What does the date February 14th bring to mind?

If you thought roses, hearts and chocolates – that’s the recency bias at play. You’ve been primed!

For the rest of the world, it was Valentine’s Day. For us Indians, February 14th was also Vasant Panchami.

A day when the goddess of knowledge, art, and wisdom is revered. Knowledge is celebrated as the highest form of wealth, as it illuminates minds, dispels ignorance, and fosters growth and innovation.

At Terragni, we’re all about using knowledge from various disciplines to create truly remarkable shifts that drive real business outcomes. Think of it as connecting the dots in a big, beautiful picture.

So, how do we do it? Well, one powerful charm in our magic box is behaviour science. It helps us dive deep into the fascinating world of human behaviour. But understanding behaviour isn’t just about watching what people do and asking them why they do it; it’s about understanding the true motivators of their actions.

It’s a wonderful thing about humans. We all use the same heuristics and biases and have been doing so for over 10,000 years. Yet, we all behave differently in almost similar situations. Any amount of watching behaviour and asking why does not help truly understand a behaviour. Various implicit factors affect behaviour, observation is not enough to get to these. Moreover, heuristics and biases alone are not predictors of behaviour. Understanding behaviours needs magic: the context – the true motivators behind our behaviour.

Context is the why that explains the what, where, when, who and how. It is the emotions, hot states, the series of events before and after and during. It evolves from situation to situation and from person to person. Sometimes, we can react differently to the same situation than we did before, all because the context changed between then and now.

Context can add an edge to your existing knowledge about a situation. Open up new ways of thinking, unique solutions and rich insights.

So, here’s 5 ways to identify the context of a situation, before you get into problem-solving mode.

???? Setting: Where is the person, and where is the behaviour occurring? Whether it’s a busy office a relaxed home environment or a crowded store, context matters.

???? Emotions: Was the person happy, frustrated, or indifferent when the behaviour occurred? Emotions shape behaviour.

???? External Events: Are they in a rush for something? Is it their birthday? Is there something else happening that has pre-occupied them and therefore is influencing their behaviour and decisions?

???? Attitudes and Preferences: Explore the person’s likes, dislikes, expectations, and desires to better meet their needs. What are their pre-existing beliefs towards the company/brand?

????Past Experiences: Reflect on stakeholders past experiences and perceptions of the challenge at hand. Could they be anchored by past good or bad experiences?

Here’s to harnessing the power of knowledge, empathy, and context to drive success in all our endeavours.

 

Until next time!