The Influencing Quiz

A fun yet revealing diagnosis

The Influencing Quiz

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How successful are your influencing strategies? THE INNOVATION and INFLUENCING QUIZ is a fun yet revealing diagnosis of the important elements that contribute to improving your influence at work. Keep coming back, as new questions will be added regularly.

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The Influencing Quiz

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Question 1

What is one of the best ways to engage employees in the values of your organization?

A	Place the corporate values on the web site Hint: Not the best way
B	Send the list of values to everyone in an email Hint: Too much spam
C	Do a series of road shows and communicate the values Hint: Yeah, yeah and then what
D	Get the leaders to model the behaviours as part of their performance Hint: Correct! That’s where it begins.
E	Have a competition to see who can come up with the best song about the values. Hint: Nice try

Question 1 Explanation:

Values drive behaviours. If the leadership team models and articulates the values, i.e. their walk matches their talk, it begins to catch on amongst staff and then becomes contagious.

Question 2

What is the primary thought that employees have when they experience fundamental change at work?

A	They will pay for this Hint: Maybe but no
B	What’s happening about my job? Hint: Correct! Well done.
C	It was much better working here before these changes Hint: Could be but not the primary thought
D	They don’t tell us what’s happening – we’re always in the dark Hint: Possible but not the primary thought
E	I am so looking forward to these corporate changes, I can’t wait Hint: In your dreams

Question 2 Explanation:

Roger D’Aprix notes that employees at all levels have the same fundamental questions about their job when change occurs. And the primary question is “What’s happening about my job?” Employees only really engage meaningfully with other questions, when they know the answer to the first questions.

Question 3

When giving feedback, what component of the conversation should leaders spend more time on?

A	The lastest sports results Hint: Yeah, yeah
B	Helping the employee find ways to improve his or her ratings Hint: Creating a dependency . . .
C	Exploring why the person did not meet the performance standards Hint: Close, but it’s better to ask other questions first
D	Office politics Hint: That’s a bottomless pit
E	Speaking with candour and inquiring about the impact using an appreciative approach Hint: Correct!

Question 3 Explanation:

The practice of regularly giving feedback on an informal and formal basis involves:
1. Creating the environment so the other person is receptive to receiving feedback.
2. Articulating what you have noticed [with candour] and inquiring about the impact using an appreciative approach [with care].
3. Exploring options and owning outcomes for going forward.
4. Tracking progress, either formally or informally, depending on the relationship.
5. Inviting feedback at the completion of the session using the same approach.

Question 4

What is the business benefit for being empathic towards employees?

A	Profits go up and costs go down because employees leave by themselves after they have been empathized. Hint: Been empathized – does that mean they were violated?
B	The employees will love you and spread the word amongst staff that you are a good person Hint: Bring on the love – sorry, no
C	Empathy will contribute to better productivity, higher engagement and increased morale. Hint: Yes!
D	Your boss will notice that you have a rare skill and you will ultimately get a promotion because you are one of the few who know how to empathize. Hint: No harm in dreaming
E	You’ll be acknowledged as being a respected and professional leader Hint: Right on, boost the ego – what does empathy mean anyway?

Question 4 Explanation:

To sense and respond with empathy to the unique experiences of employees and colleagues at work, is a powerful, meaningful and principled way to engage people, and it is critical to the success and strategic advantage of the organization.

Question 5

When you prepare your next presentation, what is the best strategy?

A	Start at the end: prepare the close first Hint: You got it!
B	Collect as many human interest stories as possible Hint: Nice, but not the first thing you need to do
C	Look for funny cartoons and videos on Youtube to warm up the audience Hint: This will use up just about all your time
D	Start at the beginning and work your way through in a systematic way Hint: It was a dark and stormy night – who knows where it will end
E	Search for impactful graphics for your Powerpoint Hint: And then what?

Question 5 Explanation:

When you structure the close first so your presentation meets the needs of your audience, you will experience the following benefits:

The close helps you get clarity about the purpose of your presentation
The close helps you shape the opening – including relevant stories and analogies in the opening that align with the close
The close reduces preparation time – the more you prepare the close first, you will discover a marked reduction in the time you spend creating a persuasive presentation.

In Stephen King’s book, “On writing,” he admits that as he writes the opening of another potential best seller, he does not know how it will end. Unlike Stephen King, when you prepare your next business presentation, you don’t have the luxury of starting with, “It was a dark and stormy night,” and hope that your presentation will engage your audience and end the way you planned it.

I know it sounds boring and counterintuitive, but start with the end when you prepare your next business presentation. It will be much more of a hit with your audience. And of course, when you deliver it, start with the planned take-off, and the landing will be supreme.

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The Influencing Quiz