We don’t need to explain to you the signs of hearing loss; you already know them all too well. You have a completely different type of problem: persuading someone you care for to get their hearing assessed and treated.
But exactly how are you expected to get through to someone who denies there is even an issue, or that simply shrugs it off as “just part of getting old”?
It turns out that it’s not as easy as just telling them that they need their hearing tested. They will not see the need, and you won’t get very far using threats, ultimatums, or other coercive techniques.
Even though it may seem like an impossible situation, there are other, more discreet techniques you can employ. In fact, you can draw from the sizable body of social scientific research that shows which strategies of persuasion have been discovered to be the most consistently effective.
In other words, you can utilize tested, researched, and confirmed persuasive techniques that have been shown to actually work. It’s worth an attempt, right? And browsing the techniques might allow you to think of additional ideas.
With that in mind, 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 basic principle of reciprocity is very simple: if someone does a favor for you, you’re strongly compelled to return the favor for them.
How to use it:
Timing is everything. You plan on requesting your loved one to get their hearing checked at some point anyway, so why not 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 motivation to think and act consistently.
How to use it:
The trick is to begin with smaller commitments in advance of making the final request. If you begin by ordering your loved one to get a hearing test, you most likely won’t see much success.
Rather, ease into the topic by casually sharing an article on hearing loss and how prevalent it is. Without pointing out their own personal hearing loss, get them to disclose that hearing loss is a more prominent problem than they had thought.
Once they confess to some basic facts, it may be easier to discuss their own individual hearing loss, and they may be more likely to accept that they have a problem.
3. Social Proof
What it is:
We have a tendency to think in terms of “safety in numbers.” We have a tendency to conform to the crowd, and we assume that if plenty of other people are doing something, it must be trusted or beneficial.
How to use it:
There are at minimum two ways to utilize this technique. One way is to share articles on the many advantages of wearing hearing aids and how hearing aids elevate the quality of life for millions of individuals in the U.S. and around the globe.
The second way to use the strategy is to arrange a hearing test for yourself. Reveal to your loved one that you want to check on the health of your own hearing, but that you would have more confidence if they went with you and had their own examination.
4. Liking
What it is:
You’re more likely to be persuaded by people you personally like than by either a stranger or by someone you dislike.
How to use it:
Enlist the help of individuals you know your loved one likes or respects. Attempt to find that one person whom your loved one always seems to respond to, and have him or her talk about and recommend a hearing test.
5. Authority
What it is:
We tend to listen to and respect the feedback of those we think of as authority figures.
How to use it:
Share articles on how celebrities, athletes, and other prominent figures use and benefit from hearing aids. You can also share articles from legitimate sources that show the importance of having your hearing tested. As an example, the World Health Organization recently published an article titled “1.1 billion people at risk of hearing loss.”
6. Scarcity
What it is:
Scarcity brings about a sense of urgency when what we want is perceived as limited or in short supply. Scarcity creates the perception that, if we don’t act right away, we may lose something permanently.
How to use it:
Recent research has linked hearing loss to a number of dangerous conditions, including Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia, memory impairment, and rapid cognitive decline. Hearing loss also gets worse as time passes, so the earlier it’s corrected, the better.
To use scarcity, share articles, such as our previous 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, deteriorates health, and heightens the risk of developing more serious conditions.
If all else fails, just give it to them straight. Explain to your loved ones how their hearing loss affects you, in conjunction with how it’s impacting your relationship. When you make it about your needs and feelings rather than theirs, the response 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.”