This Tip discusses the persuasive power of because, which elicits an automatic response and also helps explain WIIFM.
“Teachers teach because they care.” Horace Mann
The Persuasive Power of Because
“Because” is a persuasive trigger, according to Vicki Kunkel, the author of Instant Appeal: The 8 Primal Factors That Create Blockbuster Success.
“Trigger words are part of what I call the instant appeal response. These are positive, predictable actions that people take in response to a specific trigger.
Even when the reason is bogus, the trigger word ‘because’ elicits an automatic and innate response to grant the favor! The response mechanism to this trigger is so engrained that even a silly reason gets a positive response.”
I think it boils down to the fact that we need to know there is a reason behind a request. If I know there is a reason why you want me to do something, I’m much more likely to do it.
WIIFM Provides the Because
That is why it is so important to incorporate What’s In It For Me (WIIFM) into our training curriculum.
It is not sufficiently compelling or encouraging to simply tell participants: “You need to learn this information.”
Instead, we can hook them into wanting to learn because they see how the new knowledge or skill will benefit them: “You need to learn this information because these are skills that will help you be more successful in your job.”
When we design our curriculum, we do this by identifying two goals: what the participants will learn and why they should care. These goals become the centerpiece of any marketing literature for our training program. Then we need to design the learning objectives and learning activities so that both goals are achieved.
For information about the research into “because” as a trigger word, see Want to Influence Others? Start Using This Word by Alison Davis at http://www.inc.com/alison-davis/want-to-influence-others-start-using-this-word.html.
May you keep learning because it will sweeten your life.
Deborah
