EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode, we take a deep dive into a research paper about using fear or shock tactics to inspire behavior change when it comes to health and safety communication. Motor vehicle safety adverts are one of the more common references for this type of method of communication. We discuss what the research has found on the effectiveness of communicating in this way and why it sometimes has the opposite effect.
EPISODE NOTES
The reason we are talking about this today, is because this tactic is often used in workplace safety videos and we ask whether or not it works for everyone, how well it works for workplace safety and whether its even ethical in the first place, regardless of its efficacy.
Topics:
Deciding to discuss shock tactics/threat appeals in the podcast Do they have a place in organization safety management? Ethics behind using fear tactics The research paper introduction About the authors How does fear connect with persuasion? Too much fear-mongering Adaptive vs maladaptive response to the message General problems with research in fear messaging Practical takeaways Six things that determine how people respond to the message: The severity of the fear Susceptibility Relevance Efficacy The wear-out effect The credibility of the message