If you've had the misfortune to hear the words
"You need surgery"
from your doctor in the last few years, then you've
experienced both a severe jolt of stress, and the newest
technique to relieve it: preparatory information. Most
likely, your doctor handed you printed information which told
you what to expect, how you might feel about it, and what you
could do to help yourself.
Doctors used to withhold information following the logic
that what you didn't know couldn't hurt you.
"Trust me, and I'll worry for both of us"
they'd say. Then a series of research studies proved that
patients provided with information prior to surgery of all
types fared much better than patients who trusted their
doctors and knew nothing. Physicians noticed the research finding and changed
their practices.
Carolyn Inzana, of the Florida Maxima Corporation in
Winter Park, also noticed these studies and suspected the
same effects could be achieved in other high-stress settings,
particularly job settings, so she assembled a research team
and found a willing experimental site, the Naval Air Warfare
Center Training Systems Division in Orlando.
Next, she studied preparatory information efforts of
others, identified their necessary features, and devised an
experiment which compared the effects of giving or
withholding preparatory information to enlisted personnel in
a training exercise in decision making. The exercise was
part of the standard curriculum and simulated an important
and potentially dangerous task, identifying and evaluating
radar contacts. She expected to discover positive effects,
but the results of her experiment exceeded her expectations.
Preparatory information satisfies three needs for people as
they begin a high stress job. It identifies events they're
likely to encounter: loud noises, frequent interruptions,
accelerated demands. It identifies the effects these events are likely
to have: lapses of concentration and more frequent errors.
Third, it labels the physical and emotional sensations people likely
will experience: elevated heart rate, shallow breathing,
sweating, muscle tension, fear, frustration, and
confusion. Finally, it offers suggestions to overcome the
effects of stress in the job setting, for example, focusing
attention on a small group of critical factors and ignoring
other, less critical factors, and reminding oneself that
stress reactions are normal.
Inzana divided the sailors into 2 groups and assigned them
to either a high stress or a normal stress training program.
Next, she divided them again and showed a video tape giving
preparatory information to half of the young people in each
class. All the sailors then completed the training program.
The preparatory tape made a big difference for those who
saw it.
Sailors who viewed the tape and completed the fast paced,
high stress training exercise experienced less stress than
those who did not see it. They also reported greater
confidence in their performance. Sailors in both the high
stress and normal stress classes performed more accurately if
they'd seen the tape, but the difference was most pronounced
in the high stress classes. Finally, speed was not affected.
Sailors in the fast paced class did not accelerate or retard
their performance simply because they viewed the preparatory
tape. They worked at the same pace, but were more accurate
and experienced less stress.
More accuracy and less stress . . .
When are your people in the greatest danger of making bad mistakes? Perhaps, it is during high stress
periods when demands come thick and fast? Could you make a
tape patterned after Carolyn Inzana's effort? To do so, you
need to answer three questions: What can your people expect to
happen? What physical and emotional reactions will likely
hit them? What do you want them to do to manage both
themselves and the work that needs to be done?
Real life is full of distractions that amplify stress.
Preparatory information appears to reduce distractions by
warning people to expect them; and when they appear, they're
more quickly dispatched and attention is more promptly
redirected to the task. It's something we could all do for
our people.
Reference:
Inzana, Carolyn M., James E. Driskell, Eduardo Salas, and
Joan H. Johnston (1996). Effects of Preparatory Information
on Enhancing Performance Under Stress.
Journal of Applied Psychology,
81 (4), 429-435.
Supervision Findings, by James Larsen, Ph.D.
The Heart of the Pep Talk
Researchers demonstrate performance benefits for preparatory information in high stress settings.