Please rate yourself honestly on a scale of 1 to 6 on each skill below.

1 = Not true     2 = A little True     3 = Sometimes True     4 = Mostly True     5 = True     6 = Always True

1. I start my persuasion with an attention grabber. I use the most interesting point, quote, statistic or question to grab the audience attention.
2. I share my related experience and background when convincing someone. I share my past successful experiences as a reason for future success.
3. Beforehand, I analyze the other person’s communication style and modify my approach based on the other person’s communication style. I connect well with the other person.
4. I organize and structure my persuasion arguments.
5. I clearly state what it is about, why is it important, why should this person care, what success would look like, what do I need from this person, and what am I willing to commit to achieve it.
6. When influencing someone, I state the unique features and benefits of my idea.
7. I use metaphors, analogies, or examples in my presentations.
8. I consciously limit the number of points to less than five.
9. I support my arguments with highly trustworthy evidence from authentic sources.
10. When I use appropriate facts, data or statistics.
11. I package the information for clarity and memorability.
12. I encourage audience feedback on my idea.
13. When faced with resistance, I use questions that the audience does not want to be asked or that I know the answer to already to shift the audience thinking to a more favorable answer.
14. When faced with resistance, I use leading questions to help the audience see the problem from other perspectives and possibly change their thinking.
15. I actively listen to the other person, empathize with the person’s feeling, and then paraphrase the feeling and fact of the person.
16. I prepare well for an influencing situation. I practice before hand several times when there is an important influencing situation.
17. I tailor my persuasion strategy, material and approach to different audiences and different levels of people.
18. I handle objection well and am able to think on my feet.
19. I vary my choice of media (email, face-to-face, virtual meeting, sms, etc.) according to the person’s location and preferred medium of communication as well as the difficulty in getting a yes.
20. I consciously connect with others and help when needed to build goodwill, credibility and trust, so that when I need help or support, I can seek out others support.
21. I try to encourage people to make their support to my idea public in a meeting/call or on email.
22. I know how to use my power in a values-based manner as and when needed to influence someone.
    
    For example, I don’t wait too long to escalate an issue and also don’t escalate an issue too soon. I try to resolve it first myself for several rounds using a variety of means and mediums.
    Second, when influencing an employee, I first seek out the employee’s solution before discussing my perspective. I don’t want to influence them only to my perspective.
23. My walk, posture, space, and facial expressions project ease, warmth and capability.
24. I am aware of how I look to others (facial expression, fidgeting habits, losing eye contact, etc.) and try to counter those habits to make a positive impact.
25. I have a command over the room with charisma. I look and sound confident and assertive.
26. When influencing someone, no one has trouble following my thought process.
27. I use examples of others inside and outside the company as a best practices, popular trends or success stories to persuade others.
28. I buy clothes/products that others admire to create a positive personal brand for myself.
29. I consciously dress well the day I am trying to influence someone. I pay attention to how I am looking and go to the bathroom to freshen up before an important influencing situation.
30. When nervous, I take steps to boost my self-confidence before the interaction by talking to someone, saying a quote or motto to myself, think of a motivational song, get pepped up by a coach/mentor, etc.
31. I prepare myself mentally, physically and emotionally for a difficult persuasion conversation. I prepare an opening statement that will clarify a positive intent.
32. I build a connect with people by emphasizing how we are similar, work on being dependable, sincere, caring and able to build trust and credibility with co-workers which in turn helps me influence them later.
33. When I encounter resistance to my ideas, I paraphrase the opponents’ arguments before presenting my own views.
34. I ask good probing questions to understand the other person’s viewpoint.
35. While persuading, I describe the consequences of not doing a particular action or offer some kind of incentive to the other person.
36. I map out different stakeholders when influencing groups and accordingly plan a strategy
37. When faced with resistance, I do not give up easily and come prepared with other possible solutions.
38. When faced with resistance, I facilitate an agreement by listening, probing deeper about the other person’s ideas, concerns and reasoning and look for a way to work it out together which might be different than I initially wanted. I keep an open mind and avoid taking positions. Look for a win-win.
39. When influencing one to many, I plan well, work behind the scenes and leverage all possible resources even before the meeting/call.
40. I understand the organization’s power and politics and leverage my network when influencing groups.
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