How to EH

How to EH

With warmer temps comes the opportunity to tempt your fellow man out of the hibernation of winter and into the lessening gloom. In F3 lexicon, this is called the emotional headlock, or EH. Whether you’ve never EH’d someone or you’re a pro, this article will share some tips, tricks, and resources.

It starts with you

Most of all, you have to believe in what you’re doing, and then it’s easy. If you’ve seen F3 change people’s lives, it’s easier to tap into the “emotional” part of the EH and tell-to-sell it to people. I think we can all agree, we’ve seen some crazy changes in both big and small ways in so many aspects of our lives: ourselves, the other pax, our families. Think about the parts of F3 that mean most to you, the 1st/2nd/3rd F’s and so on, and it will become easier to identify people who might be missing those very things, who might be open to F3.

There’s a saying in F3 that you’re “Freed to Lead.” If you’re a leader, that implies that you’re leading something…and if you’re a leader who’s part of F3, at some point that probably means you’re leading someone to F3. Leadership takes on many forms, it’s not always brash and loud; sometimes it’s gentle and quiet. If you’re not sure what type of leader you are, ask some of the pax or people around you. And then you can use that information to connect the dots as to what type of people you’re likeliest to be able to reach and lead.

Communicate

The best way to get the word out is to…get the word. Talk about F3 to everyone. Word of mouth travels, so you might find that someone’s M hears about it from your M, and then goads her husband into going.

But conversely, don’t give away too many details all at once. It could be as simple as saying you’re in a workout group called F3 and giving maybe just one small detail you like about it, such as, “My favorite part is that we have all our workouts outside, nothing beats fresh air.”

Let them ask questions. Even if they’re not initially curious, a few interactions down the line, something else you share might spark an interest. For example, they might later find out we have nicknames, and then you can share a (hopefully humorous) anecdote about how you got named. Or, you might casually let slip in a work conference how you just ran a marathon and then people might wonder how you trained and you can share a bit more about F3. #humblebrag

Tailor your message to your audience. If the guy is already a stud, you might share about a particularly tough fitness challenge. Or, conversely, use the opposite approach and say that you know he doesn’t need the workout, but it’s so much more than a workout, it’s about the fellowship, it’s about helping other people unlock their own fitness and leadership potential, etc.

Another key aspect of communication is to listen to the other people. Find out if they have goals that might align with what we’re doing in F3. And if so, invite them to an event, whether 1st, 2nd, or 3rd F.

When you invite people, show up! Maybe even give them a ride, introduce them to people, get them to come to coffeeteria after, get them to HC for another bootcamp before they leave, and maybe even get them on Slack right away (but warn them it can be overwhelming).

Also important, tell the pax ahead of time that an FNG is coming. And if you’re one of those pax, say hello, be welcoming, and pick up the six. There’s a fine line of giving new guys their space vs. being standoffish, and showing the fitness capabilities that F3 could lead to vs. showing off and being sort of vain or selfish about the workout.

You as another pax, not the one who EH’d the FNG, can have a lot of influence on whether he returns. In fact, one effective tactic to get someone to show up is to have him promise some of the other pax to come in front of you.

Location, Location, Location

Think of places that you already go that might have people who’d benefit from F3. Some common ones are:

  • Church
  • Gym (yes, a lot of us do both F3 and the gym)
  • Your neighborhood
  • Volunteering, meetups, and other interest groups
  • People you regularly see during errands around town

Think of F3 locations that you’d be comfortable inviting someone to:

  • Your favorite AOs
  • AOs near the person
  • AO style: bootcamp is a good all-around, but strength, limited run, or run-only might be better depending on the person’s interests
  • 2nd F events are also good, like coffeeteria or happy hours at a place they might already go to
  • 3rd F events might be ways to reach people who aren’t yet interested in the fitness aspect. But after joining a bible study or volunteering with the group, might be more comfortable doing more physically demanding things with us.

Connecting it back to your leadership style, everywhere you go, be on the lookout for those people who need F3 most and whom you likeliest able to reach.

It’s all in the timing

Some people are eager to join almost as soon as you tell them about it. But many people might take awhile to warm up to the idea of getting up at 4:30 in the morning. You might be in it for the long haul.

Think of yourself as planting a seed. It’s not necessarily up to you to water it or make it grow. Someone else might come along after you.

Always Be Branding (ABB)

One simple tactic is to just wear your F3 shirt and other swag out in public places, especially if you go to a gym. It can be an easy conversation starter. That shirt might, say, be Hi-Liter yellow.

Another easy one is to put F3 stickers on your coolers, water bottles, etc. and decals on your car. We have several pax named after these methods of EH’ing.

There are also some resources like F3 business cards that your AO or region might have that make it easy to just pass out to people who are curious. There are general F3 Nation cards, or you could make your own (maybe with QR codes to f3near.me).

A word of caution: Keep in mind that F3 in someways has a “brand,” or its own identity. But unlike corporations, it’s not external-facing: we don’t try to make this brand instantly recognizable to sell it to people. Instead, our brand is more internal-facing: we have certain ways of talking about things, from our lingo itself to the logos, events, podcasts, promos, and other things we do within our group to drum up support, excitement, and energy. This kind of internal-facing brand can be very powerful organic marketing, in a way, but it also means that it’s not apparent to new people what we’re always talking about. So you might have to adjust how you talk about things and maybe borrow phrasing or images from other more regular “brands” that are closer to their idea of what workouts, events, etc. look like.

Always Be Closing (ABC)

You’ve talked it up, you’ve got them hooked or at least interested in the swag, and now it’s time to close. And speaking of closing, also keep in mind that EH’ing doesn’t stop with the first time. Get an HC for them to come back. Always be closing with pax already in the group…there are many leadership opportunities…say quadruple what was in Carpex only a year ago 😉

Here are some sample approaches and conversations from HGTV:

  1. I often approach a guy and ask him how he’s doing working out at so-in-so. Then, I negotiate. I say, “Listen, I want to get you to try one of our workouts at this AO location. What will it take? How about I buy you the first coffee after the workout.” Or, even if they’re in the group, I ask, ”Have you been to Loch n Load (as an example)? No? Oh man, you gotta try it. What about next week you skip so-and-so and add in Saturday’s Loch n Load."
  2. My second approach…whether I know the guy or not, I go bold! I say, “Hey, I hear you live right near AO so-in-so. Did you know they really need a site Q? Will you help those guy out by being site Q once in a while?” This approach has been most effective (the bold approach). I get shot down as much as I get a guy to say, “Hmm, thanks for asking. I think i’ll look into that.”
  3. My third approach is what I call the “double bold”. I ask a guy flat out, “We need you bro. Will you please Q?” or even bolder: “Hey man, I hear you really like this area of town. I want to start an AO. If I do that work will you be Site Q?” This has worked twice so far for South Cary, at Jack it Up and our latest AO launch, Thunderstruck.

That last one brings up a maybe non-obvious aspect of ABC: Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable. You can be blunt and tell people that you need their help, that you need some accountability, or that we in the group need the skills they could bring.

Resources

Websites to give new folks who might be interested:

  • whatisf3.com, a simple site that just covers the basics of what F3 is. Doesn’t get into the weeds about regions, etc.
  • f3near.me, a simple site that uses their location to display the nearest AOs. Note: To show up on this list, the AO must be in the F3 Nation’s workout locations page, so if yours is missing, first add it there.

Physical resources:

F3’s resources for more background on EH principles:

Thank you

YHC consulted with some of Greater Carpex’s finest EH’ers for input on this article.

Banjo, Cataracts, Dirty Bomb, HGTV, Sooey

By Clockwork

“Good words are worth much, and cost little.” - George Herbert

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