Below you will find the high-level behavioural descriptors for each dimension of the influence profile. People will generally prefer to either avoid or favour the behaviours in each dimension, but they will do this to varying degrees. The descriptors below are designed to give you a clear idea of the typical things which people will do depending on their influence preferences.
Your job is to try to see where you and your stakeholders prefer to behave, so that you can begin to make decisions about how best to adapt your behaviour to minimise the distraction which could creep into your communication with them (don’t forget to extend this with the exercise on style clues and evidence and see how the scoring works).
Determination Dimension
People who Favour (Scores 9-15):
- Strong-willed.
- Assertive and can be aggressive.
- Pushes their own views and agenda as a priority.
- Not easily influenced or intimidated.
- Wants to win and to be right.
- Outwardly confident.
- Faces up to conflict.
- Will not compromise easily.
People who Avoid (Scores 0-6):
- Relaxed and easy going.
- Responsive and flexible towards others.
- Seeks to compromise rather than compete.
- Wants to do the right thing.
- Easily influenced by those of greater status.
- Good at ‘fitting in’ and working within the hierarchy.
- Easily sees other points of view.
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Tact and Diplomacy Dimension
People who Favour (Scores 9-15):
- Tactful and diplomatic.
- Prefers to use indirect types of communication.
- Careful about ‘rocking the boat’.
- Keen to promote harmony and to defuse conflict.
- Respectful of the views of others.
- Approachable and with a reputation for being a good listener.
People who Avoid (Scores 0-6):
- Direct and blunt in style.
- Talks over others, butts in and rude.
- Often speaks without thinking.
- Outwardly tough characters.
- Not easily swayed by emotional appeals.
- Likely to ‘call it as they see it’.
- May well “rock the boat” and provoke new thinking.
- Enjoys confrontation.
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Sociability and Networking Dimension
People who Favour (Scores 9-15):
- Sociable and outgoing.
- Easily ‘works the room’.
- Keeps in touch with people.
- Knows a lot of people.
- Enjoys interacting with others.
- Good at ‘small talk’.
- Lots to talk about.
- Likes belonging to a team.
- Talks first, listens later.
People who Avoid (Scores 0-6):
- Socially cautious and careful.
- Prefers to wait their turn rather than jump into discussions.
- Careful observer of people.
- Listens first, talks later.
- Waits to be introduced.
- Few contacts but likely to be strong connections.
- Able to concentrate for long periods without distractions.
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Emotional Control Dimension
People who Favour (Scores 9-15):
- Appears calm and in control of their emotions.
- Possessing gravitas and maturity.
- Grace under pressure.
- Difficult to read or second-guess.
- Not easily provoked into emotional reactions.
- Emotional maturity.
- Uses logical influence.
- Self-controlled.
People who Avoid (Scores 0-6):
- Open and expressive.
- Communicates the emotional element easily — urgency, excitement, passion, panic…
- Easily provoked into emotional reactions.
- Weighs emotions and feelings in their decision-making process.
- Uses emotional appeals when influencing.
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