Understanding a strategy gives me choice about how and when
I use it. Equally, if someone wanted to influence my decision
about writing, it would help if they understood my strategy
rather than trying to impose their own.
Suppose you identify that your partner in negotiation has a
strategy that involves:
1Creating a picture of what they want (visual).
2 Asking themselves a question about the viability of that
outcome (auditory).
3 Getting a feeling of certainty that this is what they want
(feelings).
By matching this strategy you will be helping and influencing
their decision-making process. Let's say their outcome was to
ask for promotion to a new job. You could match their strategy
by saying:
1 “Imagine what it would be like to approach your boss, to see
yourself with her clarifying your future” (visual).
2 “Ask yourself if that is a feasible thing to do” (auditory).
3 “And you will instinctively know whether this is the right
approach for you” (feelings).
It is important to remember that if you ask someone “How do
you do that?”—if you ask them consciously to recall their
strategy—it is unlikely that they will be able to give it to you.
They may either say “I don't know,” or they will tell you what
they think they do. This is rarely the same as what they actually
do. To elicit a strategy, the person you are modeling needs to
be doing or reliving the experience that you wish to model.
To find out more about how to model a skill, see the
shortcut at the end of this chapter.
Modeling in business has led to significant breakthroughs in
the way that skills are taught. Traditionally, companies used
standard training programs to teach standard skills. More often
Matching strategiesMODELING 161