Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 24

FEATURESTORY

Neuroscience and Learning:
Lighting up the Brain
I By Suzette Plaisance Bryan

I

t is every facilitator’s most dreaded
moment: The instant you realize
that in spite of exhausting your
wealth of engagement techniques, you
have lost the interest of every
participant in your course. You note
the glazed eyes, the blank stare, the
drumming fingers and other signs that
your participants’ minds, like Elvis,
have left the building.
Unfortunately, this is as likely to
occur with the most experienced and
knowledgeable facilitator as it might
with someone relatively new to the
profession. We’ve often asked ourselves
why in spite of careful preparation,
including a plethora of training
techniques, our learners appear less
than impressed with our presentation.
Fortunately, a body of research in
neuroscience is beginning to shed light
on this problem and, more importantly,
offer solutions.

Brain Research
In the last 10 years, advancements in
brain research have offered explanations as to why learners become
disengaged and how to maintain their
interest throughout training. Many of
these insights provide a foundation for
tried-and-true methods that are in the
toolbox of every trainer, while others
offer new solutions to these old
problems. Below are a few ideas most
relevant to those of us who earn our
livelihoods through our ability to
transfer information to others.
The first is the concept of
“chunking” or the fact that the memory
portion of our brain works better when
24

information is presented incrementally
so that learners can reflect and relax
before additional ideas are offered.
Arielle Tambini and colleagues at New
York University found through a series
of very clever experiments “strong
evidence that resting brain correlations
contribute to long-term memory and
suggest this may be pivotal in
facilitating memory consolidation.” In
layman’s terms, this simply means less
really is more.
If we want participants to remember
and to find relevance in our course
content, we must carefully review our
information and determine the most
salient points, emphasize these and
discard what remains. These pertinent
points should be presented in small
increments, separated by periods where
participants can reflect and discuss
with the facilitator and each other what
they have learned. This should be

followed by periods where participants
have an opportunity to focus their
attention elsewhere, hopefully to an
activity both stimulating and enjoyable.
The neurochemicals produced when
participants are having fun prepare the
brain for optimal learning.
Specifically, this means the
following:
• Frequent breaks are a good thingespecially where you encourage
your participants to relax during the
breaks.
• After you’ve made an important
point, before you move on, ask your
participants for their opinions –
whether they agree or disagree, they
are considering what you have said
and processing the information.
• Review the points you’ve made
frequently, presenting them from
different perspectives.
FOCUS | SUMMER 2013 | www.spbt.org


http://www.spbt.org

Focus Magazine - Summer 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Focus Magazine - Summer 2013

Focus Magazine - Summer 2013
From the President: Why Does Innovation Matter to Training?
Contents
Guest Editor: The Importance of Training Analytics
Front of the Room: Focus on Intention
Conference Recap
Merck's Global Learning Transformation
Building a World-Class Training Organization
Neuroscience and Learning: Lighting up the Brain
iPad Training: The NFL Playbook
3D Models for Marketing Medical Devices
Tactical or Strategic?
Is Your Elevator Pitch Ready?
Virtual How
Member News
World-Class Training Pull Through
Ad Index
Focus Contacts
5 Questions: 5 Questions with ... Dan Pink
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - Intro
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - Focus Magazine - Summer 2013
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - Cover2
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 3
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 4
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - From the President: Why Does Innovation Matter to Training?
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 6
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - Contents
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 8
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 9
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 10
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - Guest Editor: The Importance of Training Analytics
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 12
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - Front of the Room: Focus on Intention
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - Conference Recap
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 15
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 16
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - Merck's Global Learning Transformation
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 18
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 19
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - Building a World-Class Training Organization
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 21
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 22
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 23
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - Neuroscience and Learning: Lighting up the Brain
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 25
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 26
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 27
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - iPad Training: The NFL Playbook
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 29
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 3D Models for Marketing Medical Devices
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 31
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - Tactical or Strategic?
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 33
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 34
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 35
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - Is Your Elevator Pitch Ready?
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 37
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - Virtual How
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 39
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 40
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - Member News
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - World-Class Training Pull Through
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 43
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - Ad Index
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - Focus Contacts
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - 5 Questions: 5 Questions with ... Dan Pink
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - Cover3
Focus Magazine - Summer 2013 - Cover4
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