This document summarizes a presentation on building trust given by neuroscientist Dario Nardi. It discusses what builds trust, including competence, ethics, predictability, shared interests and goals. It also describes Nardi's research examining how understanding and leveraging people's strengths or "genius" can improve performance and build trust. The document outlines an experiment where some participants are given a model of strengths while others are not, and analyzes their brain activity and project outcomes. It advocates considering how to encourage people's flow states and leverage their genius to improve performance and build trust on a daily basis.

1. Brain-Savvy Trust
Getting our brains to flow!
September 11, 2014 ; London ; with Dario Nardi, PhD

2. What is trust?
Competence
Ethics / integrity
Predictability
home
classroom
workplace
community
globe

3. What boosts trust?
For real!
•Competent or friendly-looking face
•Congruent self-presentation (body language and voice tone)
•Shared interests/goals
•Similar personality
•Tangible evidence, including repeat outcomes
For real?
•Testimonials by peers and authority figures
•Resume, and clearance by hiring personnel
•Verbal assurances by the person

4. How can we
leverage
people’s genius
to build
trust?

5. I analyze people’s brains as
they do various tasks.

6. This is what I see.
Longer bars = more activity &
the colors have meaning too

7. Here’s a bird’s-eye view of
the neocortex, our diverse
toolbox.

8. People’s brain wire
differently.
reflecting, linking,
seeing, analyzing,
anticipating
initiating, sensing,
hearing, empathizing
improvising

9. When do you “flow”?

10. What evokes flow?
• Tossing around a tennis ball, or two.
• Handling a crisis during role-play.
• Reviewing the past in detail.
• Envisioning the future as it will be.
• Listening activity to someone.
• Listening to women (but not men) or vice versa.
• Listening to a respected authority figure.
• Noticing when someone is moving behind/around us.
• Playing a musical instrument.
• Playing with other people in a band, but not by oneself.
• Dancing with a spouse.
• Doing an activity for which you have expertise, or imagining that.
• Many, many more.

11. Flow shows in the brain.
When we engage a task for which we have expertise,
and are motivated,
and seek to improvise,
the brain gets relaxed and very energized with all regions working in synch.

12. What’s your genius?
This visual by Talent Dynamics is used with permission.

13. Does knowing a person’s
genius lead to better
outcomes?

14. I’m running a lab experiment.
• Some users know the genius model (4 kinds of smart) and other
users do not.
• Everyone goes through a computer simulation of a 5 week
project with 5 virtual teammates.
• Each week, the user as "team manager" receives a report on
each mate's performance, hears requests, and makes decisions.
• There is a random element, because life surprises us.
• Decisions involve constraints of time and money.
• Often, the user has to select appropriate words to motivate.
• There is a finale “presentation” and final score.
• The computer records the user’s brain activity the whole time.

15. Here’s Stan. What’s his
genius?
Stan is a family man. He’s
good-natured and loyal to
TechGo, the company he has
worked for since college. He is
patient with paperwork and
careful about government
regulations. He makes tasks go
as smoothly as possible and
doesn’t understand why some
people are so disorganized or
competitive. Stan often works
overtime and believes in the
big picture—bettering the
human community.

16. What words motivate Stan?
C) This project will
be a lot of fun! And
it’s a chance to earn
a big reward. Is now
the time to act?
D) This project is a must
for the company. It will
need some careful
detail-work. Let’s
review what’s needed.
B) This project needs
attention to our core
values. I value our
relationships. How can
we share this?
A) This project is cutting-edge
stuff. It needs a
strategic innovation. How
can we build it?

17. How do you decide with
Stan?
You’re weekly report shows Stan’s progress for the past week
was merely fair (60%).
Stan asks for a day off to care for a family member in another
town. This may impact his performance in the coming week.
How do you respond?
A) Yes
B) No

18. A take-home you can trust!
When we use the trust model,
When we shift our words and decisions to meet others' genius,
and give them room to flow,
we may spend a little more
in time, money, or brain energy,
but performance improves.
And when we are
distracted, angry, tired, or constricted,
we may forget to build trust,
with consequences.

19. Each day,
or before a regular meeting,
consider 1 action you can
take, question to ask, or
flow task you may encourage,
to leverage your people’s
personal genius.

20. Here are resources.
dnardi@ucla.edu
www.NeuroPQ.com www.RadianceHouse.com