The 4 Components of Influence

According to Nick Morgan, leaders must master four elements to exert influence effectively.

• Positional power: Those with positional power can easily wield it to influence others.
• Emotion: This can counterbalance positional power. Well-prepared speakers can use emotion wisely to sway conversations and neutralise those with positional authority.
• Expertise: Expertise proves highly effective for exerting influence in technology, science, and other knowledge industries. It works best when combined with emotion, particularly when everyone seeks to be heard.
• Nonverbal signals: Reserve mental capacity to process nonverbal cues in human interactions. This enables you to notice emotional nuances and adjust your approach accordingly.

Reference

Morgan, N. (2015). Understand the 4 Components of Influence. Harvard Business Review. Available at: https://hbr.org/2015/05/understand-the-4-components-of-influence