Blog

The ‘rhyme-as-reason’ effect is a cognitive bias that makes people more likely to remember, repeat and believe sayings. Don't believe me? Your thoughts deceive thee.

Getting the right people “in the room” is a powerful tactic when you’re embarking on a strategy roll-out or change project. Here's why, and how to do it well...

Stories are a powerful way to connect. Our shared love of stories is a fundamentally human trait. Romy Craig explores why storytelling works, and how we can use it for memorable communication.

How can you increase the number of people who take an action you need? Whether it's responding to a survey, downloading new software, completing an audit, or anything else... you need people to do something but it's hard to get engagement. Here's a simple and effective nudge to boost collective action!

How can organisations cultivate that sense of belonging for new starters? Acteon consultant Steph Swain shares her personal experiences.

As we move into the world of remote delivery for new starter inductions, our new whitepaper outlines ten principles that we should consider when designing virtual classrooms as part of onboarding.

Why is it so valuable to create safe team spaces where people can voice opinions and ideas, and be honest about shortcomings? From speaking up before mistakes happen, to escaping from half a mile under the earth’s hardest rock, psychological safety’s impact is far-reaching. Sarah Abramson explores why…

Empathising with overloaded employees is critical for creating a positive response to learning and communication. Often this means that ‘less is more’ - giving people only what they actually need, at the right time, in an appealing and accessible way. But how can that best be done? Here are three strategies to help you.

Since the spike in use of virtual classrooms, more companies are now reporting that they experience much higher last-minute cancellations and no-shows when training is delivered virtually. Why is this, and what can you do about it? Rebecca Trigg and Romy Craig give ten tactics...

We all understand the need to generate creative, exciting ideas that people remember. But how do you come up with them in the first place? Romy Craig shares five tactics for getting the creative juices flowing.

Campaigns aren't just for advertisers. To get messages heard, there's a lot we can learn from successful marketing strategies and apply similar approaches to internal communication. Romy Craig and Sarah Wightman share six practical steps for creating compelling campaigns within your organisation.

Sometimes making a positive change happen isn’t about learning new skills. Sometimes people already know what to do, and how to do it, but they aren't doing it. Rebecca Trigg unpicks the difference between skills and behaviours, how to get ‘uncomfortably specific’ in defining behaviours, and what to do to shift them.

Can rewards help us to feel motivated and to learn better? Acteon’s Tarin Adams unpicks the science of motivation, and explores the different effects of extrinsic or intrinsic rewards.

With a myriad of distractions competing for our attention, does your learning content have what it takes to keep the spotlight firmly focused on it? Catherine Molloy considers what learning designers can glean from the music industry about creating irresistible, attention-grabbing content.

Modern society embraces technology in almost everything we do, even in our physical bodies. The pandemic has cemented this connection even further. As learning evolves in virtual environments, Annabel King considers the benefits, the pitfalls, and how we might keep hold of the human elements.

We’re easily distracted because we’re inherently curious. And that curiosity is an essential drive to help us learn. But how do we overcome distractions when we want to get someone to focus on our message? Catherine Molloy explores the rabbit holes...

Many of our everyday choices are influenced by a 'default setting', which makes it easier to choose one thing over another. Sarah Wightman considers how we might identify and switch default settings where we need to prompt a change in behaviour...

Having visible support from someone who can influence your audience can supercharge your message. Romy Craig shares some top tips for choosing the right influencers for different situations...

Why is it that you can still remember the lyrics to pop songs years later, even when more important information seems to melt out of our brains? And is there a way we can harness catchy tunes to aid learning? We thumb through our record collection to find out more......

How does the culture of an organisation affect the learning of its employees? Romy Craig explores why a learning culture depends on helping people to understand how they contribute, and to feel supported and valued.

Unusual events are far more likely to be remembered. Surprises cut through the everyday. So how could we use 'the unexpected' to make messages stick? Rebecca Trigg considers the power of surprise.

What does it take to prompt behaviour change on a massive scale? The campaign to encourage good handwashing across the whole population during the Coronavirus outbreak provides a fascinating case study. Romy Craig considers what it reveals...

There are little things that we can all do to prompt behavioural change. But can we influence a complex issue like gender inequality through small everyday actions? Marking International Women’s Day, Rebecca Trigg draws on her experience of nudge techniques to share ideas for creating more inclusive and balanced workplaces for everyone.

We created a game at the Festival of Work to see if different types of prompts – for motivation and for understanding – help to improve performance. Here’s what we found…

In 2016 one human broke broadcasting figures by doing a remarkably ordinary night time ritual. Rebecca Trigg explains why, and explores what makes magical content...