"How to Communicate With Influence" by Michael Gerber is an easy read for anyone interested in personal and business relationships. As a non-sales professional, who floundered through the first half of this book by the same title, can comfortably say that How to Communicate to Influence accomplish all that and much more. Full disclosure: I am not a salesperson by any means. Yet I found myself thoroughly entertained by this text and really gained something from it. So, if you enjoy books about leadership, influence, networking, and others, then this is one of your must haves.
Gerber starts this book by sharing how he was recently let go as a senior level executive. He writes about how he "ran out of fuel" while trying to launch a new company. After some soul searching and personal reflection, he realized he needed to "rewind." Once he did, everything started clicking and before he knew it, he had a whole new outlook on things. Because he was no longer looking at his accomplishments or setbacks as obstacles which keep him from succeeding, he began communicating with others on how to communicate with influence others in order to be successful himself.
He shares what experts say are three ways to do this: direct, analog, and visceral. He describes how to use each one and how to apply them through the eyes and ears of observation, intuition, and body language. He does not leave out the importance of being a good listener. His goal here is to help you become a truly great listener through the use of your body language. That is what I like about his "voices" that come through in the text. He is not simply reading from a Teleprompter or shouting over the heads of his audience.
Direct, analog, and visceral are all part of communicating with influence. He describes how to use each one. He starts by describing direct communication as simply communicating with the person directly. "You make a connection," then you "act on that connection." With analog communication, he continues, you "find ways to express what you're feeling, think, and believe in a way that isn't easily understandable or expressed." The fourth way to take action long term is "be sure that you listen deeply to others so that you can hear what they're really saying."
How to Communicate With Influence Monday, November 8th through Saturday, November 14th, Tom Woods will be leading a powerful course called "Secrets of Teaching Others," presenting his tools for helping others with the skill of influence. I listened to the CD at least twice, once in the car going upstate to New York, and once when I got home. This is a fabulous combination of a dynamic keynote speaker and audio tools designed to help people communicate their messages in an inspiring and motivating way. Tom has done a tremendous job with "Secrets of Teaching Others," and now he will be teaching others at a two-day retreat in Upstate New York.
A book I very much appreciated was "Secrets of Teaching Others," by Tomahnke. I especially enjoyed his description of "the dark side of leadership," which is what I've been struggling with myself. After thirty years of public service, I finally managed to give up the newspaper and magazine subscriptions, and I haven't looked back since. But that wasn't the problem. My problem was learning how to communicate with others without the filter of conscious thought.
In "Secrets of Teaching Others," Tomahnke says that his daily practice is changing his life. One tool he's using is body language. "What do I have to do when I say something like, 'You have a fantastic website'? Well, I say it in a body language way, which is, I put my hand right down over my heart, like I'm presenting the product as a gesture. If the other person looks at that hand gesture, they'll know that I like what they're saying."
In addition to body language, Tomahnke will use story telling as a means to communicate with others. He'll tell a story from his career and then describe how he's helped clients succeed after they've been turned down by larger corporations. He'll explain how hiring corporate speakers can change your outlook and how you can get ahead in the corporate world. The bottom line is this: Tomahnke is revealing what it takes to become a successful leader, even if you're not born with that skill. If you find out how to communicate with influence, you can accomplish virtually anything you want in the corporate world, because you'll be one step ahead of everyone else.