Do you know asking the right question is a vital key to motivate someone?

Whether you want your team to achieve a target, a deadline or want your friend to quit drinking and driving habit, asking for behaviour change and motivating people can sometimes become real tough.

Eminent Psychologist Shivani Misri Sadhoo suggests that motivating people is not that tricky, what matters is selecting the right approach. Instead of telling or pushing the person what to do and what not, ask the person the right question. Recent researchers have found that asking a question about future behaviour speeds up an individual’s readiness for change.

So rather than telling your husband that it’s important to invest for post-retirement, question a gentle reminder that “ is your current monthly saving enough to save for adequate retirement fund, considering essential fund is required for kid’s future education and marriage expenses?”

When an individual isn’t exhibiting a healthy behaviour, the question serves as a reminder of their choices. Researchers found that questioning effectively produces consistent and significant change across a wide variety of behaviours. Direct questioning influences people to cheat less and exercise, volunteer and recycle more. The key is to ask a question that forces people to choose a definitive yes or no answer. The question-behaviour effect could be useful in a lot of different circumstances. Here are a few examples:

1. Use it for self-motivation: Asking yourself a clear yes or no question possibly will force you to give a yes or no answer that will surely provide you an extra boost in motivation.

2. Use it to help someone. If your team member starts coming late for work, instead of scolding ask him/her the direct questions  like, “you're being late every day makes you stay late at the office every single day, will you continue to make your family and your company pay for your wrong attitude?