People Management and Influence

This two lecture course focuses on using proven techniques to influence teams to get results and develop reciprocity with groups (i.e. stakeholders, peers) over whom you have no authority. Examining the nature and applications of power, students will be able to lead effective teams to meet and exceed client expectations.

Using Influence and Developing Authority

"Assume all are potential allies."                                                                                                                                    - The Cohen-Bradford Influence Model

Introducing the principles of the Cohen-Bradford Influence Model, students will discover how to influence people through leadership and research-proven techniques, even groups and people over whom you have no authority!

Learn:

• What is authority and how do we get it?
• How to identify relevant currencies
• Why staying positive has scientific advantages

Power: What it is and how to get it

"Nearly all men can handle adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."                        - Robert G Ingersoll on Abraham Lincoln

Through examination of French & Raven's Five Bases of Power, students will learn where power comes from and how we can use it most effectively. Students will continue to develop their own bases and discover sources of power they may not even realise they had.

In this section, we learn:

• Why Rousseau was right
• The differences between positional and personal forms of power
• Scientific proof that it really is better to be loved than to be feared

Expertise: How to prove your worth

"IGNORAMUS, n. A person unacquainted with certain kinds of knowledge familiar to yourself, and having certain other kinds that you know nothing about."                                                                                                      - Ambrose Bierce

Expertise is a primary form of personal power but how do we convince others that we have the know-how and the ability to get the job done? What's the difference between looking confident and looking arrogant?

In this module, students are empowered to:

• Properly build and convey and image of expertise
• How to convey confidence in your abilities
• The real meaning of the British "stiff upper lip"

Referent Power: Why celebrities sell Toothpaste

“The foundation of leadership is character.”
- Major General Alexander Patch

Why should anyone listen to what you have to say? This exploration of referent power gives students the chance to examine how best to develop authenticity and lead with true character.

Students will discover:

• Why being attractive is overrated
• How charisma guides our decisions and the decisions of others
• How make others listen by making them feel good about themselves

Informational Power: Would you like to know more?

"Data! Data! Data! [...] I can't make bricks without clay."                                                                                              - Sherlock Holmes

Information is the secret sixth base of our five forms of power and the cornerstone of negotiation and conversation alike. Information rules our lives, but few know how to master its power effectively.

Students learn:

• Why librarians used to rule the world
• How to survive being bitten by a venomous snake
• How to use informational power to improve their poker game