In the The Behavioural ScienceGuys video David Maxfield and Joseph Grenny make the argument:
When you are trying to influence people who need motivation and not information, don’t offer more information.
They warn us that if you offer to much information you can provoke people to reactance. The best way to motivate people is not with speeches but with questions.
Consider the following questions:
- What is the goal/purpose/intent of your message?
- Are you motivating people or are you just providing more information?
- Are you targeting the head or the heart?
- What is the last sentence or phrase that your viewer will hear?
- What will they remember?
- What is your call to action or do you even have a call to action?
In the Power of Words video a simple shift in words moves from sharing information to motivating people to share the blind man’s misfortune.
Finally, consider the heartfelt power of the following six word story attributed to Ernst Hemingway:
For sale: baby shoes, never worn
Are you using the power of images, video and words to influence and motivate people or are you just dumping more information?
References
Gardner, A. [Andrea Gardner]. (2010, February 23). The power of words [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/Hzgzim5m7oU
For sale: baby shoes, never worn. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved December 12, 2016 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_sale:_baby_shoes,_never_worn
Maxfield, D., & Grenny, J. [VitalSmarts Video]. (2015, January 5). How to change people who don’t want to change: The behavioral science guys [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/9ACi-D5DI6A
