We don’t need to tell you the symptoms of hearing loss; you already know them all too well. You have a completely different kind of problem: persuading someone you care about to get their hearing evaluated and treated.
But just how are you supposed to get through to someone who denies there is even a problem, or that simply shrugs it off as “just part of getting old”?
It turns out that it’s not as simplistic as just recommending to them that they need their hearing tested. They won’t understand the need, and you won’t get very far with threats, ultimatums, or other coercive methods.
Even though it may seem like an impossible scenario, there are other, more discreet approaches you can employ. In fact, you can draw from the enormous body of social scientific research that teaches which strategies of persuasion have been found to be the most consistently successful.
This means, you can make use of tested, researched, and validated persuasive strategies that have been demonstrated to actually work. It’s worth an attempt, right? And examining the strategies might enable you to think of additional ideas.
With that said, the following are 6 scientifically tested techniques of persuasion and how you might use them to persuade a loved one to get their hearing tested:
1. Reciprocity
What it is:
The principle of reciprocity is very simple: if someone does a favor for you, you’re powerfully motivated to return the favor for them.
How to use it:
Timing is everything. You plan on asking your loved one to get their hearing examined at some point anyway, so why don’t you render the request soon after you’ve done something special for them?
2. Commitment and Consistency
What it is:
We all have a deep psychological need to think and act consistently.
How to use it:
The key is to begin with smaller commitments in advance of making the final request. If you start off by ordering your loved one to get a hearing test, you probably won’t see much success.
Rather, ease into the subject by casually sharing an article on hearing loss and how widespread it is. Without mentioning their own hearing loss, get them to admit that hearing loss is a larger problem than they had thought.
Once they confess to a few basic facts, it may be less difficult to talk about their own individual hearing loss, and they may be more likely to disclose that they have a problem.
3. Social Proof
What it is:
We tend to think in terms of “safety in numbers.” We are inclined to stick to the crowd, and we assume that if a lot of other people are doing something, it must be trusted or effective.
How to use it:
There are at minimum two ways to make use of this technique. One way is to share articles on the many advantages of using hearing aids and how hearing aids improve the quality of life for millions of people in the U.S. and across the globe.
The second way to use the technique is to arrange for a hearing test for yourself. Reveal to your loved one that you want to confirm the well being of your own hearing, but that you would have more confidence if they went with you and had their own assessment.
4. Liking
What it is:
You are more liable to be persuaded by people you personally like than by either a stranger or by someone you dislike.
How to use it:
Solicit the help of people you know your loved one likes or respects. Attempt to find that one person whom your loved one consistently seems to respond to, and have that person discuss and highly recommend a hearing test.
5. Authority
What it is:
We are inclined to listen to and have respect for the suggestions of those we perceive as authority figures.
How to use it:
Share articles on how celebrities, athletes, and other popular figures use and benefit from hearing aids. You can also share articles from reliable sources that show the necessity of having your hearing tested. For instance, the World Health Organization recently published an article titled “1.1 billion people at risk of hearing loss.”
6. Scarcity
What it is:
Scarcity produces a sense of urgency when what we want is perceived as limited or in short supply. Scarcity creates the feeling that, if we don’t act promptly, we may lose something once and for all.
How to use it:
Recent research has linked hearing loss to many different dangerous conditions, including Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia, memory impairment, and rapid cognitive decline. Hearing loss also gets worse through the years, so the earlier it’s corrected, the better.
To implement scarcity, share articles, such as our preceeding blog post titled 8 reasons hearing loss is more dangerous than you think, with your loved one. Show them that each day spent with untreated hearing loss worsens the hearing loss, degrades health, and increases the risk of developing more serious conditions.
If all else fails, just give it to them straight. Tell your loved ones how their hearing loss impacts you, combined with how it’s impacting your relationship. When you make it about your needs and feelings rather than their own, the reaction is usually better.
Have you had success persuading someone to have their hearing tested? Let us know your approach in a comment.
Source
The six principles of persuasion were developed by Dr. Robert Cialdini, and can be found in his book titled “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.”