In his two excellent books, The Psychology of Influence and Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways To Be Persuasive, Dr. Robert B. Cialdini describes several experiments that prove overwhelmingly that when we ask someone to do something--or not to do something--the response will be much more favorable if we provide a compelling reason.

Therefore, when it comes to classroom management, the one word you should always use is because. Every time you enforce a classroom rule with a consequence, to be most effective, go through the same three steps:

1. Tell the offending student what the consequence is.

"David, you must go to time-out because..."

2. Tell them what rule they broke.

"...you broke rule number two: raise your hand and wait to be called upon before speaking."

3. Give a compelling reason for the rule.

"We have that rule because calling out it wastes time and interferes with everyone's right to learn."

The difference between the experiments cited by Dr. Cialdini and the use of the word because for classroom management purposes is that we aren't asking our students to do something; we are telling them. The positive results, however, are the same.

If your students understand why a rule is important to the success of everyone involved, they are much more likely to be compliant to that rule. Therefore, it's critically important when explaining your classroom management plan that you provide reasons that make sense to your students.

It's interesting to note that experimenters discovered that even when the reasons offered were poor--to the point of absurdity--most subjects were still agreeable to the request. Meaning that the most important aspect to providing reasons for your students is the word because.

Michael Linsin is the author of the book, Dream Class: How To Transform Any Group Of Students Into The Class You've Always Wanted. For more of his effective classroom management tips and strategies, updated every week, visit www.smartclassroommanagement.com.