Meaningful Motivation Principle 4: Help them See to Believe

TLDR: 

  1. Visualization is an important part of meaningful motivation at every stage of the transformative process.

  2. Companies can help support motivation through visuals that keep the goal top of mind, spark motivation, and show and celebrate progress towards the goal.

  3. Visualizations fall into three categories: those we think about, those we imagine, and those we can see. People prefer to have a mix of both physical and digital visualization tools.

In our article in this series on the power of “why”, we talked about how essential it is to help people experiencing transformative change appreciate and understand where they’re going and what it takes to get there. That’s where visualization comes in. And it turns out people understand how helpful it is. We recently asked 474 people what they most needed in order to create a clear and compelling goal. After telling themselves and telling a friend, they said the most important thing they could do was visualize change. In this article we will share some of the key findings from our study of visualization and how you can use it to master meaningful motivation.

Why visualization is an important part of motivation

Imagine you are setting off on a journey. You know you want to get to your destination. You don’t quite know where it is or even what it looks like, and you definitely don’t know how to get there. This lack of clarity about both the destination and the path to get there are key reasons that people hire companies to support them on transformative journeys. When people hire you to support them on that journey, they expect you to help them get a clearer view of where they’re going and how to get there. 

Visualization is an act of imagination that allows us to see more clearly in our mind’s eye something that doesn’t already exist or that we haven’t perceived. Research shows that it can help influence our sense of belief and capabilities. The famous University of Chicago study of Basketball players in the 1980s showed that players who visualized themselves making successful free throw shots had as much success as those that spent equal time actually practicing free throw shots. 

The forms of visualizations that matter most 

Visualization is powerful throughout transformative journeys. Companies can help support motivation through visuals that keep the goal top of mind, spark motivation, and show and celebrate progress towards the goal.  The visualizations serve to build a sense of confidence, self-efficacy, and powerful excitement that can both boost and help sustain intrinsic motivation.

Thinking, Imagining, Seeing

The form of these visualizations fall into three categories: those we think about, those we imagine, and those we can see. Whether you’re creating practical tools that invite people to pause and consider what’s to come.

Digital or Physical

Most people we surveyed preferred a mix of physical and digital visualizations. Across age groups, though, if only one type of visualization (physical or digital) was available, people preferred a physical tool.  And while more people are using digital tools for reflecting, they feel paper tools or physical props to keep their goal top of mind are more effective.    

The wrap-up

By helping people imagine their success, picture the ways in which they might overcome challenges, and envision the rewards of change you not only help boost their intrinsic motivation and confidence, you are actively increasing the likelihood of success.

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The Experience Strategy Podcast: Meaningful Patient Experiences and Digital Health Solutions

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Meaningful Motivation Principle 3: Boost Awareness to Support Change