Evidence-Based Methodology For Improving Learning & Development

11/29/18 • 66 min

Re-thinking The Human Factor with Bruce Hallas

Did you know up to 80% of information is forgotten within 24 hours? Admittedly, this is not an encouraging statistic for those of us seeking to raise awareness, change behaviour, and foster an appropriate organizational culture.

For this reason, we at the Re-Thinking the Human Factor Podcast are looking for answers from outside the security industry from people who can provide an evidence-based path forward which can help us to improve learning and development. We’re happy to share some fresh insights with you on the topic of improving the training experience, likelihood of learning, and stickiness of memory after the training is completed.

Evidence-Based Methodology to Improve Learning and Development

Stella Collins joins Bruce in Series 2 / Episode 3 of the Re-Thinking The Human Factor podcast to have a deeper look into how we can improve learning and development using evidence base methodology.

She is a learning specialist, an expert in Brain Friendly learning, author of Neuroscience for Learning and Development, and the Creative Director of Stellar Learning, a business whose goal is to transform training, learning and communication - particularly when it's tough, technical or tortuous. They support and train their clients to build excellent relationships and make critical messages stick.

With a BSc in Psychology, an MSc in Human Communication, a coaching diploma, 15 years in the IT industry, and more than 15 years in L&D, she injects a theoretical knowledge of learning and communication with creative and practical ideas and hands-on experience. Stella says

“there’s no such thing as a boring topic – just boring training.”

JOIN STELLA COLLINS AND BRUCE HALLAS AS THEY DISCUSS:

The importance of knowing the background behind a neuroscientific finding, i.e., who’s done the research, what was on their agenda when they did it, and whether the proper research methodology and statistical analysis was used to arrive at the conclusion on which your team is now basing its L&D and policy changes
The empowering nature of evidence-based ideas
Effective planning for L&D training, including making people excited about going through the training, and making the most of the time you have with people rather than wasting time and money on a captive audience that will forget most of what they learned within 24 hours (see our opening statement above)
The importance of what happens after L&D training, like inter-staff communication and ensuring that the work environment is conducive to easy adoption of new skills and policies
What is training, actually? Likewise, what is learning?
Neuroplasticity, or the fact that our brains are flexible and able to create new pathways for learning throughout life
Ways to maximizing the potential for learning when engaging in training efforts
When it comes to learning and memory, humans are not sponges as the metaphor suggests
The future of L&D and self-directed learning

“An experience, as opposed to fact...When we have an experience, we remember that sensory information... Emotion is massively sticky. Emotions and senses are hugely important.”

FURTHER STUDY AND RESEARCH

Neuroscienece for Learning and Development by Stella Collins

Stellar Learning (Make Your Message Sticky)

Choice Architecture

Neuroplasticity

MORE ABOUT STELLA COLLINS:

Please subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, and if you enjoyed this interview, please share with your friends and colleagues and leave a 5 star rating and review.

Thanks for listening and sharing.

Bruce & The Re-thinking the Human Factor Podcast Team

Evidence-Based Methodology to Improve Learning and Development

Stella Collins joins Bruce in Series 2 / Episode 3 of the Re-Thinking The Human Factor podcast to have a deeper look into how we can improve learning and development using evidence base methodology.

“there’s no such thing as a boring topic – just boring training.”

JOIN STELLA COLLINS AND BRUCE HALLAS AS THEY DISCUSS:

The importance of knowing the background behind a neuroscientific finding, i.e., who’s done the research, what was on their agenda when they did it, and whether the proper research methodology and statistical analysis was used to arrive at the conclusion on which your team is now basing its L&D and policy changes
The empowering nature of evidence-based ideas
Effective planning for L&D training, including making people excited about going through the training, and making the most of the time you have with people rather than wasting time and money on a captive audience that will forget most of what they learned within 24 hours (see our opening statement above)
The importance of what happens after L&D training, like inter-staff communication and ensuring that the work environment is conducive to easy adoption of new skills and policies
What is training, actually? Likewise, what is learning?
Neuroplasticity, or the fact that our brains are flexible and able to create new pathways for learning throughout life
Ways to maximizing the potential for learning when engaging in training efforts
When it comes to learning and memory, humans are not sponges as the metaphor suggests
The future of L&D and self-directed learning

“An experience, as opposed to fact...When we have an experience, we remember that sensory information... Emotion is massively sticky. Emotions and senses are hugely important.”

FURTHER STUDY AND RESEARCH

Neuroscienece for Learning and Development by Stella Collins

Stellar Learning (Make Your Message Sticky)

Choice Architecture

Neuroplasticity

MORE ABOUT STELLA COLLINS:

Please subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, and if you enjoyed this interview, please share with your friends and colleagues and leave a 5 star rating and review.

Thanks for listening and sharing.

Bruce & The Re-thinking the Human Factor Podcast Team

Previous Episode

Decision-making and behavioural change

Understanding decision making in the workplace is almost like the holy grail. What we want is for our colleagues to make better decisions, but for this to happen we need to take a few steps back. Decision making in the workplace takes place in the context of the organisational culture.

Often when we talk to people about organisational culture, they see culture as something so big that it becomes too overwhelming to think about. Instead, they prefer to take the path of least resistance, focusing on awareness and driving behaviour. However, behavioural science keeps pointing to the fact that individuals need to feel involved in policy creation if buy-in and actual behavioural change is to occur.

But, won’t this take too much time?

How can an organisation possibly gain buy-in from all their employees?

Interestingly, the amount of interaction that people need in order to feel that they are involved is probably a lot less than you think...

Individuals, Groups, Decision-Making, And Self-Regulation

Susan Weinschenk joins Bruce in Series 2 / Episode 2 of the Re-Thinking The Human Factor podcast to have a deeper look into this topic.

Susan has a Ph.D. in Psychology. She applies research in brain science and psychology to predict, understand, and explain what motivates people and how they behave. Her consulting includes applying behavior science to the design of websites, software, medical devices, tv ads, physical devices, presentations, experiences, and physical spaces. She is an author, teacher, mentor, and consultant to Fortune 1000 clients, government, non-profit, and start-ups. Her books include: How To Get People To Do Stuff, 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People, 100 Things Every Presenter Needs to Know About People, and Neuro Web Design: What makes them click?

Susan’s specialties include Behavioural Science, Brain Science, Psychology, and User Experience.

JOIN SUSAN WEINSCHENK AND BRUCE HALLAS AS THEY DISCUSS:

The influence of individual self-stories on a person’s behaviour
Brain function and value-based, goal-directed decision-making vs. habit-based decision-making
The importance of similarity in environments between the one in which a person is trained vs. the space where that person will encounter actual on-the-job issues, and how different environments can hamper training and habit-based decision-making
What choice architecture is and how it relates to how you build an actual environment to bring around the behavioural outcomes you’re looking for
Whether any gains around behaviour can be made without taking into consideration the broader cultural context
The power of social norms and groups to regulate behaviour
The necessity of involving at least some members of strong-tie teams/communities in development of policies in order to increase buy-in and ensure wider-spread behavioural change
The importance of looking at Cyber Security as if it were a product, understanding that having repeat customers of the product is the end goal
Drivers of motivation behind people’s engagement with awareness campaigns, and what kind of behavioural change can be expected through gamification and rewards-style motivation

“The amount of interaction that people need in order to feel that they were involved is probably a lot less than you think...”

FURTHER STUDY AND RESEARCH

Re-thinking the Human Factor Ep 05 with Ciaran McMahon

Choice Architecture

Robin Dunbar (Dunbar’s Number)

The IKEA Effect

MORE ABOUT SUSAN WEINSCHENK:

Please subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, and if you enjoyed this interview, please share with your friends and colleagues and leave a 5 star rating and review.

Thanks for listening and sharing.

Bruce & The Re-thinking the Human Factor Podcast Team

Next Episode

The Human Brain vs. Awareness, Behaviour, and Culture

What makes our brains tick, and why does that matter for change managers and organizational heads?

The Human Brain vs. Awareness, Behaviour, and Culture

Hilary Scarlett is an international speaker, consultant and author on change management and neuroscience at Scarlett & Grey. Hilary’s work has spanned Europe, the US and Asia and concentrates on the development of people-focused change management programmes, coaching and employee engagement. Her specialities include:

change management
employee communication
employee engagement
leadership coaching (Inst of Leadership & Management accredited)

“A need for control, a need to be able to predict what’s coming up is really important to the brain.”

JOIN HILARY SCARLETT AND BRUCE HALLAS AS THEY DISCUSS:

The necessity of understanding how our brains work
The human brain’s distaste for change
A brief rundown on what the brain actually is, i.e. what it does, how it’s made, the structure of it
How understanding what our brains do and how they work can guide efforts towards creating proper learning environments and organizational cultures where people can more easily learn and thrive
Why our brains are often lazy by default
Growth mindset within an organizational culture
The importance of prioritizing tasks by order of importance because the brain’s energy / ability to process information critically will become increasingly depleted as the day goes on
Tools for getting the brain back on track and restoring some of its energy during the day
Understanding how brains process change and what it means for Change Managers
The power of storytelling in communications, understanding, and memory

“Change is extremely difficult for us if we feel it’s unpredictable and uncontrollable... People further down the hierarchy who feel they don’t have that same sight at what’s coming up and don’t have that same control or influence, their brains are in a much more stressed place than [the boss].”

FURTHER STUDY AND RESEARCH

Neuroscience for Organizational Change by Hilary Scarlett

Edgar Schein

Neuroplasticity

The Endowment Effect

Mindset by Carol Dweck

MORE ABOUT HILARY SCARLETT:

Please subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, and if you enjoyed this interview, please share with your friends and colleagues and leave a 5 star rating and review.

Thanks for listening and sharing.

Bruce & The Re-thinking the Human Factor Podcast Team