Rider and Elephant: Navigating Decision-Making

Why is it so hard to change behavior—even when people already know exactly what to do?

Design your next learning experience so people don’t just understand what to do— they actually do it.

By uncovering the psychology behind the knowing–doing gap, you’ll gain practical tools to move your audience from passive understanding to sustained action.

Our guest, Julie Dirksen, has spent two decades helping organizations design training and products that lead to measurable behavior change. 

WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE

Why does information alone rarely shift behavior?

What alternative ingredients turn knowledge into action?

How do motivation, context, and habit interact?

What is the elephant–rider model, and how does it reframe design?

Which practical tactics help learners “walk new paths” instead of retreading old ones? 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Behavior change is not the same as knowledge transfer—information is necessary but never sufficient.

Design for the elephant (emotions and habits) as well as the rider (rational mind).

Reduce friction and increase repetition so the desired action is easier than the default.

Shape context—alter environments so the right choice is the obvious choice.

Layer motivation and support with rewards, social proof, and timely prompts.

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