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.
You might have noticed that listening is one of the 10 rules in the previous Ted Talk, so these next two dig a little deeper.
You’re a bad listener, here’s how to remember what people say.
When listening isn’t enough.
There are reasons why we hate to listen, ...
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The “Curse of Knowledge” suggests that experts in almost any field find it difficult to communicate and connect with people who aren’t also expert or at least extremely knowledgeable. We help our clients bridge that communication gap, so I thought you’d appreciate this take on the subject....
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We talk a lot in these emails about understanding and dealing with public conflict and anger but we don’t often get into the subject of online bullies and trolls. Fact is, humans are naturally wired to cooperate, but online anonymity is a game changer – trolls have nothing to lose ...
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Our courses on outrage spend time differentiating among true outrage, self interest and ego. Ego is one monster requiring special care. Here’s one mediator’s solution....
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And by you I mean we – we’re all human, different, and irrational sometimes. And most of the time we have to operate in a (alleged) rational, objective, fact-based world. The world of our humanness and the world of reason frequently clash, which can make it tough to work with ...
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The world and working in it will continue to evolve at an astonishing pace with technology growth and artificial intelligence (AI). Oxford economics says that 47% of today’s jobs will be gone in 10 years. And that means that essential skills – empathy, communication, speaking, decision-making and good judgement – will ...
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In spite of what Mom said, I frequently ride in cars with strangers. I travel a lot so I’ve come to rely on and trust Lyft and Uber. Now, normally I’m not a very good passenger – I much prefer to be the one driving. But I’ve become comfortable with ...
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The title above is one of those cute, arrogant bumper sticker quips that people sometimes wish they could say to a difficult person they’re dealing with. Dumbing it down is a term that you hear from a lot of professionals describing the same basic process of reluctantly simplifying something complex ...
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The United States is in a bad mood. I was talking with a group of smart people recently who agreed that there’s a general sense of malaise these days. I’m not suggesting there isn’t good reason for it, but we’re taking inconsequential things and ourselves pretty seriously these days – ...
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Running better gatherings of people is an exercise in understanding human behavior. Here are the simple basics....
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