Seven ways to be the most powerful influencer in the room

Image courtesy of Tijs Van Leur on Unsplash

Let’s be clear, there is a seismic difference between influence and authority. On the one hand, authority is assigned often through a hierarchical structure. By contrast, influence is a social construct, derived primarily from credibility, confidence and trust.

What point is being made here you may wonder? Well, being the most authoritative person in the room may well secure the compliance of those present, but it will not prove your influence with them. Offer those in your orbit the opportunity to challenge your authority or opt out and then we will see how truly influential you are. Evidence of influence is reflected in those that you can inspire and motivate, not those you can instruct or direct.

Being the most powerful influencer in the room is not about how many people listen to you or even how many believe you, it is ultimately about how many trust you. The most powerful influencers do not need to have the loudest voices or biggest platforms, because they can work the room as much in their absence as by their presence. So, how do you get to be the most powerful influencer in the room? Well set out below are seven ways.

1. Calculated composure

Here is a simple lesson: you cannot influence others, if you cannot control yourself. A state of composure is not the same as a denial of one’s thoughts or feelings, rather it is the ability to contain one’s feelings, being especially mindful of those who are observing or listening. In addition, composure requires a unique awareness of how one’s own behaviour impacts and affects others. Composure is one of the most effective forms of non-verbal communication. As such, it can transmit assurance and resilience, which are the building blocks of credibility, confidence and trust. If you want to be the most powerful influencer in the room, then those present need to know that you can be empathetic without being emotional and expressive without being excessive.

2. It is better to know a lot about something that nothing about anything

Influence is rarely to be found in the breadth of your knowledge and more likely to be found in its depth. The reason for this is because depth of knowledge affords you the opportunity to offer an objective perspective, rather than a subjective opinion. Let’s be rational here, if you are going to trust someone then you need to be confident in them and perceive them as credible. Not only that, but to perceive them as credible, you must also believe what they say. Those who skip across complex terrain with a dismissive look and unconvincing arguments are no more than garden variety bluffers. Stake out your ground, dominate that space and command the agenda. People will ultimately look to you for leadership, by dint of the fact that you know what you are talking about.

3. Weigh your words

We have all been in meetings that are dominated by people who just love the sound of their own voice. They dominate the space, want to start every conversation and have the last word. They cross the road for an argument and often seem to listen to respond, rather than to understand. Being in the presence of such people can sometimes seem like you are competing for oxygen and gasping for breath. In reality, none of that even matters if you know the ‘weight’ of your own words. Sometimes it is far better to allow those around you to yammer on, whilst you filter the information and develop a compelling argument. Patience is a virtue. It is better to wait your turn and let the discussion come to you. As you develop your capability in deploying interventions strategically, pointedly and politely, you will find that your opinions will be actively sought even when you do not choose to offer them.

4. Put conventional thinking in reverse

I must confess, I dislike the phrase ‘conventional wisdom’. Too often it is used as a subtle form of psychological manipulation to shut down opposing viewpoints or as an excuse for lazy redundant thinking. It is a euphemism and one that incorrectly implies that those who purvey it, are the custodians of higher knowledge. Conventional wisdom is only conventional for as long as it takes to be disproven by something that is unconventional. Powerful influencers catch the attention of others not because they tick boxes, but rather because their patterns of reasoning and thought are restless and disruptive. As such, they see the very idea of conventional wisdom as a fluid concept, not an established.

5. Apply reductive reasoning: ‘the principle of four’

Just about anything, even seemingly mind-boggling concepts, can be summarised in four key points. Applying the ‘principle of four’ may at first appear over simplistic, but as a technique in de-mystifying complexity, it can mean the difference between engagement and indifference. The fact is, people often like to hide behind complexity as it can sometimes create the veneer of expertise. However, if you want to be the most effective influencer in the room, empower others with knowledge, don’t coerce them through ignorance. The effective application of reductive reasoning starts with explaining what it is (the descriptive), then what it means (the analytical), then why they should we care (the personal) and finally, what they should do about it (the actionable).

6. Graduate from being a reader of the room to an academic

Not every reader is an academic. However, an academic is not just a reader, they are an expert. To my mind, ‘reading the room’ is to primary education, what academic expertise is to higher education. A powerful influencer does not just understand the personalities occupying their space, they quickly and accurately work out the dynamics, power centres and points of leverage within it. To that extent, they are adept at distinguishing pretence and posturing, from authenticity and audacity. Building on their in-depth understanding of the needs of different audiences, they are able to use their powers of negotiation and reasoning to build confidence and trust. They recognise that it is not necessary to be the ‘smartest’ person in the room, if you have better judgement than everyone else.

7. Assemble a circular firing squad

Under normal circumstances a ‘circular firing squad’ is not something that you would want to create, to say nothing of deploy. After all, you want to eliminate the competition, not be eliminated by it. In this context, ‘assembling a circular firing squad’ is a metaphor for how you manage risk. A powerful influencer is prepared to call the bluff of others and flush out the pretenders. Powerful influencers are not reckless, but neither are they risk averse, even when there is risk to them personally. They play the odds and roll the dice. They do not ask anyone to do anything that they would not do themselves and would not do first. They inspire others not by their bravado, but by their courage. Powerful influencers go where others fear to tread and do what others fear to do.

In conclusion, influence is art, craft and science. It is a measure of social significance not hierarchical importance. The most powerful influencers are those who are best able to harness their collective capabilities and competencies in a way that will make them most relevant in their social space. The most powerful influencers understand the art visibility, the craft of imagery and the science of subtlety. Those who follow powerful influencers do so not because they are asked to, but because they choose to.