Behavioral science is the science of how people behave. Or not. Working with the public, you know that human behavior can be hard (but not impossible) to predict and uncivil at times, delightful at others. Here you can read a collection of the latest news, handpicked by our seasoned and expert facilitators and trainers. Keeping up to date with the latest in behavioral science helps you better understand the people with whom you work and those you represent. And better understanding leads to better anticipation and preparation. As a result, better communication and facilitation is bound to happen. Read on, fearless facilitator, and be sure to send us a note about your reactions.
I was talking with one of our more experienced clients on the east coast the other day. She told me they’re encountering a consistent challenge with new hires, smart people often fresh out of school, who are really uncomfortable talking with folks beyond their own age bracket and out of ...
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There’s a common belief that people in Western societies are becoming increasingly polarized, folding into moral tribes. But there’s significant evidence to suggest that we may be less polarized than we’re sometimes encouraged to believe. There are those who stand to gain power and income by convincing us we’re widely ...
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The value of humility can’t be overstated when it comes to preventing and reducing conflict. It seems counterintuitive to professionals who have worked hard their entire lives to develop a high level of expertise and confidence in their own abilities in their respective fields. So, to be asked to be ...
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Dealing with the level of public conflict and abject hate that we all enjoy in the U.S. these days is no easy task; in fact, with true zealots, it feels impossible. How can you influence people’s supposedly irrational beliefs and behavior when how they feel is so visceral, so engrained ...
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Most of our clients who are pursuing projects for the greater good or are trying to build great things for great reasons believe that simply explaining their actions will convince people to support their efforts. It probably won’t and you might be astonished by the reason. People often prefer ignorance...
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Public anger is a fact of life in America today and most of those who work with the public are fully aware of that. We teach those people how to effectively engage with communities and deal with omnipresent opposition and anger. It’s often assumed that anger is a bad thing ...
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Someone that I was working with recently suggested, in a snarky kind of way, that engaging the public boils down to just being nice to them. Of course, there’s a teensy more to it than that which prompted a conversation about the meaning of nice. We all know nice people; ...
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A lot of the work that’s done with the public is just generally difficult. Jobs with the greatest burnout have always seemed to be those in the service industry – servers, retail employees, catering to everyday people. So it stands to reason that successfully facilitating people in meetings that deal ...
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This is one of those stories that I debated about even using in this newsletter, I’m trying to avoid going too deeply into the polarized political pit. But, fact is, it’s become impossible to avoid in this work that you and I have chosen to do. Working successfully with the ...
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While we’re on the subject of humility, dealing effectively with emotional, upset, angry people requires a skillset that’s counterintuitive to the ways that most of us usually communicate and interact with others. These skills and strategies may be different, but they work. Professionals, understandably, want to express confidence and professionalism ...
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