Think you know how to influence?

You’re right.

You do.

You know your way to influence.

And it obviously works…to an extent.

You wouldn’t have gotten to where you are without some level of influencing skills.

But I’m guessing that being where you are comes with lots of frustrating follow ups, blown timeframes and compromises. 

So, do you know the best way to influence?

Because they’re not necessarily the same.

Your way relies on subjective experience...

The biggest misconception about behavioural science?

That it’s discretionary.

I’ve heard it over the years - people telling me they couldn’t get funding for our project because it was deemed a discretionary expense.

That’s my fault.

I should have been more explicit.

Because what can be more essential than correctly influencing behaviour? 

If you look at the inefficiencies in any organisation, the reasons for frustration and burnout, there’s one...

You cannot NOT influence. 

I talk a lot about influencing skills and how to get customers and colleagues to take action, but here’s the funny thing.

You cannot NOT influence. You're already doing it.

In every interaction – every email, text, phone call, meeting or presentation, you are stimulating a reaction.

You are influencing your audience in some way.

So the question isn’t whether you are influencing, it’s whether you are influencing the desired...

When trying to get people to respond to you, does it sometimes feel like this?

Things get lost in translation.

The email you write doesn’t get opened.

Your website doesn’t compel them to click.

Your pitch doesn’t convert.

Something strange happens between your message and their response.

The behavioural black box.

 Imagine being given the keys to the box?

 Imagine seeing what’s inside.

 Imagine designing work that translates to the desired...

Have you noticed that it’s only other people’s meetings that are a waste of time?

We lament having them, but we’re the ones calling them. Meetings are up 13% since the pandemic, largely due to distributed teams. 

There are lots of ideas about how to make meetings better, from having an agenda (rare) to limiting the number of attendees.

Here’s a reality check when it comes to meetings. 

• People are often back-to-back in meetings, so the idea they will...

As author Liz Wiseman writes, there are five realities of working in an organisation.

1. Messy problems
2. Unclear objectives
3. Unforeseen obstacles
4. Moving targets
5. Unrelenting demands

A small percentage of the burden you carry is actual workload – it’s the muck that comes along with it.

And in my experience, most of the muck involves people. 

Imagine then, having clarity about why people behave the way they do and how you can influence them for the better?

Imagine how...