Right Brain Training

Organizational Learning:The Right Brain Way
Knowledge Alone is Not Enough
David Kaiser, PhD
1

Our Struggle
We give employees knowledge & tools to make them more productive and empowered…
but many of them don’t change their behavior…
so we feel frustrated & ineffective (and our jobs are on the line in a recession!)

Our Response
We try new ways of presenting the knowledge:
Different media
Online
Instructor-led
Webinars
Latest techniques
Make it Engaging
“Razzle Dazzle!”

The Problem:
We try new ways of presenting the knowledge…
But knowledge is NOT enough

Knowledge
If knowledge were sufficient to make change…
No one would smoke
No one would use drugs
Everyone would use “best practices”
Time management
People management
Sexual harassment and diversity policies
Interpersonal skills

Who decides?
The rational “left brain” is the consumer of knowledge…
But the emotional, values-driven “right brain” really makes the decisions, and it is not swayed by knowledge

WHY first, then HOW
We tend to skip the WHY and go right to HOW without making the case first

So Make the Right Brain Your Friend!
Make the PAIN and the GAIN, of the “old way” and the “new way” explicit & powerful (WHY)
Remove / replace limiting beliefs (WHY NOT)
Insert your content here…(HOW)
Create support & accountability until the change is a habit (reinforce both HOW and WHY)

PAIN & GAIN
We put off change because the immediate PAIN outweighs the long-term GAIN
Examples?

PAIN & GAIN: Reframe
Think of a change you want to make
What is the PAIN and GAIN now?
Reframe it to get a compelling emotional or values-based vision for the change.

Creating PAIN & GAIN
Ask them to describe, in detailed, sensory, emotional language the current PAIN, the future PAIN they want to avoid, and the future GAIN they want
Get them to SEE it, HEAR it, FEEL it strongly

Limiting Beliefs
Learning is EASY…the real work is UNLEARNING
Until we UNLEARN limiting beliefs, the real LEARNING will be slow.
Often, we’re not even aware of our beliefs!

Limiting Beliefs
Examples:
“I’m not organized…I’m creative!”
“All really good sales people are sleazy”
“I can’t say what I think, people won’t like me (or I’ll get fired)”
What are your limiting beliefs?

Getting at Limiting Beliefs
Ask your participants:
What’s the payoff for not changing?
Let them “gripe” or complain out loud
Complete the sentence – “I’m not organized, I’m _______”

Replacing Limiting Beliefs
Once their limiting beliefs are on the table, challenge them, then replace them!
“How much more creative could you be if you didn’t waste time looking for stuff you can’t find?”

Now that they have a compelling desire for change, and they are aware of their limiting beliefs, they are much more receptive to the knowledge, the HOW, that you want to present

Support & Accountability
It takes time for new feelings, beliefs and actions to become familiar habits
The “old ways” will keep popping up
Participants need the to be reminded about the PAIN and GAIN, and their beliefs

Support & Accountability: Making it Stick
Accountability buddy - check in
Informal reward and / or punishment system
Daily checklist
Write it into the development plan / goals
Reminders:
Pictures
Affirmations / mantras / cheers!
Symbols

Recap
PAIN & GAIN (WHY)
Limiting beliefs (WHY NOT)
Support & accountability (reinforce HOW & WHY)

References
How We Decide, Jonah Lehrer
Descartes’ Error, AR Damasio
“The role of emotion in decision-making: Evidence from neurological patients with orbitofrontaldamage,” Antoine Bechara, Brain and Cognition 55 (2004) 30–40

About Us
David Kaiser, PhD, Executive Coach and CEO of Dark Matter Consulting (www.DarkMatterConsulting.com), is a learning and development executive with expertise in leadership coaching and corporate training.
We use coaching, training and program management skills to help our clients finish their critical projects.
Our clients are high-potential leaders at consulting firms and digital media agencies, who have projects that are bogged down and stuck.
Dave has 20 years of corporate and academic experience, has lived in Russia and Poland, and holds a top secret clearance from the U.S. Government.

Right Brain Training

by davidwkaiser on Jun 18, 2010

Accessibility

Categories

Tags

Upload Details

Usage Rights

1 Embed 1,044

Statistics

Right Brain Training — Presentation Transcript