How persuasive are you? A while back, I was asked to coach a management consultant who was rubbing colleagues up the wrong way with an overbearing, aggressive style. The consultant truly felt that to get people to take action, the best way was to push harder and overpower them into submission.

But instead, this individual found that colleagues were highly resistant and didn’t appreciate those strongarm tactics.

No-one enjoys being bossed about.

Whether it’s convincing team members to get on board with change initiatives, or persuading a little one that it’s a good idea to eat vegetables, we all need effective ways to encourage others to take action.

Recently, I’ve been speaking about using Empathy to overcome resistance to change. Most organisations have change initiatives happening almost non-stop, and getting people on board can be critical to these initiatives’ success.

One of the tools I share during these keynotes is from Dr Jonah Berger’s book, ‘Catalyst: How to change anyone’s mind’ – which has a handy framework to use with naysayers.

He calls it the REDUCE framework, which stands for: Reactance, Endowment, Distance, Uncertainty and Corroborating Evidence.

Reactance: Occurs when we push people. They often tend to push back rather than meekly following our lead. So, the best course of action is to find a way to help them convince themselves.

Endowment: People are attached to the status quo, so get them to move by sharing the risk of not taking action.

Distance: If your desired changes are too far from someone’s position, they’ll disregard you. So, ask for less, shrinking the distance, and they’ll be more likely to comply.

Uncertainty: When you can provide people with a taster or an example of what life will be like after the change, you’ll reduce their uncertainty and make it easier for them to move in the required direction.

Corroborating Evidence: Give people multiple sources of proof to help create movement.

What do you think? Is there anyone in your life who’s putting up some resistance?

Which strategies have you tried and which of the above can you use to help you make progress?

Drop me a line or let me know what tips and tricks you have up your sleeve! If this keynote sounds like it’s what you need at your organisation and you’d like to learn more, drop a line to heather@sholakaye.net and we’ll send you the full description, or we can talk through the details on a keynote discovery call.

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING BEHIND THE SCENES?

I recently took some time off, and while travelling, I wrote this post asking my connections for their thoughts about working whilst on holiday. I think the next break I take, I’m going to try to switch off completely. I even researched getting a phone case safe to lock my mobile away from undisciplined fingers!

What are your own thoughts on this? Do you work when you’re on leave or is that an absolute no-no?

INSPIRE INCLUSION

A while ago I promised to share some links and resources for those who need to overcome resistance to DEI initiatives.

On this page you may sign up to access a bunch of links to articles, podcasts and videos to help you work with resistance to your efforts.

I hope they’re helpful!

And, calling all introverts… in my last newsletter I shared a survey asking what kind of resources/support would be valuable to you.

We had some fascinating responses and I’ve been speaking to coaches and thought leaders about starting with a series of LinkedIn Lives and podcasts under the brand ‘Big Talk for Quiet People’.

40% of respondents to the survey suggested that help with Building Confidence and Influencing Skills would be most useful.

However, while I’m in the planning phase, a few more responses wouldn’t go amiss, so if introvert inclusion is important to you, please complete the survey asap.

https://forms.gle/hDxQvvAsPA5Dn5zh6

COMMUNICATION CORNER

Do you have customers, suppliers or colleagues from countries and cultures other than your own? Do you ever find yourself wondering why you weren’t understood, or feel baffled by something someone said or did?

If so, you might be interested in this article on cross-cultural communication: https://hbr.org/2024/02/building-cross-cultural-relationships-in-a-global-workplace

The authors talk about 6 core elements that we need to consider when cracking the cross-cultural relationship code.

These are:

• Place
• Power
• Purpose
• Privacy
• Presence
• Pacing

An example from one of the 6 elements is Place.

In Japan, bonding with colleagues, especially superiors, often takes place outside the workplace, e.g. at a karaoke bar.

On the other hand, in Canada, bonding will typically take place in the office, in locations such as breakrooms, the cafeteria, or before/after a meeting.

And regarding Privacy, how much of your personal life do you share with colleagues?

The article shares the differences between a Brazilian woman who said there was very little she wouldn’t disclose to colleagues, and a Taiwanese man who preferred to ease more slowly into those ‘getting to know you’ conversations.

Take a look at the article https://hbr.org/2024/02/building-cross-cultural-relationships-in-a-global-workplace to learn more.

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I hope you have an excellent rest of your month ahead!

Shola

P.S. Here are a few things you might want to do after reading this newsletter:

1. To view a list of Shola’s speech descriptions, go to: https://sholakaye.com/sd
2. And if you’re looking for Leadership talks and training, go to: https://sholakaye.com/empathy-skills-for-leaders-and-managers
3. Book a keynote enquiry call here: https://sholakaye.com/30

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Hi, I’m Shola and I help you create a people-first culture. My work sits at the intersection of Inclusion, Communication & Emotional Intelligence.

My keynote talks and workshops help your leaders and employees create high-performing work environments where people feel a sense of belonging and psychological safety. Sessions are high energy, interactive, and every participant walks away with at least one practical framework for connecting and collaborating more effectively.

Sound good to you? Please reach out and let’s discuss your next event! 🙂🎤✨