Influencing Skills

Influencing Skills

Whether you are looking to simply improve your communication with your colleagues or develop into a master communicator here is your opportunity to get the support you need.  NHSBT is offering colleagues the opportunity to develop their skills with three comprehensive Influencing Skills programmes as follows:

Part 1:  Simple Approaches to Influencing People

For those who wish to gain an initial insight into influencing skills, you can access a short online course on Brightspace Simple Approaches to Influencing People.  

This course will give a better understanding of: 

  • why we might need to influence other people in the workplace
  • key behaviours that support more effective influencing
  • tactics and strategies for influencing
  • the technique of influencing through 'story-telling'
  • how we can practice and improve our own influencing skills. 

This e-learning can be completed as a standalone module (allow up to 2hrs to complete, including reflection time). This e-learning MUST be completed prior to signing up to Part 3.

Part 2:  The Art of Being a Master Communicator

Influencing is a key business skill and like all skills it can be learned.

Effective Influence is the skill and ability to achieve results with and through other people, whilst maintaining effective working relationships.

Influencing is often regarded as “getting what you want” but that misses an essential element.  Bullies get what they want – whilst productive influencing is all about maintaining effective relationships.

Getting what you want is ok for short-term relationships, e.g. in restaurants, shops, hotels, etc. where the relationship is fleeting.

And of course, influencing is not solely about maintaining relationships.  People who aim for this get summarised like this: “Yeah, really nice, but never gets anything done!”

So, it’s not just about getting what you want, and it’s not just about maintaining relationships, it’s both! 

The Art of Being a Master Communicator is a comprehensive, interactive workbook looking at behaviours, interactions, and styles of influencing and how these can be used effectively within the workplace.  An opportunity to assess and reflect on your current style of influencing and looking at how to adapt styles to suit different situations and cultures.

This workbook can be completed as a standalone module (allow up to 18 hours to complete).  The workbook MUST be completed prior to signing up to Part 3.

Part 3:  Mastering and Stepping Up Your Communication Skills

This is a virtual masterclass, with a 1-hour induction and tech check followed two weeks later by a two-day masterclass running from 9.30am until 4.00pm on both days. 

To attend this masterclass, you MUST have completed Parts 1 and 2 of the influencing skills suite of programmes outlined above before signing up for this masterclass. This is a fully immersive and interactive masterclass.  You will be taking everything you have learnt in Parts 1 and 2 and working with experts to put your new approaches into practice and you will be expected to give and receive feedback throughout the two days based on the words, music and dance, therefore the use of camera, microphone and audio is essential to your participation.

There will be real-play scenarios and you will be taken out of your comfort zone to develop, broaden, adapt, and step up your communication and influencing skills.

To enroll on this online virtual masterclass please view the available dates on the rolling calendar and submit a booking form.  LPC will not be holding a waiting list for this programme, you will need to submit a booking form for a date that is convenient for you to attend.