We all have needs that we want to fulfil. They can range from food and shelter to buying a new home or car. Sometimes we’d just like a nice night out, with dinner, or a movie with friends.

Communicating those needs to others in a meaningful way so that you get what you need is essentially selling and influencing.

You might be a manager introducing changes to your team, or a medical specialist advocating a new medicine. You could be a mechanic explaining why a car part needs replacing, or an MP in Parliament trying to gain support for a law change. You might be a parent convincing your child to do something. To achieve your goals, you need to get the ‘buy-in’ of other people.

What you say and do affects their thinking and decision-making process. So the easiest place to start is with your own thinking and actions and how it can influence the outcome you need. Think about it – every face-to-face interaction we have involves both verbal and non-verbal communication. What  we understand about the process of communication determines how well we do.