pull styles and she taught us the four styles of Influencing.

• Assertion – Tough combative confronting and evaluative
• Bridging – Open, empathising , warm,  sincere
• Convincing with Logic – rational , analytical, balanced , cold
• Attraction – high energy committed and involved, open and honest, catalytic

She had us on our feet for most of the time moving from group to group testing our abilities to build rapport, understanding and sharing what our favourite approach is and how we may be able to adapt our style to influence others.

• She gave us some top Tips on Influencing
• Be Objective start with the end in mind
• Get buy – in early and get mutual agreement
• Know the gatekeepers – you may need to influence them first
• Have a fall back position
• WIFM – ‘What’s in it for me ‘factor. People buy in to an idea if they can see the practical and emotional benefits
• Match and mirror those you want to influence – we are all ‘tribal’
• Stay Flexible

Our final sessions saw us working together in small groups on a very practical exercise, examining real life scenarios for members of the groups. Considering the best way for them to influence those who were creating barriers for them with a very helpful ‘Take Away’ of the planned and prepared opening lines for their negotiating stance!

However one member of the group Adele blew us away with her Influencing skills that had  allowed her to set up a Street Kitchen for the homeless  and encouraged all her friends to come along and help every week- she certainly had an impact on us all as we  donated the remainder  of our fine buffet to that nights Kitchen!

Thanks again to Sarah for her fantastic session, to Grant Thornton for their sponsorship and use of their offices and finally to all WISH members and non member there on the day who so willingly engaged in all the exercises and networked away!!

by Tricia Grierson