Change was never easy, and even more so if we are not able to see the benefits of change. Because it is an individual and personal process, no one can change another person if they do not want to change.

Just think of a parent who tries to change his child by imposing rules and forcing him to be the way he wants him to be, because in many cases they have no effect , because the child will look for a way to keep doing what he wants.

Change is personal and depends on you

The best way to change is when the person himself comes to visualize the negative consequences of his behavior, or when he is able to visualize the benefits. Therefore, coaching professionals are able to empower people in the process of change, so that they are aware of their own ability to achieve their goals and achieve positive and lasting changes in their lives, always through self-reflection.

Whether it’s getting in shape or stopping a harmful habit like smoking, changing behavior can be difficult . Despite many theories on how to motivate people to change, for example the Prochaska and DiClemente Trans-theoretical Model of Change, research seems to have found a way to motivate people to change. And it’s simpler than you thought!

The perfect question for change

A study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, states that asking the perfect question may be enough to bring about change in a person. The researchers showed that a question that does not give the possibility of expressing the reasons why it accelerates a person’s readiness to make change .

This predisposition to change as a consequence of this type of question has been coined by the authors of the study as the “question-behaviour effect”. To exemplify this, instead of telling and trying to explain to someone that they should invest in their retirement The researchers’ theory proposes that you ask, “Are you going to save money for your retirement?

This question is a reminder that it is necessary to invest in retirement because otherwise one may regret it in the future, but it also makes someone who is not saving for retirement feel uneasy. In cases where the person is not engaging in healthy behavior, this type of question is really powerful .

Questions are a powerful weapon for change

Questions can be powerful weapons for change. In fact, in Socrates’ time, he already helped his disciples learn by asking them powerful questions that provoked their self-reflection. What is known as the art of mayeutics .

This technique consists of asking a person questions until they discover concepts that were latent or hidden in their mind . Through this dialogue, the person is invited to discover the answers on his or her own, and it is key to personal development. In coaching, this technique is called the “Socratic method” or “Socratic questions”.

In fact, the coach can work on many techniques or methods to improve performance, mood, attitudes, behaviours, motivations, etc., all of which are superficial aspects of real change. To be able to talk about real change one has to work with the perceptions that people have, their way of interpreting the world.

When people manage to change these perceptions, and as a consequence their behaviors, that is when the change really happens. Powerful questions can be a way of questioning one’s schemes .

How Powerful Questions Work

The researchers who conducted the study found that questioning things effectively leads to significant and consistent behavior change. The results confirmed that direct questions influenced people to become less deluded and to make a lasting change .

The key is in Cognitive Dissonance

According to the authors, the key is to ask questions that force a definitive “yes” or “no” choice. It is interesting to know that the researchers found that these questions were more effective when administered by computer or in a paper survey . It is possible that the reason why this occurs is “Cognitive Dissonance”.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory suggests that people have an inner need to make sure that their beliefs, attitudes and behavior are consistent with each other. When there is inconsistency between them, conflict leads to disharmony, something that people strive to avoid. This disharmony or displeasure can lead to an attempt to change behaviour or to defend their beliefs or attitudes (even to the point of self-deception) in order to reduce the discomfort they produce.

To learn more about this interesting theory, we invite you to read this article: “Cognitive Dissonance: The Theory Explaining Self-Deception”

The answers “yes” or “no” do not give the possibility to clarify the answer

But of course, by presenting the questions in a way that answers “yes” or “no” on the computer or in pen and paper format, it does not give the possibility of clarifying the answer. For example, if you are asked if you are already training to get in shape and you answer “no”, you don’t have the possibility to justify yourself by saying “I couldn’t start this week, I’ll start next week”.

Conclusion

In summary, this study seems to indicate that questions that were answered “yes” or “no” on paper or on the computer could be a powerful weapon for change because they do not give the possibility of explaining the reasons or reasons why things are being done wrong . The discomfort it would cause would be enough to bring about change.

Even so, it should not be forgotten that these conclusions are from a single study, and therefore science will have to continue to investigate whether these results are also shown in future research.