http://www.flaticon.comEvery person has unique habits. Therefore, it is impossible to provide a simple formula for change. A formula that changes all habits, for all people, in all situations. The discovery of such a formula would be a sensation! Trainers and coaches would only use this formula. If you are on the trail of this formula, then write to us. ;) We are curious! We believe that long-term online support is an important component of the formula. Habits cannot be changed overnight.
Changing a habit in communication behavior (e.g. speaking softly) and supporting someone in speaking loudly and clearly presents different requirements than, for example, the habit of exercising more, curbing snacking, or changing routines in work processes. In these cases, it is usually not a lack of knowledge that results in failure. Of course, the trainer must inform and support the building of knowledge. Additionally, the trainer's challenge is to support participants in the transition from knowledge to action. This includes motivating them, helping them formulate goals and plans, and offering support when participants struggle to implement the plans.
What is actually a habit?
The short answer: A behavioral routine. Habits arise from the repetition of certain behaviors in specific situations. During the first runs, active cognitive control is necessary. With increasing repetitions, the processes are executed without cognitive processing.
Habits consist essentially of the sequence of three components:
The cue, the behavioral routine, and the reward.
For example, the habit: “After lunch, I drink a cup of coffee.” After lunch (cue: “It’s after 2 PM”), one gets up from the desk and walks to the kitchen. Take a cup from the cupboard. Place it under the machine. Press the button. The person will not think much about this behavioral routine. The reward in this case is probably the stimulation from the caffeine in the coffee. What do you think happens when a new coffee machine suddenly appears in the kitchen? The person first has to figure out how the new machine works. The cognitive processing switches from “passive habit mode” to active mode.
Here’s another example with the manager “Bernd” on the topic of feedback: Bernd has the habit of giving his feedback in the team meeting on Monday morning in front of everyone. This may be an additional reward for the recipient when giving praise. Of course, not everything always goes well, and when Bernd is upset, he also dispenses criticism. The reward for Bernd in this case is that he can vent his anger. Bernd notices that he doesn’t always manage to formulate his criticism as feedback. He knows that no one wants to be humiliated. In a feedback seminar, he wants to improve his ability to give feedback. How can Bernd be supported in changing this behavior? The seminar clarifies which communication rules should be observed when giving feedback and why these rules are sensible (e.g., self-esteem protection). Bernd practices these new formulations in various role plays and experiences his first successes. Bernd wants to use these rules more often in team meetings. A week after the seminar, Bernd thinks about the seminar content while preparing for the team meeting. Two weeks after the seminar, a lot is going on on Monday. There’s less time for preparing the feedback. Bernd can’t really remember anymore. Since he doesn’t know where to quickly get the information, he falls back into old habits.
This is how you support your participants in changing habits
Strategies for changing habits fall into two categories:
The first category describes measures to reduce unwanted habits. The goal in this case is cessation (inhibition) through self-control. This means consciously giving the instruction: “Don’t do that!” If-Then plans (LINK to article) can also be used in this context: “If I order my food in the cafeteria, then I will skip dessert and order an apple.” A change in the situation or environment can have a significant impact on habits as the cues change. Cues can also be actively avoided (e.g., not going to the aisle with sweets in the supermarket).
The second category refers to building new (desired) habits. New habits form faster when the following aspects are present: planning, repeated practice, a stable context (the situation in which the behavior is to occur), and rewards. Repeated practice of the intended behavior plays a significant role in building new habits. Therefore, the context should likely remain the same. For example: “Every time I come home from work on Thursdays, I go for a 20-minute walk.” Especially in situations where willpower is depleted (e.g., after work), people tend to engage in habitual actions. In this case, it would be positive since the habit
