The Seatbelt Video: Tears, Verklempt, and Influencing 101
Quite simply, this YouTube video is perfect.
As of this moment, this public service announcement has been viewed 9,610,576 times. And as a model for influencing behavior, it hits all the right buttons:
- It's a video, so extremely easy to consume and spread to others.
- It tells a story, and bypasses many of the usual filters that oppose dry facts ("Car crashes without seatbelts take lives").
- It tells its story wordlessly, so further bypasses the remaining left brain defensive linemen.
- Anyone can place themselves in the storyline, so everyone boards the story train.
- The storyline hits with a potent, emotional punch -- more credible, memorable, and understandable than verbal arguments.
- It closes with a call to action to channel that empathic, emotional response.
Influencer: The Power To Change Anything by Petterson, Grenny, et al, points out that the best influencing experience is walking someone through the story in person. Clarence, from It's A Wonderful Life, had nearly everything right, though he left out the key call to action.
Luckily, George was smart enough to take the right steps, but that's not always the case. And you probably don't have the resources his guardian angel did. Storytelling done well hits the sweet spot between a high quality output and a low cost input.
