Influence: Psychological Approaches 1: Yes And

Comedians know the power of Yes and. When on their game they masterfully build upon each others contributions and create art. Leaders can do the same but without the comedy. The heart of yes and is the ability to make a human connection that bypasses the walls, and defense mechanisms most of us use habitually when interacting. I love this technique for opening up an influence process. It is particularly powerful when interacting with individuals who appear closed minded or operating from low self awareness. This technique is so essential that i consider it a swiss army knife of influence. You can use it with almost all of the other strategies we cover in this series. Note that this is an opening up tool rather than a focusing and closing down tool. This is an important distinction to keep in mind when trying to convince someone to do something for your organization. In upcoming casts we will also cover closing tools.I invite you to join my mailing list at Developing Leaders Inc, where you will not only receive a free copy of my ebook on delegation but you will also get a free leadership course. Finally we are creating a community of leaders eager to learn and grow. To join us click this link and join us at Mentoring Leaders