How to influence and impact others

“Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” Jas 1:19 NIV

There is no magic trick when it comes to influencing and impacting others. The Bible gives you the formula, and here it is: (1) Try to listen carefully. The truth is that people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care. They tend to filter what they hear through their own life experiences, hang-ups, and the particular problem that’s on their mind at that moment. So if you want people to listen when you speak, listen carefully to them. (2) Don’t say too much. If you tend to talk too much, or too fast, here are three tips to slow yourself down: (a) Stop. Just stop talking. Inhale. Count to ten. Excuse yourself and go to the bathroom. (b) Practice not interrupting. Allow the other person to finish what he or she is saying. (c) Ask yourself why you’re talking so much. Is it insecurity? Or anxiety? Or a need to control? Or a desire to impress? The reason many of us try to convince, impress, or control others is because we have a hard time trusting God to work things out. Just deliver the message and trust God to do the rest. (3) Keep your anger in check. If you implement the first two principles, you will tend to do fine on number three. It will just happen. The good news is, starting today you can learn to do all three things. And if you practice them consistently year after year, when you get to the end of your life, looking back, you will be glad you took God’s Word and His wisdom seriously.

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