Story 23 - Bowl Games are my Hot Button

For the first time since 2016, the Huskers are going to a bowl game! Bowl games are definitely a Hot Button for many Husker fans.

Hot Buttons

One of the very first terms many of us learned when starting our NHRI journey was ‘Hot Button’.  A hot button, also known as a spontaneous stimulator or spark point, is defined as, “a topic of conversation that a person could talk about all day. People tend to be visibly excited when their hot buttons come up in conversation. Finding hot buttons by asking open-ended questions is a key way of developing an investment relationship.”

The 2010 TA Manual further shares: 

Spontaneous stimulators (Hot Buttons) are topics of interest or activities that “turn on,” energize, or trigger action in an individual in much the same way that an electric button, when pressed, switches on an electric light or motor. Examples of Hot Buttons are:

For grandparents – their grandchildren

For students – classes, professors, parties

For tennis players – tennis

Finding someone else’s hot buttons is the first step to opening the lines of communication, and discovering commonalities that provide the basis for establishing a positive relationship. The way to find someone’s hot buttons is by initiating discussion centered around a variety of topics, by proceeding with opportunities for reaction, and by observing the degrees of response. 

Knowing others’ hot buttons allows one to discover their likes and dislikes, similarities and differences and helps one to understand and to empathize with other people much more easily. Hot buttons are an excellent way to start and maintain a conversation. 

Difference Makers are individuals who have a significant positive influence on the lives of those around them. One very important characteristic of difference makers is that they listen 50-75% of the time. Difference Makers manifest good listening habits such as good eye contact, paraphrasing and asking questions.

Finding hot buttons in others and learning more about what drives them is essential to building rapport. This is a skill many of us practiced while actively in NHRI, but is a talent that lives well beyond our years in the program.