How to elicit positive behavioural change by engaging creatively and emotionally

06/29/17 • 61 min

Re-thinking The Human Factor with Bruce Hallas

How Heather and Chase are eliciting positive behaviour change in kids and their parents by engaging with them creatively and emotionally

EPISODE 02 SUMMARY - HEATHER DAHL AND CHASE CUNNINGHAM

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We talk with Heather Dahl and Chase Cunningham, co-founders of The Cynja, a comic series created with the aim of “[engaging] children... To teach them how to make smart choices [when they encounter the internet], practice online security, and enable privacy protection as they practice cyber security in their digital lives.” Heather and Chase bring a variety of work experience to the area of cyber security awareness and education and seek to bring a fresh, entertaining perspective to an otherwise drab communications M.O.

“...Sometimes in our families, it’s our kids that are educating the adults on the world that’s out there, and we can’t underestimate the role of comics in this sense for kids in educating all of those that are around them that may not be as digitally savvy as they are.”

In this episode, Bruce, Heather, and Chase discuss how creativity, emotion, and excitement are necessary ingredients in cyber security awareness/education materials, especially if the aim of those materials is to elicit engagement and behaviour change from an audience. In the same vein, they also discuss the power that lies within communication efforts that take into consideration the way a certain group of people speaks and engages with their world.

“And if you look to the world of marketing for example and how organizations market their products and services, and what’s the brand, there IS some of that excitement...If you want to sell a product, you connect with people on an emotional level.”

PROJECTS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED:

The Cynja - https://www.cynja.com/
The Analogies Project - https://theanalogiesproject.org/

CONNECT WITH Heather and Chase:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheCynja
Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/thecynja
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/thecynja/

Thank you for listening! Please subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, and if you enjoyed this interview, please share with your friends and colleagues and leave a 5 star rating and review.

Thanks for listening.

Bruce & The Re-thinking the Human Factor Podcast Team

How Heather and Chase are eliciting positive behaviour change in kids and their parents by engaging with them creatively and emotionally

EPISODE 02 SUMMARY - HEATHER DAHL AND CHASE CUNNINGHAM

————————————————

PROJECTS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED:

The Cynja - https://www.cynja.com/
The Analogies Project - https://theanalogiesproject.org/

CONNECT WITH Heather and Chase:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheCynja
Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/thecynja
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/thecynja/

Thank you for listening! Please subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, and if you enjoyed this interview, please share with your friends and colleagues and leave a 5 star rating and review.

Thanks for listening.

Bruce & The Re-thinking the Human Factor Podcast Team

Previous Episode

Security Communication Strategy; How to improve policy messaging and implementation

How we can improve policy messaging and implementation

EPISODE 01 SUMMARY - GREGORY MICHAELIDIS

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Gregory (Greg) Michaelidis spent 7 years working for the Obama Administration within the Department of Homeland Security, first as the Head Speech Writer for the Secretary of Homeland Security, and then in the Homeland Security directorate that handles cyber security and infrastructure protection. His experience ranges from defining and creating policy to establishing buy-in for policy through good messaging, and he’s bringing that experience into the arena of cyber security awareness. During his tenure in the Obama Administration, Greg noticed a frustrating pattern in government policy making —

“Much of the energy in security policy would go into policy formulation and interagency tussle over who would implement the policy, but once that was all figured out, the policy given less attention, especially in regards to the manner in which messaging around a certain policy was delivered to people who would ideally hear it and get on board.”

In this episode, Bruce and Greg discuss issues around cyber security awareness, how to improve messaging around issues of cyber security, and perhaps even more importantly, what needs to be done to ensure that awareness is turning into positive security behaviors.

“So when we have more of those people who aren’t from the traditional computer science or engineering backgrounds who are contributing to the conversation, I think it will be a sign of health, that we are getting beyond what is now...a heavily industry or fee-for-service/fee-for-product driven model that is in need of a real shake-up.”

PROJECTS, POLICIES, AND RESOURCES MENTIONED:

The Analogies Project https://theanalogiesproject.org/ -
The Ready Campaign https://www.ready.gov/ - preparedness for natural disasters
If You See Something, Say Something (still in effect) https://www.dhs.gov/see-something-say-something - situational awareness to teach people to report to law enforcement when they see something that seems amiss or out of place (still in effect)
Stop.Think.Connect https://www.stopthinkconnect.org/ - cyber security awareness program (still in effect)
UK “Prevent” Programs https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2010-to-2015-government-policy

Next Episode

What it takes to craft a message with impact across different cultures, able to effect real behavioural change.

EPISODE 03 SUMMARY - JOHN POLLACK

Author // Consultant // Speechwriter // Journalist // Reporter

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What is needed within cyber security industry communications to generate the kind of awareness and training materials that enable governments, businesses, and the general public to protect themselves against cyber security threats? We want people to hear our message and act in accordance with responsible security behaviours, but what changes do we as an industry need to make in order to accomplish this goal? Join Bruce and John as they converse around these questions and unpack topics such as:

John was a strolling violinist at a restaurant where the head chef taught him that people eat twice, once with their eyes and once with their stomach, and that good communication relies on a combination of a sensory stimuli.
Building a relationship with an audience, fostering trust, requires communicators to listen as much, if not more, than communicate.
Communication needs to come from a place of empathy and this is often missing.
The importance of authenticity and credibility in developing and delivering effective communication that supports change in behaviour.
"Washington is where good words go to die" comment illustrating the impact of internal corporate communication guidelines on the effectiveness of communications designed to raise awareness and influence behaviour.

“...We ought keep our eye out for ways to capture people’s attention because capturing people’s attention, and holding it, is the essence of communication...”

PROJECTS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED:

The Analogies Project
Shortcut (by John Pollack)

CONNECT WITH JOHN:

Website

Thank you for listening! Please subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, and if you enjoyed this interview, please share with your friends and colleagues and leave a 5 star rating and review.

Thanks for listening.

Bruce & The Re-thinking the Human Factor Podcast Team