Tips For Leaders When Listening, Learning And Persuading

Make good use of this advice from John Baldoni’s book, The Leader’s Guide To Speaking With Presence:

When Listening As A Leader:

• Look at people when they are speaking to you. Make eye contact.
• Ask open-ended questions, such as “Tell me about…” or “Could you explain this?”
• Consider the “what if” question: “What if we looked at the situation like this?”
• Leverage the “why” question: “Why do we do it this way?”
• Employ the “how” question: “How can you do this?”

When Learning As A Leader:

• Reflect on what people have told you.
• Think about what you have not observed. Are people holding back? If so, why?
• Consider how you can implement what you have observed.
• Get back to people who have suggested ideas to you and thank them.
• Look for opportunities to collaborate with others.

When Persuading The Unpersuaded:

• Pay attention to the situation. Identify the factors that are influencing individuals as well as the group as a whole.
• Find common ground. Determine what people agree on and why they agree.
• Demonstrate inclusiveness. Make it known that everyone and their ideas are welcome.
• Turn the opposition’s strength into its greatest weakness. Consider what is or may be the flaw in your opponent’s argument. Explore it and turn it to your benefit. Craft your argument around the virtues of small vs. big, custom vs. mass-made, local vs. global, or individual vs. corporate.
• Give people a stake in the outcome. Demonstrate how people will benefit by accepting the new ways of doing things.
• Build consensus with the team.

Thank you to the book's publisher for sending me an advance copy of the book.