The lure of listening

Odysseus knew he wouldn’t be strong enough to ignore the Siren’s Call, so he made sure he was strapped to the mast.

To influence behaviour, we need to do something similar.

Because it’s all too easy to listen to customers and colleagues. To assume what they tell us is where the answer lies.

I see it all the time.

I run training on behaviour change.

I spell out the say vs do gap and why it’s a problem. 

The challenge of rationalised vs real behaviour.

Participants then set off to resolve their behavioural challenge.

And one of the first things they do? 

Ask those affected questions like: why do you do that? Why don’t you do this?

This is the Siren’s Call. 

We place stock in what people tell us even though we know it might mislead us. 

Why? Three reasons.

1. It’s safe

Being able to cite who you’ve spoken to and engaged protects you from direct accountability and blame.

2. It feels accurate

We trust what people tell us. Yet articulate doesn’t mean accurate. Just because something is communicated sincerely and clearly, doesn’t mean it’s reliable.

3. We don't think we'll be fooled

We trust ourselves. We think we’ll be able to read between the lines and avoid being misled.

How do we break out of this cycle?  We strap ourselves to the mast.

First, treat what you hear as inputs, not answers. Use them to form or augment your hypotheses, rather than assume it’s the only research you need to do. 

Second, counter balance what you hear with observation. For instance, people told me they would use the printed phone directory more if it contained a schedule of bin collections. I observed that people decided which bin to put out for collection based on what they saw their neighbours do. The observation invalidated their answers. 

Third, use behavioural science to examine and explain why people behave the way they do. Draw on research based on observable experimentation rather than recall and rationalisation.

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