April 26, 2017
Ryan Collins
Trying to change people’s behaviour can be a challenge whether at work, home or amongst friends. Understanding behaviour change psychology can play a critical role in whether your powers of persuasion will be successful. Take a look at three tips from our new Business Case for Less Waste guide.
Research shows that encouraging people to commit to a small, easy change is likely to entice them to commit to a bigger change later. In the US homeowners were asked for permission to install a 6ft x 3ft sign saying ‘Drive Carefully’ in their yard. Unsurprisingly, only 17% of residents agreed. But when residents were asked to display a small ‘Drive Carefully’ sign in their window for two weeks, they were significantly more likely to agree to hosting the large sign.
Make it Work for You
Make it work for you by providing a recycling bin adjacent to the waste bin at home. Or organise desk trays for office paper reuse and recycling at work. The next step could be to encourage the use of reusable takeaway coffee mugs.
Humans are social creatures and our behaviour is strongly influenced by ‘the group’ (more so than we like to admit). A study carried out in the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona used two different signs to test what would be most effective in stopping the theft of fossilised wood and bones in the canyons. These were the surprising results:
Make it Work for You
Don’t reinforce the bad behaviour by highlighting it. Avoid turning it into a social norm by focusing on the good behaviour. Rather than having a sign that reads “Stop leaving the lights on at night”, highlight the good behaviour with “Thank you for turning the lights off before you leave.”
Human brains feel the pain of current loss more than they feel the joy of gain. People don’t like to miss out. Research showed that home owners were up to 300% more likely to undertake energy efficiency upgrades if they were told they were losing 50 cents a day, rather than being told they would save 50 cents a day. 300%!
Make it Work for You
Imagine you are trying to persuade your boss or management team to adopt a new recycling program that will save your organisation $12,000 a year. Framing your pitch in terms of “We’ll miss out on $12,000” or “We’re paying $12,000 a year more than we need to” are much more likely to be successful than saying “We could save $12,000 a year.”
Check out more tips in the Business Case for Less Waste guide.
Ryan is the Recycling Programs Manager at Planet Ark. After nearly a decade working in the banking and finance industry Ryan was drawn to a career in environmental conservation that saw him work in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Fiji. With a background in psychology and environmental management, Ryan’s role at Planet Ark since 2012 has been focused on developing engaging and positive environmental behaviour change programs to help everyone recycle and reduce waste.
April 26, 2017
Ryan Collins
Trying to change people’s behaviour can be a challenge whether at work, home or amongst friends. Understanding behaviour change psychology can play a critical role in whether your powers of persuasion will be successful. Take a look at three tips from our new Business Case for Less Waste guide.
Research shows that encouraging people to commit to a small, easy change is likely to entice them to commit to a bigger change later. In the US homeowners were asked for permission to install a 6ft x 3ft sign saying ‘Drive Carefully’ in their yard. Unsurprisingly, only 17% of residents agreed. But when residents were asked to display a small ‘Drive Carefully’ sign in their window for two weeks, they were significantly more likely to agree to hosting the large sign.
Make it Work for You
Make it work for you by providing a recycling bin adjacent to the waste bin at home. Or organise desk trays for office paper reuse and recycling at work. The next step could be to encourage the use of reusable takeaway coffee mugs.
Humans are social creatures and our behaviour is strongly influenced by ‘the group’ (more so than we like to admit). A study carried out in the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona used two different signs to test what would be most effective in stopping the theft of fossilised wood and bones in the canyons. These were the surprising results:
Make it Work for You
Don’t reinforce the bad behaviour by highlighting it. Avoid turning it into a social norm by focusing on the good behaviour. Rather than having a sign that reads “Stop leaving the lights on at night”, highlight the good behaviour with “Thank you for turning the lights off before you leave.”
Human brains feel the pain of current loss more than they feel the joy of gain. People don’t like to miss out. Research showed that home owners were up to 300% more likely to undertake energy efficiency upgrades if they were told they were losing 50 cents a day, rather than being told they would save 50 cents a day. 300%!
Make it Work for You
Imagine you are trying to persuade your boss or management team to adopt a new recycling program that will save your organisation $12,000 a year. Framing your pitch in terms of “We’ll miss out on $12,000” or “We’re paying $12,000 a year more than we need to” are much more likely to be successful than saying “We could save $12,000 a year.”
Check out more tips in the Business Case for Less Waste guide.
Ryan is the Recycling Programs Manager at Planet Ark. After nearly a decade working in the banking and finance industry Ryan was drawn to a career in environmental conservation that saw him work in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Fiji. With a background in psychology and environmental management, Ryan’s role at Planet Ark since 2012 has been focused on developing engaging and positive environmental behaviour change programs to help everyone recycle and reduce waste.
April 26, 2017
Ryan Collins
Trying to change people’s behaviour can be a challenge whether at work, home or amongst friends. Understanding behaviour change psychology can play a critical role in whether your powers of persuasion will be successful. Take a look at three tips from our new Business Case for Less Waste guide.
Research shows that encouraging people to commit to a small, easy change is likely to entice them to commit to a bigger change later. In the US homeowners were asked for permission to install a 6ft x 3ft sign saying ‘Drive Carefully’ in their yard. Unsurprisingly, only 17% of residents agreed. But when residents were asked to display a small ‘Drive Carefully’ sign in their window for two weeks, they were significantly more likely to agree to hosting the large sign.
Make it Work for You
Make it work for you by providing a recycling bin adjacent to the waste bin at home. Or organise desk trays for office paper reuse and recycling at work. The next step could be to encourage the use of reusable takeaway coffee mugs.
Humans are social creatures and our behaviour is strongly influenced by ‘the group’ (more so than we like to admit). A study carried out in the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona used two different signs to test what would be most effective in stopping the theft of fossilised wood and bones in the canyons. These were the surprising results:
Make it Work for You
Don’t reinforce the bad behaviour by highlighting it. Avoid turning it into a social norm by focusing on the good behaviour. Rather than having a sign that reads “Stop leaving the lights on at night”, highlight the good behaviour with “Thank you for turning the lights off before you leave.”
Human brains feel the pain of current loss more than they feel the joy of gain. People don’t like to miss out. Research showed that home owners were up to 300% more likely to undertake energy efficiency upgrades if they were told they were losing 50 cents a day, rather than being told they would save 50 cents a day. 300%!
Make it Work for You
Imagine you are trying to persuade your boss or management team to adopt a new recycling program that will save your organisation $12,000 a year. Framing your pitch in terms of “We’ll miss out on $12,000” or “We’re paying $12,000 a year more than we need to” are much more likely to be successful than saying “We could save $12,000 a year.”
Check out more tips in the Business Case for Less Waste guide.
Ryan is the Recycling Programs Manager at Planet Ark. After nearly a decade working in the banking and finance industry Ryan was drawn to a career in environmental conservation that saw him work in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Fiji. With a background in psychology and environmental management, Ryan’s role at Planet Ark since 2012 has been focused on developing engaging and positive environmental behaviour change programs to help everyone recycle and reduce waste.