Asking a person to change could be challenging. Some people find it difficult to change their behavior, especially if they’ve been doing it for several years. Despite that, you still have to convince these people to do the right thing. For instance, if you want more people to care about the environment, you have to convince them to help. You can start by changing yourself at home. You can work with Clearwater junk haulers for trash disposal. If you show that you’re capable of doing it, you can convince more people to change. You won’t look hypocritical for saying one thing and doing another. If you still want to be cautious with how you entice people to change, these are the things you have to do.
Use a soothing voice
Everything starts with a soothing voice. You can’t tell people what to do and be authoritative. Even if you have the power to do so, coercing people to change isn’t the right path. If you force them to take steps against their will, they will probably revolt. It could take longer to convince them to change. Using a softer voice can be of huge help. The other person will listen to you and even change quickly as a result of your encouraging tone.
Show the consequences of the actions
You can also present reality and explain how these changes in behavior can lead to positive results. Try to be more concrete since it’s easier for people to relate to them. For instance, if you want people to take steps to help the environment, you should explain the consequences of not doing so. Talk about how it’s already getting late to save the environment. If we continue to act as if nothing is happening, it could have larger repercussions.
Suspend judgment of character
When you ask people to change, you have to be careful not to sound judgmental. You can’t expect people to change if you already judged them to be bad people. The reason why you want to convince them is that you believe that they are capable of change. Be more encouraging instead of telling people that they are bad and they need to change.
Don’t set a deadline
People change depending on their ability to do it. Don’t tell them that they only have a few days or weeks to change. It doesn’t matter if you’re convincing them to change for an urgent matter. People are mature enough to make decisions for themselves. Forcing them by giving a timeline will only be counterproductive.
Don’t threaten the person
The worst thing that you can do is to threaten the person who declines to change. It doesn’t matter if you know the person on a deeper level or you’re speaking with a family member. Threats don’t work. They will only help make matters worse.
Give people sufficient time to reflect on their actions and eventually change. If they follow your advice, you have to be grateful for it. Otherwise, you have to continue doing what’s best for the cause you care about.