Picture the outcome

I had a quick glance this morning at the book that is permanently left open on my coffee table...

It's my book of goals.  There I am ...sailing my Princess 58 in the Mediterranean en route to some playboy resort...someday!  And it's that picture that helps get me at the desk for another day working on the business!
Visualising your goals isn't a new thing of course, and seeing success in the form of specific tangible outcomes is what many people have attributed their success to. And a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research has shed some new light on this. Report authors Julia Belyavsky Bayuk (University of Delaware), Chris Janiszewski, and Robyn LeBoeuf (both University of Florida) carried out experiments to examine consumer behavior when it came to the goal of saving money. Some participants were asked to focus on a firm plan, some were asked not to plan, and some were asked to focus on why they should save...rather than how.
With an interesting question being raised over the traditional belief that a clear plan is always best, the How-focused group did less well, particularly when dealing with unforseen issues.  The authors concluded that "Planning is more effective when people think abstractly, keep an open mind, and remind themselves of why they want to achieve a goal'"

This same principle of focusing on why...Picturing the outcome...Showing you what  you will achieve... is what we see elegantly demonstrated by the best communicators. It's what CEO's do when sharing the vision.  It's what presenters do when imparting a message. It's what salepeople do when talking up a case history. The technique they use is simple story telling. Engaging our attention....shifting our thinking from where we were or are... to where we will be and what we will find there.
It's also happens to be a technique that we are introduced to very early in life. We eagerly learn it! We enthusiastically practice it! We passionately and imaginatively use it! Then we grow up. Lose our imaginative outlook on life. Get all self-conscious...and stop!!
For a master-class example of storytelling from the conference stage, watch Sir Ken Robinson persuading a Ted conference why we must alter our approach to education. The standing ovation shows that he was successful http://tinyurl.com/7swydn
Right...I wonder what the weather forecast is for St Tropez this week-end?

For tips and advice on persuasive communication browse the Resource Centre at http://www.persuadability.co.uk/