• Towards vs. Away From
• Internal vs. External
• Procedures vs. Options
• Big Picture vs. Detail

1. Towards vs. Away From
 
Some people are wired to be Towards people - they move towards goals, they know what they want and create their own motivation to go and get it. They talk about what they want. To influence them you need to clearly present the positive benefits to them of following your proposed course of action.

An Away From Person notices problems and difficulties. They are invaluable for spotting problems and pitfalls in advance. Away From people often mention situations to be avoided. To influence them, stress the pain that they will be able to avoid by following your suggestions.  
 
2. Internal vs. External

An internally-referenced person knows instinctively if they have done a good job. They set their own standards. They may have difficulty in accepting praise or feedback. To influence this type of person, focus on the internal satisfaction they will experience by following your plan.
 
An externally-referenced person relies on other people to set standards. They need other people or external sources of information to decide or judge for them. They need to compare their work to an external norm or standard. Feedback is important to them. To influence this type of person, stress the admiration and respect they will get from others from implementing your proposed plan.
 
3. Procedures vs. Options
 
Procedures people are most comfortable following a well tried procedure. They enjoy doing a task the 'correct' way and may be at a loss if they encounter difficulties. To influence them, remember to show them a step-by-step plan.
 
Options people like to have choices and develop alternatives. They tend to be good ideas people and dislike being constrained by rigid procedures. They like to keep their options open for as long as possible. Your plan will more likely win them over if it includes some options left open for them to decide. 
 
4. Big Picture vs. Detail
 
Big Picture people are good strategic thinkers and planners. They often talk in generalities and are more interested in total concepts than the detail of 'how' a task gets done. To influence them, just give them the overview.
 
Detail people are most comfortable working with small chunks of information, they can take a global plan and chunk it down into small and achievable steps. They may talk and work more sequentially and tend to be very accurate and precise. Give them the details.
 
We find that more and more of our work with organisations is about training and coaching people in the skills they need to influence others.
 
Just think. How could your management team benefit by being successfully able to skilfully influence their peers, their team, contractors, customers and other important stakeholders?