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Persuade, Influence and Negotiate

DVD

Trainers Guide

Terry Gillen
Contents
Overview 3

Section 1
Introduction 5

Section 2
Persuading 6

Section 3
Influencing 8

Section 4
Negotiating 10

Section 5
Meetings 12
Overview
This DVD will boost the effectiveness of your training.

The nature of work has changed dramatically in less than a generation. Not long ago, the main
wealth producers were manufacturers and the model of a successful organisation was one with
de-skilled jobs, standardised products, obligatory processes, economies of scale, silo organisation
and central management control. Nowadays, the model of a successful organisation is one with
flexibility, responsiveness, product/service customisation, matrix working and devolved
responsibility.

Consequently, in addition to technical/professional skills, people at all levels need communication


skills - specifically, the ability to persuade, influence and negotiate with colleagues, customers and
suppliers. However, as organisations also value teamwork, co-operation and reputation, these
skills need to be used positively rather than manipulatively.

As a result, these skills and the characteristics that lead to their positive use, feature in many
organisations values, competencies and performance management processes. Consequently, the
DVD will be applicable to people in a wide range of jobs and at a wide range of levels.

How this DVD will help you

The DVD demonstrates communication skills in face to face situations in the following four
categories:
 persuading
 influencing
 negotiating
 meetings.

These categories contain discreet skills that can be covered in the appropriate depth. Other skills
such as coaching and handling difficult people require different skills and are covered in other
DVDs produced by the CIPD.

By focusing on face to face situations, the DVD covers complete communication enabling you to
fine-tune the learning points when discussing communication by telephone, e-mail, written report,
etc.

The DVD also demonstrates the skills clearly without the fogging of unnecessary drama, colourful
characters or a story line. This makes it easier for you to focus on specific skills according to the
training session you are running. There are also handouts available to download from the CIPDs
website that will help you.

2009 CIPD 3
The Trainers Guide
This Trainers Guide provides:
 An overview of each section.
 The learning points illustrated in each section.
 Handouts and exercises for each section.
 A list of essential further resources available from CIPD.

How you can use the DVD

You can use the DVD for courses, workshops, bite size sessions, team meetings and self study in
selection interviewing and general people management training.

It has been designed so that you can:


 use the whole DVD programme in sequence; or
 only parts of it in any sequence you choose focusing on particular skills; or 
use the sections one at a time in bite size workshops.

This flexibility and application makes the DVD an invaluable tool for HR and Training specialists,
consultants and managers who want a resource with which to deliver valuable learning
experiences that will add to their reputations and credibility.

Overview of the DVDs sections

The DVD has five sections:

1 Introduction
2 Persuading
3 Influencing
4 Negotiating
5 Meetings.

4 CIPD 2009
Section 1 - Introduction
Overview

A short scene with which you can introduce the following key learning points.

Key learning points

 Positive persuading, influencing and negotiating skills enable people to perform better.
 Positive communication skills are different from manipulative communication skills. In the
former, people are treated openly, honestly and respectfully to achieve an outcome satisfactory to
all concerned. In the latter, they are treated dishonestly and disrespectfully to achieve a onesided
outcome.
 Persuading, influencing and negotiating are all slightly different. Persuading is making your
point in a way that appeals to other peoples logic. Influencing means making your point in a
way that sounds natural and easy to agree with. Negotiating means trading concessions to
reach an outcome beneficial to both parties.
 People interact with each other to achieve their goals. Where they interact negatively or
manipulatively, friction, bad feeling and lack of co-operation detract from organisational
performance. Positive communication, however, translates into better organisational
performance.

How this section will help you

Few people think about their communication skills. This section will help you raise participants
understanding of its importance and the benefits of learning how to improve it. It has one scene:

Scene 1.1

The value of skilled persuading, influencing and negotiating

In addition to the DVD scene, there are the following additional resources to help you:

 Handout 1.1: Quiz - Persuading, influencing and negotiating. Illustrates and stimulates a
discussion on the learning points.
 Handout 1.1: Trainers notes. Contains questions and points with which to stimulate discussion.

2009 CIPD 5
Section 2 - Persuading
Overview

This section illustrates how we often undermine our chances of successfully persuading someone
by using negative behaviours that trigger a negative response. This is illustrated with a series of
clips demonstrating the main negative trigger behaviours and their effects followed by the same
clips demonstrating corresponding positive trigger behaviours and their results.

This section goes on to combine positive trigger behaviours with a simple, effective and proven
model that dramatically improves our chances of persuading successfully. This is demonstrated
with two scenes:

 the first with negative trigger behaviours and no persuasive funnel; and
 the second with positive trigger behaviours and the persuasive funnel.

Key learning points

 When trying to persuade someone, we often use the reasoning that makes sense to us instead
of the reasoning that makes sense to them.
 Behaviour exists in a series of triggers and responses.
 Using our reasoning makes it easy for us to use behaviours that increase the chances of
triggering a negative response from the very person whose co-operation we need - thus
getting farther away from our goal.
 Using a simple, effective and proven model combined with positive skills, tends to trigger
positive responses, dramatically improving our chances of success.
 Using probing and active listening to facilitate genuine understanding.
 Skilled persuading uses probing and active listening so that you can understand the other
persons needs better and, therefore, present your idea so that they can more easily appreciate
the benefits.

How this section will help you

This section illustrates the significance of negative behaviours that people do not often realise they
use. It will help them understand and use positive behaviours which become even more effective
when combined with a proven persuasive model. It has five scenes:

Scene 2.1

Negative triggers and responses. A series of clips illustrating negative triggers.

6 CIPD 2009
Scene 2.2

Positive triggers and responses. A series of clips illustrating positive triggers.

Scene 2.3

Probing and active listening. A scene showing the use and benefits of probing and active listening.

Scene 2.4

Poor persuading. A scene demonstrating poor persuading.

Scene 2.5

Powerful persuading - The persuasive funnel. A scene demonstrating use of the persuasive
funnel model.

In addition to the DVD scenes, there are the following additional resources to help you:

 Handout 2.1: Trigger behaviours. Explains each behaviour and typical response behaviour. 
Handout 2.2: Exercise - Applying persuasive skills to other communication methods. Asks
participants to review the techniques illustrated and list ways to apply them by telephone, e-
mail and report/proposal.
 Handout 2.2: Trainers notes.
 Handout 2.3: The persuasive funnel. Introduces the benefits of using this framework.
 Handout 2.4: Exercise - The persuasive funnel. Asks participants to examine the script and
identify the three parts of the persuasive funnel.
 Handout 2.4: Trainers notes.
 Handout 2.5: Quick exercises - Persuasion skills. Asks participants to practice their persuasive
skills using the persuasive funnel.

2009 CIPD 7
Section 3 - Influencing
Overview

This section illustrates how to influence people more easily, and fine tune the persuasive funnel,
referred to above, with subtle and effective behaviours that facilitate agreement.

Key learning points

 You can help people to be more persuasive to your point by introducing, or framing it the right
way.
 Using away from and towards motivation highlights relevant points in ways that register with
the other person.
 Using the right words highlights positive rather than negative aspects of an idea or suggestion. 
Chunking up and down helps find a point of commonality on which to build agreement.
 Sequencing information makes it easier to appreciate the point were making.

How this section will help you

Positive influencing behaviours can be very subtle. This section illustrates subtleties clearly by
demonstrating the behaviours individually and shows how they can be combined in a conversation
and in the introduction to a presentation. It has three scenes:

Scene 3.1

Demonstration of influencing techniques. A series of short clips demonstrating the techniques


used poorly and used well.

Scene 3.2

Using influencing techniques in conversation. A scene showing how the techniques can be used
naturally in a complete conversation.

Scene 3.3

Using influencing techniques in a presentation. A scene showing how the techniques can enhance
the beginning of a presentation to a meeting.

8 CIPD 2009
In addition to the DVD scenes, there are the following additional resources to help you:

 Handout 3.1: Exercise - Influencing techniques. Describes influencing techniques and why
they work, with examples.
 Handout 3.2: Exercise - Influencing skills. Asks participants to examine some of the scenes
and identify the influencing techniques used.
 Handout 3.2: Trainers notes.
 Handout 3.3: Exercise - Applying influencing skills to other communication methods Exercise.
Asks participants to review the techniques illustrated and list ways to apply them by telephone,
e-mail and report/proposal.
 Handout 3.3: Trainers notes.

2009 CIPD 9
Section 4 - Negotiating
Overview

This section illustrates how negotiating is relevant to many everyday situations at work and can be
used to enhance persuading and influencing skills, especially in situations in which one has
relatively little bargaining power. It also illustrates how effective negotiating can result in an
outcome genuinely beneficial to both parties.

Key learning points

 Trading ensures that you only make a concession in return for a concession from the other
party.
 Be prepared to trade not only tangibles, eg cost and quantity, but also intangibles, eg time,
quality, reliability, ease of agreement, reputation, prestige, etc.
 Use if to test proposals and facilitate trading.
 By probing you can distinguish between what the other party says they want and the reasons
why they need it. This enables you to find alternative (and sometimes easier) ways of satisfying
their goals.
 Distinguishing between cost and value enables you to offer something that costs you little but is
of value to the other party. Similarly, you can identify something of value to you but which will
cost them little. This way, negotiating results is a true win/win outcome.

How this section will help you

It is too easy to reserve negotiating skills solely for buying or selling situations. Negotiating skills are
also very useful in other situations. This section demonstrates the most positive and beneficial
negotiating skills, encouraging people to use them more often. It consists of five scenes:

Scene 4.1

Poor negotiating. Shows how not to respond when faced with poor bargaining power. The next
three scenes follow the same conversation illustrating the negotiators improving success as a new
negotiating technique is introduced in each clip.

Scene 4.2

Exploring wants and needs.

10 CIPD 2009
Scene 4.3

Trading.

Scene 4.4

Cost v value.

Scene 4.5

Negotiating with colleagues. The fifth scene shows all the negotiating techniques in a more
everyday workplace conversation.

In addition to the DVD scenes, there are the following additional resources to help you:

 Handout 4.1: Negotiating skills. Explains the key concepts in negotiating relevant to a win-win
outcome.
 Handout 4.2: Exercise - Negotiating techniques. Asks participants to examine some of the
scenes and identify the negotiating techniques used.
 Handout 4.2: Trainers notes.
 Handout 4.3: Quick exercises - Negotiating skills. Asks participants to practice their negotiating
skills using the persuasive funnel.

2009 CIPD 11
Section 5 - Meetings
Overview

A substantial amount of persuading, influencing and negotiating takes place in meetings. So, while
the previous sections will have used one-to-one conversations as the clearest way of
demonstrating the skills, this section illustrates the skills being used in a meeting.

Key learning points

 When you agree and refer to a chunked up goal for the discussion, you help everyone focus
on the same outcome.
 When you agree and refer to the process by which the subject will be discussed to achieve the
goal you establish a clear structure that keeps people on track.
 When you use skills such as probing, active listening, framing, and sequencing you facilitate
understanding amongst the meeting participants.
 When you use skills such as summarising and suggesting, to facilitate cohesion amongst the
meeting participants, you subtly control the discussion and to progress towards a decision.

How this section will help you

People spend a lot of time in meetings where decisions affecting expenditure, resources,
timescales and workload, etc are made. The more skilfully attendees discuss these issues, the
more time they save and the better the quality of their decisions. It consists of three scenes.

Scene 5.1

Unproductive meetings. Shows a poor meeting in which no one uses the skills.

Scene 5.2

Making meetings productive. Introduces effective meeting skills showing the difference they make to
the conversation started in scene 5.1.

Scene 5.3

Persuading, influencing and negotiating in meetings. Contains more aggressive participants and
shows how, in addition to meeting skills, the persuading, influencing and negotiating skills
covered earlier in the DVD can be used to great effect in a meeting.

12 CIPD 2009
In addition to the DVD scenes, there are the additional resources to help you:

 Handout 5.1: Effective meetings. Explains the use of goal, process, understanding and
cohesion in meetings and how to facilitate these.
 Handout 5.2: Exercise - Scene observation 1. Asks participants to review the script and identify
the various behaviours.
 Handout 5.2: Trainers notes.
 Handout 5.3: Exercise - Scene observation 2. Asks participants to review the script and identify
the various behaviours.
 Handout 5.3: Trainers notes.
 Handout 5.4: Exercise - Group discussion. Encourages participants to think about, practice,
and receive feedback on their own meetings skills.
 Handout 5.4: Observers sheet.

2009 CIPD 13
Handout 1.1
Quiz - Persuading,
influencing and negotiating
1 Having something to say and saying it in a way that people will listen are two
separate things. True or false? Why?

2 What are the benefits of being skilled at persuading and influencing other people?

3 What are the consequences of persuading, influencing and negotiating


manipulatively rather than positively?

4 How would you define:


a persuading
b influencing; and
c negotiating?

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Quiz - Persuading, influencing and
negotiating
Trainers notes
Question Answer

1 Having something to say and saying it True. The first person on the DVD
in a way that people will listen are two illustrated this point. People arent mind
separate things. True or false? Why? readers; they dont know whats in our
minds until we communicate it to them.
So, the first step is having something to
say and the second step is saying it in a
way that makes it easy for people to listen.

2 What are the benefits of being skilled  They listen to us.


at persuading other people?  They are more likely to agree with us.
 They are more likely to respect us and
ask for our opinions.
 Working relationships and,
consequently, job satisfaction improve.
 High performance is achieved more
easily.
3 What are the consequences of  They resist, push back and disagree.
persuading, influencing and negotiating  They subsequently renege on the
manipulatively rather than positively? agreement.
 Working relationships and,
consequently, job satisfaction
deteriorate.
 High performance becomes more
difficult.
4 How would you define a Persuading - making your point in a
a persuading, way that appeals to other peoples
logic.
b influencing; and
b Influencing - making your point in a
c negotiating?
way that sounds natural and easy to
agree with.
c Negotiating - resolving a situation, in
which parties began by disagreeing, by
helping them reach a solution better
than could have achieved individually.

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Questions with which to stimulate discussion

Useful questions Points you can make

How much of our success at work It depends on the job and the situation.
depends on your technical/professional Some jobs require a high degree of
skills and how much depends on your technical/professional skills, eg a surgeon
communication skills? in an operating theatre. However, when
that surgeon is talking to the patient
afterwards or discussing resource
allocation with hospital management,
communication skills will become much
more important. One thing is certain -
very few people work as professional
hermits; doing our job requires the help
and co-operation of other people.

What are communication skills? Communication skills are many and varied
- they give us the ability to ask for what
we want, state how we feel, say no,
genuinely listen to others, reach
agreement, handle manipulative people,
present a proposal, participate in a
meeting, compose an e-mail, etc.

When are those skills most tested? Either when dealing with emotionally
difficult conversations (the subject of
another DVD produced by the CIPD) or
when trying to reach agreement with
people whose viewpoints differ - hence
the need to be skilled at persuading,
influencing and negotiating.

How easy is it to change the way we It is difficult. Everyone has many different
communicate? ways of communicating, but the
communicating choices we make are
mostly made subconsciously. In other
words we behave by habit and habits can
be tricky to change. Also, emotions affect
the way we communicate, eg listen to the
way someones tone of voice changes as
they become more emotional.
That is why this DVD divides the subject
into separate subjects so that each one
can be learned more easily.

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Useful questions Points you can make

As you continue to develop your People agree with you more easily and
communication skills, how will you more quickly. This saves time. It also
benefit? benefits relationships; as people listen to
you, they feel that what you say makes
sense. Consequently, they listen to you
more in the future and ask your opinion
more. As good persuading, influencing
and negotiating involves genuine listening,
the solutions you reach tend to be better
quality. This affects your credibility and
reputation.

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Handout 2.1
Trigger behaviours
Many behaviours trigger a reasonably predictable response. You can improve
your ability to persuade, influence and negotiate, therefore, by avoiding negative
trigger behaviours and, instead, getting into the habit of using positive trigger
behaviours.

Trigger behaviours Typical response behaviours

Insistent/parental language  Disagreeing with you.


 Resisting your request or suggestion.
 Making a request or suggestion sound
like you are insisting or giving an order.  Finding fault with your idea.
 Using autocratic language, like should,  Presenting an alternative request or
must, ought, cant, etc. suggestion equally forcefully.
 Responding in kind; retaliation.
 Reluctant, uncommitted acceptance.
Exaggerating/generalising  Disbelief; your points sound factually
inaccurate.
 Using extremes to strengthen your
 Finding fault in what you have said.
point.
 Resistance.

Using overly formal language  Broken rapport.


 Resistance.
 Switching to overly formal language (eg
has not been forthcoming) to try and
strengthen your case.
Irritating phrases  Broken rapport.
 Resistance.
 Trying to strengthen your case by using
phrases that achieve the reverse (eg
What youve clearly forgotten, Lets
be realistic, etc).
Disagreeing destructively/critically  Disagreeing back.
 Repeating their point more forcefully.
 Disagreeing with someones point or
suggestion without having appeared to  Providing more information to clarify it.
consider it or try to understand it.  Disagreeing with your negativity.
 Pointing out the problems with  Derogatory personal comments or
someones idea or suggestion; being tone.
negative.  Withdrawal of participation.

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Trigger behaviours Typical response behaviours

Probing  Listening to/discussing your viewpoint.


 Re-thinking their viewpoint as a result
 Probing into and genuinely listening to
of your questions.
someones point of view, belief or
suggestion before stating an alternative
or contrary view.
Being factual/rational  Listening.
 Consideration.
 Using factual/rational language.
 Factual/rational response.
Inviting people to consider your request or  Consideration.
suggestion  Genuine request for more information.
 Presenting your idea or point as a  Building on your idea or suggestion.
suggestion rather than as a statement.  A genuine reason why they feel it wont
 Presenting your idea or point as a what work.
if question.
Building  Probing to understand you.
 Agreeing with you.
 Building on someones idea or
suggestion to make it more workable  Building on the idea to improve it still
rather than disagreeing with it or further.
criticising it.

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Handout 2.2
Exercise - Applying
persuasive skills to other
communication methods
Review the positive persuasion techniques illustrated in the DVD and list ways
you could use them to facilitate understanding and agreement when
communicating by telephone, e-mail and report/proposal.

Telephones, e-mails and reports/proposals


Probing

Factual language

Inviting
consideration

Building

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Exercise - Applying persuasive skills to
other communication methods
Trainers notes
Telephones, e-mails and reports/proposals
Probing  Telephone - probe/listen before responding.
 E-mail - probe and wait for answer before responding;
telephone or visit them instead.
 Report/proposal - more probing and information gathering
during preparation stage.
Factual language  Telephone, e-mail and report/proposal - avoid expressing
opinion as fact; express information rationally, not emotionally.
Inviting  Telephone, e-mail, report/proposal - make suggestions, ask
consideration for views on your suggestions.
 Report/proposal - ask rhetorical questions.

Building  Telephone, e-mail - fine-tune their idea/proposal rather than


disagreeing or presenting an entirely different idea.
 Report/proposal - show how ideas/recommendations follow
from decision-makers ideas.

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Handout 2.3
The persuasive funnel
More and more of us need persuasion skills to be effective in our jobs. We have to
sell proposals, ideas and suggestions to our managers, staff, colleagues, customers
and suppliers. You can increase your chances of successful persuasion dramatically by
using the persuasive funnel.

It enables you to find out what is important to the other person and then use the
reasoning that makes sense to them.

Probe and listen


It can take a great deal of self discipline to
listen to the other person when you are keen to
talk but if you listen you will:
 improve the chances that they will
subsequently listen to you
 know how to present your case in terms
relevant to them and their logic.

Summarise
It is not enough to understand, you have to prove
you understand. So summarise. As you summarise,
use terminology and emphases that smooth the way
for the points you are about to make.

Suggest
Suggest (dont insist) on a solution that leads naturally
from the points made in your summary.

Using this framework gives you four important benefits:


 The other person is more likely to listen to you because youve just listened
to them.
 You know how to tailor what you say to comply with their reasoning. 
While they are talking you have time to think.
 Letting them go first, listening to them and tailoring what you say to their
reasoning helps them feel better about the discussion and the decision.

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Handout 2.4
Exercise - The persuasive
funnel
Here is the dialogue between the Trainer and the Manager. Examine it and
identify the Trainers use of the three parts of the persuasive funnel - Probe
and listen, Summarise and Suggest. To start you off, the first two have been
marked for you.

Character Script Probe and listen,


Summarise,
Suggest
Trainer Thank you for seeing me, Chris. As you know, Im Probe and listen
keen to discuss Personal Development Plans with
you but you mentioned on the phone that you had
other priorities at the moment. Id like to be clear
what that means so, to ensure that I understand, can
we talk about the Research division in general?
Manager OK, but Im a bit pushed for time. What do you want
to know?
Trainer Why don't we start with those other priorities? What Probe and listen
takes up most of your time at the moment?
Manager That's an easy one: trying to fend off the competition.
Trainer It wasnt always like that. How is the competition
changing?
Manager It's getting tougher. Some academic research
facilities are having so much funding cut that theyre
becoming quite aggressive in sales to make up
revenue but,
as they still receive some state funding, they can
generally undercut us.
Trainer How are you and your team responding to that?
Manager We stress our experience compared to the
competition. Our people tend to have more
commercial experience.

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Character Script Probe and listen,
Summarise,
Suggest
Trainer How much difference does that experience make?

Manager Well, our people are more likely to spot problems


early on in a project. They can also identify short
cuts. That can save clients time and money.

Trainer And how do you see things changing in the future?

Manager I think we'll lose more of the bread and butter


contracts. We can't really compete on cost. That
means going for the high value projects.

Trainer And what is the best way of competing for those?

Manager We have to ensure that we get the right experience,


stay at the cutting edge of technology and that we
present our knowledge, skills and experience in such
a way that we compare favourably to the
competition.

Trainer So you need to present the knowledge, skills and


experience of your staff as a competitive advantage?

Manager Exactly.

Trainer And what are you doing to ensure that their


knowledge, skills and experience develops the way
you want it to go to give you that competitive
advantage in the future?

Manager Well . . . just relying on people learning from their


jobs I suppose . . . and doing the right postgraduate
qualifications . . . going on the right courses. That
sort of thing.

Trainer Are people getting the right experience?

Manager I'm not sure anyone can say that they're getting
exactly the right experience.

Trainer So how do you present it to customers?

Manager In a kind of CV for each staff member who would be


working on a contract.

Trainer How do customers react to the CVs?

Manager Mmmm... we do need to present them better. I'm


aware of that.

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Character Script Probe and listen,
Summarise,
Suggest
Trainer And what's the staff situation like?

Manager Between you and me its OK at the moment but


we've just done appraisals and I know that if we
don't help people manage their careers better then
there will be problems in the near future. I imagine
that if some of the staff dont see action soon theyll
start looking elsewhere. Itll probably be the
experienced ones who are the most attractive to
other employers and theyre the very ones we cant
afford to lose.

Trainer It sounds as if you need a way of managing people's


careers, experience, qualifications and training so
that they are fully satisfied and customers are
impressed enough to give you the high value
contracts.

Manager You've got a magic wand, have you?

Trainer No, just a suggestion. What you're describing is


exactly what Personal Development Plans are
designed to achieve.

Manager [Looking intrigued] Really? Tell me more.

Trainer I'd be glad to. Let's start with your business needs . .
.[fade]

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Exercise - The persuasive funnel
Trainers notes
Here is your version of the exercise. As you run through it with the participants,
you will find it useful to emphasise:

 How much probing and listening the Trainer does.


 How much that benefits their understanding of the managers situation,
problems, priorities, etc.
 How the Trainer summarises the Managers points very briefly and in terms
of the Managers needs.
 How the Trainers solution is delivered as a suggestion, an idea for
consideration.

You might also ask the participants to speculate on the future working
relationship between the Trainer and Manager.

Character Script Probe and listen,


Summarise,
Suggest
Trainer Thank you for seeing me, Chris. As you know, Im Probe and listen
keen to discuss Personal Development Plans with
you but you mentioned over the phone that you had
other priorities at the moment. Id like to be clear
what that means so, to ensure that I understand, can
we talk about the research division in general?

Manager OK, but Im a bit pushed for time. What do you want
to know?

Trainer Why don't we start with those other priorities? What Probe and listen
takes up most of your time at the moment?

Manager That's an easy one: trying to fend off the competition.

Trainer It wasnt always like that. How is the competition Probe and listen
changing?

Manager It's getting tougher. Some academic research


facilities are having so much funding cut that theyre
becoming quite aggressive in sales to make up

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Character Script Probe and listen,
Summarise,
Suggest
revenue but as they still receive some state funding,
they can generally undercut us.

Trainer How are you and your team responding to that? Probe and listen

Manager We stress our experience compared to them. Our


people tend to have more commercial experience.

Trainer How much difference does that experience make? Probe and listen

Manager Our people are more likely to spot problems early on


in a project. They can also identify short cuts. That
can save clients time and money.

Trainer In what way will things change in the future? Probe and listen

Manager I think we'll lose more of the bread and butter


contracts. We can't really compete on cost. That
means going for the high value projects.

Trainer And what is the best way of competing for those? Probe and listen

Manager We have to ensure that we get the right experience,


stay at the cutting edge of technology and that we
present our knowledge, skills and experience in such
a way that we compare favourably to the
competition.

Trainer So you need to present the knowledge, skills and Probe and listen
experience of your staff as a competitive advantage?

Manager Exactly.

Trainer And what are you doing to ensure that their Probe and listen
knowledge, skills and experience develops the way
you want it to go to give you that competitive
advantage in the future?

Manager Well . . . just relying on people learning from their


jobs I suppose . . . and doing the right postgraduate
qualifications . . . going on the right courses. That
sort of thing.

Trainer Are people getting the right experience? Probe and listen

Manager I'm not sure anyone can say that they're getting
exactly the right experience.

Trainer So how do you present it to customers? Probe and listen

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Character Script Probe and listen,
Summarise,
Suggest

Manager In a kind of CV for each staff member who would be


working on a contract.

Trainer How do customers react to the CVs? Probe and listen

Manager Mmmm... we do need to present them better. I'm


aware of that.

Trainer And what's the staff situation like? Probe and listen

Manager Between you and me its OK at the moment but


we've just done appraisals and I know that if we don't
help people manage their careers better then there
will be problems in the near future. I imagine that if
some of the staff dont see action soon theyll start
looking elsewhere. Itll probably be the experienced
ones who are the most attractive to other employers
and theyre the very ones we cant afford to lose.

Trainer It sounds as if you need a way of managing people's Summarise


careers, experience, qualifications and training so
that they are fully satisfied and customers are
impressed enough to give you the high value
contracts.

Manager You've got a magic wand, have you?

Trainer No, just a suggestion. What you're describing is Suggest


exactly what Personal Development Plans are
designed to achieve.

Manager [Looking intrigued] Really? Tell me more.

Trainer I'd be glad to. Let's start with your business needs . . Suggest
.[fade]

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Handout 2.5
Quick exercises - Persuasion
skills
Working in small groups, you have an opportunity to practice your persuasive
skills using the persuasive funnel.

Take it in turns to be the persuader, the partner and the observer.

When you are the partner, choose from one of the following subjects: 

a house/apartment to buy/rent
 a new car
 gym membership
 a new job or career direction 
a weekend away
 any other appropriate subject.

Answer the persuaders questions honestly and completely without


volunteering information.

When you are the persuader, your role is to:


 Help your partner decide, in detail, what they want in a new house or new
car, etc.
 Practice the persuasive funnel.

When you are the observer, your role is to observe the persuader and provide
the following feedback on their persuasive skills:
 The extent to which they followed the persuasive funnel. 
The extent to which they probed and listened.
 The accuracy of the summary.

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 The extent to which the summary led naturally to the suggestion.
 The overall feel of the conversation. How natural did it feel? Was the
persuader asking more closed than open questions? The extent to which
the persuader was helping the partner or leading them by the nose? (If you
are in any doubt about these points, ask your Trainer to explain.)

As a guide, each conversation lasts about five minutes plus feedback.

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Handout 3.1
Exercise - Influencing
techniques
Some behaviours can be very subtle yet their influencing effect can be significant.
Here is a list of some of the most important positive influencing behaviours.

Behaviour
Sequencing
Peoples thoughts often follow a logical progression - from situation to request, from
reason to decision, etc. If, for example when asking for something, we follow the right
progression, our request sounds logical and is, therefore, more easily accepted. If, on the
other hand, we go in the reverse direction (This is what I want because... or Ive
decided to...because...) the other person may not even listen to our reasons before
deciding how to respond.

Examples
 Because of...Ive decided to...
 Our director has given me a large project so I need to ask if you could...

Framing
In the same way that a glass can be half full or half empty depending on how you see it,
different words can alter our perception of a situation.

Examples
 Some of the staff are resisting modernisation/The management wants to make
cuts.
 Lets do some role plays/Lets have some fun practicing these skills.

Away from/towards motivation


While there are many things that motivate people, we basically seek to avoid what
makes us feel uncomfortable or we regard as unpleasant or bad and we gravitate
towards what makes us feel comfortable or we regard as pleasant or good.

Examples
 That could be very expensive, but if we tried...instead.
 This course will give you skills that will make your job easier.

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Behaviour

Positive/negative words
Similarly, we dont feel OK about what sounds bad, but we do feel OK about what
sounds good.

Examples
 Cost/investment
 Difficult/challenging.

Chunking
A chunk is a piece of information. That information can be overview (chunked up) or detail
(chunked down). A helicopter view (chunked up) gives us the big picture. It
contains overview, principles, concepts and reasons. A microscope view (chunked down)
gives us small details such as plans, costs, dates, etc. In most influencing
situations, people will agree on concepts and principles so if you begin there and chunk
down to detail, more people will go along with you.

Examples
 On the principle that good performance should be recognised, Id like to suggest
that we give managers more flexibility with bonus distribution.
 Our teams part of this corporate project is crucial so to make sure we deliver on
time, can I suggest you reserve these dates in your diary?

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Handout 3.2
Influencing skills exercise
Here are the scripts for two of the DVD scenes. As directed by your Trainer,
see if you can identify the influencing techniques used by Actor 1. The first
couple have been identified already to start you off.

Scene 1

Script Influencing technique

Actor 1 Hi Jo you asked me to come and see you about


my proposal for the new procedure.
Actor 2 Yes, thank you. Rachel I have some problems
with it. I need to ask you to rethink it.

Actor 1 Any problems definitely need to be addressed. To Framing


make sure I understand, what are the main areas
youd like to look at?

Actor 2 Its the amount of data that has to be collected and


input. That will cause my staff extra work from
which they wont benefit. Were just capturing the
information for other people to use.

Actor 1 I see what you mean. How much extra work do


you estimate?

Actor 2 Well...I dont know exactly. But its only six months
since the last procedural change. Cant this one
be deferred a bit?

Actor 1 How much have you been told about this new Checking in readiness
procedure? for chunking

Actor 2 Well...not much. I know its being rolled out


throughout the whole organisation. Thats all.
Actor 1 And beyond. Its being implemented by our
European partners at the same time and in order
to comply with new legislation, we have to be
ready at the same time as everyone else.

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Script Influencing technique

Actor 2 It just seems unfair on my staff.

Actor 1 I understand how they could feel that way,


however, the task is crucial for the organisation as
a whole. Can I check something? Are you more
concerned about your staff having extra work or
about them not appreciating the relevance of this
work to them?

Actor 2 Well...Im sure theyd be prepared to fit in the extra


work. I just dont want them to feel taken for
granted. Thatll affect morale and I really cant
afford to lose any of them.

Actor 1 It sounds as if the part of the implementation plan


that needs strengthening is the bit relating to
communication and motivation. Would it help if
one of the senior managers came and explained
the background, benefits and how it fits into
corporate plans?

Actor 2 Yesthat might help a bit.

Actor 1 And how about if we also built in some kind of


regular feedback mechanism so that your staff
could actually see how the information they
provide is being used?

Actor 2 Now that would help - nobody usually bothers with


that kind of thing. Not on this scale. That would be
useful. Im glad weve talked this through.

Actor 1 No problem. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with


me. We need this kind of detail to make the
initiative work.

Scene 2

Please do the same with this scene but, this time, write the influencing techniques in
the brackets.

Script

Actor 1 And so to the next item on our agenda. Richard has come along to tell us
about it.

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Script

Actor 2 Thanks Jo. And thank you all for including this important item [ ]
on the agenda and giving me an opportunity [ ] to speak to
you. Youre probably aware that, as global competition is becoming ever more
intense, one of our key corporate goals is to work more closely with our
European partners [ ]. Inevitably, that involves some
investment of time and effort on our part [ ] and my role as
our representative on the joint working party is to ensure that we get the best
return on that investment [ ]. Youre probably keen to know
[ ] how this will affect you and your staff so Ill focus on the
key points of the roll out, explaining them quickly so that youll have maximum
opportunity [ ] to ask any fine-tuning [ ]
questions. Let me begin by ......

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Handout 3.2
Trainers notes
Here is your version of the script annotated with the influencing techniques used by
Actor 1. Please note that Actor 1 also uses a lot of probing to understand Actor
2. Probing is a positive trigger behaviour that features significantly in the previous
section - hence, while it is an important aspect of influencing, it hasnt been
annotated here.

Scene 1

Script Influencing technique


Actor 1 Hi Jo you asked me to come and see you about
my proposal for the new procedure.
Actor 2 Yes, thank you. Rachel I have some problems
with it. I need to ask you to rethink it.
Actor 1 Any problems definitely need to be addressed. To Framing
make sure I understand, what are the main areas
youd like to look at?
Actor 2 Its the amount of data that has to be collected and
input. That will cause my staff extra work from
which they wont benefit. Were just capturing the
information for other people to use.
Actor 1 I see what you mean. How much extra work do
you estimate?
Actor 2 Well...I dont know exactly. But its only six months
since the last procedural change. Cant this one
be deferred a bit?
Actor 1 How much have you been told about this new Checking in readiness
procedure? for chunking
Actor 2 Well...not much. I know its being rolled out
throughout the whole organisation. Thats all.
Actor 1 And beyond. Its being implemented in our Chunking
European partners at the same time and in order Sequencing
to comply with new legislation, we have to be
ready at the same time as everyone else.

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Script Influencing technique

Actor 2 It just seems unfair on my staff.

Actor 1 I understand how they could feel that way, Framing


however, the task is crucial for the organisation as a Positive words
whole. Can I check something? Are you more
Checking in readiness
concerned about your staff having extra work or
for away/from towards
about them not appreciating the relevance of this
motivation
work to them?

Actor 2 Well...Im sure theyd be prepared to fit in the extra


work. I just dont want them to feel taken for
granted. Thatll affect morale and I really cant
afford to lose any of them.

Actor 1 It sounds as if the part of the implementation plan Positive words


that needs strengthening is the bit relating to Towards motivation
communication and motivation. Would it help if
one of the senior managers came and explained
the background, benefits and how it fits into
corporate plans?

Actor 2 Yesthat might help a bit.

Actor 1 And how about if we also built in some kind of Towards motivation
regular feedback mechanism so that your staff
could actually see how the information they
provide is being used?

Actor 2 Now that would help - nobody usually bothers with


that kind of thing. Not on this scale. That would be
useful. Im glad weve talked this through.

Actor 1 No problem. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with


me. We need this kind of detail to make the
initiative work.

Scene 2

Script

Actor 1 And so to the next item on our agenda. Richard has come along to tell us
about it.

Actor 2 Thanks Jo. And thank you all for including this important item [Framing] on
the agenda and giving me an opportunity [Positive words] to speak to you.
Youre probably aware that, as global competition is becoming ever more
intense, one of our key corporate goals is to work more closely with our

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Script
European partners [Chunking]. Inevitably, that involves some investment of
time and effort on our part [Sequencing] and my role as our representative
on the joint working party is to ensure that we get the best return on that
investment [Positive words]. Youre probably keen to know [Towards
motivation] how this will affect you and your staff so Ill focus on the key
points of the roll out, explaining them quickly so that youll have maximum
opportunity [Positive words] to ask any fine-tuning [Framing] questions.
Let me begin by....

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Handout 3.3
Exercise - Applying
influencing skills to other
communication methods
Review the positive persuasion techniques illustrated in the DVD and list
ways you could use them to facilitate understanding and agreement when
communicating by telephone, e-mail and report/proposal.

Telephones, e-mails and reports/proposals


Sequencing

Framing

Away
from/Towards

Positive/Negative
words

Chunking

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Exercise - Applying influencing skills to
other communication methods
Trainers notes
Telephones, e-mails and reports/proposals
Sequencing  Telephone, e-mail - relate your request to a sound reason and
give the reason before the request.
 Report/proposal - relate conclusions/recommendations to an
earlier decision or fact central to the report/proposal.
Framing  E-mail - use subject line to orientate reader to what you want.
 Telephone - use brief opening statement to orientate other
person to what you want.
 Report/proposal - use introduction to orientate readers to the
issue, problem, recommendation, etc. Use title or strap line to
associate report/proposal with something they already agree with
or want.
Away  Telephone, e-mail - listen to other person (before telephone
from/Towards call or e-mail, if necessary), see if dominant motivation is away
from or towards and pitch your point accordingly.
 Report/proposal - gain information during preparation stage,
see if decision makers dominant motivation is away from or
towards and pitch your point accordingly. If both away from
and towards, include both, eg By doing...we could avoid...but
achieve...

Positive/Negative  Telephone, e-mail, report/proposal - use negative words for
words anything they want to avoid that your idea, proposal or request
will help them avoid. Use positive words for anything they
want to achieve that your idea, proposal or request will help
them achieve. Avoid negative words associated with your
request, eg I know youre really busy at the moment, but...
Chunking  Telephone, e-mail, report/proposal - relate your point,
request, recommendation, etc to a larger whole.

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Handout 4.1
Negotiating skills
Where two or more people want different things yet need to reach agreement it is
likely that one or both of them will have to make concessions. Exactly what
concessions they make, and whether the outcome is beneficial, will depend on
their negotiating skills. An ideal negotiation is where all parties are winners -
gaining more than they concede. This handout explains key concepts in
negotiating relevant to a win/win outcome.

Concept Explanation

Probing In most negotiations, knowledgeable people have an advantage.


They are more confident, more factual, more rational and more
persuasive and can protect themselves against manipulation. It is
worthwhile, therefore, collecting as much information as possible
about the situation, the background to the issue, facts and figures,
people and their priorities.

Wants and When negotiating, people will tell you what they want. If you probe,
needs you can explore and understand why they want it - the underlying
need. Understanding their needs benefits you because, while there
might only be one way of giving them what they want, there might be
several ways of meeting their need. That flexibility makes it
easier for you to trade.

Trading Trading basically means swapping - Ill give you one of these if
you give me one of those. Using your probing skills to understand both
wants and needs gives you more trading flexibility - especially when
you realise that peoples needs often include intangibles as well as
tangibles.

Tangibles and Cost, quantity, delivery dates, etc are tangibles and often relate to
intangibles wants. Reassurance, speed of decision, peace of mind, future
opportunity, confidence, prestige, etc are all intangibles and often
relate to needs. So, again, being prepared to trade intangibles as
well as tangibles improves your negotiating ability and leads to an
outcome in which the value of concessions is greater than their
cost.

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Concept Explanation

Cost/value A genuine win/win solution in which both parties are better off than
they were before the negotiation began is the ideal negotiating
outcome.
Win/win outcomes rely on the difference between cost and value. If
party A gives party B something of great value to party B even
though it cost party A little; and if party B gives party A something of
great value to party A even though it cost party B little, the
negotiating has benefited both of them.
By probing, distinguishing between wants and needs, trading
intangibles as well as tangibles and understanding the difference
between cost and value, you are much more likely to achieve a
genuine win/win outcome.

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Handout 4.2
Exercise - Negotiating
techniques
Here is a script for one of the DVD scenes. As directed by your Trainer,
identify the negotiating techniques used by Actor 1. The first couple have been
done to start you off.

Negotiating techniques
Actor 1 So thats the gist of it Nicola, weve researched
what other organisations like ours are doing
and believe we can improve on it but we need
to test our plans in a live situation. So I need to
ask if youll help with that process like youve
done before.

Actor 2 Normally Ill do my bit but nows a really bad


time.

Actor 1 In what way? Probing

Actor 2 Were not far off one of our most critical periods
and, in addition to several staff off sick, Ive lost
Jean, one of my most experienced people, to a
project team. Cant you ask one of the other
team leaders?
Actor 1 I could, but the issues were looking at require
good judgement and you have the most
experienced team. That means we can get a
better assessment of its value. The results from
other teams wouldnt be as accurate without some
training beforehand.

Actor 2 Sarah Id like to help; I just dont see how I can


right now.

Actor 1 How many of your staff are off sick?

Actor 2 Three out of 12.

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Negotiating techniques

Actor 1 Any estimate when they might be able to


return?
Actor 2 One looks like long term sick. The other two just
have a seasonal bug so Im hoping theyll be
back next week or the week after. The sooner
the better. I need them to help shift the backlog.

Actor 1 Whats the project team that Jeans been


seconded to?

Actor 2 Quality improvement.

Actor 1 How long for?

Actor 2 Three months. Its part of her development.


Shes ambitious and I want her to get some
broader experience outside our function.

Actor 1 Let me make a suggestion. My director wants


me to get this testing started as soon as
possible. If I start the more straightforward
aspects with another team would you be happy
to tackle the more complex aspects in a couple
of weeks time when most of your staff are back
at work?

Actor 1 Itll still be a problem without Jean.

Actor 2 If I asked my director to speak to the head of


quality improvement and get her returned to you
for the duration of the testing, would that help?
Actor 2 Well...yes...but thats hardly fair on her. This
project team is part of her development.

Actor 1 How about if I speak to my director about a


special project for her next quarter. That would
give her even more cross functional experience
and at a higher level than a project team. If I got
that organised could you agree to helping with
this testing?

Actor 2 OK...youre on.

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Exercise - Negotiating techniques
Trainers notes
Negotiating techniques
Actor 1 So thats the gist of it Nicola, weve researched
what other organisations like ours are doing
and believe we can improve on it but we need
to test our plans in a live situation. So I need to
ask if youll help with that process like youve
done before.

Actor 2 Normally Ill do my bit but nows a really bad


time.

Actor 1 In what way? Probing

Actor 2 Were not far off one of our most critical periods
and, in addition to several staff off sick, Ive lost
Jean, one of my most experienced people, to a
project team. Cant you ask one of the other
team leaders?
Actor 1 I could, but the issues were looking at require
good judgement and you have the most
experienced team. That means we can get a
better assessment of its value. The results from
other teams wouldnt be as accurate without some
training beforehand.

Actor 2 Sarah Id like to help; I just dont see how I can


right now.

Actor 1 How many of your staff are off sick? Probing

Actor 2 Three out of twelve.

Actor 1 Any estimate when they might be able to Probing


return?

Actor 2 One looks like long term sick. The other two just
have a seasonal bug so Im hoping theyll be
back next week or the week after. The sooner
the better. I need them to help shift the backlog.

Actor 1 Whats the project team that Jeans been Probing


seconded to?

Actor 2 Quality improvement.

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Negotiating techniques

Actor 1 How long for? Probing

Actor 2 Three months. Its part of her development.


Shes ambitious and I want her to get some
broader experience outside our function.

Actor 1 Let me make a suggestion. My director wants Trading


me to get this testing started as soon as
possible. If I start the more straightforward
aspects with another team would you be happy
to tackle the more complex aspects in a couple
of weeks time when most of your staff are back
at work?

Actor 1 Itll still be a problem without Jean.

Actor 2 If I asked my director to speak to the head of Trading


quality improvement and get her returned to you
for the duration of the testing, would that help?

Actor 2 Well...yes...but thats hardly fair on her. This


project team is part of her development.

Actor 1 How about if I speak to my director about a Trading


special project for her next quarter. That would Cost/value
give her even more cross functional experience
and at a higher level than a project team. If I got
that organised could you agree to helping with
this testing?
Actor 2 OK...youre on.

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Handout 4.3
Quick exercises - Negotiating
skills
Working in small groups, you have an opportunity to practice your negotiating
skills using the persuasive funnel.

Take it in turns to be one of the two negotiating parties and observer.

When you are one of the negotiating partners, choose from one of the
following subjects:
 Buying/selling an item, eg a car or other second hand item.
 A discussion between landlord and tenant about property maintenance.
 A discussion between two neighbours about one of them lighting a garden
bonfire.
 A discussion between manager and staff member about a salary bonus,
appraisal rating, secondment, etc.
 A discussion between a hotel resident and the hotels manager resolving a
complaint.
 Any other subject suitable for negotiating.

When you are the observer, your role is to observe the negotiators and provide
the following feedback on their negotiating skills:
 The extent to which they probed to understand the other partyies wants and
needs.
 The extent to which they traded rather than demanded or conceded.
 Their use of tangibles and intangibles and the differences between cost and
value.
 The overall feel of the conversation. How natural did it feel? To what extent
did they achieve a win/win outcome?

If you are in any doubt about these points, ask your Trainer to explain.

As a guide, each conversation lasts about five minutes plus feedback.

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Handout 5.1
Effective meetings
A lot of persuading, influencing and negotiating takes place in meetings and
discussions. Some are prearranged and have a planned agenda and others are
spontaneous, informal corridor conversations. If you need to influence the
decisions made in the discussion you need appropriate skills.

The skills used to influence meetings fall into three broad categories:
 Making an input relating to your subject expertise.
 Affecting outcomes by persuading, influencing and negotiating.
 Affecting the discussion using appropriate facilitating skills.

To reach a satisfactory conclusion, the participants in meetings/group


discussions need:
 an agreed goal
 an agreed process by which they will work towards the goal 
to understand each other
 to remain cohesive as a group.

The person who uses appropriate facilitating skills to keep the group together,
understanding one another and following the agreed process to achieve the
commonly understood goal always comes across well. The credibility of their
facilitating behaviour augments the credibility of their subject expertise and
increases their chances of influencing the decisions made by the group.

The following table describes the facilitation skills of greatest benefit to goal,
process, understanding and cohesion.

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Group needs Facilitating behaviours

Goal  Ask what it is.


Behaviours to  Suggest one.
clarify and achieve  Explore options to agree a precise goal.
the purpose of the  Check that it is clear. If not clarify it.
discussion.  Check that everyone agrees with it. If not explore options.
 Remind people of the goal if they ignore it.

Process  Ask what it is.


Behaviours to  Suggest one.
clarify and stick to  Clarify it. Explore options.
the method by  Check others understand and accept it. Bring people back to it
which the group if they ignore it.
will achieve the  If the discussion gets bogged down, summarise and suggest it
goal. is time for a decision.
 If time gets really tight, suggest a quicker method.

Understanding  Probe to understand others.


Behaviours to  Summarise to check your understanding.
ensure that you  Summarise what others have said to help participants
understand the understand each other and to refocus attention.
other participants,  Check they understand you.
that they  Relate what you say to the goal to help others agree with you.
understand you
and that you all
understand each
other.
Cohesion  Invite quieter people to contribute or comment.
Behaviours to  Suggest people who dominate summarise the main point of
ensure that the what they are saying.
group stays unified  Summarise others opposing views and propose a way
and progresses in forward.
unison.  Suggest it is time for a decision.

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Handout 5.2
Exercise - Scene
observation 1
Here is a script for the first DVD scene. As directed by your Trainer, review it
and annotate it appropriately wherever you see behaviours relating to goal,
process, understanding or cohesion. If behaviour does not fall into one of
these four categories, leave it blank.

The first couple have been done for you.

Behaviour
Actor 1 Thank you all for attending. As you know, last years bonus Goal
allocation seemed to create more trouble than it was worth
and the recent staff survey confirms that it demotivates as
much as it motivates. So we need to decide if were going to
change it for this coming year and, if so, how.

Actor 2 Well I think we should give line managers more control


over their budgets and allow them to decide who gets
what.

Actor 3 That wont work. We need clear guidelines consistent


throughout the whole organisation...

Actor 5 Can I check something? What exactly did the staff survey Understanding
say about the bonus system?
Actor 1 There were several points. One was that it was inflexible,
another was that the lack of published criteria made staff
suspect some managers of favouritism. Others felt it didnt
recognise achievements that werent easily quantified.
Some actually felt that linking it solely to individual
objectives had a negative effect on teamwork.

Actor 3 Thats quite a list. I think...

Actor 5 [Interrupting] Hang on please Hannah. Why do we actually


want a bonus system? What is its prime purpose?

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Behaviour

Actor 1 Several years ago a detailed staff survey said that managers
wanted a more direct way of recognising good performance and
many staff felt that the old appraisal system didnt
distinguish enough between the rewards given to good
performers and those given to poor performers.

Actor 5 And do those goals still stand?

Actor 1 Of course.

Actor 5 So whatever bonus system we agree has to recognise


actual performance, be simple enough for managers to use
accurately and open enough for staff to feel confident in it.

Actor 4 And be within the companys ability to pay.

Actor 1 Yes, thats an important point.

Actor 5 Yet we know that what constitutes good performance might


be different in different functions so can I suggest that we
each describe what we mean by good performance and,
when weve done that we can see if there are common
denominators. George shall we start with Sales?

Actor 2 In Sales its pretty straightforward. We can see whose


selling what and at what profitability.

Actor 3 Are you saying that youd base the bonus on Sales against
targets?
Actor 2 To a large extent, but not totally. Sometimes a salesperson
will cultivate a customer but will pass them over to another
salesperson with more appropriate technical experience.
Sometimes they go in as a team. There are also support staff
who dont have sales targets but they help the
salespeople enormously.

Actor 1 And what about Research?

Actor 3 Our researchers have targets, but theyre based on project


milestones rather than deliverables.

Actor 2 Whys that?

Actor 3 Research is like exploring. You can target how many miles
youll travel a day but youve no idea if youll discover
something on day one, day ninety or not at all so if we
rewarded people only on deliverables everyone would
want the safe projects not the risky ones. Yet, sometimes,
thats where the real progress is made.

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Behaviour

Actor 4 You mean like with that crazy idea three years ago that
turned into our biggest cash cow?

Actor 3 Exactly. Had we linked bonus to research results then, no


one would have touched that project.

Actor 5 And what about Accounts?

Actor 4 A lot of work in our area is procedural, preparing financial


management and statutory reports to prescribed formats at
prescribed times. A lot of my staff can under-perform by
making mistakes or not delivering what theyre supposed
to but, for many of them, its virtually impossible to exceed
performance requirements. If a report is accurate and on
time theyve done what theyre supposed to. Thats why I
often judge their performance on using initiative, spotting
potential problems, helping others meet deadlines and
so on.

Actor 1 This is much more varied than Id thought it would be.

Actor 5 If I were to summarise, what strikes me is that what we all


think of as good performance differs because of the nature
of the work in each function which means that trying to find
a universal criterion for bonus payments wont work. Im
wondering if we need to rise to a higher level, as it were,
relating bonuses to contribution to the team and the
company.

Actor 2 How on earth would individual managers assess that?

Actor 5 I think thats what we have to look at next. If were to avoid


the problems people experienced last year, we have to
come up with something thats as objective as possible but
which allows managers in different functions to tailor the
system to the work their staff do.

Actor 3 Im in. It sounds robust to me.

Actor 2 OK, Im sold

Actor 4 Will it still be possible to link it to the companys ability to


pay?

Actor 1 Id have thought so. Pete what do you think?

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Exercise - Scene observation 1
Trainers notes
Behaviour
Actor 1 Thank you all for attending. As you know, last years bonus Goal
allocation seemed to create more trouble than it was worth
and the recent staff survey confirms that it demotivates as
much as it motivates. So we need to decide if were going to
change it for this coming year and, if so, how.

Actor 2 Well I think we should give line managers more control


over their budgets and allow them to decide who gets
what.

Actor 3 That wont work. We need clear guidelines consistent


throughout the whole organisation...

Actor 5 Can I check something? What exactly did the staff survey Understanding
say about the bonus system?
Actor 1 There were several points. One was that it was inflexible,
another was that the lack of published criteria made staff
suspect some managers of favouritism. Others felt it didnt
recognise achievements that werent easily quantified.
Some actually felt that linking it solely to individual
objectives had a negative effect on teamwork.

Actor 3 Thats quite a list. I think...

Actor 5 [Interrupting] Hang on please Hannah. Why do we actually Goal


want a bonus system? What is its prime purpose?

Actor 1 Several years ago a detailed staff survey said that


managers wanted a more direct way of recognising good
performance and many staff felt that the old appraisal
system didnt distinguish enough between the rewards
given to good performers and those given to poor
performers.

Actor 5 And do those goals still stand? Understanding

Actor 1 Of course.

Actor 5 So whatever bonus system we agree has to recognise Goal


actual performance, be simple enough for managers to
use accurately and open enough for staff to feel confident
in it.

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Behaviour

Actor 4 And be within the companys ability to pay.

Actor 1 Yes, thats an important point. Goal

Actor 5 Yet we know that what constitutes good performance Process


might be different in different functions so can I suggest
that we each describe what we mean by good
performance and, when weve done that we can see if
there are common denominators. George shall we start
with Sales?

Actor 2 In Sales its pretty straightforward. We can see whose


selling what and at what profitability.

Actor 3 Are you saying that youd base the bonus on Sales against Understanding
targets?
Actor 2 To a large extent, but not totally. Sometimes a salesperson
will cultivate a customer but will pass them over to another
salesperson with more appropriate technical experience.
Sometimes they go in as a team. There are also support staff
who dont have sales targets but they help the
salespeople enormously.

Actor 1 And what about Research? Understanding

Actor 3 Our researchers have targets, but theyre based on project


milestones rather than deliverables.

Actor 2 Whys that? Understanding

Actor 3 Research is like exploring. You can target how many miles
youll travel a day but youve no idea if youll discover
something on day one, day ninety or not at all so if we
rewarded people only on deliverables everyone would
want the safe projects not the risky ones. Yet, sometimes,
thats where the real progress is made.

Actor 4 You mean like with that crazy idea three years ago that Understanding
turned into our biggest cash cow?

Actor 3 Exactly. Had we linked bonus to research results then, no


one would have touched that project.

Actor 5 And what about Accounts? Understanding


Cohesion

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Behaviour

Actor 4 A lot of work in our area is procedural, preparing financial


management and statutory reports to prescribed formats at
prescribed times. A lot of my staff can under-perform by
making mistakes or not delivering what theyre supposed
to but, for many of them, its virtually impossible to exceed
performance requirements. If a report is accurate and on
time theyve done what theyre supposed to. Thats why I
often judge their performance on using initiative, spotting
potential problems, helping others meet deadlines and so
on.

Actor 1 This is much more varied than Id thought it would be.

Actor 5 If I were to summarise, what strikes me is that what we all Understanding


think of as good performance differs because of the nature of Cohesion
the work in each function which means that trying to find a
Process
universal criterion for bonus payments wont work. Im
wondering if we need to rise to a higher level, as it were,
relating bonuses to contribution to the team and the
company.

Actor 2 How on earth would individual managers assess that?

Actor 5 I think thats what we have to look at next. If were to avoid Process
the problems people experienced last year, we have to Goal
come up with something thats as objective as possible but
which allows managers in different functions to tailor the
system to the work their staff do.

Actor 3 Im in. It sounds robust to me.

Actor 2 OK, Im sold

Actor 4 Will it still be possible to link it to the companys ability to Understanding


pay?

Actor 1 Id have thought so. Pete what do you think? Cohesion

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Handout 5.3
Exercise - Scene
observation 2
Here is a script for the second DVD scene. As directed by your Trainer, review it
and annotate as many of the behaviours as you can.

The first few have been done for you to start you off.

Behaviour

Actor 2 Look, if were going to have any kind of bonus system Irritating phrases
its pretty obvious that it has to be based on measurable
deliverables.

Actor 3 That wont work. What youve obviously forgotten is that Disagreeing the
Research doesnt work that way. When were... wrong way
Irritating phrases

Actor 2 [Interrupting] Well maybe it should. Times are getting Disagreeing the
tough and I dont see why my Sales team should wrong way
subsidise your people.

Actor 3 Listen, its my people who... Disagreeing the


wrong way

Actor 4 [Interrupting] It wont work in Accounts either. Disagreeing the


wrong way

Actor 2 Why not? If any department should be good with Disagreeing the
numbers it ought to be yours. wrong way

Actor 5 Hang on everyone, please, Id like to check something. Understanding


Why do we actually want a bonus system?

Actor 1 Several years ago a detailed staff survey said that


managers wanted a more direct way of recognising
good performance and many staff felt that the old
appraisal system didnt distinguish enough between the
rewards given to good performers and those given to poor
performers.

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Behaviour

Actor 5 And do those goals still stand?

Actor 1 Of course.

Actor 5 And are there any other criteria a bonus system needs
to fulfil? George, you seem keen that one of the criteria
relates to measurable deliverables. What did you mean
by that?

Actor 2 If were going to compete in these tough times were


going to have to sell even more successfully than we do
at the moment. I want to give big incentives to my
salespeople related to what they actually achieve. The
bottom line has numbers in it, not pretty words.

Actor 5 I can understand that, however, Hannah you said that


Research doesnt work that way. What constitutes good
performance in Research?

Actor 3 Research is like exploring. You can target how many


miles youll travel a day but youve no idea if youll
discover something on day one, day ninety or not at all
so if we rewarded people only on deliverables everyone
would want the safe projects not the risky ones. Yet,
sometimes, thats where the real progress is made.

Actor 5 In what way?

Actor 3 Three years ago one of my team had what, at the time,
seemed like a crazy idea. I let her pursue it and now the
product is one of our biggest cash cows. If we had a bonus
system just based on deliverables that project wouldnt
have seen the light of day.
Actor 2 Mmmm...thats a fair point. We love that product. It really
gives us the edge over the competition. If you could give us
some more like that Id be happy.

Actor 3 And if you could give us more customer feedback we


might be able to. Ive requested it on several occasions
but to date it hasnt materialised.

Actor 2 What youve got to realise is...

Actor 5 Sorry George, Avtar made a point a moment ago that


Im keen to clarify. You had some concerns about
Accounts too?

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Behaviour

Actor 4 A lot of work in our area is procedural, producing


financial management and statutory reports to
prescribed formats at prescribed times. A lot of my staff
can under-perform by making mistakes or not delivering
what theyre supposed to but, for many of them, its
virtually impossible to exceed performance
requirements. If a report is accurate and on time theyve
done what theyre supposed to. Thats why I often judge
their performance on using initiative, spotting potential
problems, helping others meet deadlines and so on.

Actor 1 And that kind of stuff is important in all our departments.


George what youve got to realise is that soft aspects of
performance are just as valuable as hard aspects.

Actor 2 Look, if you want a bonus system to have any credibility,


it needs objectivity.

Actor 5 George what Eileen is saying is that deliverables can be


measurable and they can also be descriptive. Weve all
agreed that the staff survey highlighted the need for a
bonus system that distinguished between different levels
of performance and, from what were saying, good
performance manifests itself in different ways in different
functions.

Actor 4 How do you mean?

Actor 5 The salespeople have targets, the research people have


milestones, once a project is agreed, and the Accounts
team have reporting timetables. Underpinning those
deliverables, we also have soft aspects of performance
such as the Accounts teams support for each other, the
researchers use of initiative and the Sales teams
willingness to pass customer feedback to the Research
department. Id like to suggest that we examine a bonus
system that includes both hard and soft aspects of
performance and that allows managers the flexibility to
adjust the balance between the various aspects.

Actor 3 But I dont see how that facilitates consistency.

Actor 5 I agree that consistency is important; its part of


everyones confidence in the bonus system. Another
part of that confidence is reassurance that it is being
applied to them and their performance fairly. So we
would need managers to tailor the weighting to achieve
that fairness. If were consistent in the description of

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Behaviour
performance criteria and train managers to tailor their
application, we can design an effective bonus system that
meets our needs as managers, staff needs for
fairness and transparency and the companys needs to
encourage high performance.

Actor 1 I think thats got potential.

Actor 4 Itll work in Accounts.

Actor 3 It sounds robust enough for my researchers.

Actor 2 Im still not convinced.

Actor 5 In what way?

Actor 2 I wouldnt want my salespeople thinking that they can


fail to achieve their sales targets but still get a bonus by
being a good team worker.

Actor 1 But be reasonable George...

Actor 5 Hang on Eileen, George if you had sufficient flexibility to


establish a base line of performance on sales targets
before any of the other aspects take effect, how much
would that give you the tailoring you need?

Actor How much? All of it. Its the tailoring aspect I like. OK,
Im in. Lets go for it.

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Exercise - Scene observation 2
Trainers notes
Behaviour

Actor 2 Look, if were going to have any kind of bonus system Irritating phrases
its pretty obvious that it has to be based on measurable
deliverables.

Actor 3 That wont work. What youve obviously forgotten is that Disagreeing the
Research doesnt work that way. When were... wrong way
Irritating phrases

Actor 2 [Interrupting] Well maybe it should. Times are getting Disagreeing the
tough and I dont see why my Sales team should wrong way
subsidise your people.

Actor 3 Listen, its my people who... Disagreeing the


wrong way

Actor 4 [Interrupting] It wont work in Accounts either. Disagreeing the


wrong way

Actor 2 Why not? If any department should be good with Disagreeing the
numbers it ought to be yours. wrong way

Actor 5 Hang on everyone, please, Id like to check something. Understanding


Why do we actually want a bonus system?

Actor 1 Several years ago a detailed staff survey said that


managers wanted a more direct way of recognising
good performance and many staff felt that the old
appraisal system didnt distinguish enough between the
rewards given to good performers and those given to poor
performers.

Actor 5 And do those goals still stand? Understanding

Actor 1 Of course.

Actor 5 And are there any other criteria a bonus system needs Understanding
to fulfil? George you seem keen that one of the criteria Cohesion
relates to measurable deliverables. What did you mean Understanding
by that?

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Behaviour

Actor 2 If were going to compete in these tough times were


going to have to sell even more successfully than we do
at the moment. I want to give big incentives to my
salespeople related to what they actually achieve. The
bottom line has numbers in it, not pretty words.

Actor 5 I can understand that, however, Hannah you said that Building
Research doesnt work that way. What constitutes good Understanding
performance in Research? Cohesion

Actor 3 Research is like exploring. You can target how many


miles youll travel a day but youve no idea if youll
discover something on day one, day ninety or not at all
so if we rewarded people only on deliverables everyone
would want the safe projects not the risky ones. Yet,
sometimes, thats where the real progress is made.

Actor 5 In what way? Understanding

Actor 3 Three years ago one of my team had what, at the time,
seemed like a crazy idea. I let her pursue it and now the
product is one of our biggest cash cows. If we had a bonus
system just based on deliverables that project wouldnt
have seen the light of day.

Actor 2 Mmmm...thats a fair point. We love that product. It really Building


gives us the edge over the competition. If you could give
us some more like that Id be happy.

Actor 3 And if you could give us more customer feedback we Formal speak
might be able to. Ive requested it on several occasions
but to date it hasnt materialised.

Actor 2 What youve got to realise is... Irritating phrases

Actor 5 Sorry George, Avtar made a point a moment ago that Cohesion
Im keen to clarify. You had some concerns about Understanding
Accounts too?
Actor 4 A lot of work in our area is procedural, producing
financial management and statutory reports to
prescribed formats at prescribed times. A lot of my staff
can under-perform by making mistakes or not delivering
what theyre supposed to but, for many of them, its
virtually impossible to exceed performance
requirements. If a report is accurate and on time theyve
done what theyre supposed to. Thats why I often judge
their performance on using initiative, spotting potential
problems, helping others meet deadlines and so on.

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Behaviour

Actor 1 And that kind of stuff is important in all our departments. Building
George what youve got to realise is that soft aspects of Irritating phrases
performance are just as valuable as hard aspects.

Actor 2 Look, if you want a bonus system to have any credibility, Disagreeing the
it needs objectivity. wrong way

Actor 5 George what Eileen is saying is that deliverables can be Understanding


measurable and they can also be descriptive. Weve all Goal
agreed that the staff survey highlighted the need for a
bonus system that distinguished between different levels
of performance and, from what were saying, good
performance manifests itself in different ways in different
functions.

Actor 4 How do you mean? Understanding

Actor 5 The salespeople have targets, the research people have Summarising
milestones, once a project is agreed, and the Accounts Factual language
team have reporting timetables. Underpinning those Understanding
deliverables, we also have soft aspects of performance Chunking
such as the Accounts teams support for each other, the Cohesion
researchers use of initiative and the Sales teams
willingness to pass customer feedback to the Research
department. Id like to suggest that we examine a bonus
system that includes both hard and soft aspects of
performance and that allows managers the flexibility to
adjust the balance between the various aspects.

Actor 3 But I dont see how that facilitates consistency.

Actor 5 I agree that consistency is important; its part of Building


everyones confidence in the bonus system. Another Sequencing
part of that confidence is reassurance that it is being Positive words
applied to them and their performance fairly. So we Towards
would need managers to tailor the weighting to achieve motivation
that fairness. If were consistent in the description of
performance criteria and train managers to tailor their
application, we can design an effective bonus system that
meets our needs as managers, staff needs for
fairness and transparency and the companys needs to
encourage high performance.

Actor 1 I think thats got potential. Building

Actor 4 Itll work in Accounts. Building

Actor 3 It sounds robust enough for my researchers. Building

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Behaviour

Actor 2 Im still not convinced.

Actor 5 In what way? Understanding

Actor 2 I wouldnt want my salespeople thinking that they can


fail to achieve their sales targets but still get a bonus by
being a good team worker.

Actor 1 But be reasonable George... Irritating phrases

Actor 5 Hang on Eileen, George if you had sufficient flexibility to Cohesion


establish a base line of performance on sales targets Wants/needs
before any of the other aspects take effect, how much Cost/value
would that give you the tailoring you need?

Actor How much? All of it. Its the tailoring aspect I like. OK, Building
Im in. Lets go for it.

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Handout 5.4
Exercise - Group discussion
Here are suggestions for a group discussion exercise so that you can practice,
and receive feedback on your meetings skills.

Subjects for discussion:


 Agreeing an outline plan for a security assessment of the training venue.
 Prioritising ways of using mobile phones and MP3 players to better educate
12-16 year olds.
 Designing in outline a motivational reward system for school teachers,
police officers, charity workers or religious ministers.
 Prioritising ways of improving socially deprived areas. 

Any other topics agreed with your Trainer.

Discussions can last 15 minutes or as directed by your Trainer.

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Handout 5.4
Observers sheet
Your role is to:
1. Act as timekeeper, reminding the group of the time halfway through and five
minutes from the deadline. The exercise duration will be specified by your
Trainer.
2. Observe each individuals behaviour and identify a minimum of two
feedback points from the list below. You can help your colleagues gain
most from your feedback by keeping it positive. So, when you spot some
positive behaviour, make a note of it. If you spot some negative behaviour,
identify the positive version and suggest they do more of that instead.
3. To give feedback to each individual after the discussion. Space is provided
below for you to make notes.

Behaviour Name Name Name Name


Goal
Exploring a goal.
Agreeing a goal.
Reminding others
of the goal.

Process
Exploring
processes.
Reminding others
of the processes.

Understanding
Probing.
Summarising.

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse
Behaviour Name Name Name Name
Cohesion
Focusing the
group.
Bringing in
quieter members.
Suggesting ways
forward.

2009 CIPD Please use or adapt this document in line with our terms of use www.cipd.co.uk/Bookstore/onlineresources/termsofuse

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