Kris's Articles


Do you nag your crew??

Here are five pointers on how to make your messages ‘stick’ without nagging your crew...

  1. BE A COACH, NOT A CRITIC
    Always say what you do want, not what you don't want. This is because the brain tends to ignore negatives.

    For example, if you say ‘Never leave the door open’ chances are actually higher than 50 : 50 that the door will be left open! If you want the door shut, say so! ‘Always shut the door!’

    If you need to correct someone, don't tell them what they've just done wrong – all that will do is increase the likelihood that they'll do it again! Say what you want them to do instead – offer an improvement suggestion.

  2. SAY WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
    If people understand the purpose of something, how it fits into the overall scheme of things, they're much more likely to ‘do the right thing’. If they understand the possible consequences of not following procedure, they’ll know why they need to.

    Saying why it’s important also stops your requests from being just one more thing to do and your rules from coming across as a power trip.

  3. SAY IT OFTEN
    You might feel like a broken record, but repetition makes things stick. It helps the message get home and stay home. Telling somebody something once is not enough.

    Through repetition, your key messages take on an importance of their own.

  4. PRACTISE WHAT YOU PREACH
    Most people take things on board more with their eyes than their ears. So what they hear you say doesn't make as big an impression as what they see you do.

    ‘Do as I say and not as I do’ may have worked for our parent’s generation, but it doesn't work today. Today’s employees expect us to set a good example, to ‘walk our talk’ as the saying goes.

  5. LET THEM KNOW YOU NOTICE
    If your crew are doing what you want them to do and you ignore it, fail to comment, or fail to give a ‘pat on the back’ in some way, they'll think that you're not serious and they'll soon stop bothering.

    Why wait until someone does something wrong to approach them? Why not show appreciation when they've done something right?!

    The behaviour you praise is likely to get repeated – provided your praise is both specific and sincere. General comments like: ‘That's a great job you did’ won't work as well as: ‘That's a great job you did because ...’ and then saying precisely what made it great.

    Letting people know we notice is the final key to making your messages stick.

If you'd like Kris to contribute to your publication, she will be happy to explore the opportunity.

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