The Language of Influence
Part Two

We all influence others. In fact, it is impossible NOT to influence. Every word you say to another person or to yourself has a certain degree of impact. By learning how to use your language for positive influence you can; Get your kids to listen to you Ensure that you get the most out of the people working for you Substantially enhance your business results Get what you want more easily Enhance your own success In these series you will be given tips every month to make your language work for you at all times.

This month Tip:

Lay Your Influence Foundation

It is important to realise that language forms only a part of communication. Your body language, voice tone, internal beliefs and other factors heavily influence results you get with the use of your language. If you want to become a powerful communicator, lay your Influence foundation by adhering to the following tips:

1. Know what you want

 Decide what outcome you want in your influence situation and vividly imagine getting it. You don't just communicate with your words, but with your whole body, so vividly imagining your desired outcome lets your entire system know what it is you want. Also ensure that you are OK with getting what you want - after all, if you're not entirely sure that you want something, you'll communicate that uncertainty to the other person. When you are completely clear on what you want, you communicate the same message 'on all channels' . NLP calls this communicating with congruence.

2. Know what is important to the person you want to influence

 If you want someone to do something, there's one question running through their mind: "What's in it for me?" The answer to this question will provide the motivation for the person you're persuading to do what you want them to do, but only on one condition: that the perceived benefits to them outweigh the risks, disadvantages & costs they perceive in going down that route. If they don't perceive something as a benefit then, for purposes of persuasion, it is not right. To get some insights into what benefits would be influential, ask yourself "What do they want?", "What's important to them?" , "What problems do they want solving?"

3. Build and maintain rapport

 Rapport is the base for every communication. It is the sense of ease and comfort you get with someone when you feel that you're speaking the same language and that you're on the same level. Rapport can give rise to feelings of trust and connection, and there are many methods to help rapport develop. To learn more about rapport, read article Rapport put simple...

4. Eliminate your neediness

 We can intuitively sense the difference between someone who wants us to do something because they have our best interests at heart, and someone who wants us to do something because they need us to. The more they need us to, the less we want to do it.  When you're setting out to influence someone, eliminate all neediness. Instead, focus on how you can help the other person to get their needs met.

5. Develop flexibility of your voice

 Your voice is one of  your most powerful tool as a persuader. Your ability to speak with flexibility and control can have dramatic results. You can practice learning to control and vary your;

- Tone
- Pitch
- Rate
- Rhythm
- Volume
- Timbre

People will enjoy listening to your suggestions much more if you sound familiar.

To learn more about art of influence and powerful communication, consider taking Ultimate NLP Practitioner® Training.

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