6 Secrets Of Top Performing Work Teams
n't just throw the best people together. How members get along is far more important than their capacities as individuals. What makes for smart teams? It’s not average IQ. It’s social skills. From MIT: A new study published in Science found that three factors were significantly correlated with a group’s collective intelligence — in other words, its ability to perform a variety of tasks collectively, from solving puzzles to negotiating. The three factors are: the average social sensitivity of the members of the group, the extent to which…
5 minutes
5 Secrets To Clicking With People
w can you make a good first impression? First impressions matter even more than you think. They’re the most important part of any job interview. And once they’re set, they are very hard to resist. Most advice on the subject is defensive, just telling you how to not offend. How can you strategically make a good impression? From the outset, frame the conversation with a few well-rehearsed sentences regarding how you want to be perceived. This will end up being the structure the other…
4 minutes
Get People To Treat You Better By Using These Dog Training Techniques
ren Pryor's book Don't Shoot the Dog!: The New Art of Teaching and Training explains the fundamentals of behavior change. And these methods are effective whether the subject is a dog, a dolphin or your neighbor, Larry. The main lesson for getting people to do what you want is that positive reinforcement -- rewarding behavior you like -- is king. Whether it's with a smile, a cookie or a bribe, rewards work. But what about getting rid of behaviors you don't like?…
3 minutes
Can one personality trait determine your future?
search is pointing to conscientiousness as the one-trait-to-rule-them-all in terms of future success, both career-wise and personal. Via How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character: "It would actually be nice if there were some negative things that went along with conscientiousness," Roberts told me. "But at this point it's emerging as one of the primary dimensions of successful functioning across the lifespan. It really goes cradle to grave in terms of how people do." What is it? Basically,…
3 minutes
What’s a simple thing that can improve a first impression?
bsp; A handshake really does make a difference. Via Science Daily: The study was led by Beckman Institute researcher Florin Dolcos and Department of Psychology postdoctoral research associate Sanda Dolcos. They found, as they wrote, that "a handshake preceding social interaction enhanced the positive impact of approach and diminished the negative impact of avoidance behavior on the evaluation of social interaction." And: "We found that it not only increases the positive effect toward a favorable interaction, but it also diminishes…
1 min read
The 5 Keys To A Good Apology
ologies do make a difference. People often prefer them over money, even if they're just cheap talk. What does the research say about the best way to apologize? One Don't apologize for what you think you did wrong. Apologize for what they think you did wrong: ...victims reacted most positively to apologies that were congruent with their self-construals. Two The most effective apologies have four parts: Via Wait: The Art and Science of Delay: Aaron Lazare devotes two…
2 minutes
Why do we play?
y do we play? We play in order to learn: Via Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul: Play creates new neural connections and tests them. It creates an arena for social interaction and learning. It creates a low-risk format for finding and developing innate skills and talents. How does this work? When something is fun, it commands our full attention and provides an emotional reward, two things that are key to strengthening memory:…
4 minutes
How technology can make you happier
ny say technology is tearing us apart but studies generally show that tech and the internet make us happier. What gives? There's certainly a near-term and long-term difference: your brain loves things that give you more options even if too many choices end up making you miserable. (Humans aren't always rational. Welcome to Earth.) More relevant, technology is a tool, and it's all about what you do with it. Research has shown time and time again that what makes you…
3 minutes
