How to Motivate Someone to Change

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How to Motivate Someone to Change

To motivate people to change, use the Pleasure / Pain Questioning Technique (PPQT).

In order to motivate change in someone, ask these two questions and try to get multiple answers to each. The more answers to each question you can get, the better this technique will work to persuade others to change.

1. What are the LONG-TERM painful consequences you will suffer if you don't change (ie keep doing it)?
2. What are the LONG-TERM pleasurable benefits you will enjoy if you do change?

Ask these questions, in the order given, (PAIN then PLEASURE) and get as many answers as you can for both questions.

Here are some examples of how you might use this technique:

Imagine you want someone to stop over-spending.

What are the LONG-TERM painful consequences you will suffer if you keep spending more money than you earn?

What are the LONG-TERM pleasurable benefits you will enjoy if you spent slightly LESS than you earned, and invested a little, every month?

Imagine you want someone to stop over-eating.

What are the LONG-TERM painful consequences you will suffer if you keep overeating; consuming more calories than you need?

What are the LONG-TERM pleasurable benefits you would enjoy if you controlled your intake, so you were consuming slightly fewer calories than you need?

Imagine you want someone to stop talking too harshly.

What are the LONG-TERM painful consequences you will suffer if you keep talking to people so harshly that they don't want to work with you?

What are the LONG-TERM pleasurable benefits you would enjoy if you moderated your communication style, softened your approach, so that people would be very happy to work with you?

The pleasure pain principle.

The important thing to remember about people, is they tend to avoid pain and move towards pleasure.

So, you need to associate PAIN with not changing, and associate PLEASURE with making the change.

But you cannot tell them, you must ASK them.

• If you TELL them, they will fight you.
• If you ASK them the right questions, they will persuade themselves.

The moral of the story is: Learn and apply the Pleasure Pain Questioning Technique.

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Further Reading in Motivation

• How to Motivate Someone to Change
  Many people dislike change and will do anything to avoid it. Motivating someone to change can be difficult, but the Pleasure/Plain Questioning Technique is a brilliant way to help motivate people to change. It's all about asking the right questions!
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