www.strategic-social-marketing.

org

What we know about

Behaviour Change

&

Characteristics of
Effective Behavioural Change Programmes

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 24 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 out behaviour are not the result of active decision-making, rather, as
discussed above and illustrated in the Value/ Cost Matrix Model, are unconscious
and automatic. These ‘decisions’ are influenced by our social and emotional contexts
and by factors such as timing, and our physiological state . The following set of 24
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

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.
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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.

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.
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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
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.
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What we know about developing effective and efficient

intervention processes
Quality assuring social marketing planning
It is not possible to develop, an exact formula that can be universally applied for
delivering population-focused behaviour programmes that will result in success every
time. However there is an emerging set of principles that can aid us in the
development and application of interventions (French et al, 2009; Klassen, 2010;
Suter, 2009). These features are summarised in the following quality assurance list
that can be used to test the utility and strength of social marketing plans.

Social Marketing Quality Assurance Planning Checklist

1. Clear aims and measurable behavioural objectives should be set out in the
programme plan together with the target audience(s) and segments that will
be the focus of the intervention should be explicit.

2. Programmes should set out how funding and other resources will be applied
and over what time period. A clear expected return on investment case
should be set out to justify the level of planned investment.

3. The programme should be endorsed by policy makers, commissioners and

managers, deliverers of the programme. The programme pla n should set out
the political, policy, managerial and institutional commitment to the
programme.

4. The programme team should capture what evidence about effective practice
from reviews and case studies, observational data and target audience
psychographic data is being used to formulae insight and interventions.
5. The programme plan should set out a clear rationale for the programme and
why particular interventions have been selected. The programme plan should
also indicates the theoretical perspectives and models that have been used to
inform planning that is congruent with the form, focus and context of the
intervention.

6. The programme plan should demonstrate that target group(s), stakeholders

and partners have been involved in needs assessment, target setting,
delivery and evaluation.

7. The programme plan should set out how prototype interventions or pilots will
be tested and used to develop full-scale programmes.

8. The plan should sets out how the programme will be funded to the level
required to achieve impact and how it will be sustained over the
recommended time scale for delivery. Plans should also set out key
milestones, in developing and delivering the programme. These milestones
should cover process, impact and outcome milestones.

9. Programme plans should set out how coalitions, stakeholders, partners and
interest groups will be engaged over the lifetime of the intervention. The plan
should also sets out the mechanism for coordinated action between
international, national regional and local delivery, and how decision making,
governance and coordination of the programme will operate.
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10. Key barriers and enabling factors and other risks should be identified in the
programme plan together with what actions will be taken to address these
factors.

11. Evaluation, performance management, learning and feedback mechanisms

are clear in the programme plan. Evaluation should encompass short-term
impact measures for tracking purposes, process measures of efficiency and
outcome evaluation related to the specific objectives of the programme.

12. All programme plans should be recorded and published, the plan should be
based on a proven planning template such as TPP.

These characteristics can be used as a checklist to test the likely impact of social
marketing interventions and programmes, and as a checklist when developing a
social marketing plan.
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Best practice behavioural Change Planning Checklist

Is there a written social marketing plan and is it

based on a recognised planning template? Yes No Unsure

Are clear aims and measurable behavioural

objectives set out? Yes No Unsure

Are target audience(s) and segments are

explicit in the plan? Yes No Unsure

Is there evidence that target group(s) are or will

be involved in needs assessment, target setting,
delivery and evaluation? Yes No Unsure

Does the plan sets out how prototype interventions

or pilots will be tested and used to develop full
scale programmes? Yes No Unsure

Does the plan sets out a clear rationale for the

programme and why the particular interventions
have been selected? Yes No Unsure

Does the plan sets out how the programme will be

funded to the level required to achieve impact and
how it will be sustained over the recommended
time scale for delivery? Yes No Unsure

Does the plan set out how coalitions with other

stakeholders, partners and interest groups will
be developed and coordinated? Yes No Unsure

Does the plan set out the mechanisms for

coordination, decision making, and governance? Yes No Unsure

Does the plan have political, policy, managerial and

institutional commitment? Yes No Unsure

Are barriers and enabling factors and other risks

identified in the plan together with what actions will be
taken to address these factors? Yes No Unsure

Does the plan capture what evidence and data is

being used to formulae interventions? Yes No Unsure

Does the plan indicates what theoretical perspectives

have been used to inform it? Yes No Unsure

Does the plan set out how funding and other resources
will be applied and clear expected return on investment ? Yes No Unsure

Are key milestones for development delivery and

evaluation set out? Yes No Unsure

Are evaluation, performance management, learning and

feedback mechanisms clearly set out ? Yes No Unsure
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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