Priming
Introduction and Purpose
Priming works through subtle signals in the environment that shape how people think, feel, and act, often before they consciously register the influence. It taps into the associations people already hold, activating emotions or memories that make certain responses more likely.
In a workplace context, biodiversity Priming uses sensory and spatial cues to bring nature to mind and make ecological care feel part of the organisation’s everyday rhythm. The aim is not to instruct but to create a setting where biodiversity feels visible, valued, and connected to people’s sense of place and purpose. Examples might include introducing images or textures that evoke living systems, using materials such as wood or stone that remind people of natural processes, or weaving biodiversity language and metaphors into everyday communication. The presence of plants, natural light, or references to local species can quietly signal belonging within a wider ecological community, prompting employees to act in ways that sustain it.
Priming can help weave biodiversity awareness into the everyday rhythms of workplace life by embedding subtle cues throughout design, communication, and culture. These cues serve as quiet reminders of connection to the living world, making care for biodiversity feel natural and ever present. Examples include:
- Visual cues such as photographs or artwork depicting local wildlife, pollinators, or green spaces displayed in shared areas to evoke a sense of place and connection to nature.
- Spatial design that incorporates natural light, plants, green walls, and biophilic elements, allowing biodiversity to have a visible and tangible presence in the workplace.
- Linguistic cues that weave references to biodiversity into internal communications, values statements, or everyday language, shaping how people talk and think about their environment.
- Auditory cues such as gentle nature sounds, birds, rainfall, or forest ambience, in reception areas or break spaces to evoke calm and attentiveness to the natural world.
- Digital cues including background images, screen savers, or intranet banners that feature local biodiversity projects, natural landscapes, or seasonal ecological themes.
Gómez-Román et al., 2021, for example, explain how an office which installed nature sound/visual cues to increase workers’ sense of connection to nature. By embedding these cues across spaces and communications, employees are repeatedly reminded of the organisation’s relationship with the natural environment.
Key Features
Timeframe:
- The timeframe for Priming interventions depends in part on the type of intervention – for example, in case of biodiversity artwork or office plants, they can become a permanent addition, whereas for other interventions (for example, hosting of a photo exhibition in an officer foyer) they may be far more temporary lasting only a week. The creation and implementation process depends on the organisation’s size, the number of employees to be engaged, and the behaviours selected.
Materials Required:
- Visual, audio, and design resources such as posters, photographs, plants, eco displays, and natural sound recordings that introduce biodiversity cues into the workplace environment.
- Access to digital platforms for embedding biodiversity cues, including screen savers, wallpapers, intranet banners, and email signatures.
- A communications plan to ensure consistent and thoughtful use of biodiversity language and imagery across internal messages and materials.
- Environmental design expertise from biophilic design consultants or internal creative teams to integrate natural elements effectively and sensitively within workplace spaces.
- Budget to cover materials, printing, creative production and any small-scale modifications to physical or digital environments.
- Participant information sheets and consent forms if collecting feedback or monitoring behavioural responses, ensuring ethical transparency and voluntary participation.
Skills Required:
- Creative design and communication to select, design, and position biodiversity cues in ways that are visually engaging, meaningful and aligned with organisational identity.
- Environmental psychology awareness to understand how environmental features influence perception, emotion and behaviour, ensuring that cues support wellbeing as well as biodiversity awareness.
- Facilities and workspace management to implement physical or digital changes sensitively, sustainably and with minimal disruption to daily operations.
- Evaluation and observation to monitor how employees respond to environmental cues, gathering feedback and refining approaches to maintain relevance and effectiveness.
- Leadership and consistency to ensure that biodiversity cues are supported by senior staff and visibly connected to the organisation’s wider sustainability values and goals.
Potential Impact
- Greater awareness and care for biodiversity embedded into daily workplace culture.
- Improved employee wellbeing and a stronger sense of connection with nature, contributing to focus, morale, and creativity.
- Reinforcement of pro-biodiversity behaviours through subtle emotional and cognitive association.
- Development of biophilic, nature-affirming workspaces that express environmental responsibility in both form and function.
- Deeper integration of biodiversity values into organisational identity, strengthening internal culture and enhancing external reputation.
Case Study
Instructions
To implement Priming within an organisation, use the following steps as a guide:
- Identify the desired behaviour or mindset to be reinforced, such as care for biodiversity, attention to resource use, or mindfulness about waste.
- Select subtle, relevant cues that feel natural and inviting rather than prescriptive. These cues should evoke connection, curiosity, or appreciation rather than obligation e.g. display photographs of local wildlife or landscapes in communal areas.
- Integrate biodiversity cues into different aspects of the working environment, including physical spaces (plants, art, signage), digital spaces (emails, intranet, screen savers), and organisational language (values statements, meeting slides, or training materials).
- Maintain consistency and visibility of cues across multiple settings such as meeting rooms, kitchens and corridors so they become part of the everyday sensory landscape.
- Review and refresh cues periodically to sustain their influence and prevent them from blending into the background.
- Combine with complementary activities such as biodiversity days, wellbeing walks, or staff challenges that occasionally make the connection explicit and reinforce the primed message through shared experience.
Rationale:
Priming is based on the idea that subtle environmental cues can shape perception and behaviour automatically, without requiring conscious attention or deliberate motivation. By embedding reminders of nature and interconnectedness into everyday surroundings, Priming helps cultivate a mindset in which biodiversity feels familiar, valued and part of normal organisational life. It offers a gentle, non-intrusive way to influence attitudes and actions while supporting wider cultural change.
Benefits:
- Enables automatic influence, supporting behaviour change with minimal resistance or conscious effort.
- Builds positive emotional association, as exposure to nature-related cues can enhance wellbeing, cooperation and care for the environment.
- Maintains sustained awareness by keeping biodiversity present in daily routines without creating information overload or adding to workloads.
- Strengthens other interventions such as Nudging, Storytelling or Habit Stacking, by reinforcing biodiversity themes and keeping them top of mind.
- Provides a low-cost, high-reach approach, as simple design or communication cues can engage large numbers of employees simultaneously
Links to Resources
The World Green Building Council offers some suggestions on biophilic design.
The Power of Priming is white paper which gives a useful overview of what Priming is and offers some real-case examples.
