As our new academic year of leadership development gets underway, M16: Influencing Others explored the skills, experiences and perspectives that can help scholars become confident and effective influencers.
How do you get people to believe in an idea, support a cause or take action? M16: Influencing Others explored different sources of power and approaches to influencing others, helping scholars consider how influence can be used effectively in different situations.
Putting key learning into practice, scholars responded to a series of scenarios during the workshop. They then used these insights to create an influencing action plan before presenting ideas to the wider group. Scholars identified the different power bases and influencing techniques being used, offering TAG feedback and discussing which type of influencer they viewed most positively.
Participants shared their key takeaways and reflections from the course and workshop:
- Engaging energy opens the door, it doesn’t build deep trust. It clicked for me that confidence gets quick attention, but logic is what creates lasting influence.
- The workshop helped me see things from a new perspective and reminded me of the importance of collaboration, self-awareness and taking action.
- Influencing others is never about having the most authority or being the loudest person in the room. It’s about understanding people’s perspectives and making them genuinely want to support your ideas.
- The most effective leaders don’t just push their ideas they understand their people.
- Influence is dynamic, just like a flowing river. The river doesn’t push against every rock – it finds a way around, over or through.
Images below include a selection of slides developed during workshop sessions.
