The document discusses using influencing skills to gain support from senior stakeholders. It introduces Transactional Analysis theory, which describes how people take on Parent, Adult, or Child ego states in interactions. Understanding which state someone is in can help navigate discussions. The presentation provides 10 tips for influencing others, such as knowing your own importance, understanding different perspectives, connecting personally, and seeing others as allies rather than adversaries. Persistence and open communication are also recommended if initial discussions are not productive.
1. MANAGING ‘MUSCLE’ AND USING
INFLUENCING SKILLS
APG, November 22nd
Sarah Watson (DDB) & Matthew Palmer (Leagas Delaney)
2. WHAT WE’RE GOING TO TALK
ABOUT THIS EVENING
— Using influencing skills to bring senior people with you – clients, creatives
and agency management
— A bit of theory
— Ten ‘top tips’
— One of the hardest subjects to generalise about – please ask questions
3. A BIT OF THEORY:
WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO AND HOW ARE YOU TALKING?
4. TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS:
OLD, BUT STILL USEFUL
— A neo-Freudian theory of personality developed in the late 1950’s
— Explains how people function and express their personality in their behaviour
— Can be extended to the analysis of communications within systems and
organisations
— Has been used in therapy, education, counselling, consultancy and
management and communications training
5. THERE ARE THREE BASIC EGO-STATES
THAT PEOPLE CONSISTENTLY USE
P
A
C
ARENT
DULT
HILD
6. THERE ARE THREE BASIC EGO-STATES
THAT PEOPLE CONSISTENTLY USE
PARENT
— A state in which people behave, feel, and think in
response to an unconscious mimicking of how
their parents (or other parental figures) acted, or
how they interpreted their parent's actions
— Eg. A person may shout at someone out of
frustration because they learned from an influential
figure in childhood the lesson that this seemed to
be a way of relating that worked
Can either be a ‘nurturing’ or ‘criticising’ parent.
Bad managers or clients often fall into the latter category...
7. THERE ARE THREE BASIC EGO-STATES
THAT PEOPLE CONSISTENTLY USE
CHILD
— A state in which people behave, feel and think similarly to
how they did in childhood
— EG. a person who receives a poor evaluation at work may
respond by looking at the floor, and crying or pouting, as
they used to when scolded as a child
— EG. On receiving a good evaluation they may respond with
a broad smile and a joyful gesture of thanks
— The Child is the source of emotions, creation, recreation,
spontaneity and intimacy
Can either be a ‘free’ or ‘adapted’ child.
Often the highest paid person in the building...
8. THERE ARE THREE BASIC EGO-STATES
THAT PEOPLE CONSISTENTLY USE
ADULT
— A state of the ego which is most like a computer
processing information and making predictions absent
of major emotions that could affect its operation
— Learning to strengthen the Adult is a goal of TA
— While a person is in the Adult ego state, he/she is
directed towards an objective appraisal of reality
The classic ‘planner type’?
12. CROSSED TRANSACTIONS –
‘FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE’
P
A
C
P
A
C
Person A Person B
‘Will you stop hassling
me? I’ll do it eventually!’
‘Have you been able
to write the report?’
13. CROSSED TRANSACTIONS –
‘FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE’
P
A
C
P
A
C
Person A Person B
‘Will you stop hassling
me? I’ll do it eventually!’
‘If you don’t change
your attitude you’ll
get fired.’
14. CROSSED TRANSACTIONS –
A MORE POSITIVE INTERACTION
P
A
C
P
A
C
Person A Person B
‘Is your room
tidy yet?’
‘I’m just going to
do it, actually’
15. IF SOMEONE’S STUCK IN ‘CHILD’...
P
A
C
P
A
C
Person A Person B
‘Can’t believe the
@#$% client won’t buy
into doing a 90”TV ad.
They drive me insane.’
‘I know. It was a great
script, wasn’t it?
Would have been
amazing...’
16. IF SOMEONE’S STUCK IN ‘CHILD’...
P
A
C
P
A
C
Person A Person B
‘Can’t believe the
@#$% client won’t buy
into doing a 90”TV ad.
They drive me insane.’
‘I know. It was a great
script, wasn’t it?
Would have been
amazing...’
‘...But I guess with their
budget they never
would have been able
to do it justice. So
perhaps we should look
at something a bit more
achievable?’
18. “Dear, never forget one
little point.
It’s my business.
You just work here.”
Elizabeth Arden to her husband
NOT ALL RELATIONSHIPS
ARE CREATED EQUAL…
28. 10. IF IT’S REALLY NOT WORKING,
SPEAK TO SOMEONE
29. ANY QUESTIONS?
1. Being right on its own is not enough
2. Know how important you are
3. Know thyself (and thy stuff)
4. Understand them
5. Connect with them
6. Use their time wisely
7. Think ‘ally’ not ‘adversary’
8. Don’t argue
9. Be persistent
10. If it’s really not working, speak to someone
30. MANAGING ‘MUSCLE’ AND USING
INFLUENCING SKILLS
APG, November 22nd
Sarah Watson (DDB) & Matthew Palmer (Leagas Delaney)