Build healthier relationships with priming
Priming is the practice of preparing another person’s mind before presenting disruptive information.
Priming helps you break sensitive news. Whether you want to announce a change in your prices, or tell your partner you want to separate, or you feel your son needs to toughen up.
We don't struggle to deliver this news because of bad feedback training or poor conflict management techniques. We struggle because we drop information bombs on people - too much, too quickly.
This is partly because the sender has lived with a thought or idea for weeks or months - but the receiver has lived with it for 10 seconds. This is called Picture Bias - we can see the whole picture, so we assume others can too. This gap creates defensiveness.
Primers are skilled at reducing defensiveness and breaking skillful news gradually using the Priming (Heads Up) Ladder and 8 Body Language Priming Signals.
Primers bring people on the journey, and create a shared understanding. Letting someone down gently, and creating shared understanding, is not just a skill reserved for bad news like firing someone or breaking up with a partner. Primers apply that technique to any conversation as they view all conversations as potentially sensitive and the Primer's main goal is protect someone's mind. In doing so, this increases trust, buy-in and collaboration at home or at work.
Saad found that Primers have the same FIVE characteristics:
- Primers... anticipate where the receiver is starting
- Primers... reduce the element of surprise
- Primers... control the rate/speed at which they release their thoughts
- Primers... give up control to others
- Primers... use social cues and body language well
Saad's mission is to create a world full of compassionate Primers.
Informed by Scientific Research
Saad's work is informed by a psychological construct called the Priming Effect. Numerous studies in healthcare and business show preparing people before a conversation leads to better outcomes.