< Go Back Carrot or stick - how do you motivate people? - Part 1 Posted: Feb 22, 2016 Do they prefer carrots or sticks? - Part 1
Have you
ever wondered why you need to dangle a 'carrot' in front of some people to get
them to act while others only seem to respond to a 'stick'? It all depends on what 'meta-programme' their
brain usually runs. Meta-programmes are basically
internal filters that we pass information through. They specifically relate to the way we sort
and categorise information and can go a long way towards predicting how someone
will act. There are a number of different
meta-programmes that people's brains can run at different times and the one
involving sticks and carrots is called the 'towards/away from' meta-programme.
'Towards' people and 'away from' people
'Towards
people' tend to strive to achieve a particular goal or outcome. They feel a strong need to move towards
something and will concentrate on getting there, often to the exclusion of
other activities. Their focus will
either be on the actual goal or on what they will have once they've achieved
it.
On the other
hand, 'away from' people strive to avoid a particular situation or outcome. They don't want to experience the loss or
discomfort associated with that situation or outcome and feel a strong need to move
away from it.
So, how can
you find out what meta-programme a person is running so that you can tailor
your communication style to one that will motivate them to act? The answer is in the language they use. Actively listen to the way they talk about
the future and particularly to answers to questions like "What will having 'xyz' mean to you?" or "What do you want or not want from 'xyz'?".
'Towards' people will tell you what they
want while 'away from' people will tell you what they don't want.
Once you've
worked out how they are motivated you will be in a position to modify your own
language to obtain the results or actions you want.
In Part 2 we'll
look at ways of communicating with 'towards' people and 'away from' people so
that you can use their meta-programme to help you achieve your goals.
