Discover your personal influence style by answering a few questions.
Persuading is a push style. You tend to use proposals and/or reasons to influence other people. This style encourages others to think, analyze, and join in rational dialogue. It brings facts to the foreground and encourages thoughtful consideration of this information. Persuading has a positive impact both during and after the influence attempt. By using logic, you set a tone and create a climate for rational treatment of the problem at hand. Persuading supports the systematic and logical implementation of next steps after the influence attempt.
Bridging is a pull style. You tend to involve others, reveal feelings, and/or listen effectively to influence other people. This style can overcome people\'s fears and win their commitment to working with you. It encourages people to collaborate. Bridging helps you develop a trusting climate in which others feel free to reveal their concerns. You make them feel useful and valued as contributors. Bridging includes effective listening and this builds a foundation of mutual understanding that supports each step toward solving the problem. It works to your benefit both during and after the influence attempt. By becoming involved in reaching your objectives, targets are likely to develop an investment in the outcome and make a long-term personal commitment to the solution.
Asserting is a push style. You tend to use personal need, evaluations and/or incentives and pressures to influence other people. This style creates a forum for the exchange of personal information. It is subjective, not objective. Asserting encourages the target to see the personal benefits of working with you. This style invites the target to bargain and join in an exchange to meet the needs of both parties. It has a positive impact both during and after the influence attempt. Through exchange and bargaining, you set a tone and create a climate in which both persons' needs are legitimized. You and the target reach short-term personal agreement on specific next steps.
Attracting is a pull style. You tend to find alignment and build a vision to influence other people. This style energizes and motivates people to achieve mutual goals. When people identify with you, they are likely to rouse themselves and align their energy with yours. When they are able to envision success, their energy increases. They discover that what they cannot do alone, they can do together. Attracting has a positive impact both during and after the influence attempt. It establishes a climate of optimism that supports the pursuit of long-term objectives. The details of implementation become less important than the drive to resolve them.