When we communicate, we want to attract attention as quickly as possible.
But different people find different things attractive.
So how can we quickly find what will attract the person we are speaking to?
One simple way is to think TIRES – these initials spell five things that most people want some/all of:
- Time – they want more of it. They want things to be quicker, shorter. They want to achieve more, in less time (example: your time-poor boss)
- Income (£) – people want more money – for themselves, their team, their company, their family (example: a salesperson)
- Risk – they want an acceptable level of risk, given the return. Some people are totally risk averse. Others embrace risk, because of the extra benefits it might give them (example: your “don’t rock the boat” colleague)
- Emotion – emotions drive behaviour. People decide emotionally, then justify logically. So, the better we understand their emotions, the better we understand them. Emotions can be happy (more peace of mind) or sad (less loneliness) (example: all of us!)
- Spend (£) – people want to spend less – make cost savings where they can (example: the team that’s been told to cut costs)
We all want different elements of TIRES. And our preferences for each of them can vary, depending on circumstances.
But TIRES is often a useful shortcut we can use, to quickly understand another person’s point of view.
For example, if you are speaking to a time-poor salesperson, it’s fair to assume they are probably most interested in the T and I. So, anything I can do, to help them (1) sell more (2) more quickly – is my best chance of engaging them.
And, because they are most interested in the T and I, I should start my communications by talking about that – “you know how you want to sell more, more quickly? Well, I have done some research and found three new ways you can do this. Please can I quickly share these with you?”
Of course, TIRES is too simple and general to use as a substitute for thinking, questioning, empathy and care. It is NOT a rule of thumb. But it can often provide a useful shortcut, to start us off in the right direction.
Great for us. Even better for the person we are speaking to.
Action Point
Who are the first three people you are speaking with today?
- Which of TIRES will each of them probably be most interested in?
- And, given this, how can you adapt your communication’s intro – to be super-attractive to them?