How To Get People To Do What You Want

There are, of course, many elements that have to come together in order for people to do what you want. One of those elements lies in the language you choose to instruct them.  

When my kids were little, I went on an “Incredible Years” parenting course, not just because there was a free creche and I got a break – honest! Mainly because my neighbour had done the course and her son was so well behaved! He did everything she asked him to do. 

I HAD to know her secret. 

So I went on the course. And here is what I learned: 

Ask people to do what you want them to do. 

1. Speak in the positive 

Why? Because your unconscious mind hears positive instruction. 

When you see a child carrying a glass of water, and they are tottering towards a table, and it looks like they are going to spill it, what do you hear their parents say? 

“Don’t spill the water!!” 

Your brain doesn’t hear the “Don’t” – especially when you are a kid. And more often than not you can guarantee that that child will actively spill the water. That’s what they think they’ve been told to do. 

Asking people what you want them to do (rather than what you don’t want them to do) has real results. When we learned this Mr C and I got really creative with the kids: 

“Keep your feet on the floor!” when they thought climbing on things was OK and it wasn’t. 

“Put your hands on your tummy” when we wanted them not to touch anything in the shops. 

It worked more than “Don’t touch that” ever did. And the added bonus is that if you ask people to do what you want them to do – it’s easier to reward them for doing it. Creating a great cycle of positive reward!    

2. Be clear with what you want 

That’s it. If you want someone to do something for you then you have to ask them explicitly what it is you want them to do. One thought per instruction. The minute you ask for more than one thing, or you start to clutter the request, people won’t hear it. 

Less is 100% more.