How to Motivate Others

We have all been blessed with the power of speech but we often use it to tear people down. There is an incredible power in words. You can use yours to encourage people to achieve great heights.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Concentrate on people's positive points and magnify them. If you have low expectations for people, their performances will match that. On the other hand, if you believe they can do anything, you will be amazed at how they will rise to the challenge. Be the one to utter the right words to make people believe in themselves.
2. Praise people's achievements, however small. It will move them to do greater things. People love to be appreciated, but too often, only what they do wrong is pointed out, never what they do right. Keep your eyes and focus on the good in people, not the bad. That is the easy way out.
3. Be sincere in your praise. Do not do it for the wrong reasons. A phony compliment can be spotted right away. To ensure your praise doesn't sound like adulation, single out a specific accomplishment rather than making general flattering remarks with little substance.
4. If you need to offer some constructive criticism, find one good thing the person did right and praise them for it. Do it in private. If you go out of your way to allow people to save face and do not insult or belittle them for their mistakes in front of an audience, they will usually respond by working on the areas they need to improve. More importantly, this will teach people that no mistake is too big to be corrected.
5. Make people feel important. Listen to what they say. Ask them about themselves, their family, their hobbies, their goals. So many of us know how to hear but we rarely listen. Every person on earth is valuable but not everyone is convinced of it. Don't be too busy to interact with others.