TRANFORMING SAFETY WITH NEUROSCIENCE. Because the brain is a powerful tool

WELCOME

WHAT IS NEUROSCIENCE? The scientific study of the nervous system Traditionally seen as a branch of biology Currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, cognitive science, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics, medicine, genetics and applied disciplines such as psychology

WHY NEUROSCIENCE? Our brains are not designed for the 21 st century workplace Provides an evidence based approach to understanding how the brain selects new ways of thinking and behaving Is backed by scientific research which can help persuade even the most sceptical workers. Its practical & can be relatively easy to implement Provides a lens through which to look at & understand people & what motivates them Understanding our brains & how they work enables us to work with the physiology, not fight it which ultimately improves performance its all about what helps our brains to perform at their best

DID YOU KNOW? Approx. 1.3kg consistency of tofu or soft boiled egg Has no moving parts 2% of body weight 80% water 2% dehydration affects attention, memory & other cognitive skills Uses 20% of body s energy resources 100 billion neurons 100 trillion connections between each other Left hemisphere - facts & details Right hemisphere - emotions, empathy, big picture The goal of the brain is survival

KEY BRAIN STRUCTURES

PRE FRONTAL CORTEX Conscious brain Responsible for high level thinking processes (decision making, understanding, memorising, inhibition & recall) Controls the working memory Processes information in a serial manner Small (has limitations i.e. can only hold 4 pieces of information at any one time) Energy intensive Easily distracted Fussy think Goldilocks! (it needs just the right about of neurochemicals (dopamine & adrenaline) to operate most effectively)

THE LIMBIC SYSTEM Emotional core of the brain Plays a role in smell, motivation & memory Scans data coming into the brain, telling you what to pay attention to, and in what way Constantly makes toward or away decisions

AMYGDALA Almond shape set of neurons located deep in the medial temporal lobe Plays a key role in processing emotions & motivations (particularly those related to survival FREEZE, FIGHT, FLIGHT) Involved in processing of emotions (fear, anger & pleasure) Responsible for determining what memories are stored & where

IMPACT OF THREAT / REWARD STATES THREAT REWARD Fight or flight Narrower vision Positive Willing to get involved Distracted Reduced memory Focussed Dopamine up Anxious Poorer performance Resilient Think less clearly Weakened immune system Willing to collaborate Less emotional control See threats where they don t exist Dopamine down Cortisol /stress (destroys brain cells) More able to learn open to new ideas Innovative See the workplace & colleagues as more hostile than it really is Creative

INSIGHTS INTO THE BRAIN Its a connection machine Up close, no two brains are the same It hardwires everything it can hardwiring drives automatic perceptions It is practically impossible to deconstruct our old wiring easy to create new wiring Hardwiring drives automatic perception It s a prediction machine

#1 IT S A CONNECTION MACHINE Constantly making connections millions per second Seeking to understand new information by comparing it to our existing maps An impasse occurs when we can t reconcile the maps We keep going over it until it is resolved

#2 NO TWO BRAINS ARE THE SAME 100 Billion neurons (nervous system building block) 100,000 dendrites (roots that receive information) per neuron 1 axon (the tree trunk passing on information) 300 trillion possible (constantly changing) connections between neurons Connections between neurons, which are connected by dendrites form the maps that guide our thoughts, behaviour and action

# 3 IT HARDWIRES EVERYTHING IT CAN New ideas or behaviours use the working memory Working memory is a limited resource 20 minutes of concentration is the limit 4 bits of information leads to overload Brain prefers to hardwire repeated behaviours, thoughts, activities Significant effort required to leverage brains preference for hardwiring Autopilot comes into play

MEMORY TEST Dream Night Artichoke Insomnia Blanket Tired Night Alarm Sleep Snooze Mattress Night Sheet Nod Nap Snore Pillow

#4 HARD WIRING DRIVES AUTOMATIC PERCEPTION We perceive the world according to our mental maps which are hardwired As a result we perceive the world according to our beliefs & attitudes instead of seeing things as they are or as they could be We can override this hardwiring and consciously influence our perceptions but it takes time

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

DOWNSIDES OF HARDWIRING People tend to fight to hold onto their views of the world When external realities change, internal realities often don t change as quickly Groups of people will see the same situation differently as we are all wired differently. Some peoples maps could be out of date

#5 ITS PRACTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DECONSTRUCT OUR HARDWIRING Our connections define our we see & approach the world our perceptions, the choices we make, the results. we create for ourselves. To transform our safety performance we need to modify our connections But..its practically impossible to deconstruct our hardwiring Deep analysis isn t helpful Basic awareness is necessary first step what we do after initial awareness it crucial THE KEY IS NOT TO TRY TO CHANGE THE HABIT. LEAVE IT WHERE IT IS & CREATE A NEW HABIT BACKED BY ATTENTION.

# 6 IT S A PREDICTION MACHINE I cnduo t bvleiee that I culod aulaclty uesdttannrd what I was rdnaieg. Unisg the icneblire pweor of the human mnid, aocdcrnig to rseecrah at Cmabridge Uinervtisy, it dseno t mttaer in what oderr the lterets in a wrod are, the olny irpoamtnt thing is that the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rhgit pclae

WHY USE NEUROSCIENCE IN SAFETY? 90% of human behaviour is driven by the unconscious mind Working memory (Conscious) Hardwiring (unconscious) Difference between conscious & nonconscious parts of brain distinguished by the state we are in.

CONSCIOUS VS UNCONSCIOUS MIND - LEVELS OF LEARNING Unconscious incompetence we don t know what we don t know (blissful ignorance) Conscious incompetence we recognise deficit & value of new skill in addressing that Conscious Competence we know how to do something however demonstrating requires concentration Unconscious Competence we no longer need to think about it. (Autopilot)

THE BRAIN AS PPE It gives us the tools to enable us to work with individuals on their personal hard wired thoughts, actions & beliefs. This enables new desired ways of thinking & behaving which creates a positive safety culture

QUESTIONS?

CONTACT US Insync Workplace Solutions Level 57, MLC Centre 19-29 Martin Place SYDNEY, NSW, 2000 PH: 1800 INSYNC + 612 8544 1837 www.insyncworkplacesolutions.com.au enquiry@insyncworkplacesolutions.com.au