The Art of
Influence
National Aspiring Leaders Programme – NALP20
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NALP 2020
THE FRAMEWORK: INTRODUCE ARISTOTLE’S CLASSIC TRIAD AS THE THREE LEVERS OF INFLUENCE:
Ethos: Trust & Credibility (Why should they listen to you?)
Pathos: Connection & Empathy (Why should they care?)
Logos: Reason & Evidence (Why does this make sense?)
Ethos:
The Strategy: Unbiased Stewardship & Tactical Grounding.
Establishing that you understand both high-level school policy and ground-level reality, and that your recommendations are free from territorial bias.
Influencing SLT:
"As SLT, our job isn't just to launch initiatives; it's to protect teacher capacity. I’m willing to shelve my proposal for the new mentoring framework this term because the data shows staff are already at capacity with the accreditation review."
Ethos:
Establishing Credibility & Trust
As a senior leader, ethos isn't about pulling rank—it’s about proving that your leadership is grounded in classroom reality and that you wouldn't ask staff to do something you aren't willing to do yourself.
Influencing my team
"I know new framework rollouts can feel like top-down mandates. I'm not asking you to implement this overnight based on a directive. I’ve adjusted my own teaching schedule this term so I can co-teach and pilot these new units alongside you in the classroom, experience the friction points firsthand, and refine it together."
Ethos:
Establishing Credibility & Trust
Ethos isn't about bragging about your degrees; it’s about establishing character, consistency, and shared values.
Influencing Parents:
Send a brief "positive news" email in week two of the term highlighting a student's strength. When you later need to address a behavioural or academic issue, your ethos as a fair, supportive partner is already established.
Influencing SLT:
"If we look at our exit interviews from last year, teachers aren't leaving because they don't love our students—they’re leaving because they feel overwhelmed by administrative friction. If we don't adjust duty rosters to protect collaborative planning time, we are going to burn out our best department heads by Midyear."
Pathos:
Pathos isn't about emotional drama; it’s about aligning proposals with the school's core mission, staff morale, and the human reality of students and families.
Influencing My Team:
"We are shifting our department structure not because what you were doing previously failed, but because our student demographic has changed. I know change causes anxiety, but we are doing this together so no individual teacher is left carrying a heavy caseload on an island."
Pathos:
Pathos taps into shared values, empathy, and story.
"How does this decision affect us on a human level?"
Influencing Parents:
"We both want [Student] to feel confident and capable every morning when they walk through that door. Right now, reading frustration is getting in the way of that. Let’s look at how we can lighten that load together."
Pathos:
Pathos taps into shared values, empathy, and story.
"How does this decision affect us on a human level?"
Influencing SLT:
"If we invest $5,000 in external coaching for our middle leaders, the logic is simple: fixing leadership at the Head of Department level directly impacts 30 staff members and over 400 students, reducing our costly staff turnover rate far more effectively than one-off workshops."
Logos:
School Principals and Business Managers rely on feasibility, compliance, ROI (Return on Investment), and clear risk management.
Influencing My Team:
"Instead of rewriting the whole Year 9 plan, let's test this unit framework in two classes for three weeks. If student outcomes and teacher prep time improve, we roll it out to the rest of the department. If not, we drop it."
Logos:
Providing Clear
Reason &
Practical Evidence
Logos is the structure, data, and logic that proves your idea works.
Influencing Parents:
"Here is [Student]'s draft from week 1, and here is week 6. Notice how their vocabulary expanded here, but sentence structure is where the gap remains."
Logos:
Providing Clear
Reason &
Practical Evidence
Logos is the structure, data, and logic that proves your idea works.
The Influence Triad Check: Before any high-stakes conversation (a SLT meeting, a department pitch, or setting class expectations), ask yourself:
Ethos: Have I established trust and shown I respect their perspective?
Pathos: Have I connected this to a value or goal they actually care about?
Logos: Is my request clear, realistic, and supported by simple evidence?