As a stakeholder engagement professional, you’ll often face resistance to new plans. Much of this stems from the subconscious influence of cognitive biases—mental shortcuts that shape how people perceive and react to information. Social media and personalised, polarised news sources only amplify these biases, making communities more entrenched in their views and harder to persuade.
Understanding these psychological tendencies can help you better address concerns and build trust. Here are 9 common cognitive biases, along with practical tips to navigate them.
1. Cognitive Dissonance
What is it?
People experience discomfort when new information conflicts with their existing beliefs or behaviours. To resolve this tension—known as cognitive dissonance—they often dismiss or deny the new information.
How does it appear in practice?
Imagine a neighbourhood being asked to phase out gas heating in favour of heat pumps. Residents might resist, convinced their current systems are perfectly fine.
Tips for Stakeholder Engagement Professionals:
Reduce cognitive dissonance by actively involving residents in the process. Allow them to trial new technologies, like setting up a heat pump in a show home. Experiencing the benefits first-hand can make the transition feel less daunting.
2. Confirmation Bias
What is it?
People tend to seek out information that supports their existing beliefs and disregard anything that contradicts them.
How does it appear in practice?
In a project to redesign a street for better cycling infrastructure, opponents may focus on negative media coverage or highlight problems from similar past initiatives.
Tips for Stakeholder Engagement Professionals:
Challenge confirmation bias by encouraging residents to consider different viewpoints. Structured workshops, like Edward de Bono’s “Six Thinking Hats” method, can help participants explore pros and cons in a balanced way.
3. Endowment Effect
What is it?
People place higher value on what they already own, simply because it’s theirs.
How does it appear in practice?
Residents may strongly oppose a new development that obstructs their view, even if it brings community benefits like new facilities or green spaces.
Tips for Stakeholder Engagement Professionals:
Help residents feel a sense of ownership over the changes. Involve them in decisions, such as choosing landscaping or playground designs for the new development.
4. Anchoring Effect
What is it?
The first piece of information people hear tends to have an outsized influence on their decisions.
How does it appear in practice?
If a previous street project caused major disruption due to poor communication, residents might assume a new project (like building a cycle lane) will bring similar issues.
Tips for Stakeholder Engagement Professionals:
Counter the anchoring effect by carefully staging your communications. Start with the positives—such as the project’s benefits—and avoid leading with negatives like potential disruption. Visual tools like simulations can help highlight long-term improvements.
5. Halo Effect
What is it?
People form a general impression of a project based on one aspect, which can be positive or negative.
How does it appear in practice?
If a contractor comes across as dismissive or unapproachable during a public meeting, residents might assume the entire project is poorly managed, even if there are clear benefits.
Tips for Stakeholder Engagement Professionals:
Make sure initial interactions are positive. Train staff in communication skills and create a welcoming atmosphere during public meetings. Role-playing tricky scenarios beforehand can help prepare for challenging questions.
6. Primacy Effect
What is it?
People remember the first information they hear, and this often shapes their overall impression.
How does it appear in practice?
If residents are first told about parking restrictions due to roadworks, they may fixate on this inconvenience, even if the project offers numerous long-term benefits.
Tips for Stakeholder Engagement Professionals:
Avoid the primacy effect by starting with the positives. Highlight advantages like improved traffic safety or more green spaces before discussing inconveniences.
7. Availability Bias
What is it?
People rely on the most readily available information, even if it’s not representative of the bigger picture.
How does it appear in practice?
When a cycle path is being built, residents might focus on the temporary disruption during construction, ignoring the long-term benefits for safety and liveability.
Tips for Stakeholder Engagement Professionals:
Use visual aids like virtual tours or augmented reality to show the end result. These tools can help shift focus from short-term disruption to long-term gains.
8. Bandwagon Effect
What is it?
People are more likely to follow the crowd, especially when others are enthusiastic about a project or decision.
How does it appear in practice?
If a handful of residents are already on board with a project, others may feel more comfortable supporting it too.
Tips for Stakeholder Engagement Professionals:
Leverage social proof. Highlight positive testimonials from supportive residents, whether in newsletters, on social media, or during community events.
9. Negativity Bias
What is it?
People tend to focus more on negative information than positive, giving it disproportionate weight.
How does it appear in practice?
Temporary disruptions in a building project may overshadow its long-term benefits in residents’ minds.
Tips for Stakeholder Engagement Professionals:
Create dedicated spaces for addressing concerns, where empathy and clear facts take centre stage. Separate these sessions from broader communications about the project’s benefits to keep negativity from overshadowing your message.
Conclusion
By recognising these psychological biases, stakeholder engagement professionals can better understand and address residents’ concerns. This makes for smoother communication, less resistance, and stronger support for your projects.
