A Master Class in Persuasion in 3 minutes

I want to share with you a simple story about a situation that happened to me lately and that I consider a Master Class in Persuasion.

I went to the dentist to conduct my annual check. As soon as I entered the room and sat on the chair, the doctor checked my teeth, and then she said, ‘’your teeth seem to be in great condition. But are you using the teeth floss that I recommended to you?’’

I told her No.

She told me, ‘’but I told you more than 5 times in the past 3 years that no matter how frequently you brush your teeth, you still need to use the floss. And I warned you about the danger of not cleaning your teeth with floss and its impact on your gums and how it can cause you serious damage in the long run. But you know what? You do not seem to care so much. Which is OK for me if we are only speaking about your own health. But do you know that this can cause an infection which can be transferred to your baby daughter and impact her teeth also because she is using the same spoons and glasses with you at home?’’

In one moment, my brain shifted. And the doctor succeeded in grabbing my attention immediately. I smiled and told her, ’’ah, so now you are putting pressure on me.’’

She said, ‘’yes, I do. If you do not care about your teeth, then at least care about the teeth of your daughter.’’

What the doctor used with me is the power of motive. And not only any motive, but it’s also a motive that is engraved in our DNA for 10000 years and more. And this motive or desire is to protect our beloved ones and to ensure their safety and well-being.

Moral of the story: for anything that you do or aim to achieve, you must have a clear motive. And not all motives are equal. And it is your job to find the most powerful motive that can drive you right now to act or to do the thing that you should do.

Or if you are willing to motivate others to do a specific action, then you should invest some time to know the person that you want to motivate so that you can really understand their most important motives and desires, and link them to the action required so that they are motivated to act immediately.