Trust Requires Empathy
Competence, integrity and empathy are key ingredients when it comes to who we trust, which explains why many people have a difficult time trusting those who hold power over us. Read More …...
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Behavioral Science
Once Upon A Time
Roger Schank is a cognitive scientist who said, “Humans are not ideally set up to understand logic; they are ideally set up to understand stories.” The days of experts delivering data and facts to educate and motivate people are over. We love stories because we’re able to inject ourselves into ...
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Anger as a Motivational Tool
Facts and data will inform, but emotion is what motivates change and decisions. Emotional triggers are behind every behavior, including the ones that you need to elicit from the people you’re trying to reach and involve. Perceptions drive people to engage with you and emotion will motivate them to co-produce ...
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You’re Gonna Have to Face it You’re Addicted to Loath
You might also consider that aside from the bot-generated posts and the active campaign to game the online world, real people like being mad. Really. We’re wired to … kinda get off on being angry; it’s a dopamine kick, a feel-good release of endorphins. And it works extra well online...
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A Lot of Hot Air
If you’ve ever wondered if one of your more extrupulent (Yeah, I know there’s no such word … but it’s my newsletter) meeting attendees might be suffering from a lack of oxygen to the brain, we now have the answer – possibly. A recent study says “small rooms can build ...
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Sorry is Still the Hardest Word
The power of an apology can’t be dismissed. When people feel like they’ve been mistreated, nothing less than an apology by the perpetrator will suffice – if you want some kind of decent relationship with the mistreated. But it’s incredibly difficult for ego driven people to accept or do it. ...
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Investigative Science and the Challenge of Outrage
This story supports the old adage of no good deed goes unpunished. Most of the people that we work with, particularly those working in the public sector, are believers in the greater good – they do things for the right, ethical reasons. But more and more we find smart ...
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Women Really Don’t Trust You
We’ve often referenced the Edelman Trust Barometer as one credible source for a lot of ongoing evidence that shows people just don’t trust institutions – especially government. Turns out, some of the most recent data indicates that women are even less trusting than men when it comes to institutions....
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The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves
It’s a tough work environment for people in a lot of organizations these days with forced changes, shutdowns and shifting priorities. People are on edge, and understandably so. Keeping things moving internally usually falls on the shoulders of communicators and group leaders, so I thought you might be able to ...
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You Work with Millennials
- Millennials, who are now assuming the lead in government and other institutions, have the dubious honor of fixing the problems created by the past and current crop of managers. They think and work differently than their predecessors.
- Leading and motivating start and end with communication and that’s a learned
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