To influence others, you must:
- Appeal to their self-interest
- Show your idea will add value to them
- Help them see it will make their future better than their present
So, the more future-focussed you are, the greater your chances of success.
But unfortunately, comms tend to focus more on the past/present, not the future. Examples:
- Companies often sell by discussing their past (“founded in 1922”), not the enhanced future the customer will get (“how we’ll help you increase market share”)
- Interviewees often discuss their achievements to date, rather than the value they’ll bring to the new employer’s future
- Conflicts tend to focus on past actions (“you shouldn’t have done that”), instead of finding a workable solution for the future (“how can we fix this?”)
But the past is for reference, not residence. Future–focus leads to better outcomes:
- Strategies land better when everyone sees how their future will be enhanced by adopting it
- Arguments get resolved when both parties remember it’s more important to find a solution in the future, than it is to be right about the past
- Employers recruit/promote you when they know you’ll improve their team in the future
- Conferences, workshops and 121s improve business performance when organisers focus (1) on the business improvement they want the event to cause in the future, and then (2) work backwards from that, to choose the content for their event
- Delegation is more effective when people see the value a task will bring them in the future, rather than just hearing about the task itself
- Meetings lead to positive action when the Chair focuses everyone on what they want the meeting to cause in the future (rather than focusing everything on the agenda of the meeting)
- Customers buy from you when they see the value your organisation will bring them in the future. They do NOT buy because you were founded in 1922 and show them a map of your offices
I hope you like this Tip. But the only way to measure if it’s valuable is how it helps improve your future. Therefore …
… Action Point
Think of a communication that matters. Maybe an imminent, important one. Maybe a recent one that hasn’t worked. Ask yourself:
- Am I being future-focussed enough?
- Does the other person know how their future will be enhanced by a successful outcome?
- And if you need it to be more future focussed … well, just do that