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Persuasion is the deliberate attempt to influence another person’s map of reality in order to get a change in their thoughts and actions. So how can you leverage the power of persuasion to increase the motivation and performance of your people?
Give them your attention, listen well and learn about what motivates them. You can do this by using any motivational model that appeals to you. You can use the Kirschner Motivational Model or McClelland’s Model or even Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs to speak to the needs motivations of your people in a way that moves them, engages them and connects them to a desirable future. And you can use a motivational model to offer to protect them from an undesirable future as well.
Successfully using a motivational model isn’t just about what you say. It’s also about how you say it. The fact is that most people are listening emotionally most the time, and logically only rarely. So, no matter how logical you are in what you propose they do or don’t do, you have to send signals that encourage your people to let themselves be influenced by you. Otherwise, you may be wasting both their time and yours.
There are known ways to package what you say for maximum impact. I call these packaging tools ‘signals,’ ‘guides’ and ‘themes.’ Signals speak to how you address the emotions. Guides make it easier for others to understand the logic of what you say. Themes are a way of structuring what you say to help you stay on track while saying it. The more you use this kind of approach, the more successful you will be in getting a sustainable result.
Engaging the motivations of your people shouldn’t be hard work. In fact, it puts to work the fact that almost nobody goes to work wanting to do a bad job. Most people want to do well, and want what they do to matter. So teamwork happens when leadership happens, and leadership begins with you knowing the answers and being able to share the answers with your people to three very important questions.
The first question is What are we doing? This refers to the task before us, the goal we're aiming for, the problem needing a solution, the challenge needing our energy and focus, our reason for being here, being together.
The second question is, why are we doing it? This question seeks to isolate the reason behind the reason for doing something. For example, what elevates this problem to the place of needing a solution over other problems? What makes this challenge the important one over other challenges? Why do you have this particular goal instead of some other goal? What is the compelling reason that makes this more important than something else? Your people must know why they’re doing what they’re doing, or they’ll find no reason to keep doing it until it’s done.
The third question isn’t about the task, goal, problem or challenge. And it's not about the reason behind these things, either. Instead, it’s about the motivation of your people. The question is, why does it matter? Why does it matter to me? To you? To us? What do we stand to gain or lose in doing or not doing it? Because human beings act out of self interest, or they do not act. That's what matters, and that's what makes what we do matter, makes it count.
Once you have the answers to these questions firmly fixed in your mind, you can help your people to find their own answers to these questions and then keep those answers in front of them as a reminder of meaning and purpose. But don’t let a day go by without making certain that these questions are part of the ongoing conversation between you and your people. Because time is fleeting, memory is short, and life has a way of filling in our moments with other input and information, unless we make a real effort to hold a strong focus.
Of course, it’s one thing to have a lofty vision, and something else entirely when it comes to the rubber meeting the road. To keep your people connected and focused, you simply must treat them with respect, keep them informed along the way, and give recognition whenever it’s due. Recognition, not just in the large things, either, but in the small things as well. People feel recognized when you show appreciation. Thanks for showing up. Thanks for speaking up. Thanks for standing up. Thanks for keeping your promise. Thanks for following through. My mom used to tell me that there is always something to appreciate, you just have to appreciate the value of appreciation to find it.
Done well, the use of persuasion creates a good atmosphere for getting good results. And that's good, because nothing worthwhile is likely to get done in an environment where bad behavior dominates and respect is lacking. You know the saying about one bad apple can ruin the whole barrel? Well, one person behaving badly can undermine your best efforts at positive persuasion.
Here’s what’s bad about bad behavior. It has a bad effect on morale, teamwork and results. There’s no getting around the fact that pushy, negative, disruptive and unreliable behavior is costly because it has real world consequences.
So what is to be done about the bad behavior of an individual on a team? It’s important to keep in mind that human behavior is purposeful. People do what they do for what they consider a good reason, and labeling a particular behavior as good or bad may do little to influence whether you get more or less of it. More important is to understand what’s behind a behavior, how it serves a purpose in someone’s life or work. Understand the ‘good’ intent behind ‘bad’ behavior, and you may find yourself in a position to do something about it, from helping your people understand that the consequences of their behavior are self defeating to their good intentions, to revealing to them better options for fulfilling their good intent. Done persuasively, they’ll be grateful for the insight and opportunity to learn from you. And you, as a result, will get better results from your people.
What specifically can you do when there’s a problem with someone’s behavior? First, observe it. Notice what is happening, when it happens, where it happens and how it happens. Then get together with the person or people involved, and learn everything you can about it from them.
Set the stage by telling them what you’ve observed, where and when you observed it, and then ask them, “When this happens, what’s going on for you? What is your intention?”
Next, tell them the self defeating part. “When you do that, here’s the reaction it gets. Is that what you intended?” And the answer is almost always going to be “No, it’s not!” That’s your learning moment, right there. “What do you think might work better?” Either give your people a chance to come up with a new choice, or, if they’re drawing a blank, either brainstorm with them, or tell them what you know could work better. In any case, you’ll have set the table for learning. A little reinforcement, and it becomes their skill for life.
Effective persuasion requires knowledge about people, tact and skill in dealing with them, and your commitment from the moment you start to the moment you get the result you aimed for. Bring these things to bear and your efforts will bear fruit in the form of motivation and morale, achieved goals and positive results.
©Dr. Rick Kirschner. Dr. Kirschner is a bestselling author, professional speaker, trainer, teletrainer, and coach. Clients include NASA, Starbucks, Texas Instruments. Author of the 'Insider's Guide To The Art Of Persuasion.' For a limited time, get a $49 value 1 hour audio on Dealing With Difficult People absolutely free! Visit http://theartofchange.com/promo for details!
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