We have a wonderful opportunity to crawl into the headspace of those we work with, and we're often unaware of the opportunity -- or of the power of that opportunity. On projects, in our day-to-day with others, if we need to ingrain behavior, taking up residence in the heads of our customers and team members can be a powerful advantage. Want them to conduct a test in a timely fashion? Become the "song in their heads." Want them to complete a meeting or action on time? Become the "song in their heads."
I had an epiphany the other day when a student complimented me on the PMP® CDs and the PMI-RMP® podcasts that I had prepared to help students prepare for the exam. The comment was priceless. "Carl, I sat down at the testing terminal and I couldn't get your voice out of my head." Some people might be taken aback by such an unusual compliment. I, by contrast, was thrilled no end. It showed that I had gotten my message across so thoroughly that they were hearing the message even though I was not repeating it.
As further evidence, when I was recently teaching a class, I started to answer a student question. But as I neared the end of the sentence, just as I was about to use a refrain I had said a dozen times in class, three other students chimed in and closed out the sentence for me ... with my own words! When I asked one of them why they did that, they replied, "You've drilled it into our heads."
Think back to the last time you had a song stuck in your head. It could be a simple ditty (like Harry Belafonte's "Day-O"), or some more complex melody. Once the song is there, it's virtually impossible to expunge. The song or thought is pounded into your brain to the point where you feel compelled to hum the melody to someone else and stick it in their head, too.
It's not an unusual phenomenon, and it occurs with sufficient frequency and intensity that we should seek out ways to leverage it in our projects and our lives. It comes from three key elements -- message, tone, and mannerisms.
Message
If there's a particular thought you're trying to ingrain in someone's head, be confident that the message is sufficiently clear and direct that it will not require a vast amount of brain space to store and recall. It's easier to remember the refrain from "Day-O" than the whole of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." The simpler the message, the easier it is to ingrain it in other's heads.
In my PMP Prep course, I often repeat the phrase "for the exam." It gets to the point in my classes where when some student starts talking about personal experiences or why they believe the PMBOK® might be wrong, I repeat the mantra, "for the exam," and they quickly raise their hands in acknowledgement that personal history doesn't matter when you're trying to get your certification. By the end of class, everyone can readily repeat (or be spurred to repeat) that element of the discussion, and students know to focus on only the content that is actually germane for the exam.
The value of such mantras cannot be underestimated. President Obama used "Yes, We Can" to great effect. And for the older set, the catchphrase "I Like Ike" had a lasting impact as well. On any message, the point must be clear, succinct, and direct.
Tone
To further ensure that a message is ingrained, tone has a reinforcement effect. Vocal tone is to a spoken message what fonts are to writing. The Coca-Cola logo is memorable for its font. It's part of the brand. If you were to emulate me saying, "For The Exam," each word would be slightly lower in tone than the word before it, and each word would be emphasized to stand apart.
The simple message, coupled with consistent vocal inflection, magnifies the impact. When you read the words "Day-O" above, you probably did not read "day-o" spoken in a monotone. In your mind, you took the tones high and low: "DAY-oh. Day-ay-ay-ay-oh." The song began to echo in your head, because you knew the tones.
Mannerisms
Every person has distinct mannerisms. We can often see this in our own children, who mimic us and drive home the familiar characteristics. "For The Exam" is normally coupled with an extension of the thumb (For), then an extension of the thumb and index finger (The), and then an extension of the thumb, index and middle finger (Exam). Each finger extended at the beginning of each word. It drives home the fact that the message is clear, distinct, and visually cued.
The Package
Any one of these elements done independently increases the probability that a message will stick. Simply using a phrase over and over again has historically been done to great effect. Comedic shtick often creates phrases that stick: for example, "Excuuuuuuuuse ME!" from Steve Martin, "Two Wild and Crazy Guys" from Martin/Ackroyd, and "Hey, Hey, Hey" from Bill Cosby's "Fat Albert." The images are more powerful because we can envision all three elements: Message, Tone, and Mannerisms.
How can you take advantage of this? If you're trying to get team members to perform specific actions at a specific time of day, develop the "song" you want to embed in their heads. "We need this done by 6 p.m." carries more indelibility when you repeatedly utter it to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," for example. If you want a customer to concur with signatures, the tag line each time they sign might be the same. A rhythmic "and you sign ... right here ... and you sign ... right here ... " renders the behavior more rote.
Can this be overdone? Of course. But if judiciously applied, the effect can be dramatic and tremendous. Others may finish your sentences as you would have finished them. People accuse you of crawling into their heads. Some people actually remember small bits of insight, data or guidance that you desperately wanted them to remember. That's a powerful communications tool. It opens doors for us to ingrain thoughts and behaviors in our peers and team members.
Beware, however, as a single catchy phrase can also prove to be our potential undoing. "I did not have sex with that woman" (William Clinton) is one such classic. If we deploy these practices with foresight and clear intent, we have the capacity to leverage them to personal, organizational and team advantage. In doing so, we eventually may become the voice rattling around in someone else's head.
Carl Pritchard now offers his voice (to rattle around in your head) on the PMI-RMP® exam through a 30-PDU exam prep podcast package available from www.carlpritchard.com. He also welcomes your comments and thoughts at carl@carlpritchard.com.