138: Nudgy — How to Influence People to Make an Optimal Choice in the ‘Moment of Truth’

In episode 136, I shared how there are three secrets to effective content as part of a leadership or workforce communication strategy: visual, sticky, and “nudgy.”

We discussed the first secret in episode 127, Let’s Get Visual: 6 Engaging Ways to Use Images. We discussed the second secret in episode 136, Sticky — 7 Keys to Making People Notice, Care, and Act.

But we don’t just want our communications to stick, we want to drive action. The final of the three secrets is Nudgy, and that’s our focus here in episode 128. “Nudgy” means we apply evidence-based insights from behavioral economics to help our communications influence people to make an optimal choice in the “moment of truth.”

This term comes from the book Nudge, by University of Chicago economist Richard H. Thaler. But a newer book on the subject has a more specific application to workforce communication — The Power of Fifty Bits, by Bob Nease, who served many years as the chief scientist at Express Scripts.

In this episode, Jesse discusses how to use communications to leverage three heuristics (subconscious rules of thumb) that influence everyday behaviors of people.

Inertia

Loss aversion

Social norms

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

* Article: Behavioral Economics Strategic Framework

Podcast: Episode 127: Let’s Get Visual – 6 Engaging Ways to Use Images

Podcast: Episode 136: Sticky — 7 Keys to Making People Notice, Care, and Act

Podcast: WHE29: Behavioral Economics for Business Leaders: Turn Good Intentions into Positive Results | with Bob Nease

Podcast: WHE27: How to Engage Senior Leaders in Wellness Communications with Mark Snyder from Owens Corning

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