It’s easy enough to get people to listen to you when they regard you as an expert. But how to do it when you’re not seen as one?

Check out: Get People to Listen to You When You’re Not Seen as an Expert

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Glossary

• perceive -interpret or regard (someone or something) in a particular way
• credentials -a qualification, achievement, quality, or aspect of a person’s background, especially when used to indicate their suitability for something
• blue-chip -denoting companies or their shares considered to be a reliable investment, though less secure than gilt-edged stock / of the highest quality
• commonality -the state of sharing features or attributes
• double down – strengthen one’s commitment to a particular strategy or course of action, typically one that is potentially risky
• validate – demonstrate or support the truth or value of

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Think about it

Answer the questions below.

• What is the most powerful tool of persuasion?
• How can you borrow others’ expertise?
• In what way can you find commonalities between yourself and your audience?
• What is a powermap? What is its goal?
• What are the advantages of creating your original content?

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Practice makes perfect

Fill in the blank spaces with the correct forms and tenses of the verbs in brackets.

One of the most powerful forms of influence, according to psychologist Robert Cialdini’s famous analysis, is authority — often derived from perceived expertise. When a doctor ________ (advise) us to exercise more, or a Nobel Laureate raises questions about a certain economic policy, we’re likely to pay much more attention than if a random person ________ (offer) the same counsel. In our professional lives, this principle can be a boon: if you ________ (have) a Ph.D. in a subject, or ________ (work) in the industry for 20 years, or ________ (see) to be an expert because you ________ (write) for a certain publication, you have an increased ability to influence others.

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Fill in the blank spaces with the missing words. Use ONE word per blank space.

The first step, if you aren’t yet seen as ________ expert in your own right, is to borrow others’ expertise. If you ________ a thoughtful curator of the best ideas in your field, even if you’re not developing ________ yourself, others will start turning to you ________ guidance. “Originality can be overrated,” says Des Dearlove, co-founder of Thinkers50. He cited Malcolm Gladwell and Daniel Goleman (of Emotional Intelligence fame) ________ examples of thought leaders ________ are actually “synthesizers” of information. Says Dearlove, “These guys bring communication skills and an ability to bring complex ideas and make something out ________ them, but it’s not their [original] research.”

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