A Novel Influence Scale
The idea of this post originated reading a post by Biljana Savic in which she wrote, “We will never completely empty the barrel of sadness, but neither will the barrel of joy, because there will always be at least a drop left”.
The word drop was the trigger. I imagined our words are like drops left in a barrel. The drop could spread fast as drops of ink colors a barrel with their color.
The question is why some liquid drops spread fast whereas other drops of liquids are sticky and stick to their place.
Influence is analogous to different word drops. You listen to a presenter and you sense his words flowing throughout your body whereas some presenters leave sticky word drops that remain where they are.
What makes some presenters, writers, marketers, for example, influence people whereas others fail?
Influencers behave like water drops or like honey drops. Water drops spread fast; honey drops in spite of their sweetness stick where they are.
Several factors include, but are not limited to, these main factors:
-????????? Trust. The author/writer/marketer/or whoever gains credibility and trust quickly to attract the attention of audience.
-????????? Beginning words. The opening words/paragraph are emotionally moving and stir positive emotions such as surprise, suspension and wonderment.
-????????? ?Tone and pitch of voice. Some speakers may say valuable words but in cool way. If the speaker is not self-moved how can she/he move the emotions of the audience?
-????????? Warmth. A speaker who shows no emotions for the crowd lose them. Those speakers avoid eye contact, keep focusing on one segment of the audience, keeps reading the context and present poor quality slides. Viscosity increases with decreasing temperature. Their inattention freezes the surrounding and their words become so viscous to reach the attention of the audience/readers/listeners.
-????????? Vulnerability. Showing vulnerability on certain issues or questions is a sign of strength and increases the respect of the audience because of the speakers’ honesty.
-????????? Storytelling. People love relevant and interesting short stories.
Influence Scale
The idea of merging the fluids viscosity scale with a suggested influence scale is what I am discussing next.
The qualitative influence suggested by Chris Cooper in his post, “The 5 Levels of Influence—and How to Rise to the Top” he suggested five levels of influence. These include:
1.?????? You influence people because merely you are the boss.
2.?????? People follow you because you are the best boss among bosses.
3.?????? People follow you because of what you have done.
4.?????? People follow you because of what you have done to them
5.?????? People follow you because of who you are.
6.?????? To make this scale quantitative and pertinent to this post I extracted five levels of viscous liquids from How to Reduce the VISCOSITY OF LIQUIDS IN DRUMS AND IBCS.
I then mixed the two graphs in the graph below.
Do you want to be an influencer? Then act as water so that your story drops spread and color the attraction of your readers.
Advocate
2 个月that single drop can be the one that is needed to facilitate the positive changes necessary … one single drop like that of a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a tsunami ??
Healthcare Consultant (Freelance)
2 个月Insightful! A genuine influencer will cook good food for thought and he/she will share it with the others. Obviously, a certain type of food for thought is not everybody's cup of tea, the taste differs. Dear friend Ali Anani, your excellent articles are indeed good good for thought.
Columnist at BIZCATALYST 360
2 个月Thank you dear friend Raed AL-Taji AL-Farouki for your reposting my share. You are great. ?? ?? ??
You Dream and We make it happen !
2 个月This is a priceless share and contains all the essential insights for becoming a good influencer or communicator. The analogy of liquid drops—whether they spread like water or stick like honey—is a brilliant way to illustrate how influence can either flow naturally or remain stagnant. The fluidity of influence, much like the viscosity scale you mentioned, is determined by the approach and connection a person has with their audience. Building on Chris Cooper’s five levels of influence, it's clear that true influence doesn’t come from mere authority but from the deeper bonds created through actions and authenticity. The highest level—where people follow you because of who you are—speaks to the importance of genuine leadership, empathy, and consistency. To effectively move up this influence scale, it's crucial to engage with others in a way that allows your words and actions to resonate and spread naturally. Just as water flows effortlessly across surfaces, a great communicator makes their message reach every corner of the audience's mind. And like honey, while sweetness and charm can be powerful, if they remain confined, they lose the capacity to inspire widespread influence. Great perspective Sir Ali Anani, PhD