The Business Exchange Bath & Somerset Issue 11: Spring 2019 | Página 27

EVERYONE’S A LAWYER Peter Woodhouse is an employment law expert and heads up the Business Sector at national law firm Stone King – but he asks, ‘aren’t we all lawyers?’ In each issue of TBE Peter reflects on a legal skill that most of us use every day. This time he explains how to make every word count. Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, tell them again! I expect many of us of a certain age were taught this as a basic principle of essay writing. Even these days, despite the multitude of resources available, it can be helpful to think about what we knew and practised as small children of the art of persuasion. A child may nag and whine with its parent. But put that same child into an unfamiliar environment, say with a less well-known aunt or uncle, and the behaviour will change. That’s because the child knows that the audience has changed and therefore knows the same methods of persuasion are unlikely to work. Put that grown child in the workplace and those instinctive skills can be forgotten. Employees can forget their bosses are people, and bosses can forget that their staff are individuals. Thus, if you want to persuade someone, work out first what is likely to trigger that individual. Are they going to respond to greater financial reward, greater engagement, better work life balance, improvements to their own team, improvements Peter Woodhouse, partner and head of business at Stone King to the whole business, better environmental outcomes, social or ethical benefits, or something else? In order to find this out you will most likely need to listen! Listen to what they give away in conversations, formal or otherwise. Most people don’t keep this sort of thing a secret. So if your boss is keen to increase turnover from sales of widgets in her division, explain how your pay rise will link to the achievement of that – not how much happier your pay rise will make you. Look out for when your listener is going to be most receptive. Grabbing someone at home time with a request for a favour may get agreement from someone who just wants to get out the door, but may not be the most propitious moment for someone who likes to take time over a decision. Finally, be aware what language you use. There is a lot written about neuro linguistic programming and I would encourage those interested in the art of persuasion to spend time learning some of the techniques. One particular technique involves using the same word formations and imagery of the person you seek to persuade. So you might choose to say I am really “in tune” with you on this and “I hear that”; or you could say “I see that” and “I can really picture what you want to achieve”. For another listener you might use words like “I feel hard done by” or “that doesn’t sit right with me”. But whatever you do, don’t forget where our persuasion skills were first learned. As a child we kept it simple. As a trainee barrister one of my advocacy instructors played that back to me and instructed me to KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid! e: [email protected] t: 01225 326753 @StoneKingLLP For more info: www.stoneking.co.uk SUPPORTING YOUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WITH THE BEST QUALIFICATIONS COACHING & MENTORING MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP Qualifications at Levels 3, 5 or 7 Certificate or Diploma Qualifications at Levels 2 to 7 Award, Certificate or Diploma (Distance learning with tutorial support OR bespoke in-house courses for organisations) Start any time. Receive prompt and expert tutorial and coach supervision support that is personalised to your needs. Combine flexible distance learning with high quality training workshops. Suitable for beginners (who will need to attend our workshops) and experienced coaches (who may prefer just distance learning with supervision). COURSE DATES SUMMER 2019: 14TH - 15TH MAY, 20TH JUNE AND 10TH JULY Trowbridge, Wiltshire “ A ‘HUGE’ thank you for your support with the assignments & coaching diary. I’m a much a better coach as a result of your input & supervision - just wished I’d had the time to have had more supervision from you! I should also say I found your coaching book really great & your workshops very helpful. ” Start any time. Excellent CMI on-line resources. Receive prompt and expert tutorial support. “ Just wanted to write to say thank you so much for your encouragement & support when I was completing my level 7 qualification in strategic management & leadership. I had been made redundant whilst completing my qualification with you & took a totally different career path which now has gone in a fabulous direction. You had to be qualified to level 5 or over & when I presented my CMI certificate the HR Manager made such a fuss I felt very proud. Thank you for sticking by me, all the best & keep doing what you’re doing” TO FIND OUT MORE PLEASE GET IN TOUCH. Tel: [phone] Email: [email protected] Web: ” www.inspired2learn .co.uk THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2019 27