When you hold meetings to talk about your idea, you get interference. It’s like static on the AM radio dial. (Ask anyone with white hair in your office what AM radio is. They’ll be glad to tell you). You can still hear the game through all that static, but it’s a lot harder to pay attention. Grumbling makes it harder to get your point across or even to find out who might be supporting you. If this description fits, then consider the following suggestions to get started:

• Often, this level of reluctance or resistance is based on past experience. Something about this idea scares them. (I call this Level 2 resistance.) Their resistance is personal and emotional. When people are frightened, they can’t listen to what you are saying because their brains are otherwise engaged in being frightened. You’ve got to find out why they are grumbling.
  
  And it is possible that the resistance could be Level 3 – they don’t trust you, or Level 1 – they don’t understand you. It’s important to know why they are grumbling. You can’t come up with a good strategy to shift energy in your favor without knowing what’s causing them to resist your idea.
  
  If you are having trouble figuring out why they are resisting, then please read The Magic List. (Link is below.)
• Once you know why they’re grumbling, then you can create strategies to begin to move energy up toward a score of 4 (Interest). If you need some suggestions, please skim the Tips for Working with the Three Levels of Resistance article. (See link blow.)
• Be sure to watch the video. It’s the story of a group of extremely smart people who were able to put their egos aside and learn from each other.

Resources

How to Make a Compelling Case for Change. This is a paper that will show you ways to help people see WHY a change is needed. The step of making a compelling case is the most important – and the most overlooked – stage in the life of any idea. More

The Magic List. A free e-book that will help you identify why people might be resisting you, and show you how to build on the support you do have and work effectively with whatever resistance you are facing. More

Why Resistance Matters is a four-page article that describes three levels of support and resistance. More

Tips on Working with the Three Levels of Resistance. More

The Energy Bar™ Group
It’s most likely that you’re here because you need to gain support from a team, a full organization, or one key person - possibly for a one-time project, an idea that you'd like to see come to life, or maybe for a large-scale organization change. Keep the momentum going and join The Energy Bar™ Group. Our informal online group is where I share my very best work and resources, with examples of people using The Energy Bar™ effectively in organizations. It’s a place for you to connect with peers, ask questions and offer your own ideas. Our group is free to join, and you can opt out easily at any time. I hope you’ll consider joining me. – Rick Maurer