Books To Improve Influencing Skills
In our collection of the best books to help you influence others, we’ve gathered a selection of classic books on influencing skills, as well as modern approaches to influencing people in a digital age.
Exploring all the various ways to exert power and influence in the workplace, from mastering non-verbal skills, to the power of language, these books can help you improve your position and push forward your agenda.
How to Win Friends and Influence People
by Dale Carnegie
First published in 1936, How to Win Friends and Influence People has sold over 30 million copies, making it one of the best-selling books of all time. It has gone through numerous editions, and in 2011 an edition entitled How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age was released.
The book is written in a conversational style and is easily accessible. It offers practical advice and tips for people not only to make friends and increase their sociability, but also to improve their work environment. From influencing people to follow your way of thinking, to attracting and retaining new clients, the books claims to be able to turn around all your relationships and ‘improve interactions with everyone in your life.’
Rating 4.5/5 on Amazon
Developing Your Influencing Skills: How to Influence People by Increasing Your Credibility, Trustworthiness and Communication Skills.
By Deborah Dalley and Lois Burton
If you’re looking to develop your influencing skills with exercises and practical tips, then Developing Your Influencing Skills is a great choice as it is packed full of tried and tested ideas, as well as coming with a free downloadable workbook.
Deborah Dalley and Lois Burton have worked as friends and colleagues in the field of development and learning for over 20 years, running consultancy and coaching businesses across the private, public and voluntary sectors.
They work directly with leaders to improve their ability to influence and have put their expertise and experience into this book.
Developing Your Influencing Skills explains how developing a set of behaviours and beliefs makes you a more influential force. The authors have identified 7 traits that influencers share and show how anyone can develop these. By identifying what your influencing goals are, you can state them in a compelling way and find ways to be credible and authentic. You can then develop better relationships with your colleagues and friends and inspire them to follow your lead.
Rating 4.5/5 on Amazon
The small BIG. Small changes that spark big influence
By Steve Martin, Noah Golstein and Robert Cialdini
At some point today you will have to influence or persuade someone – perhaps ask a colleague a favour, negotiate with a contractor or get your spouse to put out the recycling. In The small BIG, Steve Martin, Noah Goldstein and Robert Cialdini, describe how, in today’s information-overloaded world, it is now the smallest changes that lead to the biggest differences in results. This book has something for everyone – whether you are in marketing, customer service, human resources, coaching or change management. The techniques can be applied to any situation from negotiation, motivation, time and meetings management, teambuilding and copywriting as well as environmental and health situations.
Rating 4.5/5 on Amazon
The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization
By John C. Maxwell
Books on influencing skills aren’t just for leaders in organisations. Maxwell has spent his career mentoring people in leadership skills and teaching them how to lead from the middle of organisations.
In The 360 Degree Leader, he explores the challenges faced by those not in the top dog position. He shows how people at the centre of corporate structures are in a unique position to lead from the middle by exercising influence above to their bosses, across with their peers, and below with those they lead.
The 360 degree leader is able to influence others no matter what their position, and practising the disciplines of 360 degree leadership leads to opportunities for a person’s organisation, career, and life.
Rating 4.5/5 on Amazon
Persuasion: The Art of Influencing People
By James Borg
Whether you’re a one-person start-up or the head of the board, it pays to be persuasive. Power and influence in the workplace are achieved not by pushing through an agenda, but by mastering the power of memory, language and body language.
Persuasion is a book on influencing skills that teaches you how to be an effective listener, as well as how to control the attention of others. By developing your memory and non-verbal skills, Borg shows you how to boost your persuasive and intuitive skills and achieve excellence in every area of your life.
Rating 4/5 on Amazon
Influence without Authority
By David L Bradford and Allan R Cohen
In our recent blog post – How to Influence – we write that being able to influence without authority is a key skill for leaders in organisations, who cannot do this without confidence, clarity of purpose and the communication skills to fully express themselves. Now in its third edition, Influence without Authority is the classic guide to getting what need from people you don’t control. Getting things done requires collaboration, and convincing others to contribute requires political skill; this book introduces the Exchange Model, in which you get what you need by offering something of value in return. This book shows you how to implement the Exchange Model at the personal, team, and organizational level to raise the bar for performance and leadership. This new third edition has been updated reflect the changing face of the workplace, and includes new examples and information on geographically dispersed virtual teams. Influence Without Authority provides a proven model for success in this new environment, with expert guidance for real–world application.
Rating 4/5 on Amazon
Compelling People: The Hidden Qualities That Makes Us Influential
By Matthew Kohut
Everyone wants to know how to be more influential. But most of us don’t really think we can have the kind of magnetism or charisma that we associate with those leaders held up as inspirational examples, unless it comes naturally. In Compelling People, John Neffinger and Matthew Kohut show that this isn’t something we have to be born with, it’s something we can learn. They trace the path to influence through a balance of strength and warmth. Each seems simple, but only a few of us figure out the tricky task of projecting both at once. Drawing on cutting-edge social science research as well as their own work with Fortune 500 executives, members of Congress, TED speakers and Nobel Prize winners, Compelling People explains how we size each other up – and how we can learn to win the admiration, respect, and affection we desire.
Rating 4.5/5 on Amazon
Learn more about influencing skills with our course Developing Influence and Impact.
