Potential Plus

Influence

2011-11-28T07:16:00.006Z

I read an article over a year ago that looked at the Principle of Social Proof - An idea that we, as human beings, are influenced by the actions of others and follow the crowd.

The article looked at GP surgeries and the notice you may often see inside - "Last month 156 people did not keep their appointments" - It commented that this notice was using the influence of social proof in the wrong way. It was encouraging patients not to keep their appointments as this was common practice amongst other patients (think who would see this notice - yes, the patients who kept their appointments!)

The reason for this post is that between February and May this year the article above was turned into a full blown study at a number of Bedfordshire GP surgeries. The results of using 3 simple, low cost principles of influence reduced the number of patients not attending by over 30% - Wow! Impressive figures and a huge saving of GP's time and therefore cost to the NHS.

So what 3 simple things did they do? Firstly they used the Principle of Consistency and asked patients on the phone to repeat their appointment time and date back to the receptionist. If a patient was making an appointment in person the receptionist would ask the patient to fill out the appointment card with the relevant details.

Finally they changed the notice to enable the Principle of Social Proof to work for them eg "This month 95% of patients attended their appointments or called 01202 381990 if they have to cancel".

A couple of simple ways we use these principles
- when coaching we use the Principle of Consistency and ensure the Coachee writes their own action plan and summarises it back to us verbally.
- we use the Principle of Social Proof when bringing in new ideas to try and talk through a couple of situations where the idea has worked for other organisations/departments/individuals.

So what does this mean for you? How could you employ the principles of influence to work for your organisation? And if you've not read it already, Cialdini's book 'Influence' is highly recommended.

Mark

Guardian article on the study - http://www.guardian.co.uk/healthcare-network/2011/jul/28/nhs-bedfordshire-study-appointment-keeping

See the Future

2011-08-07T17:29:00.005+01:00

As some of you know, I like to ride my motorbike at trackdays and last week I went to Silverstone. It was a fantastic day however it was a new track for me so I had to learn my way around. During the down time between sessions (20mins on track, 40 mins off) I had a chance to reflect on how I was doing - I found myself thinking and visulising negatively "Humm, better watch out on that corner as it sharpens up, I could go wide there" and after an anouncement about oil on Stowe corner "It must be slippy there better make sure I don't crash". Have a look at this video of John Hopkins who went to Oulton Park near Manchester for the first time this year riding in the British SuperBike series.

So the question is, what does John 'think' about when he is studying the track. I'm guessing it's not like me and about falling off. I imagine that he is thinking about being fast, safe and confident and visulising what that looks like, feels like, and even sounds like. And after he has finished visualising the track, the winners podium is next!
I recognised what I was doing and refocused on the same things that I imagine John did, being fast, safe and confident. I started running a video of a fast, safe, confident lap many times in my head. The results - my fastest laps were definitely in the afternoon sessions and I stayed shiny side up!

So how do we apply this to the business world? Well, exactly the same process, just working out what good would look like in your situation. For example, if you had to present an idea to the CEO, the Board or the MD of your organisation how many of us would wake up in the middle of the night worrying about how would cope with all the applause? Maybe we should....John does.
Your challenge is to catch yourself thinking negatively and then focus on success and visualise how that would be for the situation itself and afterwards - I'm already thinking about my next trackday...

Are You Being Served?

2011-04-18T14:22:00.010+01:00

Customer Service is a hot topic at the moment with fewer consumers in the marketplace it is seen as the difference that makes the difference - This also applies to the workplace where we have 'internal customers' rather than consumers. This month I have focussed on Leadership actions that can make the difference in the service people provide - Keep in mind how you can be even better...

How Often? Reloaded

2011-03-03T13:56:00.009Z

I was reminded of one of our older blog posts whilst talking with a friend about his "Powerlines". I decided it would be great to update it and the result is below.

I guess the key thing that we deal with on our performance programmes is the 'glass ceilings' we invent for ourselves - that is when we decide that we can't do any more or progress any further. To smash through the ceiling and reach the potential the other side, we have to get our psychology on our side - get it working for us instead of against us.

Have a look at the video and answer 'How often?' for you

The Loser's Guide to LIfe

2011-01-29T13:48:00.010Z

Thought I'd use some reverse psychology and publish a short video describing the thing's that successful people don't do! Have a look and enjoy....

When Fear Strikes!

2010-02-10T11:58:00.006Z

If you've seen this blog before you will know how limiting beliefs can affect how we deal with others, just check out the first post "How Often".

Limiting beliefs also have a profound affect on own performance and behaviour - and when I say 'behaviour' I mean our actions (or lack of them!)

Are you Hungry?

2009-09-25T10:56:00.009+01:00

One of the recommendations in our programmes is that you take time out to see motivational speakers. Naturally it makes sense that we do the same. Here's one we thought you'd like, Les Brown talking about being Hungry.

Being Hungry means you have the desire. Being Hungry means you are relentless. Being Hungry means you push and push. Being Hungry means you get the results.

While you watch the video think about yourself - are you truly Hungry? Are you doing everything you can or are you playing safe?

What about your people? Are you recruiting the Hungry people or the okay people? And once in your organisation what do you do to keep them Hungry?

At Potential Plus, we can help you develop that Hunger even if your people seem a little full....

8 Top Tips For Staying Positive

2009-08-03T16:12:00.013+01:00

In these times of uncertainty it can be difficult to stay focused on being positive even though we know this is the best way to get our results - Here are a few top tips to regain that focus

1 Raise the bar.
Billy Ocean said it in the 80's "When the going gets tough the tough get going" and that couldn’t be more true right now. What ever type of organisation you work for this is the time to put in more effort than you normally do, focusing on the activities that bring you results. Remember: Anyone can succeed when the conditions are easy, it’s the tough times that really define you.

2 Step away from the negative people.
You know who they are - the people who leave you drained, the misery's who single handedly are able to bring you down to their level. Seek out the positive people and spend your time with them - leave the negative ones behind.

3 Turn on but tune out.
Have you noticed how the media delight in telling us how bad things are all the time -And the more we listen the more we start to believe their messages. If you want to stay positive then turn off the TV news and watch something more interesting instead, ditch the paper for an interesting magazine and play CD's in the car rather than listen to the news every half hour.

4 Celebrate your successes.
The easiest way to get depressed is to focus on all the failures you’ve had in your life - And boy, haven't you had some? However, recognise we are all human and by definition we all have failures, challenges and bad times and guess what - the more we focus on them the more we feel negative. Funny that when we focus on our successes we feel so much better - so make a list and tell people about success you've had.

5 Choose your attitude every day.
How do you start your day? Is it a struggle to get out of bed and accompanied with a huge yawn? Try an energising start by throwing off the covers and leaping up and shout at yourself in the mirror - It's going to be a fantastic day! You'll be buzzing all morning.

6 Smile and be bright.
It's long since been known that our physiology dictates our mood so if you slump, walk slowly and look down all the time you'll find it hard to be positive. Next time you are walking along imagine that you’ve just won the lottery and you are on your way collect your winnings. I guarantee your head will be held high, there'll be a spring in your step and a smile on your face - that'll keep them guessing!

7 Get fit.
Exercise makes you feel better - we all know that but what are you doing about it? Go for a jog before work, park your car away from the office and walk the last few miles, get off the bus before your stop, use the stairs rather than the lift and then visit the gym on the way home from work. Exercise is good for you and it’ll make you look and feel great.

8 Self develop
When was the last time you did any self development? Attend a course, read a self development book or listen to one in the car on the way to and from work - You'll feel so good applying your new found knowledge & skills others will wonder what has happened to you!

Moments of Truth

2009-04-21T17:08:00.021+01:00

Moments of Truth can make or break your company, are you and your team 'bright' or 'dull'?

Jan Carlzon wrote a book in the eighties called Moments of Truth and in it he tells the extraordinary story of turning the lacklustre, state-run, Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) into a profitable business. The central element to Carlzon's turnaround was the 'Moment of Truth', which he defined as any interaction between the company and it's customer. Examples for your company could include sales visits, phone calls, letters, emails and even the look of the company building!- In fact anything that gives the customer an opportunity to form (or change) their perception about your company. He categorised them into 'bright' and 'dull' Moments of Truth - The larger the number of 'bright' moments your customer experienced, the greater likely hood your customer would return.

Research suggests that in a face to face contact it takes approximately 4 minutes for a customer to form their perception during a Moment of Truth, no matter how long the interaction lasts. The customer has a wealth of information to take in - appearance, handshake, demeanour and verbal communication. So, those first 4 minutes are crucial, as any interviewer will tell you.

By contrast, on the telephone it takes between 4 to 14 seconds for the customer to make up their mind about you and your company and they are mainly assessing your voice tone. Not surprisingly, contact centres spend a lot of time ensuring their agents sound interested when they take/make that call (don't they?)

So, what bright Monments of Truth are you creating today? And what about your team.....

How often....

2009-03-19T18:42:00.014Z

Running performance programmes we often meet people who invent a 'glass ceiling' for themselves - That is, they 'believe' that they can't go any further or do any more.

Our role is to release their potential by getting their psychology to work with them rather than against them - There are several ways we can do this and showing video's is one of them. Their Potential, Plus psychology allows people to move forward and achieve even more than they thought possible.

Watch the video and consider 'How often....' for you.