Positive Reinforcement Real Everyday Life Examples

We all love rewards because it makes us feel good. It is easier to acquire a new habit through joy rather than punishment. This goal can be achieved only when a person makes conscious effort to use positive reinforcement while acquiring a new habit. Though there are several ways to employ positive reinforcement, this simple mnemonic, CANE can help apply this technique practically and spontaneously:

1. Compensate
2. Appreciate
3. Nullify
4. Excuse

Compensate

The best way to correct the mistakes is to compensate. All that it takes is just an apology. Now that you have pleaded for apology, go a step ahead and compensate the damage that you have made.

For example

Promising your girlfriend to take her for a movie is the best way to compensate for not turning up for her birthday party.

Appreciate

Even though it is difficult to appreciate an unexpected behavior, one can identify something that could be appreciate in the incident and then tell the expected behavior. Use rapport building phrases and questions, and transition statements.

Example

To appreciate a person for atleast being honest while sharing his frustration in the rude tone of voice rather than talking about how hurt were you when he expressed rudely.

Nullify

How to put across my negative feeling without hurting the other person? Start positive, say negative, end positive. Everybody, atleast people who study management sciences, will be familiar with this concept—burger feedback.

Excuse

Besides supporting a person through challenging times, forgiving a person for his /her mistakes is yet another trait one can develop to maintain meaningful relationship with people. Even god forgives us. But your emotions and feelings about the undesired experience have to be clearly stated so that the mistakes are not repeated.

Since human existence, remembering any information has always been a challenge. Only few people, who really take religious effort to master this skill, succeed; nothing is impossible. One must try various tricks until one technique works best to them. And, mnemonic/acronym is yet another memory skill that can store information both in the short term and long term memory.

Skill of Positive reinforcement requires practice. For those who are very keen to bring change in the society without disturbing the people around, this technique is the key. Much of the human behavioral issues could be tackled using this magical technique when applied with passion, commitment and determination. By repeating the acronym CANE several times will ensure that this mnemonic--to compose a mnemonic is exciting--stays in mind, and it could be spontaneously recalled whenever necessary.