www.strategic-social-marketing.

org

What we know about

Designing Behaviour
Change Programmes
and Interventions

Professor Jeff French

PhD, MBA, MSc, Dip HE, BA, Cert.Ed
Strategic Social Marketing Ltd
www.strategic-social-marketing.org
jeff.French@strategic-social –marketing.org
 www.strategic-social-marketing.org

Introduction
What we know about behaviour change 25 lessons from the
evidence:

Putting theory into practice

Recent findings from a variety of fields of study have all helped to
expand and enhance our understanding of how and why people
behave as they do.

This learning gives us a powerful set of principles, which can be

used to help design more effective social change interventions. In
particular, there is a much wider appreciation now that while
behaviour can be ‘rationale’ and the result of conscious
consideration, in practice many decisions flow from emotional
engagement, social influence and environmental prompts.

What we now know is that many of our choices and the decisions
we make that influence our behaviour are not the result of active
decision-making but can often also be unconscious and automatic
in nature. These ‘decisions’ are influenced by our social and
emotional contexts and by factors such as timing, and our
physiological state.

The following set of 25 principles summarises much of what we

currently know about influencing behaviour drawn from fields of
study that include but are not limited to management, psychology,
policy development, economics, design, sociology, biology and
communication studies
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1. Change in behaviour is usually a process not an event, and often entails

several attempts before success. When delivering intervention programmes
there is a need to be persistent, sustain interventions over time and offer
multiple paths to success.

2. A desire or at least an acceptance for change must be present in the

target audience: Some people will want to change their behaviour; others will
need to be persuaded to consider a change.

3. People need to feel involved and engaged. Participatory involvement often

creates bigger behavioural change effects. Wherever possible, involve,
consult and engage people in both designing and delivering interventions.

4. Active consideration often leads to more permanent change. If people

have a chance to explore and consider issues, this soften helps them both
reconsider attitudes and beliefs that help them change their behaviour or
maintain a positive behaviour.

5. People can be taught critical thinking skills that can help them take
more control over their behaviour and resist media, social and
environmental influences on their behaviour.

6. People are often motivated to do the ‘right thing’ for the community as
well as themselves and their families. Interventions that appeal to peoples
sense of community togetherness and that the desired behaviour is a norm in
the community and one that is valued by others tend to be more successful.

7. Social relationships, approval and social support have a strong and

persistent influence on behaviour. Working with and through key influencers
improves the impact of behaviour change programmes. Use the power of
group norms and behaviour to inform and engage people in change, let them
know that others are changing and use the power of group action.

8. People can be ‘locked into’ patterns of behaviour and need practical help
to help them break or unfreeze current behaviour. Programmes that provide
practical support to change are easy to access and require small steps tend
to be more effective.

9. Beliefs and values influence how people behave. Programmes should

start by understanding target audience beliefs and attitudes and use these to
inform the development of behaviour change services and products.

10.Behavioural experience can influence beliefs and values. Programmes

that move people to behaviour as quickly as possible i.e. give them a chance
to try the thing that is being promoted work best. It is not always necessary to
rely on shifting attitude first. Often behaving differently often leads to a shift in
attitude.

11.Change is more likely if an undesired behaviour is not part of an

individual’s coping strategy. Avoid ‘telling people off’ for ‘bad’ behaviour if
they are using it to cope with life. Demonstrates an understanding of the
reasons for their behaviour and offer realistic and attractive alternatives that
give practical support to change.
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12.People’s perception of their own ability to change can either enhance or

detract from attempts to change. Develop services and support that will
build people’s confidence knowledge and skills.

13.People’s perception of their vulnerability to a risk and its severity is key to

understanding behaviour and developing effective interventions. Focus on
understanding people’s perceptions and how they view the risks associated
with the behaviour. Also focus interventions on people’s views and frame
risks in ways that they can understand and are meaningful to them.

14.People’s perceptions of the effectiveness of the recommended

behavioural change are key factors affecting decisions to act. This factor
means that we need to set out in terms that people value the benefits and
impact of the change that is being promoted.

15.People influence and are influenced by their physical, social and

economic environments. There is a limit to a person’s capacity to change if
the environment militates against the desired change. Deliver programmes
that tackle the underlying environmental, social and economic barriers to
change as well as personal factors.

16.People are loss averse. They will put more effort into retaining what they
have than acquiring new assets or benefits. Stress potential losses
associated with the behaviour as well as the positive gains that can be
accrued from change.

17.People often use mental short cuts and trial-and-error approaches to

make decisions, rather than ‘rational’ decision making. An understanding
these short cuts or heuristics should be used to develop interventions and
develop new ‘scripts’ associated with the behaviour you are trying to
influence.

18.The more beneficial or rewarding an experience, the more likely it is to

be repeated. Maintaining positive behaviour can be assisted by
reinforcement. Behavioural interventions should seek to reward desired
behaviours and when appropriate penalise inappropriate behaviour.
Interventions should also seek to support positive behaviour by maintaining a
relationship with people which affirms their new behaviour and encourages
them to build on it.

19.Many people are often more concerned with short-term gains and costs,
and tend to place less value on rewards or costs that might happen in the
future. Programmes should emphasise short-term as well as long-term
benefits and seek to reduce short-term costs.

20.People will usually change behaviour if they value what is being offered
or in the case of a negative penalty that the penalty has meaning and
real consequences for them. Offers and penalties need to be presented in a
way that people find meaningful and understandable.

21.Change is more likely, if the actions that have to be taken are easy
specific, simple and clear. Making the first step to change very easy also
helps engage people in the start of a change process. Keep interventions
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specific and promote them in a way that the target audience views as relevant
and appealing.

22.People can be helped to change by designing services and

environments in such a way that encourage people to act that does not
involve complex choice decisions. Design services, environments that
encourage ‘mindless choosing’ i.e. by removing the need for complex
choices, for example making only low or nonalcoholic drinks available at
social functions will encourage less people to get drunk.

23.Many people are bad at computation and risk assessment. Many of us do

not understand numbers, risk ratios or odds. Test the use the understanding
of numerical and risk based messages before using them. Convey risks and
factual numeric information in ways that the target audience can understand
and find compelling, for example the number of Olympic sized swimming
pools full of water that can be saved by fitting a low volume flush toilet.

24.Communications and media including social media can have a powerful

effect on people’s attitudes beliefs and consequently behaviour.
However this effect is not mainly concerned with information transmission.
The real impact of mass and social media on people is often less. Media can
build up impressions of relationships between issues, set the agenda for
public debate and create emotional responses as well as transmit information.

25.Behaviour is influenced by physiological and somatic state. If people are

physically aroused this often wil have an impact on their behaviour, a sense
of relaxation will also have an impact on behaviour. People’s somatic state,
i.e. the shape of their body and how they perceive it will also have an impact
on their behaviour. Genetics can also have influence on behaviour; there are
some differences in the way men and women for example as populations if
not individuals have a tendency to behave in specific instances.

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Professor Jeff French

PhD, MBA, MSc, Dip HE, BA, Cert.Ed
Strategic Social Marketing Ltd
www.strategic-social-marketing.org
jeff.French@strategic-social –marketing.org