How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 291

Doctor One: I hate to tell you this, but the tests confirmed that you have
extremely high blood pressure. You are most likely going to face some
serious complications, and it could turn into a life-threatening situation.
You've got to make some dramatic changes in your lifestyle immediately.
You need to change your work situation, your sleep patterns, how you eat,
and your exercise program.
Doctor Two: Well, overall, you're in pretty good shape except your blood
pressure is a little higher than we want it. I'm really glad you came in so
we can work together on some preventative measures. Actually, there are
millions of Americans who have high blood pressure too, so we know of
some steps you can take to bring it back under control. If you follow the
steps I'll outline, you will quickly see and feel an improvement in your
health overall.
Both doctors were talking about the same thing, but their presentations
were very different. Doctor Two made sure her delivery was positive and
did not overload the patient with all the negative details all at once. The
patient will need to understand the reality of the situation and all its
implications, but an initial positive and general discussion will better
prepare the patient emotionally and psychologically to properly deal with
the issue.
A university in Colorado was having trouble getting their grass to grow on
campus because the students kept walking on it. They tried placing signs
on it that read, "Don't walk on the grass," but the students ignored the
requests and walked on the grass anyway. The university subsequently
took a different approach. They put up another sign that said, "Give Earth
a Chance." Like magic, the students stopped walking on the grass. The
university simply changed the perspective of its students by making the
issue an environmental one.
One last example of shifting the frame of reference comes from an
experimental questionnaire administered to physicians:
A group of physicians were posed with the following scenario: "Imagine
the United States is preparing for the outbreak of an unusual Asian
disease, which is expe