Step 6: Follow Up
Following up is a necessary step, not only in keeping a person focused on a task after the initial enthusiasm has waned, but also to having a long-term impact on their performance by providing practice and reinforcement of the new connections that have been made.
Going back to the beginning: the brain seeks efficiency by fitting new information to an existing frame, and following established patterns in response to a problem - behavior is learned. However, new behavior does not automatically replace older patterns of behavior - the hardwiring has been set, but it must through time and repetition become the preferred mode of reacting. Otherwise, a person may act differently this time, but then fall back on old habits.
And, no surprise, the author has another acronym handy" "feeling," which represents facts, emotions, encouragement, learning, implications, and new goals.
Facts
One approach in following up is to ask for simple facts: ask if they have implemented the plan, what results they are getting, whether they found it necessary to change their approach.
In addition to showing you are attentive and interested in their progress, merely talking about it gets them to recognize what they have accomplished, which is typically more than they give themselves credit for.
Even when the responses are negative, we can explore reasons: what obstacles have prevented them from getting a task done, why they didn't get the outcome they expected, what adjustments they could make to get it back on track.
Emotions
While facts are simple to discuss, emotions may be more difficult, but are important to provide reinforcement. A useful question to ask is "How do you feel about ...". This is largely a mnemonic device: people remember facts more readily when they are associated to emotions.
Another reason to check about emotions is to identify where they may be getting in the way of useful conversations. Negative emotions will sap enthusiasm, and may even lead to avoidance of a problem. Do not invalidate their negative feelings, but help them to overcome them and carry on.
Encouragement
Encouragement is important when people are thinking differently and doing things that may be unfamiliar or uncomfortable. Your encouragement is critical to getting them to feel more capable and empowered to continue on track.
Encouragement is easy to do when things are going as planned - a positive remark about how well things seem to be going is all it takes. However, it's even more important to encourage others when they don't get things done: they will feel discouraged on their own. In these instances, focus on what did get accomplished rather than nagging them about what didn't.
Learning
The result of thinking in a new way and doing things differently is, or ought to be, learning. With this in mind, follow-up should include questions about "What did you learn by doing this?" to lead the subject not merely to take action, but to recognize the lessons they have learned so that they can be guided by them.
Implications
By "implications," the author means the connectedness of a specific idea to other ideas - whether it is placing a given idea in greater context (how this task supports a greater purpose), getting them to see a connectedness of one idea to others (other situations in which a technique or skill may be useful), or to consider its applicability to other contexts (other ways in which a skill could be applied). Again, doing so makes the connection more relevant and permanent.
New Goals
The author is a bit vague on this final step, and the description is less about goals than habits - specifically, getting them to realize the value of thinking through the solution in future, and to consider making a given practice a regular part of their work.
The purpose is to convince them that the practice or idea that they have applied in this situation can serve them well in future situations, and that they should consider applying it rather than falling back on old habits.