Taking People Along: Managing by Persuasion

Ever found it difficult to implement changes in your workforce because of resistance from your team? Or found yourself agreeing to a plan that you know is not going to work, but could not convince your peers of the pitfalls lying ahead? These are commonplace situations, which all of us face in one form of the other, regardless of our industry, organisation or function. And this is where persuasion comes in.

Research shows that it is not only intelligence and expertise that helps us succeed; persuasion and other communication skills are quite often the key differentiating factors between success and failure. In an organisational setting, we rarely work alone. We constantly engage with various stakeholders, both internal and external. As a leader, manager, or entrepreneur, you employ persuasive tactics regularly in your day-to-day functioning. You juggle multiple relationships with varied stakeholders, who play a key role in your work, but over whom you wield limited power.

By now, you would have developed your own persuasive style in your interaction with these stakeholders, mostly through your personal experiences. Would you now like to systematically review, analyse and enhance your skills? Tailor it for different levels of audiences – peers, subordinates and top management? Refine it according to the medium and scope of communication? If yes, then this is the right programme for you.

Objectives

The programme is designed to hone persuasive skills at two levels – individual level and organisational level. At the individual level, we will introduce you to different elements of persuasion and influence, and enhance your interpersonal skills. At the organisational level, we will help you understand how different styles of persuasion work for different stakeholders. The best people management in organizations is built on persuasion – when people go along with you willingly. Taking People Along: Managing by Persuasion will help you achieve this goal.

This workshop is for you if you are a senior manager or administrator with substantial work experience. Entrepreneurs of all hues also are welcome. It does not matter what functional areas you are currently operating in. It does not matter whether you have an MBA or whether your managerial wisdom is distilled from experience. It does not matter whether you work with a large multinational or a small non-profit or run your own start-up. What really matters is keen interest in taking your persuasive power to a higher level. We welcome participants from different backgrounds and different age groups because everyone benefits from the diversity.

Programme Highlights

These five days will help you master the right persuasion tactics for different situations and contexts so that you are able to:

• Learn powerful tenets and principles of persuasion
• Identify and use appropriate persuasive tactics for upward, downward and lateral communication
• Discover how to use persuasive communication during difficult situations
• Acquire tools and techniques to handle crucial, meaningful conversations
• Learn the art of rhetoric for impactful communication
• Leverage the power of narratives and storytelling techniques