My guest today is Dr Dave Weiman who is a Management Psychologist in Philadelphia. He holds multiple Masters and Doctorate degrees and is a sought after speaker, executive coach and pre-hire assessment specialist at Weiman Consulting.
In this episode, Dr Dave Weiman explains the 'Psychology of Commitment' in relation to gatherings and events and why our relationships with our so-called social media friends are not as strong as those we have human contact with.
We also discuss:
- The psychology behind decisions people make
- Why people respond differently depending on how you communicate with them
- Old style hand-written invitations versus online invitations
Holding an invitation in your hands holds so much more power. There's something about touching it that brings more commitment and this is something a screen cannot do.
Facebook Invitations
When you're invited to an event on Facebook there are twenty-five other things happening on the screen competing for your attention, so the invite can be lost in all this distraction.
Therefore how an invite is delivered is a big part of the problem or so-called lack of commitment.
Social Media
Is someone really a friend if you've never met or spoken to them one-on-one. Social media, virtual get-togethers and online events have created superficial relationships.
Because these relationships can be created so easily there's a collapse in any real commitment.
Emotional Connections
You will always get more commitment if there's an emotional connection to a person, place or event. It's hard to develop an emotional connection to a computer screen, and your brain can tell the difference between real interaction and one that is not real.
This is why handwritten physical notes have more meaning than an email.
High Touch - Low Tech
Holding a card in your hand engages our senses and if this card is scented in some way it sets off even more senses and this builds the emotional connection even further.
How To Improve Attendance
- Make sure you contact past participants and ask what they would like to see at your next event. This creates a BUY-IN to the upcoming event and creates a core group of future influencers.
- Use photos from past events of people smiling and having a good time, especially photos of yourself. This shows Social Evidence.
- Create curiosity by promoting and using the SAVE THE DATE concept. This gets there attention first.
- Deliver the Invitation. How we deliver the invite is extremely important.
- Make sure you have a PLEASE REPLY date, not RSVP.
- Give options on how they can reply
- Don't be afraid to use the phone to invite, or follow up afterwards.
Get Noticed
If you want more commitment from people you need to have more connection and the best way to do this is to not follow the crowd. If everyone is sending emails, Facebook invites and E-cards, do the opposite, send handwritten messages, hardcopy invites and real cards that open and has meaning.
If you have any questions about this podcast blog post please email me at and if you'd like to connect with Dr Dave Weiman he can be contacted at Weiman Consulting, or on his Linkedin profile.
Also if you've enjoyed this podcast episode please share with your friends and if you happen to be near the review button on your podcast platform, I'd love your honest review.
My There's Money in Small Business event in Cairns will be on the 17th - 18th August 2018, so as Dr Dave Weiman said SAVE THE DATE.
