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...

• Keyboards are overrated. Cursive is back and it’s making us smarter [permalink] 2018-05-20
  "Brain scans during the two activities [writing vs typing] also show that forming words by hand as opposed to on a keyboard leads to increased brain activity. Scientific studies of children and adults show that wielding a pen when taking notes, rather than typing, is associated with improved long-term information retention, better thought organization, and increased ability to generate ideas."
  #neuroscience #learning
• How boredom can lead to your most brilliant ideas [permalink] 2018-10-13
  #neuroscience #brain_hacks
• What Cirque du Soleil can tell us about the neuroscience of awe [permalink] 2019-01-12
  #neuroscience
• Neuroscientists have identified how exactly a deep breath changes your mind [permalink] 2019-08-15
  "This recent study finally answers these questions by showing that volitionally controlling our respirational, even merely focusing on one’s breathing, yield additional access and synchrony between brain areas. This understanding may lead to greater control, focus, calmness, and emotional control."
  #neuroscience
• Neuroscience of singing [permalink] 2018-11-24
  #neuroscience
• The Effect of Diaphragmatic Breathing on Attention, Negative Affect and Stress in Healthy Adults [permalink] 2018-11-29
  #neuroscience
• Five subtle body language clues that someone is in deep psychological distress [permalink] 2018-05-20
  #body_language
• The act of drawing something has a “massive” benefit for memory compared with writing it down [permalink] 2018-11-24
  #brain_hacks

More links elsewhere...

Contact us

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

Recommended reading

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