ZIDANE WORLD CUP HEADBUTT

"Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones......"!



Did you find that astonishing? I did. There's been SO much media coverage that there is no need to go over and over that again. But I did find it amazing just how such a person could, and would do such a thing at such a major occasion with the whole world viewing.

Whatever drove him to do that?

Well, according to reports, it was a few words.

That's it .... a few words!

And it got me thinking.....

I coach on the use of language, for rapport and persuasion, for marketing, communication and relationship building. Marco Materazzi allegedly used words fro negative, destructive purposes. I think soccer 'stars' must be used to that. So what triggered such a reaction in Zidane?

More to the point, what words can we use to trigger a reaction, positive reactions like making decisions and taking action in our clients, customers and prospects.

Is there something you could write or say to them that would make them respond, react in an instant?

To do so no matter what the situation or what they were doing. So important it had to be done there and then!

The answer is to do with those key motivators of pleasure and pain. Zidane felt pain and his hurt was greater than the potential pleasure of letting go. To move away from the pain and towards a kind of pleasure his auto-response was to take the action seen above. To stop his mind auto-responding in this way he clearly need some re-programming, to build his self esteem.

The important thing is not what happens but how we respond to what happens.

More about this next time.

John Gordon
The Inside Out Coach
www.MagicWorks.co.uk