EP#183: Context is key: Behavioural science in Government communication
Update: 2025-08-26
Description
What if everything you thought you knew about effective communication was wrong?
In this episode, host David Pembroke speaks with James Healy, founder of The Behaviour Boutique and co-author of BS at Work. James has worked in more than 60 countries and brings deep insights from behavioural science, anthropology, and psychology to the challenges facing modern organisations and governments.
James unpacks why so much of work is “BS” and why policies often fail to change behaviour. He shows how context shapes decisions, why storytelling matters, and shares the simple EAST framework to help communicators cut through.
Discussed in this episode:
- James’s path from economics to behavioural science
- Lessons from the global financial crisis
- Why massive handbooks never change behaviour
- How culture and incentives drive decisions
- Where governments use behavioural science well
- Quick wins for communicators on timing and delivery
Show notes:
- BS at Work: Why So Much of Modern Work is BS and How Behavioural Science Can Make It Better | James Healy
- The Behaviour Boutique
- Adopting AI: The People First Approach | James Healy, Paul Gibbons
- The EAST framework | The Decision Lab
- James Healy | LinkedIn
- The B Word | Podcast by James Healy
- Behavioural Science | OECD Report
- Blog | GovComms Podcast
- LinkedIn | GovComms
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