Three Ways to Inspire Commitment

By Cynthia Oelkers

"The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' – the pig was 'committed.’"

Anonymous

How do you inspire people to commit?

Whether you run a volunteer organization, a for-profit business, or a social group one question is critical to your success: "How can I inspire people to commit to our organization?"

Organizational Commitment:

Next to job satisfaction, organizational commitment is one of the most-studied phenomena in business today. Want to get more out of your workers or volunteers than the job requires? A team of committed, inspired people make the difference between an organization that struggles, and one that is potent and effective!

There are three types of commitment…

Affective: "It feels good." We commit to an organization because we agree with the goals, values, or cause of the group. Passion plays a key role here. If we believe in the cause of the group, we'll withstand just about any hardship to see it succeed. It's emotionally rewarding! Also, the more we perceive that the organization is supportive of us and our individual goals, the more we reciprocate by giving more of ourselves.

Continuance: "I'm invested." Sometimes we stay involved with an organization because we have already invested a great deal of time, energy, money, or talent. Leaving now would mean losing all of that investment. Research shows that the most-invested people (money, time, or effort) are the most committed to the organization's success.

Normative: "It's the right thing to do." Often we belong to a group because we believe it is the right thing to do. This type of commitment typically gets us into the door as a volunteer. Perhaps we believe that we should "give back to the community," "do our part," or honor our commitment to the team." Once we are in the door helping, we quickly realize there are affective and continuance reasons to stay.

The bottom line? Building an organization that inspires people to commit for all three reasons (emotions, investments, and obligation) will be the most successful.

Cynthia Oelkers is president of In the Moment Productions, Inc., a training and entertainment company. Cynthia is a leading expert on helping businesses reduce their communication problems and create sustainable long term growth. For more information go to www.inthemoment.com or call her at (512) 771-4320. Subscribe to the “Communication Moments” bi-monthly newsletter and learn valuable communication strategies on how to motivate, influence and persuade your co-workers, customers, and sales prospects. Published in Networking Today, November 2004.

The Importance of Positioning

By Cynthia Oelkers

"Yeah I called her up, she gave me a bunch of crap about me not listening to her, or something, I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention." – "Dumb & Dumber" (1994)

Imagine if the next time you go to the dentist, you encountered this:

"Doc, I have some pain in my mouth. I need you to help me."

"Ok, well here at Dr. Davidson's dentistry, we have a wide range of services we can offer you: we do teeth cleaning, floride treatments, whitening, composite fillings, amalgam fillings, root canals…."

"But, Doc, don't you want to find out what's wrong?"

"Sure we do! We've got an introductory plan for that, too. We first begin by visually checking your teeth. Then, we take x-rays to identify any hidden decay..."

"Nevermind. I'm going to a doctor who LISTENS."

The Danger of Data Dumping

Have you ever been data-dumped? Data dumping is what happens when a well-meaning person corners you and tells-you-in-one-long-continuous-never-ending-rant-about-how-great-their-service-is-including-all-of-the-features-benefits-and-prices-you-never-wanted-to-know. In other words, the person might as well have just hit "play" on their pitch. It would be the same no matter if you were a sacker down at the local grocery store or Donald Trump.

The truth is, we have all probably data-dumped someone in our careers. It usually happens when we are new and unsure of our product or service. The LAST thing we want is for someone to start asking us questions that we might not be able to answer. So, we cover the listener up in details, hoping (s)he won't notice.

The Answer is Positioning

Positioning is "telling your story from the other person's point of view." It means asking the listener questions first to understand what his/her hot buttons are. Stephen Covey gives similar advice in his famous book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, "First seek to understand, then to be understood."

Once you have the listener's point of view, you can then present only the most relevant (and therefore persuasive) facts. It's more influential. It's more human. And, it saves time for everyone.

The bottom line? Become more persuasive (and liked!) by simply asking more questions, listening, and presenting only the relevant facts.


Cynthia Oelkers is president of In the Moment Productions, Inc., a training and entertainment company. Cynthia is a leading expert on helping businesses reduce their communication problems and create sustainable long term growth. For more information go to www.inthemoment.com or call her at (512) 771-4320. Subscribe to the “Communication Moments” bi-monthly newsletter and learn valuable communication strategies on how to motivate, influence and persuade your co-workers, customers, and sales prospects.

Published in Networking Today, October 2004.