Getting Participants Off the Fence
February 06, 2012
Depending on the behavior change it can take multiple attempts (at least 2 or more) — at quitting smoking, losing weight, starting exercise, managing stress — before a participant experiences long-term success and real commitment. You can’t rush this, but you can help people get off the fence so they can reach commitment on their own, and ultimately achieve the goal of long-term behavior change. Here’s how…
- Ask for a “first-step” promise. What’s the easiest commitment the participant can make and feel they’ve accomplished something? A little confidence builder up front can set the tone for later attempts.
- Create some urgency. What can the participant do today or this week that will move them toward their goals? You’re not trying to say the opportunity won’t exist in the future, but that there’s no better time than the present, so let’s get started.
- Eliminate barriers. Having pat answers for the “I don’t have time to…” excuse isn’t all that helpful. Instead, acknowledge that the participant may have challenges, try to identify the top 1 or 2, and plan how to overcome them now. Get the participant to come up with the solution and simply be a reality check for them.
- Make it personal. Talk about what this really means to the participant… why they want to make this change now… what it will mean to them if they’re successful. Getting a participant to commit to a cholesterol number under 200 isn’t very personal. Being able to wrestle with their grandkid is — go for the emotional jugular.
