In an era dominated by artificial intelligence, automated workflows, and rapid technical literacy, you might assume data and code are the ultimate workplace currencies.  

Yet according to the World Economic Forum, human-centric capabilities—such as leadership, resilience, creative thinking, and social influence—remain among the fastest-growing professional skills required through 2030 and beyond.

During a recent episode of Power Speaking Live!, I talked with executive storytelling expert and Southern Methodist University professor Libby Magliolo to unpack what it actually takes to communicate with influence.

The takeaway? Influence isn't about manipulation, title, or flashy slide decks. It’s about building trust, understanding your audience, and delivering clarity.

Here are some core strategies to master the art of workplace influence.

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Differentiate Influence From Manipulation

Many professionals avoid "selling" their ideas or persuading someone to change their mind because they equate influence and persuasion with manipulation. So, a mindset change is in order.

The best kind of influence is collaborative. If you want to persuade someone to change their stance on a specific project, you first need to understand their perspective and create a meaningful dialogue. If you want to advance your influence more broadly across the organization, your intent should always be to co-create innovations and solutions that benefit the stakeholders involved.

Influence isn’t manipulation. It’s a way of being that inspires people to act, together, to get things done.

Prepare to Influence

When asked what distinguishes the most influential communicators, Libby’s answer was straightforward: preparation.

Know Your Content Inside and Out: Nothing builds influence like expertise and preparation. Consider your audience and anticipate questions and concerns.

Maintain a "Back-Pocket List": Anticipate further potential objections and questions. Keep supporting data points ready.

During our discussion, Libby also emphasized that influence isn't built in a single 45-minute presentation or meeting. Real alignment happens beforehand. So, hold pre-meetings with key stakeholders across departments to test ideas, address concerns privately, and co-create solutions.

Libby offered another great insight when I asked what prevents people from being influential: weak language.

Language habits like hedging, apologizing, filler words, and uptalk undermine your and your team’s credibility. People are influenced by communicators who use clear, direct, confident language, even if that means an authentic “I don’t know, but we’ll get that information for you.”

In our PowerSpeaking, Inc. workshops, we help people recognize weak language while they practice their presentations, which puts them on the path to being more confident speakers.

Lead With the Bottom Line

Information overload is alive and kicking. To be heard, understood, and to influence projects and decisions, everyone must learn to cut through the noise.

Brevity, clarity, and audience-centric thinking are what make people sit up, listen, engage, and act.

Here’s a highly effective presentation and communication strategy: Lead with your bottom line (especially if you’re presenting to executives).

Why:

It respects people’s time: Stating your recommendation immediately demonstrates that you’ve done the heavy lifting of synthesizing complex data into an actionable takeaway.

It projects confidence: Stating your conclusion first signals that you stand firmly behind your analysis, instantly enhancing your presence.

It frames the conversation: Your bottom-line lead provides a clear lens through which the audience can interpret the supporting data that follows.

Master Audience Centricity and Emotional Intelligence

Whether you're presenting internally to a CFO or pitching to an external client, remember that any audience has one key question: "What does this mean for me?"

People must tailor their communications to their audience’s needs. In sales parlance, “Make your audience the hero.”

For example, if you’re speaking to a CFO, frame your narrative around ROI and risk mitigation. If pitching a prospective client, skip company history slides and focus directly on the client’s specific operational bottlenecks.

Influence also requires real-time emotional intelligence. If you notice audience members checking their phones or looking disengaged, don’t press forward on autopilot. Instead, pause, disrupt the pattern, and reset engagement by asking a direct question like:

"I want to make sure we’re using our time effectively today. Before we dive into these next metrics, is there a specific priority on your mind we should address first?"

Pushback in a presentation or meeting is inevitable, but highly influential communicators don't view objections as personal attacks. Instead, they treat resistance as a sign of engagement and an opportunity to understand different perspectives.

The best strategies presenters can employ are to remain neutral, ask probing questions, listen deeply, and be honest about gaps in information.

Your Influence and AI

Finally, in a business world where AI is increasingly the go-to for any kind of communication, you might wonder how it’s going to affect your ability to influence. I love Libby’s answer . . . 

AI can be an extraordinary tool for things like compiling primary research and brainstorming content. But as Libby points out, it’s important to remember that everyone has those tools, so the real value comes from humans who validate and synthesize data—and know the organization’s “story"—to make an informed recommendation. As she says, “There’s no substitute for a person who is well-prepared to talk about a topic, and to give a recommendation to a roomful of busy executives and be able to answer questions about that.” 

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, influencing is about inspiring the best kind of collaboration: efficient, creative, relevant, and timely. Tied to organizational goals. Driven by strong relationships and a shared vision.

It’s something very human, and worth the effort.

Want to learn more?

Take advantage of these resources:

Watch the full Live! discussion about building influence, plus all past events, here. Or listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Also: How To Build Workplace Trust: 6 Essential Communication Habits