How to create immersive experiences with Paul Zak

Communication is going through a revolution. We're graduating from the Behavioral Age to the Affective Age. For decades, we've understood influence through Behavioral Economics: nudges, cognitive biases, rational actors making irrational decisions. But there is a the deeper system. Affect isn't just emotion. It's influence and decision infrastructure. It's the precognitive system that codes for meaning, safety, and connection before cognition even begins. It operates across individuals, relationships, institutions, and entire cultures. When we tune engagement to the dynamics of this system, we influence behavior more successful from a place of harmony rather than harm: • Marketing becomes about resonance, not manipulation • Leadership becomes about attunement, not authority • Communication becomes about frequency matching, not feature pushing At the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) conference in DC next week, our founder is teaching how the latest affective science transforms how we understand and practice influence—moving from "behavioral targeting" to "affective attunement" with “instinctive intelligence”. The goal isn't to control responses. It's to create Resonant Influence—communication that leaves everyone healthier. The question isn't whether you're having an affect. The question is: what kind? #behavioralscience #behavioraleconomics #behavioralcommunication #keynotespeaker #communicationskills

Communication is going through a revolution. We're graduating from the Behavioral Age to the Affective Age. For decades, we've understood influence through Behavioral Economics: nudges, cognitive biases, rational actors making irrational decisions. But there is a the deeper system. Affect isn't just emotion. It's influence and decision infrastructure. It's the precognitive system that codes for meaning, safety, and connection before cognition even begins. It operates across individuals, relationships, institutions, and entire cultures. When we tune engagement to the dynamics of this system, we influence behavior more successful from a place of harmony rather than harm: • Marketing becomes about resonance, not manipulation • Leadership becomes about attunement, not authority • Communication becomes about frequency matching, not feature pushing At the National School Public Relations Association @NSPRA conference in DC next week, our founder, @ElizabethEdwards is teaching how the latest affective science transforms how we understand and practice influence—moving from "behavioral targeting" to "affective attunement" with “instinctive intelligence”. The goal isn't to control responses. It's to create Resonant Influence—communication that leaves everyone healthier. The question isn't whether you're having an affect. The question is: what kind? #behavioralscience #behavioraleconomics #behavioralcommunication #keynotespeaker #communicationskills

Communication is going through a revolution. We're graduating from the Behavioral Age to the Affective Age. For decades, we've understood influence through Behavioral Economics: nudges, cognitive biases, rational actors making irrational decisions. But there is a the deeper system. Affect isn't just emotion. It's influence and decision infrastructure. It's the precognitive system that codes for meaning, safety, and connection before cognition even begins. It operates across individuals, relationships, institutions, and entire cultures. When we tune engagement to the dynamics of this system, we influence behavior more successful from a place of harmony rather than harm: • Marketing becomes about resonance, not manipulation • Leadership becomes about attunement, not authority • Communication becomes about frequency matching, not feature pushing At the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) conference in DC next week, I'm teaching how the latest affective science transforms how we understand and practice influence—moving from "behavioral targeting" to "affective attunement" with “instinctive intelligence”. The goal isn't to control responses. It's to create Resonant Influence—communication that leaves everyone healthier. The question isn't whether you're having an affect. The question is: what kind? #behavioralscience #behavioraleconomics #behavioralcommunication #keynotespeaker #communicationskills

A little bit of mythbusting to make you feel better about your brain. ❌ Myth #1: “90 % of today’s thoughts are the same as yesterday’s.” The figure is traceable to a self‑help meme misattributed to a 2005 National Science Foundation (NSF) report. The NSF has confirmed it has no record of such a publication. It's also sometimes misattributed to Stanford psychologist Dr Fred Luskin. When asked, Luskin replied: “I have no idea where that quote came from.” ❌ Myth #2: “80 % of our thoughts are negative – so worry is the norm.” Experience‑sampling in everyday life (Killingsworth & Gilbert, Science, 2010) shows minds wander 47 % of the time and valence is a near‑even mix. In clinical journals, fewer than 15 % of worries actually come true once tracked in worry‑outcome diaries. Why does mythbusting matter for learning & development? If we build programmes on folklore stats, credibility suffers and interventions misfire. Our clients expect us to share facts, not fiction, so do the research and use numbers that stand up to peer review. The human brain is a remarkable, adaptive engine – capable of generating fresh ideas thousands of times a day. Don't let myths guide the way you learn, lead and live. #brain #sales #training

📚 Book Rec: The Geography of Thought by Richard E. Nisbett When I first stepped into my current role, it was my first truly global position. I’d had international experiences before—both at work and personally—but this was a different level. I was now responsible for designing and implementing learning strategies that needed to stick across diverse cultural contexts. That’s what pulled me into 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 and books like this one. Nisbett explores how 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆—literally—and 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀. From ancient philosophers to modern cognition, he breaks down the roots of how we see and interpret the world. One idea that really stuck with me: Westerners tend to zero in on individual causes, while Eastern cultures are more attuned to context. It made me 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 (𝗥𝗖𝗜𝘀) and how we often laser-focus on the "sharp end" (the immediate action or error). It got me wondering—do teams in Japan or China approach RCIs differently? Are they more attuned to environmental or systemic contributors from the start? This book reminded me how important it is to 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸—𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸. Especially in global work, understanding these differences can shape everything from strategy to collaboration. Highly recommend if you're in a global role or just curious about the psychology of culture. “𝘔𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘴, 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.” — Richard E. Nisbett Have you read this one? Would love to hear your thoughts—especially if you’ve worked across cultures in technical or operational settings.

The same brain patterns that helped our ancestors survive in tribes of 150 are now determining whether your team trusts you enough to tell you the truth, and most modern leaders are unknowingly triggering ancient threat responses instead. Recent neuroscience research reveals a startling truth: our workplace relationships operate on neural pathways designed for tribal survival. Here's what science tells us about building stronger connections: Your brain automatically scans for social threats every 4 seconds. Teams perform 31% better when psychological safety is high. Neural synchronization happens within 0.2 seconds of authentic interaction. The science-backed strategies that work: 1. Make consistent eye contact (boosts oxytocin by 47%) 2. Practice active listening (reduces threat response by 35%) 3. Share vulnerabilities first (decreases cortisol levels) 4. Celebrate small wins (triggers dopamine release) 5. Maintain predictable routines (lowers anxiety markers) 6. Show genuine curiosity (activates mirror neurons) This isn't optional in today's workplace - it's how our brains are wired to connect and perform. What would shift in your leadership if you aligned with these biological patterns? Share your thoughts below. #NeuroscienceOfLeadership #TeamPerformance #WorkplaceTrust #BrainScience #LeadershipDevelopment #MindsetIntelligence Brightflare Performance Solutions

🔥 Call yourself what the hell you like. Change Manager. Transformation Manager. Facilitator. Jedi. None of it matters if you’re not delivering results and putting people first. What used to be called “the people side of change”? 🛑 👉 Ron Leeman just rebranded it: People Science. 🧠🧬 “It’s not fluffy. It’s neuroscience. Psychology. Behavioural science. That’s what drives how people react to change. So let’s call it what it is.” 💥 You heard it here first. Ron is officially the creator of People Science. Drop the jargon. Ditch the ego. Focus on what really drives transformation: humans. 🎧 Full episode out now. Link in bio or here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eraXvcXr #ChangeManagement #PeopleScience #TransformationLeadership #OrganizationalChange #RonLeeman #BusinessTransformation #NeuroscienceInChange #LeadershipDevelopment #MaverickThinking #HOBATech 🧠💥🎯

Intuitive Intelligence lives in the right brain, and the forest knows how to find it. In nature, everything moves with quiet precision. Birds migrate across continents. Trees share nutrients underground. Ecosystems adapt without instruction. This is not planning. It’s presence. A form of intelligence that listens before it moves. We carry this too, but in a world that rewards logic and speed, we’ve drifted from our own inner compass. Neuroscience tells us that intuition lives in the right hemisphere of the brain. It’s where pattern recognition, creativity, flow, and big-picture clarity reside. Practices like Forest Bathing gently activate this part of the brain. As the body softens and the senses awaken, something else comes online: the ability to sense what is true, even when the path isn’t clear. According to Harvard Business Review, 68% of leaders don’t fully harness this capacity. Most rely on data and analysis alone — even though recent neuroscience highlights the vital role intuitive intelligence plays in navigating uncertainty. This is Intuitive Intelligence. And it doesn’t need to be taught. It only needs space to return. 🌿 If something in you already knows… perhaps it’s time to trust it. #NatureReconnection #AncientWisdom #ModernAction

Most productivity advice still pushes us toward rigid goals and linear plans. But what if a more flexible and meaningful approach came from small, curiosity-led experiments? 🔬 In Tiny Experiments, neuroscientist and writer Anne-Laure Le Cunff, PhD from King's College London and Ness Labs offers a different way to grow. Instead of chasing perfect outcomes, she encourages testing ideas through low-risk, personal experiments. These can reveal what works, what matters, and how we actually want to live. The experimental mindset blends curiosity with ambition. It invites exploration without needing certainty. This shift helps us keep moving, even when things feel messy or unclear. The book also reframes procrastination as a signal rather than a flaw. It treats failure as data. And it questions the cultural myths we hold about success, productivity, and perfectionism. This quadrant model is especially helpful in realigning our curiosities and ambitions. It maps out different mindsets based on where we land between ambition and curiosity. Not as a label, but as a tool for reflection. If you’re rethinking how to learn, create, or lead in a way that feels lighter and more sustainable, this book is worth reading. #neuroscience #tinyexperiments #curiosity #ambition #books

🧠 Learning to Coach – Coaching to Learn 💡 Insights from My Coaching Journey Do we make decisions rationally or emotionally? 💥 Spoiler: It’s not what most people think. Research in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economics lean a certain direction: 'We make decisions emotionally and explain them rationally.' 🧠 Neurologist Antonio Damasio studied patients with brain injuries who could no longer feel emotions. Their logic was intact. Their IQ unchanged. But they were completely unable to make decisions. 💡 Why? Because emotions act as internal markers: They tell us what matters, what feels right, what needs attention. Even in leadership and coaching, this applies: ▪️We don’t just weigh options - we feel values. ▪️We don’t just analyze outcomes - we sense alignment. ▪️The best decisions are rarely just about data - they’re about meaning. Emotional ≠ irrational. The best decisions integrate both. 💬 What’s your take - do we decide more rationally or emotionally? #EmotionalIntelligence #DecisionMaking #LeadershipDevelopment #Neuroscience #SystemicCoaching #SelfLeadership #InnerWorkOuterImpact