Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
8.6.2.1 Audience Framing and Message Delivery
Interviews and surveys are useful to discern the audience current state of awareness
and learning method to which they will be most receptive. The results of the survey
provide insight to categorizing employee current state of awareness, knowledge,
and needs with respect to organizational policies. The following categories provide
guidance for what to look for in level of awareness and knowledge:
n
Introduce IA awareness: Initiate the unaware that IA exists and establish a
knowledge foundation on which to build.
Increase IA awareness: Present why IA is important.
Practicalize IA: Move from the abstract to the pragmatic—how IA applies to
the organization, business process, and technology.
Personalize IA: Present how IA is important to the individual and individual
role in IA.
Habitualize IA: How to make IA part of everyday operations, awareness.
n
n
n
n
The means to achieve these goals depend on the audience, how they think, and
what mental state they are in; thought modes and mental state present clues to what
tools to use to provoke change. The content of the message (the depth and breadth
of IA policy information) depends on the audience's current stage of learning, that
is, where the individuals are in the audience framework.
People generally lean toward one of two thinking modes: systematic and heuris-
tic. Systematic thinkers actively seek facts to evaluate logically. Heuristic thinkers
are “aware of the situation, but they are not thinking carefully enough to catch
flaws, errors, and inconsistencies.”
The two general categories of influence tools are arguments and cues. Argu-
ments appeal to systemic thinkers and include “facts, evidence, examples, reason-
ing, and logic.” Cues appeal to heuristic thinkers who are receptive to “easy to
process information like the attractiveness, friendliness, or expertise of the source.”
Most people are heuristic thinkers. As evidence, look at the average TV commercial
and its references to vague promises from attractive actors in fun situations versus
a chart and real statistics on what the user of the product may actually expect.
Despite TV commercials not addressing the realities of the product, they are effec-
tive in selling them.
The situation is similar for IA policy dissemination and enforcement. The objec-
tive is to raise awareness and achieve compliance. The question is how to achieve
a high level of effectiveness for IA policies. Using heuristic tools that provide cute,
clever, easily remembered messages is more effective.
Booth-Butterfield, S.,
Steve's Primer of Practical Persuasion and Influence,
, p. 8.
Ibid., p. 9.
Ibid., p. 9.
