What Mark Zuckerberg Can Teach Us About Weight Loss

Vs.

One Pretty Smart Dude…

• Jimmy Wales• Co-Founder Wikipedia– January 15th, 2001

• Wikipedia: 6th most viewed website in the world

• Estimated Net Worth: 1 Million Dollars

Pubmed Publications on Obesity

In under 30 years, obesity

rates have doubled!

The Shocking Reality

Fitness Guidelines in Canada

• Adults Canadians • 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week

• “Moderate activity”• walking, vaccuuming, biking for pleasure

• Vigorous activity– Jogging, team sport

Exercise: Males Exercise: Females Facebook

Minutes Per Day

27 21 31

2.5

7.5

12.5

17.5

22.5

27.5

32.5

ActivitiesM

inut

es P

er D

ay

Only 5% of adult Canadians get more than 30 minutes of activity, 5x/week!

Physical activity of Canadian adults: Accelerometer results from the 2007 to 2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey

Exercise: Males Exercise: Females Facebook

Minutes Per Day

27 21 31

2.5

7.5

12.5

17.5

22.5

27.5

32.5

ActivitiesM

inut

es P

er D

ay

Only 5% of adult Canadians get more than 30 minutes of activity, 5x/week!

Physical activity of Canadian adults: Accelerometer results from the 2007 to 2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey

Exercise: Males Exercise: Females Facebook

Minutes Per Day

27 21 31

2.5

7.5

12.5

17.5

22.5

27.5

32.5

ActivitiesM

inut

es P

er D

ay

Only 5% of adult Canadians get more than 30 minutes of activity, 5x/week!

Physical activity of Canadian adults: Accelerometer results from the 2007 to 2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey

Is 150 minutes enough?

• Jakicic JM et al. (2008). Effects of Exercise on 24-Month Weight Loss Maintenance in Overweight Women. Archives of Internal Medicine, 168(14): 1550-1559.

We Aren’t Being Very Smart

An Even Smarter and Richer Dude

• Mark Zuckerberg• Founder Facebook– Feburary 2004

• Facebook: #1 most visited website in the world

• Estimated net worth: $28 Billion– Fitness industry: $40 Billion

Question“ If making friends is free but a university

education costs $$$$, how in hell is Facebook more valuable than Wikipedia?”

UNDERSTANDING INFLUENCE: 3 BIG COACHING LESSONS WE CAN STEAL FROM FACEBOOK

Coaching Tip #1: Appreciate Emotions

People Don’t Care About Nutrients and to a Lesser Extent Health…

Humans are hardwired to choose pleasure, particularly when survival is not threatened!

What We Want

According to Netbase - a social media monitoring company(Analyzed 28 Billion Conversations)

Coaching Reality #1• Emotion and excitement are way, way more

powerful drivers of behaviour than logic

– Exhibit A: Kony 2012…. 84,939,086 views

Coaching Reality #1

• If what you are coaching isn’t perceived as fun, it’s unlikely to take hold in the long run

Coaching Tip #2: Friends, Farms and Fitness

Coaching Tip #2: Friends, Farms and Fitness

People paying real money, to build a fake farm– Zynga Revenues (2011): $1.14 Billion

Status Seeking in the 21st Century

We like to brag about our exploits

We like it even more when we receive the adulation of others!

Coaching Reality #2:People Need to Believe They Can “Win”

• Humans are innately status seekers– Make sure your clients or athletes are “winning”

Coaching Reality #2:People Need to Believe They Can “Win”

• Humans are innately status seekers– Make sure your clients or athletes are “winning”

Coaching Reality #2: Foster a “Winnable” Environment

Coaching Tip #3: The Expert Needs Content, The Client Needs Context

• 2005 • 2008

Help Clients Filter Out The Noise

Communication 101: Speak to Client Desires

Facebook’s Secret to Success

• Take something we were already addicted to doing and make it easier and more fun!

– I.e. Photo Sharing

– Old way• Pay $$ for duplicates, mail out

– New way• Post to Facebook… done

Selling Health Moving Forward:Content vs. Context

• We don’t buy stuff– We buy what stuff does for us

• Content: what product or information you give someone• Context: what relevance you provide to their life

“We tend to buy/act on emotion and justify with logic”

Roadmap for Greater Impact

1. Be exciting

2. Help Clients Win

3. Provide context in your advice, not just more content

Thank You

Questions?