Author name: carolyn

Self-fulfilling prophecies

Let’s say you are about to make a phone call to a new client called Jeremy.  You’ve never met him, but you knew a Jeremy before and he was not a nice person.  They are not the same person, but you can’t help but think about how rude the other Jeremy was. You get on

Self-fulfilling prophecies Read More »

But you are free …

Being told what to do can bring out the rebel in all of us.  But, there is a technique that can assist – the “but you are free” technique. Researchers asked people on the street to donate money to a cause and 10.0% contributed. However, when the researchers added the words “but you are free

But you are free … Read More »

The power of a good question

We work a lot within the insurance industry and this story from Matt Fox’s Persuasion Theory blog, really resonated: A man goes to the doctor and complains that every time he touches his foot he feels excruciating pain. The doctor writes down a note and asks if it hurts anywhere else. The man then demonstrates

The power of a good question Read More »

From uncertainty to certainty

Most of us are not good at not knowing.  We like sure things and guarantees.  And within the brain, a sense of uncertainty about the future creates generates a strong threat or ‘alert’ response in your limbic system. Your brain detects something is wrong, and your ability to focus on other issues diminishes. This is

From uncertainty to certainty Read More »