Switch 05: Find the Feeling (Chip & Dan Heath)

It’s better to run tiny experiments instead of waiting for the big bang. Remember Gary V., Jab, Jab, Jab, then Right Hook? Remember Jim Collins, Fire Bullets, and then Cannonballs?  You need to test your theories until you find evidence that they can be successful (or not). If they have a chance of success, then make the big bet. If not, cut your losses and start a new experiment. 

“Behavior change happens mostly by speaking to people’s feelings. Find ways to see problems or solutions in ways that influence emotions, not just thought. Speak to the elephant as well as to the rider.” You can’t motivate the elephant (emotions) with facts or analytical arguments. You have to see or envision the future you want. You have to feel the excitement or desire to change, then only will change happen. Change doesn’t happen with information. Change happens with identity.

The formula for change, according to the Heath Brothers is See-Feel-Change!

See what is possible. See what is not working correctly. Feel the pain this problem is causing. Feel the excitement the new solution will bring. Then do what you must to change. You will get even better results if you gamify the change. Have fun with it. Challenge yourself to level up at every stage. Reward yourself when you do well. Create consequences for when you fail to be consistent. Praise your progress. Punish your laziness.

We know there’s a difference between knowing how to act and being motivated to act. Knowledge is not enough to trigger a change. It’s emotion that motivates the elephant. In fighting for change, we’ve got to find the feeling. Chip and Dan argue that we don’t have to pronounce a crisis in order to compel people to change. Though they acknowledge that fear can indeed be a powerful motivator, they still argue that it’s not necessary to use fear. We don’t have to scare people into changing. For example, “You’re so fat you’re about to die from cholesterol.” Or, “You smoke so much, your lungs have now become a chimney. Cancer will kill you any day now.”

Scare tactics only evoke fight or flight responses, which don’t really help us in pursuing our BHAGS. They don’t encourage creativity, ingenuity and flexibility. Fear and anger give us sharp focus, which is useful in the short-term, but it’s not sustainable.

Positive emotions on the other hand encourage us to build new resources and skills, and also encourage hope, creativity and excitement.