Tools of Influence: What? So what? Now what?

People love frameworks. We love easy-to-remember and easy-to-use processes for helping us quickly do stuff well. 

Like the old,

“Tell them what you’re gonna tell them.
Tell them.
Then tell them what you told them.”

One of the most useful frameworks we teach in our Presenting to Executives Course is “What? So what? Now what?”

Let’s say you’re running to a meeting, and you didn’t prepare for the conversation (shame on you). You have to ask senior management for additional budget for 2 new hires to the team when they’re already strapped for capital. 

Very quickly, you can lay out a complete conversation that is clear, compelling, supported with data, and actionable. Here’s how it might look:

1. What? What is it you’re asking for? 

“We need $650K to hire two new full-time engineers to the team by the end of May.”

2. So what? Why should they give you what you want? The most influential speakers use both logic and emotion.

“As you know, our site has gone down twice in the last two weeks, costing us over $200,000 in lost sales (logic). We’re getting hammered with negative reviews online, the team is feeling overworked and morale is low (emotion). If we could add two full-time engineers to the team, it would save us $ in the long run, we’d provide a better product to our customers, and the team would feel valued and energized again.”

3. Now what? Assuming they’re convinced, the next step is action.

“If we’re all on board, the next step is to put offer letters on their desk by the end of next week. I can draft them up, send to you for approval and HR can send them out by Friday the 7th.”

It can be that easy. And this approach doesn’t just work with meetings and presentations. It’s great for conversations and written communication as well. 

So next time you have to exert your influence, take a few minutes to think through your What? So what? Now what? It’s fast, effective and makes you look prepared, even if you just worked this out in the elevator ride up.

P.S. If you’d like to make your team more influential and persuasive, ask us about our Presenting to Executives Training. We now do this both in person and virtually.