People are generally a remarkably habitual bunch. Take a typical Christmas Day. A survey of over 4,000 British families found that the average household rises just after 8am and opens most of their presents by 8.18am. They breakfast at 9.04am, having eaten their first chocolate some 25 minutes earlier. They sit down for their planned 2pm lunch around 75 minutes late. A third watch the Queen's Speech and by 5pm the first adult is asleep.
Of course habits are familiar in business, too. Whether it's the sandwich we choose for lunch, our preferred seat on the plane or the way we choose suppliers and partners, most of us have our own set of preferences. And for good reason — they generally make our lives easier, allowing us to navigate our way through hectic schedules and focus on important decisions.
What isn't so easy is trying
to persuade people with old habits — and who don't like change — to try something new. Habits are often triggered not because of a desire to achieve a particular goal but because of the context in which people find themselves. Recent studies showed that filmgoers were as likely to eat stale popcorn as fresh just because they were sitting in a cinema. In any other environment they weren't keen. Recent neuro-imaging studies back this idea that a single cue can trigger a habit regardless of whether that behaviour achieves any desired goal.
So which actions can be taken to ensure that your new ideas and practices are not destined to fail because of others' dated habits? Persuasion researchers suggest several answers. Asking people to publicly state their intentions more often, so they can self regulate and behave consistently, can be helpful, as can suggesting they record their successes each time they perform a new, more desirable behaviour.
Another way is to change common cues likely to trigger unwanted behaviour. Sometimes simply reorganising the office seating plans, repainting the walls or suggesting a new venue for routine meetings might be enough to encourage change.
As for getting your kids to lay off the chocolate until after breakfast? Sometimes no amount of persuasion will make a difference.
Steve Martin is co-author of Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion. Visit influenceatwork.co.uk; Twitter #scienceofyes
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