Influencing Without Authority (C1Level) English Listening Practice (Workplace English)

Vocabulary
A. Relying on (phrasal verb) compter sur; s'appuyer sur: Depending on someone or something. Example: We are relying on good weather for the picnic.

B. Procurement (noun) approvisionnement; achats: The process of buying goods or services. Example: She works in procurement for a hospital.

C. Department heads (noun) chefs de département: Managers responsible for departments. Example: The department heads met to discuss next year's budget.

D. Critical (adjective) essentiel; crucial: Extremely important for success. Example: Water is critical for good health.

E. Reassign (verb) réaffecter: To give someone a different job or task. Example: The coach decided to reassign players to new positions.

F. Shared outcomes (noun) résultats communs: Results that everyone works to achieve together. Example: The volunteers celebrated their shared outcomes after the event.

G. Build consensus (expression) crée un consensus: Helps people reach general agreement. Example: She builds consensus by listening to every opinion.

H. Momentum (noun) élan; dynamique: Continued progress or growing success. Example: The team gained momentum after its first victory.

I. Competing objectives (noun) objectifs concurrents: Goals that conflict with each other. Example: The family balanced competing objectives during the holiday.

J. Declining engagement (noun) baisse de l'engagement: Decreasing interest or involvement. Example: The teacher noticed declining engagement during the long lecture.

K. Tight (adjective) serré; limité: Having very little time available. Example: We have a tight schedule before the concert.

PATTERN: Depend less on + noun/gerund + and more on + noun/gerund

This is used to compare two factors and show that the second one is more important than the first.

Structure: Subject + depend(s) less on A and more on B
French equivalents
dépend moins de... que de... (most common)
repose moins sur... que sur...
est davantage fondé sur... que sur... (more formal)

Examples

• Success depends less on talent and more on consistent effort. La réussite dépend moins du talent que d'efforts constants.
• Customer loyalty depends less on price and more on the quality of the service. La fidélité des clients dépend moins du prix que de la qualité du service.

Other common English patterns
less... and more...
The meeting was less about blaming people and more about finding solutions. La réunion visait moins à chercher des responsables qu'à trouver des solutions.

Guide Questions
1. What does the speaker say about managers and team leaders?
2. What does a manager do when a critical feature is delayed?
3. How can managers build consensus?
4. What happens when a project manager repeatedly pressures colleagues?
5. What does the speaker say about effective leadership?

 

Discussion Questions

1. You are leading a project, but the engineering team reports to another manager. A critical feature will be delayed. How would you persuade the engineers to prioritize your project without giving them orders? A colleague from another department refuses to share important information because they are busy with their own work. How would you convince them to cooperate while maintaining a positive working relationship?
2. Your manager supports your idea, but several experienced coworkers are skeptical. What strategies would you use to gain their trust and encourage them to support your proposal?
3. During a meeting, two departments disagree about how to solve a problem. If you have no authority over either team, how would you help them reach an agreement?
4. A senior employee often ignores your suggestions because you are less experienced. How could you increase your influence and make your ideas more convincing?
5. Your team needs another department to complete an urgent task before a deadline, but they have different priorities. How would you encourage them to help without creating conflict?
6. You believe a company procedure should be changed because it wastes time. Since you cannot make the decision yourself, how would you persuade the decision-makers to support your recommendation?
7. A new employee has excellent ideas, but nobody listens to them. If you wanted to help this person influence the team, what advice would you give?
8. Think about a time when someone successfully influenced you without using their position or authority. What did they do, and why was their approach effective?
9. Imagine you are responsible for introducing a new way of working, but no one is required to follow your recommendations. What would you do to gain support and encourage people to adopt the change?

TRANSCRIPT

For many managers or team leaders, influencing without authority is not an occasional challenge but a daily responsibility. Imagine leading the launch of a new product while relying on engineers, designers, procurement specialists, and marketing staff who all report to different department heads. When engineering announces that a critical feature will be delayed, the project manager cannot simply demand overtime or reassign resources. Instead, they organize a meeting to clarify the project's commercial impact, negotiate realistic compromises, and encourage each team to identify solutions rather than defend its own priorities. By focusing on shared outcomes instead of departmental interests, the manager gradually builds consensus and maintains momentum despite competing objectives. In contrast, a project manager who repeatedly pressures colleagues for updates often receives minimal cooperation and declining engagement. Effective leadership depends less on giving orders and more on bringing people together to achieve a common goal, especially when deadlines are tight and priorities compete. (154 words)