This document discusses how behavioral psychology can inform community management practices. It explains that actions are more powerful than thoughts or feelings in influencing behavior change. Some key insights from psychology that are relevant for community management include: (1) forcing small actions can help align people's thoughts and feelings, (2) focusing on motivational and ease factors like collectivism, framing, and eliminating complexity can spur behavior change, (3) modern tools allow communities to involve millions of people in small actions. The document advocates applying these behavioral insights through tactics that motivate community members and make desired actions easy.

1. WHAT CAN THE SHRINK TEACH THE
COMMUNITY MANAGER?
BEN MASON
SOCIAL MEDIA WEEK LONDON

2. A bit about me (I’m not a psychologist)
@benmason
Head of Community at Hypernaked

3. Our resident Consumer Psychologist
Adam Ferrier, Gobal Head of Behavioural
Science at Naked

4. Our thinking about community helps us on a broad range of clients

5. So I wrote myself a snappy title just before my holiday…
How to apply behavioural psychology insights to the practices of community
management and wider community marketing programmes. This presents a
simple version of established psychological understanding and works it into
tactics and techniques that can make community management practices much
more effective.

6. WHAT CAN BEHAVIOURAL
PSYCHOLOGY TEACH US ABOUT
COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT?

7. Behaviour is a way of thinking about the people you manage every day

8. And this thinking about behaviour is relevant not matter how big or small the action you’re asking

9. Freud’s approach to psycho-analysis taught us a lot
“Why do you
think you feel
that?”
I want to
change
Our underlying subconscious leads to our outer behaviour

10. And that theory directly informed 20th Century communication thinking
Then it must influence these
ACTIONS
ACTIONS
FEELINGS
FEELINGS
If you influence these
Start here
THOUGHTS
THOUGHTS
Our underlying subconscious leads to our outer behaviour

11. This approach thrived in the era of mass media

12. Psychological theory has moved on since Don Draper was around
“Behaviour change is achieved through action, more than thoughts or
feelings” Meta-Study, 2010

13. A key concept to understand in this is Festinger’s cognitive dissonance
The reason why people think
that they keep smoking to stay
slim.

14. Which gives us a major insight: action is better at changing your mind
ACTIONS
ACTIONS
Force an action and people will align their FEELINGS
FEELINGS
thoughts and feelings to that action
THOUGHTS
THOUGHTS

15. Some people have known this for a long time
“If you want to make a friend, let
someone do you a favor”

16. Modern psychological practice has adopted this
Much more focus on actions, small goals, active treatment
I want to How to focus on
change breathing and other
physical activities
How to practise
in smaller
groups
How to alter your
cognitions

17. Advertising hasn’t moved on as much
FEELINGS
FEELINGS
THOUGHTS
THOUGHTS
ACTIONS
ACTIONS

18. During this time time social media tools have appeared
More Facebook users in the UK last week than watched any TV channel apart
from BBC1

19. Tools that allow interaction with millions of people
Lots of small actions required

20. Meaning that small actions can easily be used to influence behaviour
youtube.com/watch?v=QPhiuu6RXbk

21. SO HOW CAN WE APPLY THAT TO
INFLUENCING BEHAVIOUR IN
COMMUNITIES?

22. Simple way to frame community member decisions: Motivation + Ease
motivation Ease

23. Within these are multiple spurs that help change behaviour
Motivational Ease
Spurs Spurs

24. Let’s focus on a few of them today
Motivational Ease
Spurs Spurs
Collectivism Eliminate
Complexity
Framing Ownership

25. The XX and the ownership of their new album, Co-exist
Ownership Collectivism Framing

26. Sailor Jerrys and collectivism via a tattoo

27. Queues down the street in the rain for a logo tattoo – extreme collectivism
Collectivism
Eliminate
Complexity

28. Olympic volunteers were brilliant due to collectivism
Collectivism
“their firm belief that they were part of something bigger transmitted
itself to visitors from home and abroad and to the rest of the city.
Coe said they represented "the best of British””
The Guardian

29. The collectivism was especially evident during rehearsals for the opening ceremony
Ownership Collectivism
“the main reason I did this, was the sense of empowerment that the
organisers had placed upon my… shoulders”
attendee

30. Gaga’s little monsters as collectivism and framing
“They are the kings. They are the queens. They write the history of
the kingdom, while I am something of a devoted Jester.”
Gaga, on her fans

31. St John’s Ambulance as framing, eliminate complexity (and skilling-up)
youtube.com/user/stjohnambulance?v=sC7zfgCXQFs

32. Hailo is framed differently to the cabbie community and the investor community

33. Airbnb made holiday rentals way more popular by eliminating complexity and collectivism
Eliminate Collectivism
Complexity

34. SO LET’S RECAP

35. Actions are more powerful than words
““Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me
and I’ll understand”
Confucious

36. And now we have tools to involve millions

37. And the theories to support how and why we use them
motivation Ease
Collectivism Eliminate
Complexity
Framing
Ownership

38. Now it’s down to you to see what’s possible
“The greatest achievements in human history never involved more
than 100,000 people”
Luis Von Ahn
Wikipedia co-authored by 16m people reCaptcha translates books via 750m
people

39. MANY THANKS