Learn to write for impact using behavioural insights
Our new Writing for Impact with Behavioural Insights Workshop empowers NSW public servants to apply behavioural insights to their communications for improved service outcomes.
Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash
The challenge
We see thousands of communications each day – every sign, email, website and text message is trying to tell us something. We can’t digest and remember all of it.
By making our writing clear, compelling and relevant, we can stop our communications from falling through the cracks. We save people time and effort, avoid confusion, and make messages achieve their purpose.
What we did
We partnered with the Customer Experience Unit in the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure to understand departmental communications and deliver a tailored workshop for over 80 staff. Our workshop drew from behavioural science to help attendees craft engaging communications that consider human behaviour to improve outcomes for customers.
In our workshops, attendees learnt:
- what behavioural insights is and how it can help
- why some communications are not read or actioned
- how to make writing compelling and help readers take action
- how to test the impact of communications
- about practical tools and techniques they could apply immediately
- about past Behavioural Insights Unit trials where we applied behavioural insights to our communications, such as:
- Our Rural and remote teacher placement trial, where we sent personalised postcards to encourage trainee teachers. We simplified these postcards by clearly writing how and when trainee teachers could apply for placements in rural and remote NSW schools.
- Our Supporting flexible working trial, where we used loss framing to motivate leaders to promote flexible working by highlighting what they may lose if they don’t. We used loss-framing in emails by writing like this:
“Successful leaders support their staff to work flexibly because they know it creates happier, more productive and inclusive workplaces. They also know that the cost of not promoting flexibility is that we lose good staff”
as opposed to this:
“It’s clear flexible work can help to create happier, more productive and inclusive workplaces”
What we found
Workshop attendees told us the workshop helped them apply behavioural insights to their communications:
- 88% felt confident they could apply what they learnt in the workshops to a new challenge
93% thought the content was relevant to their work
“My team are having a crack at implementing their learnings… it’s great to see the workshop translating to our actual work”
What's next
Interested in our Writing for Impact with Behavioural Insights Workshop? All NSW Government agencies can now request a tailored workshop. Our presenters are behavioural scientists with experience supporting effective service delivery.
We will:
- tailor the workshop for your team
- deliver workshops either in-person or online, based on your team’s preferences
- boost ongoing application of workshop content through follow-up advice and resources
Book your team’s Writing for Impact with Behavioural Insights Workshop by emailing behaviouralinsights@customerservice.nsw.gov.au.