Does shock work?
1 February 2010
Does shock work in safety training? This debate is an old one but the fact that it is still taking place suggests that there is no clear cut answer. So, here are a few thoughts to throw into the mix. Look at the usual quit smoking campaigns. Seeing an amputee or nose or throat cancer victim isn’t very pretty. It shocks me. But I wonder if it shocks the person smoking next to me. How do most smokers see it? Is there a difference between older smokers and younger smokers? Younger smokers might be shocked but they might also be thinking that it will never happen to them, and besides, if it does then that time will be too far off to worry about it now. So, it may not be relevant to them.
There has been an advertising campaign in Australia targeting speeding by young drivers. The catch line was something like ‘no one thinks big of you when you speed’ and the reference is to the size of the poor boy’s appendage. Reports are that it has been very effective. There is not much shock here except that the ads got past the sensors. It seems that the embarrassment might be the success factor. I mean what young testosterone pumping teenager wants to be seen as having a small one?
No one thinks big of you
By the way if you want to take a peek at the video, click here and play the video link and to read more about the success of the campaign. www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/speedandspeedcameras/campaigns/index.html
Does this mean that embarrassment is a better motivator than shock for changing risky behaviour? Or does it mean that it is about relevance? The more relevant the content and the message is to your audience the more successful the message and training is going to be.
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