Introducing Bri Williams
Bri is one of the foremost behavioural scientists in Australia. She’s obsessed with application rather than theory, and I buy that approach 100%. She majored in accounting and psychology (a rare but actually quite sensible combination), built a corporate career in product design and marketing, the BS switch was flicked in 2008 when she read Dan Ariely’s ‘Predictably Irrational’; a book that would change her life.
It crystallised why she had been experiencing a nagging irritation throughout her 15 year corporate career. And it started to address questions like why people get frustrated with their colleagues, why campaigns fail and why products flop.
She realised ‘we've been doing it wrong’. Our assumptions about why and how to influence behaviour had been wrong.
That book inspired Bri to start People Patterns, one of Australia's first consultancies to apply behavioural economics to everyday business and personal effectiveness, to write books on the topic and work with businesses to make their lives easier.
Show notes
Bri’s funny hats, visual devices and other beh sci props
How do I use beh sci in my podcast to get the most out of my guests?
The story of my podcast theme tune and the tone it sets
Bri’s background: precision and creativity
Influence of Dan Ariely’s writing
The 3 barriers to action: Bri’s BS model
Marginal gains and the problems Bri loves solving
What the best communicators do? Feelings rather than facts, audience vs. ego
The simplicity paradox
Escaping an elephant in Botswana
Summer sign-off
After a year of fairly non-stop BS, I’m taking a pause over August and we shall return all guns blazing with more great stories and adventures from the curious world of behavioural science.
And remember, before long we will be launching the new BS with the practitioners series featuring the likes of Alexandra Chesterfield at Natwest Bank, Clémence Quint at Magenta Consulting, Cerita Bethea at Coca-Cola and Preeti Kotamarthi at Grab in Singapore.
I wish you all a great August, and as I sign off for the month, let me ask of you one thing - if you like A Load of BS, please share it with friends and on social media. Your support is what makes us tick! Thank you ❤️
Till next time,
Daniel
Bri Williams on being predictably irrational