How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 321

During World War II, the U.S. government had to ration traditional meats
such as beef, chicken, and pork. However, Americans tend to be very
picky about the meats they eat and often do not accept meat substitutes.
The Committee on Food Habits was charged with overcoming the
shortages of popular foods. How could they overcome the aversion to
eating other meats?
Psychologist Kurt Lewin devised a program to persuade Americans to eat
intestinal meats. Yes, your favorite — intestinal meats. He set up an
experiment with two groups of housewives. In one group, the housewives
were lectured on the benefits of eating intestinal meats. Members of the
committee emphasized to them how making the switch would help the
war effort. The housewives also heard fervent testimonials and received
recipes. The second group of housewives was led in a group discussion
about how they could persuade other housewives to eat intestinal meat.
This group covered the same main topics as the other group. Of the group
that was more involved in "role-playing" and discussing the question of
"how they would persuade and convince others to eat intestinal meats," 32
percent of the housewives went on to serve their families intestinal meats.
This was compared to 3 percent of the first group.[3]
Asking for Advice
Another way to get people to participate with you is to ask their opinions
or advice. Simple phrases such as, "I need your help" "What is your
opinion?" "What do you think about . . . ?" "How could I do this?" "How
would you do this?" "Do you think I am doing it right?" and "Do you have
any ideas?" can immediately spark the interest of your listener.
Watch how another person brightens up when you ask for his or her
advice. For example, if you ask your neighbor, "Frank, how about helping
me fix my fence?" he will probably tell you he is busy and has plans for
the next twelve weekends. But suppose you said, "Frank, I have a
challenge with this fence that I can't solve. I don't know what I am doing
wrong and can't seem to get anywhere. I am not sure if I am doing it right
or what to do next. Do you have ideas about how I could mend this fence?
Could you come take a look?" You will see a marked difference in
response between the first request and the second.
People have an innate desire to feel wanted and needed. When you fulfill
this need, you open the door to persuasion and action, a fact that has been
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