How Psychological Safety is the one requirement for a better learning, and for a learning that sticks

1. The Neuroscience of
Psychological
Safety in Learning
How Psychological Safety is the one requirement for a
better learning, and for a learning that sticks

2. Background and
Introduction
• Hey there, Hafedh MESSAOUDI here !
• I have been coaching and training
teams and individuals for the last 11
years
• Neuroscience has been of great help to
make my trainings more efficient and
more brainfriendly!
• One common denominator for all the
efficient trainings I have run and
which I built upon brain science is:
Psychological Safety
Hafedh MESSAOUDI 2

3. What’s
Psychological
Safety
• Psychological safety
refers to an
individual's
perception of the
consequences of taking
an interpersonal risk.
It's a belief that one
will not be punished
or humiliated for
speaking up with
ideas, questions,
concerns, or mistakes. Hafedh MESSAOUDI 3

4. Impact in
Learning
• Creates an environment where learners feel
comfortable expressing themselves without fear of
negative consequences
• Facilitates open dialogue, critical for collaborative
learning and innovation.
Hafedh MESSAOUDI 4

5. Where does psychological UNsafety
come from?
THE FEELING OF UNSAFETY USUALLY
COMES FROM EPISODIC MEMORY.
A PAST EXPERIENCE WHERE THE LEARNER
HAS LIVED A TRAUMATIC EVENT IN CLASS
MAY ARISE WHEN ENTERING IN A
TRAINING ROOM. EXAMPLES ARE MULTIPLE
: HAVING BEEN HUMILIATED BY A
TEACHER, HAVING EXPERIENCED FEAR OF
FAILURE, OR ANY OTHER BAD MEMORY OF
A CLASS.
DATA IN OUR NEOCORTEX IS ANALYZED BY
THE HIPPOCUMPUS TO GIVE IT A
« WORTH », AND IN CASE OF A LEARNING
TRAUMA, THE VALUE FALLS DRASTICALLY
FOR THE SAKE OF PROTECTING US
AGAINST RELIVING THE SAME EXPERIENCE
AGAIN
Hafedh MESSAOUDI 5

6. Where does psychological UNsafety
come from?
Data in our neocortex is analyzed by the
hippocumpus to give it a « worth », and in
case of a learning trauma, the value falls
drastically for the sake of protecting us
against living the same experience again
Amygdala weighs in as well filling
the moment with past emotions,
acting as a warning and protective
signal
Hafedh MESSAOUDI 6

7. Psychological
Safe
environment
AN ENVIRONMENT
WHERE LEARNERS
CAN OVERCOME
PAST NEGATIVE
LEARNING
EXPERIMENTS
AN ENVIRONMENT
WHERE THE
LEARNER IS THE
ONE WHO DECIDE
WHAT AND HOW
TO LEARN
AN ENVIRONMENT
WHERE THE
INTERACTIONS
BETWEEN
LEARNERS
EXIST, ARE
ENCOURAGED AND
ARE HEALTHY
A COLORED
ENVIRONMENT,
WHERE FACIAL
EXPRESSIONS
SHOW HAVING
FUN AND
CAMARADERIE
Hafedh MESSAOUDI 7

8. Psychological
Safe
environment
• "In a psychologically safe learning
environment, mistakes are not seen as failures
but as opportunities to learn and grow."
– Adapted from Amy Edmondson's research on
psychological safety.
Hafedh MESSAOUDI 8

9. Learning and the
brain : An
overview
• The amygdala is involved in fear
and fear memories. The hippocampus
is associated with declarative and
episodic memory as well as
recognition memory. The cerebellum
plays a role in processing
procedural memories, such as how to
play the piano. The prefrontal
cortex appears to be involved in
remembering semantic tasks
Hafedh MESSAOUDI 9

10. Brain Networks
Influenced by
Psychological Safety
1. The Amygdala:
• Central to processing fear and pleasure, the amygdala helps us assess the emotional
significance of situations. In safe environments, it facilitates engagement and learning by
moderating stress responses.
2. The Prefrontal Cortex (PFC):
• Involved in planning complex cognitive behavior, personality expression, decision making,
and moderating social behavior. The PFC helps regulate emotional responses through its
connections with the amygdala, playing a key role in assessing risks and rewards in
social interactions.
3. The Hippocampus:
• Essential for memory formation and linking emotions to those memories. Psychological
safety can enhance the hippocampus's ability to encode and retrieve positive learning
experiences.
4. The Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC):
• Plays a role in error detection, anticipation of tasks, attention, and motivation. The ACC
helps modulate emotional responses to stress and is involved in the emotional aspect of
learning and memory.
Hafedh MESSAOUDI 10

11. 2
brains,
2
learnin
g
outcome
s
• A stressed brain cannot think straight.
• The circuit between the hyppothalamus and
the Prefrontal cortex is overwhelmed by
« fight or flight » triggers
• Learning is drastically impared
Hafedh MESSAOUDI 11

12. Examples of how to trigger
psychological safety
Oxygen: It has
been shown that
deep and slow
breathing helps
the brain gain
focus by
helping the
system get rid
of
noradlenaline
and cortisol
Connection
between
lerners: Create
active social
moments in the
training
between
learners help
decrease
unsafety
Give
permissions not
to participate:
Permission
gives power.
When learners
know they have
the right to
refuse to do an
activity, they
automatically
feel more
confortable,
and thus more
involved
Leverage
Emotional
Intelligence
and encourage
empathy and
understanding
as foundational
for your
learning
environment
Encourage
growth mindset.
Take time to
explain this
concept and
speak about it
to learners.
This creates an
anchor to allow
learners feel
more
confortable
when doing
mistakes
Hafedh MESSAOUDI 12

13. Main
Takeawa
ys
A psychologically safe learning environment is
cultivated through intentional practices and
behaviors that value openness, respect, and mutual
support.
Leaders and educators play a crucial role in
modeling these behaviors and setting the tone for a
positive and inclusive learning culture.
Don’t under estimate the personal interpretation
that a learner my have on a class or a training.
Help them adapt and be empathetic.
As trainers, we need to know how the brain works to
make efficient learning. Psychological safety is one
of the brain friendly mandatory aspects amongst
others. Yet, it alone makes a huge difference
Hafedh MESSAOUDI 13

14. Thank you !
Hafedh MESSAOUDI 14