I am diving into the first section of the book ‘Influencer’ that delt with “Personal Motivation.”

This section makes me want to interview and collect all of the reasons why certain things keep happening in class: a student is choosing to not pursue certain projects, they opt out of the process all together, plenty of other recurring options.

I want to craft narratives that help anchor students and give them a story to opt into. I want to craft stories that motivate and help students to view their futures differently.

All of this is possible, it just hasn’t been done yet.

~

Below are notes I took from this section.

Personal Motivation

How would you influence ‘Bill’ the waiter who is on the side of his messy tables, on his phone?

Don’t fall for the fundamental attribution error– give grace on motivations and motives.

1. Allow for choice
   1. Figure out what they want – motivational interviewing
   2. Replace judgment with empathy, lectures with empathy
   3. People discover for themselves what they must do and are propelled by their own aspirations and beliefs
   4. Spend serious time interviewing Ss and revealing
      1. Reasons they don’t pick projects:
         1. Too complex, dont know how to make it
         2. Doesn’t seem fun
   5. Roll out options and changes coached in the story of the situation we are in
      1. Craft several stories about ‘the situation we are in’
      2. opportunities to an special future
      3. A part of something important

~ Peter