Influence: Mastering Life’s Most Powerful Skill

To strengthen your influential powers, you first have to grasp what makes an influence attempt successful. Professor Brown introduces you to several concepts you'll return to throughout the lectures, including the possible outcomes of persuasive efforts (conflict, compliance, commitment) and the factors that determine these outcomes (agent, target, tactics, context).

What is it about someone that makes him or her so persuasive? Take a closer look at agents: those people doing the influencing. You'll learn what characteristics an influential agent has (including beauty, trustworthiness, and charisma) and you'll see how these characteristics play out in a range of real-world situations.

Some people use the tools of influence to cheat others. Here, delve into what researchers call the "dark triad" of personality characteristics that lead influential people to exploit others: Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. Not only will you understand their motivations—you'll be able to recognize them before they exploit you.

In this lecture, discover what makes some targets more susceptible to influence. Who among us is more likely to be tricked or convinced? What roles do suggestibility, motivation, and even age play in how good of a target we can be? And what can you do to be less susceptible?

Turn to two general tactical methods involved in influencing others, each with its own pros and cons. The first: soft tactics, such as persuading with emotion and offering something in exchange. The second (and more threatening): hard tactics such as making a reference to formal authority or building a coalition.

Soft tactics don't always work. Find out why by looking at two factors that affect how tactics work: the agent's power base and political skill. By the end of this illuminating lecture, you'll also come away with several takeaways that can increase the success rate of your soft influence tactics.