The responses to these surveys confirm that people are most likely to change if a change benefits them economically. These findings indicate that Extension needs to develop learning objectives based on cost and value factors. Beyond Crisis Programming These findings on client motivation also suggest how we can keep issues programming from becoming only crisis programming. Too often, a crisis is the catalyst for Extension education. A community crisis calls for a public forum with speakers, specialists, and affected community members who seek answers and demand change.
Personal crises result in urgent requests for help from individuals and families.
But, client needs are better served by educational strategies that prevent a crisis situation in advance. This means motivating clients in advance of the crisis. Trouble-shooting is an accepted practice for Extension educators. Program content is often based on hardships experienced elsewhere or on predictions for potential crises. For example, even though water quality isn't within the scope of the home economics area of expertise, it's an issue we need to include in our program planning.