Influential Listening | How can you influence others by not speaking?

One of my associates is an expert in listening. He writes on listening and trains executives in how to better listen to their clients. My area of growing expertise is in Influence and Persuasion.

What I wonder is: What are the influence tactics could be applied to listening?

Here are my ideas on how to listen more influentially:

1. Instill a sense of liking by listening closely to what is said, taking notes and repeating key passages back to the person speaking.
   
2. Instill a sense of reciprocity by taking notes while the person is speaking on how you can help them. Come up with 3 tangible ways to assist them with their current projects and follow up after the meeting via email with these 3 points once again.
   
3. Improve your chances of compliance with a request by listening for 90% of a meeting and serving the needs of the other person first. Just before leaving the meeting state the #1 most valuable thing you need from the other person and they will be likely to comply. This is because the person has probably already offered to repay you for favors you have provided or promised during the exchange.
   
4. Listen and only comment when you can draw upon the knowledge, a quote or a story which positions you as having expert status or being closely associated with a widely recognized expert.

I think the most important part of this process is that it will not work unless you are genuine. You must come to the table with a win-win approach instead of attempting to manipulate a situation. Influence and persuasion is about creating robust communication strategies to achieve goals, not to take advantage of unknowing parties.


Tags: Listening Skills, Influential Listening, Influence lessons, influence tactics, advice on influence and persuasion, influence, persuasion, sales listening tips, listening help, listening training, listening experts