The Behaviour Effect

Procrastination is not a problem of time management or of planning.  Procrastinators are not different in their ability to estimate time, although they are more optimistic than others.  “Telling someone who procrastinates to buy a weekly planner is like telling someone with chronic depression to just cheer up,” insists Dr. Ferrari, associate professor of psychology at De Paul University in Chicago.

People procrastinate for different reasons.  Below is a brief description of Dr. Ferrari three basic types of procrastinators:

1. Arousal types, or thrill-seekers, who wait to the last minute for the euphoric rush.
2. Avoiders, who may be avoiding fear of failure or even fear of success, but in either case are very concerned with what others think of them; they would rather have others think they lack effort than ability.
3. Decisional procrastinators, who cannot make a decision.

These types highlight some of the common causes as to why people procrastinate.  Though first we need to ask ourselves if we have properly considered the time required to complete a task successfully.  It is procrastination of time management?

Also, there are so many distractions today, not least the social networking sites, that we can easily get sidetracked in to something that we didn’t intend to do or spend considerable time upon

The most common cause of procrastination stem from three key concerns.

What if I do it wrong?

This is a reasonable concern. When we do things wrong, will it be fixable, expensive? But if this is your fear you have a few choices – you can hire someone else to do it for you, you can learn how to do it or you can let it go. Try to see this objectively – without the guilt about what you should do. What makes the most sense? No more procrastination.

What if I make the wrong decision?

Do you realise that in life there is rarely a right or wrong decision? It’s usually more about what is right for the people involved in the situation. With that in mind, we can learn from it when we make the wrong choice and then try again. What feels like the right choice for you? Again, no more procrastination.

What if I fail?

The fear of failure is one common cause of avoiding doing a task. We think of the different problems and weakness we have and how complex the work is. As we think in our mind the complexity of the project, we start thinking of the different reasons why we can’t accomplish it and the many other things that you need to do it.  What if you do fail? Think it through. What will happen if you fail? Often when we procrastinate, the things we tell ourselves reflect epic failure, huge mistakes and earth shattering damages.  Thankfully, most of the time we are wrong in our imaginings.

The next time you see yourself putting something off, take a moment to determine why. Try to address the fear and you may no longer feel the need to procrastinate.

Procrastinators are made and not born. This is good news as because it’s a learned response, and what’s learned can be unlearned.

So, in the next post – how to overcome procrastination….

How much of an effect does the print font we use have on the reader?  Does the ease or difficulty of reading text have an impact on our view of the information?  How do we process information?

Recent experimental research shows that the print font we use can have a profound effect on our understanding of information.  This happens because the print fonts influence how fluently we process the information, even though the font has no actually relationship with the information it is displaying.  How much consideration do you give to the font that you use?

Take for example a recipe…how easy the steps are to read will have a significant effect on how easy we presume the recipe is to follow and meal is to prepare.  This is above and beyond the link we place on complex recipes being difficult to prepare.  A recommendation than would be for restaurants to display their menu in a harder to read font as customers will presume that they are more difficult to prepare, taking additional skill and effort.  It might even prevent the hobby cook from trying the dish at home.

Another point is highlighted with regards to how quickly the reader will make a decision related to the information.  The more difficult to read, the longer the reader will take to make a decision based on it adn they may not make a decision at all.  Novemsky and colleagues presented the same information about two cordless phones in easy to read or difficult to read formats.  They observed that 17% of their participants deferred choice when it was easy to read whereas 41% did so when the font was difficult to read.  Pretty clear results!  So if you want your reader to act on what you are writing about, you need to ensure the print font is clear and easy to read.

The effect is also evident when the name of a product or offering is difficult to pronounce.  For example, amusement park rides with difficult to pronounce names are perceived as being more adventurous than rides with easy to pronounce names…and are also perceived as more likely to make you sick!  The fluency of the name having a effect on how we understand the product.

Taking this knowledge into the stock market the effect is repeated.  Companies that had difficult to pronounce names were seen as more risky than company names that were easy to say.  In fact Exchange, Alter and Oppenheimer found that companies with easy to pronounce ticker symbols actually performed better than those with difficult to pronounce ticker symbols.

Next time you need to present written information…how much care will you take to make it easy to read…and thus be seen as easy to implement and understand?

PS. If in doubt use Ariel print font…its known to be the easiest to read!

Edward de Bono is regarded as the leading international authority in creative thinking.  He coined the term ‘lateral thinking’ and is well known for his ‘6 hats’ method.  It was while dipping into his book ‘Serious Creativity’ that I noticed the section on sources of creativity and thought how interesting it was to investigate where creativity comes from and from what does it originate.

Understanding where the roots of creativity are will help put it in perspective, just as an increased understanding of any process  helps us improve our capability in it.  I’m hoping that some of these sources will surprise you and maybe even encourage you to utilise them more often.  So here goes….Edward de Bono’s Sources of Creativity….

Innocence

If we do not know the usual way of doing things,  the usual solutions or approach then we come up with our own.  A fresh approach.  If you are not restricted by knowing the constraints in a given situation then you will come up with something novel.  It’s difficult to be creative in your own industry – you might be able to be novel in another.

Experience

The creativity of experience is really about seeking to build upon and repeat past experiences.  We amend, add to or repackage things that we did previously.

Motivation

Most people who are creative derive their creativity from Motivation.   This means a willingness to spend hours instead of minutes coming up with a better way of doing things or taking the time to look at things that no one else has looked at.  It’s all about time and effort.

Tuned Judgement

The person who is skilled in tuned judgement does not initiate ideas.  They recognise the potential of an idea at an early stage.  They base their judgement on feasibility, the market etc…  An idea that is developed is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.  Seeing value in an idea is in itself a creative act.

Chance, Accident, Mistake and Madness

I’m sure you can think of a time when things were going along swimmingly but due to a mistake or accident they take a different swing.  Many of the greatest advances were the result of mistakes.  The first antibiotic, immunology and Columbus heading to the Indies to name but a few.  Post-it notes to name a lesser advance   This type of creativity takes thinking out of the reasonable and pushes boundaries.

Style

Working within a particular style can generate products which are new but only due to the style being applied.  High in practical value but not the same as generating new ideas.

Release

Releasing yourself from fears and inhibitions can generate creativity.  This only goes so far though and to be truly useful it is necessary to gain a quick appreciation of new values in order to be of practical sense.

Lateral Thinking

Systematic techniques can be used formally and deliberately to generate new ideas.  You’ll have heard of de Bono’s 6 hats for example.  The important point about applying techniques is that these techniques can be learned and used.

What do you think?  Given you some pause for thought? For creativity? How many of the sources do you currently use?

What is your opinion of Daniel O-Donnell?  Like his music?  Find him an appealing songster?

Take a minute to come up with a few adjectives to describe him.

What came to mind?  I speculate that the adjectives were not entirely positive.  Perhaps you used words such as ‘boring’, ‘banal’…perhaps you said he’s only liked by the ‘blue rinse brigade’ and sings ‘old stuff’.  Yet, is this completely fair to him as a person?  To be judged on only a few elements of his persona?  Personally I’m not a fan of his music and find his photo shoots amusing for the simple fact that he has only the one pose but… he makes a special effort for his fans.  He insures that there are rows at the front of his concerts reserved for the disabled, he takes time out of his schedule to meet many of his fans….and has even (upon request) signed a birthday card for my aunt who has Downs Syndrome.  This is all above and beyond the call of duty.  I cannot deny that Daniel O’Donnell has many excellent qualities.

Why am I droning on about Daniel O’Donnell you might ask?  The reason, because he made me think about the way I judge others and question the values on which I rate him.  How many of us presume to know someone based on one small element of their personality?  If someone behaves in an inappropriate manner towards us or others do we jusdge the person on that behaviour?  How would you feel about someone making persumptions about you without understanding the context?

When we are providing feedback to others it is important to concentrate on the behaviour not the person.  It is possible to like the person but not the behaviour.  I’m sure you can think of many examples of this.

How interesting it is to look at people through fresh eyes.  To see someone in a different light.  Take a moment now and think of someone, your colleague, your boss…your partner.  Write down 3 adjectives to describe them.  Now think about their physical characteristics, their hobbies, their interests, their dreams, ambitions…the way they relate to others.  Write down 3 more adjectives.  Refreshing isn’t it?  I wonder how many of us stop seeing the attributes of another because we have already made up our minds about what we think of them as a person.

I might not appreciate Daniel O’Donnell music but I can’t wait to see my aunts face when she opens that card…it’ll make her year…and that it definitely worth appreciating!

Ever ask someone something and been answered ‘Probably’.  Not ‘yes’ or ‘no’ but ‘probably’.  What were your expectations?  What assumptions did you make?  How likely is it that you will get what you asked?  During training sessions I have often asked the group to write down what percentage likelyhood is attached to the word ‘probably’.  I have gotten anything from probably means something is 20% likely to happen (I fear this person has been disappointed often in life!) to 99%.

What is your understanding of the word ‘probably’?  Think it’s the same as your colleagues?  Ever checked?

Our understanding of words is impacted by the society we live in, our families…our workplaces…and ourselves.  Often we use language that seems to be understandable but have elements of flexibility in their meaning.  However, the consequences of this can be wide ranging.  You hear ‘probably’ and you assume that its more likely than not to happen but perhaps the person delivering the message had a different understanding of the word?

What about the line ‘I’m almost finished’? What does that mean?  How close to being finished is the person saying this?  What about ‘Not very often’?  How many times is ‘not very often’?

So much of our everyday language is non-exact.  We believe we know the meaning because they are familiar words but do we understand them int he same way other people do.  When we are providing instructions and giving feedback, it is vital that we are understood, in fact communication of any kind does not exist without understanding.

What happened the last time you misunderstood a message because of the language that was used?  How do you prevent someone misunderstanding what you mean?

WATCH POINT – Do you use ‘As soon as possible’ at the bottom of emails?  What does that mean? As soon as possible to you may not be the same as for the person you are sending it to.  They may prioritise differently to you.  If you need something completed quickly, but a deadline.  That was your communication is clear and expectations are managed!!

Watching the programme ‘House’ the other night I was struck by a the way Cameran delivered the line “If that’s what you want” to her husband and colleague Chase.  She placed the emphasis on the word ‘you’.  The meaning was clear.  She was making a point about who’s opinion she thought Chase was expressing.  She suspecting (rightly!) that Chase had been manipulated into the opinion by the irrepressible House.  Emphasising ‘you’…she stressed that Chase should be sure it was indeed his opinion and not someoneelses.

It got me thinking about the tone of voice we use and which word we place the emphasis on.  Repeat Cameran’s line to yourself, “If that’s what you want”. Say it five times, each time emphasising a different word.  How does that change the meaning of the sentence.?

When the word ‘if’ is stressed…you sound as though you are questioning the person’s opinion.  It sounds as there is doubt about the surety of the statement, that there is room to maneuver.  When ‘that’ is stressed, its the content that is being questioned…when ‘want’ is stressed, the line sounds confident and strong, with little additional meaning.

When was the last time you made a statement and it was taken the wrong way?  or misunderstood?  Can you remember how you delivered the statement?  Where you placed the emphasis?  It may be that the person on the receiving end read more into the sentence than you meant.  In the above example, placing emphasis on the wrong word might lead the other person to think that their opinions are in doubt.

Think of the type of thing you say in work – practice changing emphasis – what happens?  Here are some examples that can have a very different meaning depending on what word is stressed.  Practice saying them out loud…what happens to the meaning?

• You did that well this time
• Have you read the procedures for this process?
• Is this the result you intended?
• What do you think?
• How’s it going today?
• You seem to be doing a great job
• Tell me what you think about this situation?
• We are glad to have you on our team
• Does this work meet the standard you have set for yourself?
• What can I do to help you?
• Feel free to come to me when you have a question or problem

An additional hint….be careful of raising the pitch and tone towards the end of a sentance.  As we raise our pitch towards the end of a question…using the technique to convey a statement can make you sound less confident, unsure of your position and ulitmately less trustworthy.

In Gone with the Wind, Rhett Butler’s famous line, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn” was stated with emphasis on the word ‘give’ because it was not deemed appropriate for him to emphasis ‘damn’.  Are there times when you changed emphasis because of how you would sound….how it would be understood??

What type of person are you?  What type of humour do you have? What are the stories you tell others about yourself? Do you have a certain way of doing things?  These are the things that make up your personality, various elements which combined are greater than the sum of the parts.

Stories – Past events that you and others tell to provide information about yourself.  That time you got backstage at that rock concert…or when you forgot your keys and ended up with the police thinking you were a burglar…or how you defended your friend in a crowed bar..

Customs and rituals -The way you do things.  Insist on research before booking a holiday…or you must always put masara on before you leave the house…you alwayss have hot chocolate before bed…

Values – What values do you have?  What’s important to you?  How do you prioritise your life?  Always put family first?  What about the work vlaues you have?

Beliefs – What are your beliefs about the world?  Do you believe people are generally good?  DO you think that given half a chance people will take an opportunities to pull the wool over your eyes?

Behaviours – What does your behaviour look like?  Do people comment how you are a good listening?  What about how you behave when someone needs help?  Do you walk to a rhythm?

Symbols – Always carry an item with you that means something?  A photo in your wallet? Do you associate or love a particular item…a friend of mine used to adore elephants and would have lots of elephants everywhere.

All of the above combine to form your personality.  The culture of you so to speak.  You have acquired a body of knowledge about how to behave and this enables everyone else to interpret and understand how to act with you and what type of person you are.

Now think about these things in relation to your family.  What culture does your family have?  What stories are told?  What rituals do you complete?  What shared behaviours and do have?  Christmas is coming, what rituals do you always complete then?  You family is made up of many parts that form a unique whole.  A collective belief that in turn shape behaviour.  We are behave according to our families culture…or at least in their company we do.

In the work context…organisations have culture.  I’m sure you were told stories when you arrived…what happened at the last Christmas do…that time that manager totally lost it….the time you all got out earlier due to a leaking pipe…

You actions within organisations often conform to their culture….without even realising it….

Are you always right? When did you last make a mistake?  Did you apologise?

We are all human and as a result we are all prone to mistakes.  Being a Partner in a large corporate firm or a business owner or someone’s manager does not automatically remove the capability of being in the wrong or handling situations incorrectly. But do we ever admit it?  Are we conscious of not seeming to have made a bad choice?

Do those we work with appreciate more the person who owns up when they are wrong or the person who refuses to admit that there may have been a better and more effective way of doing something?  Naturally, we are hesitate to admit we have made a mistake, we do not want other to form an impression of our incompetence.

Yet, noone can be right all the time.  When we do not take responsibility for our actions then the relationship with have with others is damaged.  The trust leaves.  How different would it have been if President Nixon had quickly apologised for Watergate or if President Clinton had simply owned up and apologised?  When President Kennedy took full responsibilty for the Bay of Pigs disaster, the press didn’t have much to talk about.

Quite apart from the trust issue…apologising for those things we get wrong, deomonstates a certain amount of vulurbilty which can be appealing to those we work with.  They see that other’s make mistakes, recognise them, apologise and vitally, promise to remedy their actions in future.  And when they make a mistake it is much easier to admit to it.  How many problems are made worse by refusal to admit they exist?  If we  demonstrate that making mistakes is OK as long as we identify them and make adjustments accordingly, then those around us will learn that behaviour. And wonderfully, we manage the negative effect of whatever our actions created.

So how do we go about apologising?

Ken Blanchard provides a process in his One Minute Manager book and below are the aspects he describes.

1.  Surrender – Genuine and truthful admittance of having done something wrong and the need to make up for it.  This must include taking full responsibility and any harm that has been done.  Do not make excuses for your actions, an apology has no substance if you include excuses.

2.  Integrity – Recognition that you were wrong and awareness of how this is inconsistent with how you normally behave.  Important is reaffirming that you are better than the behaviour you had demonstrated.

3.  Focus on other person – Recognition of the particular damage or harm you have done the other person.  You need to know what you are apologising for.

4.  Commit to change – An apology means very little unless you commit to not repeating the behaviour.  Why are you apologising if you intend to do exactly the same thing again.  Behaviour change must be identified and agreed to.

In additional to this process I’ve identifed a few other things to consider.

When do you make your apology?  Sometimes the best time is immediate, in fact the sooner you apologise for you mistake the more likely it will be viewed as an error in judgement and not a character flaw.  However, there are occasions when it may be best to let the dust settle a little before apologising.

Be wary of saying “I’m sorry you feel that way”, it can appear as though you are blaming the other person.  Yes, there are occasions when it is the feelings of the other person you are sorry for but if you have made a mistake be sorry for what you did…the actual behaviour.

Don’t forget to express your appreciation for the person and provide explanation (not excuses!) if necessary for what has happened.  You could even ask them if they will give you another chance.  When someone provides us with a genuine apology it is very difficult to respond negatively.  If the apology is fake or filled with excuses..quite often the person will walk away with a poor impression of your behaviour…but having received a full and frank apology…most people will be willing to accept it.  And vitally this places the power firmly with the wronged person.

And finally, if the apology is not accepted, thank them for hearing you out and be patient.  Sometimes people may want to forgive you but just need a little more time to cool off and accept what has happened.  Even if the person has accepted your apology, they may need a little time before they can completely trust you again.  Remember, is you carry out your promise to amend your behaviour in future then you will have proven your sincerity.

Has apologising for your mistakes improved or hindered your relationships?  Or do you not know the answer to that question because you can’t remember the last time you apologised?  If you can remember and your apology was not well received…how did you apologies…did you try to make excuses?

Speaking to a group of folk at a recent networking event, the subject of Body Language popped up.  The subject of non-verbal communciation quite often arises in situations where I’m explaining what I do for gainful employment…and helping others see the importance of understanding human behaviour.  How it arises? Normally, when I say I’m an Occupational Psychologist, someone will make a comment such as ’so do you know what I’m thinking then?’.

Such comments are normally quite light-hearted (perhaps folk think I won’t have heard that particular ‘joke’ before!) and I have a range of ’stock’ answers for certain situations….

e.g. being chatted up by unwanted attention?

answer: “Yes, and it’s not pretty”, “No because I am truly not interested” or “No, that would make me a psychic!”

In this particular situation the conversation veered towards ‘reading’ people’s body language.  Immediately upon hearing me say that you can pick up quite a lot of interesting and important extra information by paying attention to the non-verbals…a lady commented that she doesn’t completely think it’s true as she often stands with her arms crossed…and she knows that is seen as ‘closed’ behaviour….but she claimed that she was simply comfortable like that and it was often the stance she took.

Before I continue to explain what might be happening in the circumstance she described…I feel the need to state that the dismissal of any theory or research due to a lack of understanding of one small element…is probably not the most effective way forward…but I’m being minorly pedantic so I’ll stop and get back to body language!

I believed her when she said she was comfortable standing like that…I don’t doubt she was.  I do doubt she knew the exact reason she was standing like that.  As it’s her ‘normal’ stance then the movement is probably involuntary, or habitual.  My first comment to her and the others standing in our group was that ‘crossing your arms’ is an often cited example of body language but one of the most important points to note about reading body language is to never take any one action alone.  It is necessary to read body language as a whole and not place meaning on an individual action.  If someone is facing away from you…but their feet are pointing directly towards you…it is necessary to take these actions together…and pay attention to any other actions happening.

Usually,when someone crosses their arms, it means that they’re closed for arguments.  They have placed a barrier between themselves and the rest of the world as a means of protection from others.  Protection from words, remarks and glances not simply physical attack.

Another possibility for crossing arms may be that they”re feeling vulnerable or insecure. Crossing your arms is like giving yourself a hug, it’s a comforting gesture.

In both of these meanings, the purpose of crossing your arms is that you feel more in control and are protected in your surroundings.  If you have developed a habit of this particular gesture….it is possible that you don’t realise the reason and think that it is simply the way you normally stand.  In fact the one thing I would expect is  that the person crossing their arms do indeed feel much more comfortable, because their body language matches their emotional state.  In fact the whole point to crossing your arms is to feel more comfortable.  How other’s feel in their company however, or why they are performing the action…may vary.

Remember though, that body signals must always be validated by other body signals. So, if the legs are crossed as well, and the person looks away… then its probably safe to make the assumption that the person’s mind is firmly shut!

Oh and don’t forget the context.  It could just be the cold.  Crossing your arms is an action we undertake when we are cold.  Double check for pulled up shoulders…also an indicator of being cold…or take note of the temperature in the area…

What happens when your body language contradicts what you’re saying?  People may not be able to explain why they believe/disbelieve the words because often these ques are completely unconsious…but they WILL believe the body language!

How does this change your understanding of the behaviour of others?  Your reaction to others?  Their reaction to you?

In Julius Caesar , when the surpreme commander Caesar moves thrugh the city of Rome, the people throw notes at him, which Caesar’s aides pick up.  This was a way of informing their leader what they needed fixing in the republic.

How often do you provide an opportunity for your employees to talk to you?  To let you know what they are thinking?  Worried about?

In this uncertain times, little is more important than communication.  And here’s the clinker, the bit that makes communication actually work….it must be two-way! It is all to easy to be isolated from your employees, to be so wrapped up in running the business and making strategic decisions that chatting to those at the ‘coal-face’ comes very low on your list of priorities.  Yet, being seen by your employees, being visible is incredibly important.

If you are likley to appear at any time, your employees are likely to make an effort and be productive the majority of the time.  And you are less likely to create a deathly silence when you actually do walk into a room!  So regular visits at varying times are important.

Also, the more regulary your visits, the easier it will be for them to open up to you, share information with you.  Yes, you may have an open door policy, but are employees using it?  It’s a great thing to be promoting but you need to make yourself approachable as well as accessible.  Have you considered that employees may find it very difficult to come to speak to you, to leave the comfort of their work station?  Taking yourself out of your office and allowing yourself to bump into employees can create a more casual opportunity for them to tell you things.  Things they may not have wanted to bother you about previously or wanted to be seen bothering you with.

So, do you want to learn about your business, know what actually happens on the floor….step down from your throne and into the Warehouse…the benefits are insurmountable!