Perhaps the most powerful personal tool for fostering a new behaviour in a person is securing a commitment from them. People want to be seen to act consistently with what they say – walk the talk. People who do not act consistently with what they say they will do are frowned upon, so there is significant social pressure to meet one’s commitments to an action. (More on this in the next post).
When I train people in Community-Based Social Marketing I emphasize “seek commitment at every contact.” Whether it is during a chat at a person’s home, at a display booth, or on the phone, CBSM marketers should always ask for a commitment. A simple “so we can count on you recycling/turning down your thermostat/not idling/donating blood/composting then” at the end of a conversation will make a big difference in your success rate in fostering new behaviours. To promote a program and not seek commitment to participate is selling the program short.
Some people are a little nervous asking for commitment, and it takes a bit of getting used to. But the worst that can happen is someone will say no, and the likelihood of them adopting the behaviour is so much higher. It is a necessity.
In the next post, I will talk about different commitments, such as verbal, written and public, and their relative effectiveness. I will also describe some techniques for easily obtaining the most effective commitments.