After months of reading and writing about the research and theory that Drama for Change is built upon, it’s time to sum it all up. This is Drama for Change!
The latest method
Drama for Change is an entirely new way of using video to change behaviour and impact culture in a corporate setting. Video drama has long been used in the corporate world but has not been designed or exploited to its full potential. That’s why we developed Drama for Change.
Here are some of the things Drama for Change is really good at:
- Training people who work with a measure of autonomy but need behavioural guidance: bus drivers, account handlers, police sergeants, care assistants, counsellors, and line managers.
- Compliance issues which are not responding to training.
- Inclusion initiatives.
- Aligning culture with organisational strategy.
How does Drama for Change work?
Example: A bus driver must balance the competing needs of passengers. This takes a lot of interpersonal skills, and that’s on top of driving the bus safely. The conflicts that these demands produce are dramatized in video scenarios.
A customer gets on, and their payment card doesn’t work. They get upset, insisting they have the money and showing their banking app to the driver, holding up the other passengers. Do you throw the person off, possibly causing more delay, or do you let them on? Some actions can be recommended, but ultimately, there is no right way to handle this situation. As such, it provides a perfect discussion point. Drama is engaging because it is conflictual and brings you into the decision-maker’s mind. You naturally ask yourself, “What would I do in that situation?”
Here is a perfect take-off point for discussion. Who doesn’t want to give their opinion about a familiar, annoying, real-life situation depicted with visceral emotion? Discussion can be in a moderated group, via internal social media, or both.
In this framework, with a bit of help, people solve problems for themselves. All you’ve done is guide them to the activity and give them licence and encouragement.
The campaign
Drama for Change is all about getting people talking, and we further encourage this by framing the videos in a campaign to create and sustain a buzz.
Gogglebox-style videos that see colleagues reacting to the dramas are released. Feelings, empathy, and good suggestions are shared. It’s beautiful, and it works!
What else?
I’ve described the essence. Apart from that, it’s details:
We start by listening to our audience in a focus group. It’s important that the videos deal with the issue in a way that resonates with their everyday concerns.
A campaign is a bespoke design that includes any number of promotions, trailers, posters and discussion opportunities to suit your situation.
In the end, we go back to the focus group and to management to assess the results, hear their conclusions, film them, and share the content with the audience. The conversation continues.
And, of course, we work with you to develop the right metrics to measure impact.
Final note – the drama can be serious or funny as long as it’s dramatic.
Is it immersive?
Immersion in human problems demands a human approach. Engaging with the whole person by posing questions that engage thought and emotion. And engaging with the bush telegraph (noun – a rapid informal network by which information or gossip is spread). Drama for Change can hack into the way people talk about a problem in the workplace, and that’s how you change a culture.
Those are the headlines. There’s so much more to say. If you want to know more, contact me or ask me a question via LinkedIn.
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