Introduction

Almost everything we’re trying to do in Agile coaching is behaviour change and most of the behaviours we’re trying to change are operating at an unconscious level ("System 1" in Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow).

There are some simple cases where rationally deciding to change is enough to get that new behaviour although that's rarely adequate. Ask as smoker or a gambler why they haven't quit when all the logic says they should. Changing unconscious behaviour requires more than just a logical decision.

The very best trainings are experiential, not a series of lectures, and the agile community has jumped on these. From "back of the room" trainings to LEGO® Serious Play®, pair programming to clean language. Many of the very best Agile techniques are so effective because we're setting up conditions to leverage unconscious behaviour and yet we rarely recognize that fact. We've found something that works and often don't dig deeper to find out why it works or how we could tweak it to make it even better.

On this site and the associated training classes, we’ll look into the foundational skills for unconscious behaviour change. Taking from practical neuroscience, psychology, neurolinguistic programming, hypnosis, body language and other domains, we’ll give you a mix of theory and practical tips to elevate your skills.

Related articles elsewhere...

• Unique neuronal firing patterns in our "second brain" observed for the first time [permalink] 2018-05-30
  Research into the gut brain
  #neuroscience
• The act of drawing something has a “massive” benefit for memory compared with writing it down [permalink] 2018-11-24
  #brain_hacks
• Stress-related hormone cortisol lowers significantly after just 45 minutes of art creation [permalink] 2019-03-21
  #neuroscience #brain_hacks #anxiety
• Getting people addicted to social media [permalink] 2018-05-21
  Matt Mayberry, who works at a California startup called Dopamine Labs, says it's common knowledge in the industry that Instagram exploits this craving by strategically withholding "likes" from certain users. If the photo-sharing app decides you need to use the service more often, it'll show only a fraction of the likes you've received on a given post at first, hoping you'll be disappointed with your haul and check back again in a minute or two. "They're tying in to your greatest insecurities," Mr. Mayberry said.
  #neuroscience #persuassion
• Sitting for long hours found to reduce blood flow to the brain [permalink] 2018-08-21
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• Why our brains see the world as us vs them [permalink] 2018-07-26
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• The surprising thing Google learned about its employees and what it means for todays students [permalink] 2018-05-21
  TL;DR summary: Soft skills are more important than hard skills, even in tech heavy companies like Google.
• This Is Your Brain On Storytelling: The Chemistry Of Modern Communication [permalink] 2019-09-01
  Interesting article on some of the chemistry (neurotransmitters) involved during story telling
  #neuroscience

More links elsewhere...

Contact us

For more information, contact Mike Bowler at...
 ✆ +1 (905) 409-7052
 ✉ UnconsciousAgile@gargoylesoftware.com
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Recommended reading

Here is a sampling of books that have been helpful on this journey.