Six Ways to Help People Change

"Often in life, you may find yourself trying to help other people change. Whether you're acting as a mentor, a parent, or a well-meaning spouse, you hope to exert a positive influence and assist someone in reaching their goals. What's the best way to do this?" Read on for six scientifically-backed tips.

If you want to influence other people’s behavior, then you need to develop trust. The core of trust in persuasive interactions is authenticity—the degree to which people think that the public face you have adopted fits who you really are inside. When people feel you are telling them things you truly believe, they are less likely to be skeptical of their interactions with you.

Thus you have to see yourself as others see you. What do people perceive your motivations to be? Behavior change is hard enough to accomplish when people are willing to engage in the process. When they have reason to shy away from it because they are concerned about your motives, then you have made things even more challenging for yourself.

While any one of the suggestions provided below for helping others change will work to some degree on its own, combining them is even more effective.

If you want to help someone reach their goals, follow these steps...

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