Interpersonal Skills
Teamleiter brauchen für ein Projekt nicht nur fachliche Kompetenz, sondern müssen durch ihre Persönlichkeit auch das Vertrauen und Engagement der Mitarbeiter gewinnen. Mit den Übungen von DEBORAH CAPRAS können Sie Ihre emotionalen Fähigkeiten testen.
Influencing others
THE SITUATION
Lina Danling is the Swedish head of production at a design agency in London. She leads several teams of international web designers and programmers. Sue Schröder, a German web designer, and Mike Freeman, a British programmer, are working on an important project together. However, the project is not going well. Lina needs to use all her interpersonal skills to influence both the team and the client to complete the project on time.
TIP
We say yes to power, passion and persuasive personalities. If you have earned a “bigger” title, influence often comes automatically and naturally. Even without a title, however, you can exercise influence. Show passion for your ideas and learn how to communicate them clearly.
1. Trust me (5 points)
What should Lina do to build trust with the members of her team and with her client? Choose the correct options.
A. Be a good listener and show interest in other
people’s needs and feelings.
1. Pay attention when someone is talking about something important.
2. Ask questions and check everyone’s understanding regularly.
B. Show that she is a person of integrity and
principles.
1. Be consistent. If she promises to do something, she has to do it.
2. Insist on her position, resist change and push back hard if she meets resistance.
C. Build trust by reacting appropriately in a
crisis.
1. Admit any mistakes and commit to finding a solution.
2. Make a good excuse when things go wrong.
D. Show authority and credibility.
1. Highlight other people’s weaknesses and poor track record.
2. Make appropriate use of real social proof: refer to references and recommendations from people who have worked with her before.
E. Show the client that what she is offering is
truly unique and the best option available.
1. Exaggerate the company’s exclusivity.
2. Highlight the company’s strengths, values and reputation.
2. Be open to all viewpoints (8 points)
Lina arranges a meeting with Sue and Mike to discuss the project. She wants to create a cooperative atmosphere. Complete these sentences with the missing nouns. We’ve given you the first three letters.
Lina: So, what (A) iss would you like
to discuss today?
Sue: The client still hasn’t chosen a final design, but they want everything by September.
Mike: We already have less time for programming. It’s just not possible.
Lina: We’ll need to figure out a (B)sol that meets all of our needs and the client’s interests. Sue, what’s your
(C) per on this?
Sue: We need to get the client to change the deadline.
Lina: Mike, are there any other (D) ave
you’d like to explore?
Mike: We could meet the original deadline if we had more programmers.
Lina: OK, that’s an option. Is there anything else that we should take into
(E) con ?
Mike: I’ve already spoken to the other teams. If the client pays, we can have two more programmers on this project next week. Lina: So, what’s your (F) pre , Sue? More time, or more people?
Sue: More people. That’s a good idea, Mike. We’re starting another big project in October, so it would make our life a lot easier if we finished this one on time. Lina: Great. I’ll talk to the client about the additional costs. Is everyone happy with this? Are we in (G) agr ?
Sue: Absolutely.
Mike: I’m OK with that, too.
Lina: Remember, if you need any
(H) sup , come and talk to me. My door is always open.
TIP
We say yes to people we trust. Being consistently honest, open and kind to other team members helps us to build trust. If you are seen as a cooperative member of a team, people will often trust you more and, as a result, allow you to influence them more easily. Generally, you can persuade people that there is a good reason to do something if they believe the work you do is in their interests, too.
TIP
We say yes to people who show an interest in us. So if you wish to influence others, you first need to listen to their concerns. By taking their needs seriously, you show that their feelings are important. At the same time, this technique gives you the chance to learn more about what’s important to them. That way, you can adapt your influencing tactics and your focus to their needs and feelings.
3. Show empathy, get input (8 points)
Before Sue meets the client, she thinks about how she will show empathy and find out more about their needs. Rearrange the words to create statements and questions she might use. The first word is in the correct position.
A. I’d / your / hear / of / view / like / to / point
. B. Tell / mind / on / what’s / me / your .
C. How / you / this / see / do ?
D. I / you / how / imagine / feel / can .
E. You / have / a / there / point / may .
F. I / concerns / your / understand .
G. To / feel / same / honest, / I / the / way / be .
H. I / must / it / realize / difficult / have / how / been .
4. Show strength (8 points)
Lina presents her recommendations to Nick Bates, who is the project head on the client side. Unscramble the letters to form the missing adjectives.
A. Our own ni-thdep research with consumers clearly shows that people prefer the red design. I think that’s the one that will be more effective.
B. I’d also like to share with you some uavalble
insights I gained from working on a project that was very similar to this one.
C. I feel there is a rasidconeble danger that we could miss your final deadline.
D. Even if you decide this week, my stifr-dahn
experience of such projects tells me we won’t finish in time.
E. I’d like to make one uctstrivecon
suggestion. We should increase the programming budget.
F. It’s a dafuntalmen change, but a necessary one.
G. The owinghelmver advantage of these programmers is that they have all worked with you in the past. They know your company.
H. If you want to be ready in September, there is simply no other blviae alternative.
TIP
We say yes to nice experts. You can persuade someone with expertise and relevant facts if you present them in a pleasant way. You need to show that you strongly believe in your capabilities and knowledge. This influencing technique works best with strong language. So, become a strong and persuasive communicator of expert knowledge.
TIP
We say yes to people we like. How do you get people to like you? One way is to show that you like the person you are trying to influence. When people feel that they are liked and respected, they might like you back — and be more open to persuasion. If they sense you don’t respect them, it’s unlikely that they will be influenced by your words or your actions.
5. Great job! (8 points)
The right compliments show that you respect someone — and like them. Match the sentence halves to create compliments and positive statements that Lina can use when talking to her team and the client.
To the client:
A. I’m looking forward…
B. It’s been a pleasure…
C. I genuinely enjoyed this meeting. Thank you…
D. It’s been great to…
To team members:
E. I really appreciate how…
F. Your contribution to…
G. I see you’ve put a lot of…
H. You’ve made huge progress. Keep up…
1. the design is vital.
2. the good work!
3. talking to you today.
4. work into making this a success.
5. work with you again.
6. for meeting us today.
7. to working with you.
8. hard you have worked.
6. Make connections (7 points)
Lina takes time to make small talk with the client. The words in bold are not where they should be. Put them where they belong.
Nick: Well, it’s been a hard week.
Lina: You can say that (A) more! Nick: Personally, I can’t wait for the weekend. Lina: Me (B) here. Are you going
anywhere special?
Nick: Stockholm.
Lina: No (C) again! You know that’s where I grew up, don’t you? Nick: I thought so, but I wasn’t certain. My wife thinks it’s a beautiful city.
Lina: I couldn’t agree (D)
neither. That’s interesting. I try to go back as often as I can.
Nick: I prefer it in winter, though.
Lina: Really? Same (E) what! This might seem like a crazy question, but do you like meat?
Nick: Of course I do. Why?
Lina: Then you should book a table in Jureskog.
It’s so trendy. And it has incredible burgers.
Nick: That’s funny you should say (F)
way. We’re going there on Saturday with friends.
Lina: (G) that a coincidence. Well, I hope you have a great time.
Nick: Thanks. I’m sure we will.
TIP
We say yes to people who are like us. We are more likely to be persuaded by people we see as being similar to ourselves. This is why small talk can play an important role in building relationships and trust.
7. Get commitment (6 points)
Lina confirms some of her points in an email to the team. Complete the text with the correct forms of the verbs below. Also, decide which influencing technique — or combination of techniques — she is using with each statement: commitment, scarcity, expertise, empathy or compliment.
⋅ count ⋅ kick
⋅ miss ⋅ put
⋅ sign ⋅ stand
TIP
We say yes for many reasons. You will need to combine different techniques to develop your influencing skills. For instance, if you can make people feel that what you are offering is rare, special or difficult to get, they are more likely to want to be persuaded. This is called the “scarcity principle”. If you can get someone to say or write that they are committed to doing what you ask, they will also be more likely to follow through. Combine both “commitment” and “scarcity” techniques, and you’ll be extremely persuasive.