The importance of testing for clear thinking in recruitment

Neuroscience is rapidly changing our understanding of how human memory works.  For many years it was widely believed that the human brain recorded events like a video camera and that events that had been completely forgotten could be could be retrieved and played back given the right set of circumstances.

We now know that the memory does not work in that way at all.  In fact the human brain reassembles and reorders various parts of an event when retrieving a memory.  It, in effect, creates a completely new memory, often including details that seem very real but which turn out later not to have taken place.

The same process takes place when the brain remembers words and orders them together either to think analytically or attempt to express thoughts.  Rather than having a dictionary-like definition, words in the brain are stored as an ever-changing set of connections that constantly update their meanings.

When people are reading, writing, listening or speaking, their brains create new connections and hence new definitions for many of the words, statement or phrases that it is processing.  This phenomenon manifests itself in the tendency of business discussions to devolve into dialogues around semantics rather than address the actual issues in question.

The brain’s inherent plasticity when using words greatly increases the value of business communications that are clear and precise.  That clarity and precision (or lack of it) is simultaneously rewiring the word connections and definitions both in the brain of somebody who is writing and speaking as well as the person who is listening or reading.

Fuzzy wording creates fuzzy thinking

Unlike communications that are clear and precise, business communications that are fuzzy and imprecise generate connections between words that are similarly ambiguous and unclear.  In other words, a feedback loop is taking place: fuzzy thinking creates fuzzy wording which in turn creates fuzzier thinking. 

Many organisations tolerate, indeed encourage, the use of fuzzy and imprecise wording in the form of acronyms, buzzwords and jargon.  The culture created is one where fast communication can appear to occur so that anyone who uses the key words feels as if they are an integral part of the organisation. 

This has been compounded in recent years by the trend for people to express themselves using quotation marks or inverted commas in both writing and speech.  This is an expression of thought in its original form phrased by the communicator without clearly defining exactly what they mean.  Often the phrase is a metaphor and in most circumstances there is understanding.  Caution is advised as the rules around the use of quotation marks varies with language.   All too often, we know what we mean and think that we are communicating clearly but in reality this is often not the case.  As an illustration, we when we talk we think people “get it” but in reality they “switch off” when they hear something that isn’t meaningful “in their world” and so may appear to be somewhat “dumb”.

Clear thinking creates clear wording which in turn creates clearer thinking.

What this means when recruiting

From the perspective of recruitment, it is important to understand how your communication style reflects the fuzzy thinking and imprecise wording of the industry that you recruit for and the clients that you work with.  It is obviously necessary to assess your clients’ tolerance towards industry acronyms, buzzwords and jargon and imprecise wording and how ingrained it is in their culture.  How much are you contributing to this by your desire to be recognised as an experience professional?

For those organisations who recruit people who communicate in a similar way, this will contribute to the amount of ambiguous thinking, which is going to impact on the communication capabilities within the overall organisation. 

In the future, recruiters must put additional emphasis on a candidate’s ability to write and speak with precision and clarity.  As a result, the recruitment process will tend to make the overall organisation progressively better at communicating internally and externally and so appear to be “smarter”.

The brain is a remarkably adaptable organ capable of making changes and developing new connections.  This is called neuroplasticity and continues well into our eighties.

Every memory or thought process is made up of a set of interconnecting neurons forming a unique map.  The maps that are accessed more frequently stay with us longer.  This is a good link to learning and practising actions repeatedly.

Mirror neurons fire in our brain when we see or experience someone else’s behaviour leading to the idea that we are systematically interconnected and why our social interactions are so important.

Mindfulness is a foundation for coaching skills and knowledge using neuroscience.   Mindfulness is all about learning to live in the present moment through controlling thought processes, emotions and body sensations.  Paying attention, on purpose, by slowing down brain chatter and automatic or habitual reactions allows us to experience the present moment as it really is.  Mindfulness strengthens the left prefrontal cortex where thought processes arise and the white matter connects between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, which improves focus and memory.

Working memory is limited.  We can only focus on a few things at a given time so small incremental steps are best.  It takes a lot of energy to remain focused and we are easily distracted.

Attitudes, beliefs and values are hard wired.  Once a habit has become hardwired, it is difficult to overwrite.  The best method is to help people focus on something that overrides the bad habit pathway rather than to try to remove it.

Coaching requires that we encourage attention on solutions rather than the problem otherwise ineffective neural pathways get created.  Coachees who are asked to create a journal can generate good quality focus and keep these circuits active and open for longer.

Due to the interconnectedness of the brain, working out which small changes in thinking processes create big changes in behaviour is a fundamental to coaching.

Self directed neuroplasticity, is when we direct ourselves to focus on new habitual pathways and don’t allow ourselves to get distracted.  Thus, we can change our brains by conscious effort – shining a light on something new creates new neural connections.  The questions that you ask influence the results that you see.

Good coaches don’t give advice to their clients.  The best approach is to ask perceptive, penetrating questions that allow the client to work out solutions for themselves.  Often any advice may not be appropriate as it may not be relevant to them or their circumstances no matter how much it appears to be appropriate.

Human brains work in a way that matches patterns and often notice when something doesn’t quite fit with expectations.  If, a blue flashing light is expected but a red flashing light appears the more attention will be paid to it because of the difference around expectations.

When we experience this difference in our visual, auditory or any other sense occurs a signal is generated.  Activity takes place in the orbitofrontal cortex of the brain.  This is just behind the eyes.  Activity occurs in this area when we don’t trust something or someone or when something doesn’t appear to be quite right.  The ambiguity arouses the amygdala, which are responsible for filtering emotion.

The amygdala are central to the flight and fight response.  They are continually on the look out for danger and they work to move us toward what we see as rewarding and to move us away from what we perceive as dangerous.

These error detection circuits explain a number of well-known phenomena.  The reason why we focus on problems is because this energises us.  The media report bad news most of the time because it gets our attention.  People find it easier to create lists of weaknesses and things that they are not so good than find more than one or two strengths.

Find out more about neuroscience and coaching at NeuroBusiness 2015.  This is a conference being held at the University of Manchester on 24th and 25th June 2015 that will focus on enabling businesses and organisations to benefit from the power of breakthrough research in the field of neuroscience and associated disciplines.  

Watch the video below to find out more from Roger Longden (ThereBeGiants) – Conference Organiser.

More details can be found at www.neurobusiness2015.com