Influence can be a tricky thing, at least partly because I think people use the word in different ways. When some people say they want to get better at “influencing” senior leadership, they mean they want to be able to connect and communicate in meaningful ways with the leadership team so they can better effect some sort of positive, organizational change. I’m down with that.

Others who use the word “influence” mean (even unwittingly) that they want to have the ability to manipulate others into doing whatever they want them to do, or that they want to figure out how to get certain folks to like them more so they can get promoted. At least that’s how it comes off when they explain what they mean when they use the word.

For the former group, here are some simple tips. Please don’t treat these like something that was carved in stone and carried down off the mountain (hat tip to Moses), but maybe they’ll get you thinking about your own strategy.

1. Know your stuff. I can’t stress this enough, but you’ve got to know–at least to the degree you can–what the heck you’re talking about it. I’m not saying you always have to know everything, or that you always have to have all the answers; but you should certainly do your homework so you can speak intelligently to the topic at hand.

2. Don’t assume they know your stuff. Just because something seems clear as day to you doesn’t mean it’s going to be understood the same way by others. You need to think of it as making your case, advocating for your cause (without being a jerk). Be ready to be simple, concise, and plain-spoken.

3. Why are you talking? You have to get beyond thinking about only what you think is important. Work very hard to understand why what you’re talking about is important to them. Why does what you’re saying matter? Why should they give you the time of day? You need to give them something beyond that you happen to think something is important.

4. Why do they think you’re talking? It’s important to understand group dynamics as much as you can. Going into discussions, you should understand not only why you’re presenting what you are, but also why they think you’re presenting what you are. For example, do they think you have an axe to grind? If so, you’ll need to figure out how to address that in the course of talking through the subject at hand.

5. Know when to hold ’em. This takes time, but you’ve got to learn when and how to stand your ground when necessary. Please don’t misread this–I’m not saying there are times you should be an arrogant-punk-know-it-all. There are times, however, when you need to be willing to push back. You have to become extremely in tune with the folks you’re talking with to understand when those times are.

6. Know when to fold ’em. This also takes time, but you’ve got to learn when to back down, swallow your pride, and live to fight another day. This can be especially difficult in the heat of a conversation because let’s face it–you didn’t go into the conversation hoping not to influence or persuade them to your position. Understanding that you don’t know everything, and that you’re not always right, you need to learn to read the group well enough that you can tell when you just need to shut up.

7. Understand the angles. People think about things differently (and thank goodness for that). I’ll probably do a separate post on this at some point, but something that is extremely underrated and underutilized is understanding how different parties view organizations. Through what lens do they most often view the organization and its issues? Do they tend to see the organization largely and primarily as a political machine with limited resources and influence? Do they more often view the organization from the perspective of it being the sum total of its processes and procedures? Or maybe they look at it as a symbiotic relationship between the people and the organization wherein both parties are mutually benefiting each other? Do they seem to lean toward viewing the organization like a specific people group complete with their own traditions, symbols, rituals, and so on? Rarely will people embrace only one of these angles exclusively, but most do tend to lean a bit more heavily on one or two perspectives than the others. How folks view an organization will affect how and what you need to communicate.

These are just a few to get you thinking. The key will be to figure out what works for you. Got any other tips? Feel free to share them!