3 Ways to Improve Your Influence and Advance Your Career

The ability to influence is vital if you want your ideas to be heard and taken on.

Following are 3 things you can do immediately to improve your influence and move your career forward fast.

1. Make sure your non-verbal signals, e.g. body language, facial expression, eye movements, and contact, and gestures, are aligned with what you are saying.

If you're trying to project confidence and conviction, but you're not making eye contact with others, you're not going to be trusted or taken seriously. And watch your posture as well.

2. When listening to others conversing during a meeting, be observant. Is there an influential person in a meeting whose non-verbals are unaligned with their words?

Think about why that might be the case. What does that tell you about that person?

Practicing this in each meeting can unlock potential significant hurdles that might be in your way that day and help you decide what to say and do to overcome them.

3. During your daily interactions with your colleagues and your family members, be aware of how much or how little non-verbal feedback you're giving.

Are you giving too little or too much? Note the response your non-verbal feedback creates in others. Doing so will help you know if you need to adjust. The key is finding a balance between too much and too little non-verbal communication.

Remember: Influence is not a dirty word when you have good motives. If you want to move your career forward fast, you must learn and practice influencing skills.