This document provides an overview of a lesson on influencing without authority. The lesson is delivered as an instructor-led session followed by an online assessment. It aims to teach participants how to influence others and get their work done even when they have no real authority over stakeholders. The lesson agenda outlines the topics to be covered, including defining influence, barriers to influence, and a six-step strategy for overcoming those barriers through relationship building, understanding others' priorities, and giving value in the influence process. A case study and simulation exercise are also included to provide participants hands-on practice applying the influence strategies.

1. INFLUENCING WITHOUT AUTHORITY
Jaimon Jacob
Instructor
Handbook
Lesson
1

2. I N F L U E N C I N G W I T H O U T A U T H O R I T Y
Instructor Handbook

3. Table of Contents
Introduction .............................................................................. 1
Lesson Overview...................................................................... 1
Target Audience....................................................................... 1
Lesson Goal and Outcomes..................................................... 1
Lesson Goal.................................................................................... 1
Lesson Outcomes ........................................................................... 1
Hardware Requirements .......................................................... 1
Room Requirements ................................................................ 2
Lesson Agenda ........................................................................ 3
Lesson 1: Influencing Without Authority ................................... 4
Introducing the instructor and the participants.................................... 5
Icebreaker....................................................................................... 6
Lesson objectives ........................................................................... 8
What is influence?........................................................................... 9
What do you know about influence? ............................................. 11
External barriers to influence ........................................................ 12
Internal barriers to influence.......................................................... 14
Overcoming the barriers................................................................ 16
Step 1: Assume all are potential allies .......................................... 17
Step 2: Clarify your goals and priorities......................................... 18
Step 3: Diagnose the world of the other person ............................ 19
Step 4: Identify the relevant currencies; theirs and yours.............. 20
Step 5: Deal with relationships...................................................... 22
Step 6: Influence through give and take........................................ 23
Case study.................................................................................... 24
Problem......................................................................................... 25
Step 1: Assume all are potential allies .......................................... 26
Step 2: Clarify your goals and priorities......................................... 27
Step 3: Diagnose the world of the other person ........................... 28
Step 4: Identify relevant currencies; theirs and yours ................... 29
Step 5: Deal with relationships..................................................... 30

4. Step 6: Influence through give and take....................................... 31
Introduction to simulation .............................................................. 32
References.................................................................................... 33

5. D E S I G N C U S T O M I Z A T I O N
1
Introduction
Corporate employees always come across situations where they have no real authority
over key stakeholders but have to influence them to get their work done. They know
what needs to be done and know how to do it, but they can’t get their boss, colleagues,
and even the people who report to them to do “the right thing.” This lesson prepares
them to do just that, “making people do what they want them to do.”
Lesson Overview
This lesson is delivered as a blended training program which is divided into two parts.
The first part is an instructor-led session which is followed by an online assessment.
The lesson is designed for 2 hours with 10 minutes buffer provided at the end.
Target Audience
This lesson provides essential influencing skills for all types of employees in an
organization. They can be business analysts, sponsors, managers, or executives.
Lesson Goal and Outcomes
Lesson Goal
When presented with a situation where an individual must get his/her work done by
another individual with a higher authority, he/she will be able to influence or persuade
the individual to do it with a step-by-step influence strategy.
Lesson Outcomes
After completing this lesson, participants will be able to:
 Explain the purpose of influence.
 Identify the barriers to influence.
 Influence their colleagues using an influence strategy.
Hardware Requirements
The following hardware equipment is necessary for delivery of this course:
Lesson
1

6. 2
 LCD projector compatible with a notebook computer and cables for proper
connection
 Laptops or desktops with internet connection for all the participants.
Room Requirements
The room should be large enough to accommodate workspace and chairs for up to 20
participants and 1 instructor plus the aforementioned equipment.
Instructors should be able to arrange the classroom as they deem most appropriate
given the exact number of participants. The ideal arrangement allows participants to
interact with the instructors and each other; e.g., a U- or V-shape arrangement. Avoid
“lecture hall” type of arrangements. All participants should be able to see the screen
and instructors; however, participants and instructors should be able to move about the
room without obstruction.
A preparation table and presentation table should be provided for the instructors. The
room should be in a quiet area and have a lighting system that permits convenient
dimming of the lights, especially where the screen is located.

7. 3
Lesson Agenda
Time Slide
5 minutes Introducing the instructor and the participants
20 minutes Icebreaker activity
2 minutes Lesson objectives
5 minutes What is influence?
5 minutes What do you know about influence?
5 minutes External barriers to influence
5 minutes Internal barriers to influence
5 minutes Overcoming the barriers
5 minutes Step 1: Assume all are potential allies
5 minutes Step 2: Clarify your goals and priorities
5 minutes Step 3: Diagnose the world of the other person
10 minutes Step 4: Identify the relevant currencies; theirs and yours
5 minutes Step 5: Deal with relationships
5 minutes Step 6: Influence through give and take
Case study
1 minute Problem
1 minute Step 1: Assume all are potential allies
1 minute Step 2: Clarify your goals and priorities
1 minute Step 3: Diagnose the world of the other person
1 minute Step 4: Identify relevant currencies; theirs and yours
1 minute Step 5: Deal with relationships
1 minute Step 6: Influence through give and take
2 minutes Introduction to simulation
30 minutes Simulation

8. 4
Lesson 1: Influencing Without Authority
Influencing Without
Authority
Jaimon Jacob

9. 5
Introducing the instructor and the participants
Let us introduce each other!
Introduce yourself and have the participants introduce themselves.

10. 6
Icebreaker
Icebreaker
Purpose:
Use different methods of persuasion.
Objective:
Each team has to persuade a neural person to join their team.
Setup:
 Group the learners into two teams with the exception of one person who
volunteers as a neutral entity.
 Have each team occupy one side of the room while the independent person
sits on a chair in the middle of the room between the two teams.
 Give each team has 5 minutes to brainstorm and build their case to present to
the independent person to join their team.
 Finally, give one representative from each team 2.5 minutes to present their
case to the independent person and pursue him or her to join their team.
 After the activity, discuss within the group which method of persuasion
worked better and why.
Time allocated to explain the activity:
5 minutes.
Time allocated for brainstorming between the team members:
5 minutes
Time allocated for presenting the case:

11. 7
5 minutes
Time allocated for discussion post the activity:
5 minutes.

12. 8
Lesson objectives
After completing this training, you
should be able to:
 Explain the purpose of influence.
 Identify the barriers to influence.
 Influence your colleagues using an influence
strategy.

13. 9
What is influence?
What is influence?
The power to get your work
done.
You influence:
 Friends
 Colleagues
 Managers
What is influence?
Influence is the power to get your work done.
Teaching Tips:
You live in a global village. There are very few jobs where a person works completely
alone. Most of you are dependent upon others, and you are important to your
colleagues as well. Hence, there will be scenarios where you need to influence your
friends and employees from other departments, that is, people you can not order or
control. You will also come across situations where you need to influence your
manager and others above you.
Some common scenarios where you may need to influence others are:
• To sell important projects
• To persuade colleagues to provide needed resources
To the team that won: You used this power to convince the individual to join your team.

14. 10
• To convince your boss to respond to issues that may not appear important to
him
Teaching Tips:
Ask if the learners maybe able to give examples for each scenario as you explain each. Examples
for each scenario could be:
 Sales personnel selling a product. He/she must influence the customers to buy the
product.
 A team manager of a development team requesting the help of some experts from the
design team to solve an issue. He/she must convince the team member of the design team
to relieve some of his/her team members.
 A team member trying to convince the boss that his idea for the product is better than
his colleagues.

15. 11
What do you know about influence?
What do you know about
influence?
 Ask and get it
 Think how to get it
 Give and get it
You already know a lot more about influence than you realize!
 Sometimes, you just ask what you need, and if the other person or group can
respond, they will.
 Sometimes, you have to work a little harder to figure out how to get what you
want.
 Sometimes, you instinctively understand that when someone helps you, you
are expected sooner or later to somehow pay them back.
Teaching Tips:
Ask if the learners could give examples for each instance as you explain each instance. Examples
for each instance could be:
 Asking a favor from your close friend or a family member.
 Asking a favor from somebody who you does not know.
 Asking a favor from somebody to your competitor.

16. 12
External barriers to influence
External barriers to influence
 Power differential
 Different goals and objectives
 Incompatible performance measures
 Rivalry
Convincing a friend is easy, but how about convincing somebody you do not know?
You may feel lost when you think of ways to convince somebody you does not know
or who is superior than you. There are barriers to influence which are external to you;
that exist in your business environment:
 The people that you want to influence and you are separated by a large power
differential.
 The people that you want to influence have different objectives from yours,
leading to different priorities, and you cannot find a common ground.
 The people that you want to influence have incompatible performance
measures and rewards.
 The people that you want to influence are your rivals or feel competitive and
don’t want you to succeed.

17. 13
Teaching Tips:
Extra information on each barrier:
 Usually, you find that it is easy to influence your subordinates. However, you feel that
you need to work harder when you are not in a position that gives you the right to give
orders in relation to those you want to influence.
 Some people just do not care about what you are trying to accomplish, because they have
such different expectations due to their organizational roles. Sometimes they just have
completely incompatible personal goals.
 Some people may be held accountable for things that will not let them respond to what
you want. This is, again, due to their organizational roles.
 Finally, some people will be thinking that your success will interfere with their success. In
such cases, they may not be able to help you even if they know it would be good for the
company. In addition, they might have strong personal animosity toward you that clouds
their judgment.

18. 14
Internal barriers to influence
Internal barriers to influence
 Lack of knowledge
 Attitudes
 Fear
 No focus
However, more than often, the barriers are inside the person who wants to influence
others.
 Lack of knowledge on how to go about influencing when you are not sure of
the objectives
 Presence of attitudes that may blind you to important objective information
 Fear of the other person or group and how they might react
 Inability to focus on what you need and how the other person could benefit
from that

19. 15
Teaching Tips:
Extra information on each barrier:
 Many people do not know how to go about influencing when the other person or group is
not responsive. They do not understand how important it is to deliver something of value
to the other person, rather than what they themselves value. They go on emphasizing how
wonderful what they want is and forget that it has to appeal to something the other
person or group cares about.
 Some people think that they do not have to try to influence others; they should just
recognize the truth and give in. In addition, they quickly write off anyone who does not
quickly go along with a request, assuming that they are deficient in some important way.
Another handicap is knowing what would move the other person but you cannot stand
people who want that, so you back off or become hostile.
 Frequently, people recognize that to have influence they would have to say something that
might get the other person or group angry, or wanting to retaliate. Out of fear, usually
even before trying the idea, they decide they cannot go ahead. Also, the idea that pushing
might make the other person not like you can paralyze some people.
 Sometimes, people who want influence are not very clear about exactly what their goals
are and who they have to influence to accomplish their goals. This leads to stressing the
wrong things and getting hung up on secondary, often symbolic, issues.

20. 16
Overcoming the barriers
Overcoming the barriers
 Relationship exists
 Relationship does not exist
How do you overcome these barriers?
We will start from the assumption that influences are about the person being
influenced getting something valued in return or avoiding something disliked for
willingness to give what is requested.
Teaching Tips:
This give and take concept is not so much easy as it sounds. When you already have a
good relationship with the another person, you just ask, and if the colleague can
respond, he or she will. There is no need for a conscious diagnosis of the situation and
thinking through the appropriate approach. But there are other times when it is not so
easy to influence the other person (for example, influencing your superiors), and a
more deliberate and conscious approach is needed.
For example, you are willing to work on weekend to complete project. Boss praises you and
mentions extra effort to higher-ups and may even suggest you extend vacation. You help a
colleague not in your area carry out a difficult analysis, and the colleague tells your boss how terrific
you are.

21. 17
Step 1: Assume all are potential allies
Step 1: Assume all are potential
allies
Influencing someone else – especially someone who seems to be "being difficult" – can
make you feel upset, nervous, or unsure. Begin by assessing whether you could form an
alliance with the person. Try to discover where there might be overlapping interests.
This same mind-set of assuming the other person is a potential ally also applies to your
manager.
Failure to do that by assuming the other person will be an adversary rather than an ally
prevents accurate understanding, leading to misperceptions, stereotypes, and
miscommunication, and can create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

22. 18
Step 2: Clarify your goals and priorities
Step 2: Clarify your goals and
priorities
You need to think hard about your objectives, so you won’t get side tracked into
pursuing secondary goals:
 What do you require?
 What are your priorities among several possibilities?
 What are you willing to trade off to get the minimum you need?
 Do you want a particular form of cooperation on a specific item or would you
settle for a better relationship in the future?
 Would a short-term victory be worth the creation of hard feelings, or is the
ability to come back to the person in the future more important?
Too often, the person desiring influence does not sort personal desires from what is
truly necessary on the job, and creates confusion or resistance.
Teaching Tips:
For example, if you are only concerned about being right at all costs, humiliating the other person,
or always having the last word, your personal concerns can become central and interfere with other
more important organizational goals.

23. 19
Step 3: Diagnose the world of the other person
Step 3: Diagnose the world of the
other person
Determine the organizational situation of the potential ally that drives much of what he
or she cares about. These forces usually play an even greater role in shaping what is
important to them than their personality. If for any reason you can’t ask that person
directly, examine the organizational forces that might shape goals, concerns, or needs.
Teaching Tips:
For example, how a person is measured and rewarded, the manager’s and peer’s expectations,
where the person is in his or her career, and so on, have a powerful effect on what the person might
want in exchange for cooperation, and what the costs would be for giving what you want.

24. 20
Step 4: Identify the relevant currencies; theirs and yours
Step 4: Identify the relevant
currencies; theirs and yours
This is most important part of our influence strategy. Identify the things that people
care about. We will call them currencies. To make trades, you need to be aware of as
many things as people care about and all the valuables you have to offer. There are 5
types of currencies:
 Inspiration-related currencies
 Task-related currencies
 Position-related currencies
 Relationship-related currencies
 Personal-related currencies
Most people care about more than one thing (for example, prestige, money, being
liked). If you can identify several applicable currencies, you will have a wider range of
possibilities to offer in exchange.

25. 21
Teaching Tips:
Further information on the currencies:
 These currencies are all related to inspiration, vision, morality, and strength. You can
appeal to these people by explaining the significance of your project or request, and by
showing that it's the right thing to do.
 These currencies relate to the task at hand and to getting the job done. Here, you will
want to exchange resources such as money, personnel, or supplies. You could offer to help
these people on a current project they are working on. You could also offer your expertise
or your organization's expertise, in exchange for their help.
 People who value this currency focus on recognition, reputation, and visibility. They want
to climb the organizational ladder, and to be recognized for the work they are doing.
Here, you will want to appeal to this sense of recognition by publicly acknowledging their
efforts. You could offer them lunch with your CEO or the opportunity to work with a
high-profile team. You can also convince them that the project or task will be recognized
by respected people in your industry.
 People who value relationships want to belong. They want strong relationships with their
team and colleagues. So, make these people feel they are connected to you or your
organization on a personal level. Offer them emotional support and understanding. Use
active listening, so that they can talk about their problems. And say "thank you" to
show gratitude for the good work they are doing for you or have done for you in the past.
 This is probably the simplest currency of the five. These currencies relate to the other
person on a personal level. You can appeal to this person by showing them sincere
gratitude for their help. Allow them the freedom to make their own decisions if they are
helping you on a team. Keep things simple for them, so they do not feel hassled helping
you.

26. 22
Step 5: Deal with relationships
Step 5: Deal with relationships
In this step, you need to analyze what kind of relationship you have with this person. If
you know him or her well and you are on good terms, you can directly ask him or her
for what you need.
If you are not on good terms or you are a complete stranger, then you need to focus
on building trust and building a good relationship before you move on to the final step.
To do this, take time to get to know the person you are interacting with. Make sure you
use active listening techniques when you are speaking with him or her. Also, develop
your emotional intelligence skills, which will help you recognize not only your own
feelings but the feelings of those around you.

27. 23
Step 6: Influence through give and take
Step 6: Influence through give and
take
Once you feel you know what your ally wants or needs and you have determined what
you have to offer, you can make "the exchange" and put your findings into action. You
can use a win-win negotiation to do this.
Make sure that when you make the offer or exchange, it is done in a way that builds
trust. Show respect, empathy, and understanding to the other person. Show your
gratitude to them for helping you, and keep looking for ways to help others.

28. 24
Case study
Case study
Now, we will see a real-life application of this influence strategy.

29. 25
Problem
Problem
Eric is the head of the CRM function of his organization. He wants implement a new
software package that will streamline the customer feedbacks, recording, and response
processes. However, he needs the help from his colleague, John, to solve a problem.
John is the lead software developer.
The problem is that John is extremely busy with his own projects, and has so far been
unwilling to help.

30. 26
Step 1: Assume all are potential allies
Step 1:
Assume all are
potential allies
Eric knows that John could be an ally; they've always gotten along in the past. The only
reason that Rob is unwilling to help is because he's "snowed under" with his own
projects, most of which have tight deadlines.

31. 27
Step 2: Clarify your goals and priorities
Step 2:
Clarify your
goals and
priorities
Need
John’s
help for
half a day!
Eric takes a moment to clarify his goals. Why does he need to influence John?
This is simple: John has the expertise that Eric needs to overcome a problem he's stuck
with. His goal is to gain John 's help, perhaps for half a day, to solve the problem.

32. 28
Step 3: Diagnose the world of the other person
Step 3:
Diagnose the
world of the
other person
Eric looks at the professional world that John, who works full time in IT, works in
daily.
Eric knows the IT department is deadline driven. John is often under immense
pressure to troubleshoot problems as they come up but also to deliver major projects
that have quick turnaround times. As a result, John frequently stays late and comes in
early to meet all his demands.

33. 29
Step 4: Identify relevant currencies; theirs and yours
Step 4:
Identify relevant
currencies;
theirs and yours
I need more
resources to
help me!
Eric believes that John's currency is task-related. What he needs most is another set of
hands to help him complete some of his current projects. If he could catch up, he
would probably be willing to help Eric with his own project.

34. 30
Step 5: Deal with relationships
Step 5: Deal
with
relationships
Eric is already on good terms with John. They do not talk often since they work in
different departments, but they have chatted a few times in the hallway, and Eric would
consider John a friend.

35. 31
Step 6: Influence through give and take
Step 6:
Influence
through give
and take
Eric decides on his exchange. He is going to offer John a full day of his own time to
help him catch on his projects. In return, he will ask for half a day of John's time to
help him with his own project.
When he approaches John, John looks surprised at the offer. But, he accepts
immediately. Eric shows his appreciation by showing up early on his day to help John,
and working hard the entire day. When the time comes for John to help Eric, the same
holds true: John shows up early, and the two get the problem figured out by lunchtime.
Eric then takes John out for lunch to show his gratitude.

36. 32
Introduction to simulation
It’s your turn now…
What follows is a simulation where you try to influence and make your idea accepted in
a real-world situation. Good luck!

37. 33
References
References
Cohen, A. R., & Bradford, D. L. (2012). Influencing up. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.
Fisher, R., & Sharp, A. (1999). Getting it done: how to lead when you're not in
charge. New York: HarperPerennial.
Cohen, A. R., & Bradford, D. L. (1990). Influence without authority. New York: J.
Wiley.
The Influence Model. (n.d.). - Communication Skills Training From
MindTools.com. Retrieved August 21, 2013, from
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/influence-model.htm