A science of focus, productivity, and wellbeing
I am a versatile speaker on a range of topics, communicating to diverse audiences including corporate organisations, academic institutions and the public, including youth groups (Scouts), charities, community activity or social clubs .
These include, broadly, informative content and knowledge transfer about methods and principles for research and application; motivational content to inspire new thinking and purposeful behaviour:
- Applied consumer research methods for academic courses
- Psychology-infused design thinking for design agencies and product innovation
- Stress-management using understanding of cutting-edge cognitive neuroscience thinking for optimal performance and resilience
- Psychological principles applied in social enterprise context to help motivate purposeful goals and mental wellbeing
The main premise of my approach is that the brain operates by responding attentively to information in the environment that either supports or distracts from performance on the task at hand. With a little working knowledge of how it does this, we can nudge it in the right direction, to increase focus, and provide greater reward, through productivity, the satisfaction that comes with performing well, and the mental wellbeing that inevitably results!
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REQUEST A SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT PLEASE CONTACT ME AT:
David Gallagher
Email: cognitvexplorer@gmail.com
Tel. 07772706807
Here is an overview of some talks I have given and which can be tailored as fit for individual or organisation's needs.
The Cognitive Theatre: Augmented Experience Design (using VR and Psychological Research Methods in Design of Environments) -
Consumer product / service innovation rests upon novel concepts that resonate with the consumer, but can often require a time consuming and costly process to 'get it right'. In today's ever more budget-conscious world, where new products need to be turned around quickly and R&D becomes de-prioritised in favour of putting out new innovations to keep up with the fast moving competitor landscape, the solution is to go 'fast and lean'. In practice this may mean cutting corners, 'sucking it and seeing' and launching new products without robust validation. However, 'lean prototyping' becomes a viable solution when combining a rigorous understanding of consumer needs and behaviours with new technologies such as Virtual Reality, which give scope to iterate and design 'on the fly' novel concepts that can be presented to the consumer for early stage feedback without the need to physically produce prototypes 'fully formed'. I present a case (and an approach) for using Virtual and Augmented Reality technologies in conjunction with cutting-edge thinking and methods from experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience to delve into the 'true' consumer responses from products experienced in the virtual world, or 'cognitive theatre' - wherein suspension of belief and a participatory 'audience' contribute to more robustly predictive responses to concepts than may be evoked in a more traditional iterative process of design and testing. Understanding how the brain reacts to the environment (real and virtual) to inform decisions and behaviours can help us tailor virtual environments accordingly in which to place product concepts and elicit the most informative responses. I consider multisensory cues, fidelity of environment, and attention-capture leading to emotional engagement with the stimulus and consequent constructive feedback that can quickly lead to winning product design implementation.
Cognitive Experience Design: consumer research methods and applications -
'Experience' is a function of Consumer + Environment. With this framework and a versatile toolbox of consumer measures and methods, coupled with 'design thinking' and 'experience mapping', it is possible to pursue a data-driven informed process towards designing experiences (and environments) that optimally engage the consumer and stimulate proactive behaviours (be that to positive benefit towards YOUR product offering, or towards more productive behaviours including habit change, sustainable practices). I outline a broader framework that considers the consumer and the environment in terms of how we can break these components down into measurable aspects in order to re-synthesise insights into guiding principles for better experience design. This includes what drives the consumer, motivators and brain-based processes linked to 'self' (aspirations, expectations and the narrative that the individual constructs to determine future behaviours), and how the environment contributes to consumer engagement. What is 'experience' and how can this be systematically designed to optimise consumer engagement, with practical examples from fields such as product innovation, tourism and aviation.
CognitivExplorer Inc - Adventures in Tourism: The Hero's Quest and personal transformation -
The Hero's Quest is a useful metaphor for the drive to have new experiences, particularly with focus to adventure tourism, adventure pursuits and even how we approach the daily challenges and stresses of life. This model provides a template for stretching beyond the comfort zone in order to overcome obstacles, set goals and transform and grow from experiences. With particular reference to Adventure Tourism, I talk about the Experiencing Self, the brain functions that help us 'task-focus' and tune down the destructive self, towards a 'flow' state. This offers a framework for thinking about how to design more provocative experiences that guide consumers towards a more satisfying and rewarding state of being, and as a means to differentiate the tourism offering from competition into this more 'niche' and novel arena. The presentation mixes personal adventure examples, cutting edge science and design thinking to inspire and provoke, considering the future direction of (technologically enhanced) adventure and tourism products, with some insights and principles emerging so far!
Stepping into the abyss - take control of your goals (lessons from Extreme Sports) -
My research is concerned with uncovering what makes Extreme Sports practitioners 'tick'. What is it that drives a person to step from a vertiginous ledge, taking a life-or-death decision in a committed and assured fashion? I contend that by understanding the brain functions underlying such behaviours we can apply this to also understand the roots of anxiety, and the mechanisms that prevent us from achieving our own potential. We all have the same brains! Jumping off a ledge is an apt metaphor for taking committed decisions in life. And like the individual who holds back and freezes in the moment, lessons can be learnt about how to overcome this psychological barrier to progress. I talk about the brain networks that see-saw between externally-oriented 'task focus' and 'self-absorbed' internal distraction. By appreciating the 'engineering' beneath the brain's 'hood' we can start to see how this machinery can be fine tuned to help us perform better and achieve goals. I intersperse talking about this psychological aspect with illustrations and anecdotes based on accompanying BASE jumpers round the world, literally 'hanging' alongside them in the moment, taking photographs that strive to capture the moment of commitment, the drama, excitement and reward for undertaking such feats! I make the link to how the brain's tendency towards anxiety and depression is rooted in the same brain networks and processes, and how by learning from these extreme sports people we can 'switch' our own networks from negative, self-obsessive thought patterns to more proactive task-focused modes that drive positive emotional states and motivated ways of being!
Meet John - how Shadow Wind can transform adversity into purpose! -
John is a homeless, ex-offender, and former substance-abuse addict who's life had previously hit rock bottom. But now he is invested with new purpose, plying his trade once more and expressing himself through fine art talents honed in prison! Key in contributing to his newfound purpose in life is his association with ShadowWind CIC. This is a venture in Merseyside, operating out of Liverpool Marina. ShadowWind herself is a 37ft sailing yacht and the flagship of a Community Interest Company that offers opportunities to the likes of John to come aboard, learn the rudiments of sailing and contribute tradecraft skills to practical boatsmanship. This is a proven effective 'treatment' for a life lacking purpose or derailed through adversity. The benefits of a maritime context towards goal-directed purpose are manifest. Sailing promotes teamwork, collective morale and a shared purpose. There is no room for shirking at sea! The feel of the wind and the spray on one's face, with the sails unfurled and 'close to the wind' marry a physical and metaphorical essence of progress towards a meaningful destination! As an adventure psychologist, I am involved heavily in this venture, and will talk about the virtues of a brain that is galvanised to action, focused on task, and with little room for the distracting and negative self that threatens to ground the individual out on the rocks of apathy! Shadow Wind is a success story with some way still to go. I am n ambassador for this enterprise and the ethos behind it to get more people onboard, be they homeless or disadvantaged groups, youth communities (such as the Scouts), 'ordinary folks' looking for new challenge and to feel the wind on their faces! This is a uniquely challenging but rewarding environment, with much potential for productive partnerships with STEM / educational and scientific communities who likewise understand the need to protect the vulnerable status of our maritime environment for future generations. This serves as a means to stimulate our current generations to work together to support each other, our mental wellbeing, towards a sustainable community of engagement...
The stressed brain: How to dial down the distracting self and turn on a more task-positive mindset -
Stress is a natural facet of everyday life, and which gets a 'bad rap'. We think of stress as negative, something to be avoided at all costs in our over-protective society. But actually, stress is vital as impetus to get up and do things productively! It facilitates action, through arousal. Too little stress results in boredom, apathy, depression. Too much stress results in being overwhelmed, anxious, and being prone to mental health problems...But just enough facilitates optimal performance ('flow'). How can we tap into this 'just enough' level of stress to motivate us, fire us up, and to perform at our best and most productive? Adventure training and pursuits is a tried and tested approach to engaging individuals and groups in challenging and stimulating activities and environments that promote 'self-growth' and accomplishment. Striking out into the wilderness, to confront 'raw nature' can provide the stimulus we need as the environment itself 'affords' productive action and goal-directed behaviour. The individual's challenge is to confront a 'self' that sometimes tries to crawl back inside it's protective home, citing fear, anxiety over the unknowns of an overwhelming environment outside! I talk about how the brain responds to the environment and to the task that is set, and how through harnessing one's own attentional processes it is possible to take charge over that 'self' and to switch into a productive, task-focused mindset. This can provide more energy, more motivation and more reward, whilst also opening up one's perspective to exciting opportunities and adventures! By reframing how you respond to the world and setting goals that capitalise on your ability to focus attention to the right stimuli in the environment, you can aspire to much more than you thought possible! Examples from the world of extreme sports and adventure pursuits are used to illustrate such principles along with photography and video from my experiences working with BASE jumpers and in a mountaineering, sailing, kayaking, diving context....
Extreme Decision-Making - what we can learn about risk based investment from Extreme Sports Practitioners
A friend and colleague in the financial investment sector approached me yearning to glean insight into the risk-based decision making process that extreme sports practitioners go through when operating 'on the edge'. His belief was that this understanding of how individuals manage the stresses and uncertainties associated with, say, BASE jumping could really help in offering advice to clients on how to approach financial investments where reward requires a certain amount of risk. I talk about how the mindset of the extreme athlete is very much dependent on protocols that balance experience, composure, commitment and a certain boldness. But that this is far from an impulsive, devil-may-care approach to life. It is an APPROACH, and that is key - choosing to approach the edge rather than shying away reflexively from it and retreating back into one's shell...The mentality that we can take away from this involves a cautious 'approach'-centric attitude which strives to acknowledge uncertainty, but balanced with confidence and a reassurance that a committed step is within one's capability. Stress can facilitate performance positively, and risks are worth the rewards when taken with this level headed decision making process. The mind inflates consequences, and fabricates reasons to fail, but the very least one can do is to take the step out onto the ledge, and to approach the edge cautiously but with excitement, to see what lies beyond. Rather than to make the decision well back from the edge, and rely on false impressions about what is out there...Even if the decision is made to abort, it is done so from an empowered and enlightened position that one can grow from, and realise more about oneself that is not possible from a 'safer' vantage point.
These include, broadly, informative content and knowledge transfer about methods and principles for research and application; motivational content to inspire new thinking and purposeful behaviour:
- Applied consumer research methods for academic courses
- Psychology-infused design thinking for design agencies and product innovation
- Stress-management using understanding of cutting-edge cognitive neuroscience thinking for optimal performance and resilience
- Psychological principles applied in social enterprise context to help motivate purposeful goals and mental wellbeing
The main premise of my approach is that the brain operates by responding attentively to information in the environment that either supports or distracts from performance on the task at hand. With a little working knowledge of how it does this, we can nudge it in the right direction, to increase focus, and provide greater reward, through productivity, the satisfaction that comes with performing well, and the mental wellbeing that inevitably results!
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REQUEST A SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT PLEASE CONTACT ME AT:
David Gallagher
Email: cognitvexplorer@gmail.com
Tel. 07772706807
Here is an overview of some talks I have given and which can be tailored as fit for individual or organisation's needs.
The Cognitive Theatre: Augmented Experience Design (using VR and Psychological Research Methods in Design of Environments) -
Consumer product / service innovation rests upon novel concepts that resonate with the consumer, but can often require a time consuming and costly process to 'get it right'. In today's ever more budget-conscious world, where new products need to be turned around quickly and R&D becomes de-prioritised in favour of putting out new innovations to keep up with the fast moving competitor landscape, the solution is to go 'fast and lean'. In practice this may mean cutting corners, 'sucking it and seeing' and launching new products without robust validation. However, 'lean prototyping' becomes a viable solution when combining a rigorous understanding of consumer needs and behaviours with new technologies such as Virtual Reality, which give scope to iterate and design 'on the fly' novel concepts that can be presented to the consumer for early stage feedback without the need to physically produce prototypes 'fully formed'. I present a case (and an approach) for using Virtual and Augmented Reality technologies in conjunction with cutting-edge thinking and methods from experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience to delve into the 'true' consumer responses from products experienced in the virtual world, or 'cognitive theatre' - wherein suspension of belief and a participatory 'audience' contribute to more robustly predictive responses to concepts than may be evoked in a more traditional iterative process of design and testing. Understanding how the brain reacts to the environment (real and virtual) to inform decisions and behaviours can help us tailor virtual environments accordingly in which to place product concepts and elicit the most informative responses. I consider multisensory cues, fidelity of environment, and attention-capture leading to emotional engagement with the stimulus and consequent constructive feedback that can quickly lead to winning product design implementation.
Cognitive Experience Design: consumer research methods and applications -
'Experience' is a function of Consumer + Environment. With this framework and a versatile toolbox of consumer measures and methods, coupled with 'design thinking' and 'experience mapping', it is possible to pursue a data-driven informed process towards designing experiences (and environments) that optimally engage the consumer and stimulate proactive behaviours (be that to positive benefit towards YOUR product offering, or towards more productive behaviours including habit change, sustainable practices). I outline a broader framework that considers the consumer and the environment in terms of how we can break these components down into measurable aspects in order to re-synthesise insights into guiding principles for better experience design. This includes what drives the consumer, motivators and brain-based processes linked to 'self' (aspirations, expectations and the narrative that the individual constructs to determine future behaviours), and how the environment contributes to consumer engagement. What is 'experience' and how can this be systematically designed to optimise consumer engagement, with practical examples from fields such as product innovation, tourism and aviation.
CognitivExplorer Inc - Adventures in Tourism: The Hero's Quest and personal transformation -
The Hero's Quest is a useful metaphor for the drive to have new experiences, particularly with focus to adventure tourism, adventure pursuits and even how we approach the daily challenges and stresses of life. This model provides a template for stretching beyond the comfort zone in order to overcome obstacles, set goals and transform and grow from experiences. With particular reference to Adventure Tourism, I talk about the Experiencing Self, the brain functions that help us 'task-focus' and tune down the destructive self, towards a 'flow' state. This offers a framework for thinking about how to design more provocative experiences that guide consumers towards a more satisfying and rewarding state of being, and as a means to differentiate the tourism offering from competition into this more 'niche' and novel arena. The presentation mixes personal adventure examples, cutting edge science and design thinking to inspire and provoke, considering the future direction of (technologically enhanced) adventure and tourism products, with some insights and principles emerging so far!
Stepping into the abyss - take control of your goals (lessons from Extreme Sports) -
My research is concerned with uncovering what makes Extreme Sports practitioners 'tick'. What is it that drives a person to step from a vertiginous ledge, taking a life-or-death decision in a committed and assured fashion? I contend that by understanding the brain functions underlying such behaviours we can apply this to also understand the roots of anxiety, and the mechanisms that prevent us from achieving our own potential. We all have the same brains! Jumping off a ledge is an apt metaphor for taking committed decisions in life. And like the individual who holds back and freezes in the moment, lessons can be learnt about how to overcome this psychological barrier to progress. I talk about the brain networks that see-saw between externally-oriented 'task focus' and 'self-absorbed' internal distraction. By appreciating the 'engineering' beneath the brain's 'hood' we can start to see how this machinery can be fine tuned to help us perform better and achieve goals. I intersperse talking about this psychological aspect with illustrations and anecdotes based on accompanying BASE jumpers round the world, literally 'hanging' alongside them in the moment, taking photographs that strive to capture the moment of commitment, the drama, excitement and reward for undertaking such feats! I make the link to how the brain's tendency towards anxiety and depression is rooted in the same brain networks and processes, and how by learning from these extreme sports people we can 'switch' our own networks from negative, self-obsessive thought patterns to more proactive task-focused modes that drive positive emotional states and motivated ways of being!
Meet John - how Shadow Wind can transform adversity into purpose! -
John is a homeless, ex-offender, and former substance-abuse addict who's life had previously hit rock bottom. But now he is invested with new purpose, plying his trade once more and expressing himself through fine art talents honed in prison! Key in contributing to his newfound purpose in life is his association with ShadowWind CIC. This is a venture in Merseyside, operating out of Liverpool Marina. ShadowWind herself is a 37ft sailing yacht and the flagship of a Community Interest Company that offers opportunities to the likes of John to come aboard, learn the rudiments of sailing and contribute tradecraft skills to practical boatsmanship. This is a proven effective 'treatment' for a life lacking purpose or derailed through adversity. The benefits of a maritime context towards goal-directed purpose are manifest. Sailing promotes teamwork, collective morale and a shared purpose. There is no room for shirking at sea! The feel of the wind and the spray on one's face, with the sails unfurled and 'close to the wind' marry a physical and metaphorical essence of progress towards a meaningful destination! As an adventure psychologist, I am involved heavily in this venture, and will talk about the virtues of a brain that is galvanised to action, focused on task, and with little room for the distracting and negative self that threatens to ground the individual out on the rocks of apathy! Shadow Wind is a success story with some way still to go. I am n ambassador for this enterprise and the ethos behind it to get more people onboard, be they homeless or disadvantaged groups, youth communities (such as the Scouts), 'ordinary folks' looking for new challenge and to feel the wind on their faces! This is a uniquely challenging but rewarding environment, with much potential for productive partnerships with STEM / educational and scientific communities who likewise understand the need to protect the vulnerable status of our maritime environment for future generations. This serves as a means to stimulate our current generations to work together to support each other, our mental wellbeing, towards a sustainable community of engagement...
The stressed brain: How to dial down the distracting self and turn on a more task-positive mindset -
Stress is a natural facet of everyday life, and which gets a 'bad rap'. We think of stress as negative, something to be avoided at all costs in our over-protective society. But actually, stress is vital as impetus to get up and do things productively! It facilitates action, through arousal. Too little stress results in boredom, apathy, depression. Too much stress results in being overwhelmed, anxious, and being prone to mental health problems...But just enough facilitates optimal performance ('flow'). How can we tap into this 'just enough' level of stress to motivate us, fire us up, and to perform at our best and most productive? Adventure training and pursuits is a tried and tested approach to engaging individuals and groups in challenging and stimulating activities and environments that promote 'self-growth' and accomplishment. Striking out into the wilderness, to confront 'raw nature' can provide the stimulus we need as the environment itself 'affords' productive action and goal-directed behaviour. The individual's challenge is to confront a 'self' that sometimes tries to crawl back inside it's protective home, citing fear, anxiety over the unknowns of an overwhelming environment outside! I talk about how the brain responds to the environment and to the task that is set, and how through harnessing one's own attentional processes it is possible to take charge over that 'self' and to switch into a productive, task-focused mindset. This can provide more energy, more motivation and more reward, whilst also opening up one's perspective to exciting opportunities and adventures! By reframing how you respond to the world and setting goals that capitalise on your ability to focus attention to the right stimuli in the environment, you can aspire to much more than you thought possible! Examples from the world of extreme sports and adventure pursuits are used to illustrate such principles along with photography and video from my experiences working with BASE jumpers and in a mountaineering, sailing, kayaking, diving context....
Extreme Decision-Making - what we can learn about risk based investment from Extreme Sports Practitioners
A friend and colleague in the financial investment sector approached me yearning to glean insight into the risk-based decision making process that extreme sports practitioners go through when operating 'on the edge'. His belief was that this understanding of how individuals manage the stresses and uncertainties associated with, say, BASE jumping could really help in offering advice to clients on how to approach financial investments where reward requires a certain amount of risk. I talk about how the mindset of the extreme athlete is very much dependent on protocols that balance experience, composure, commitment and a certain boldness. But that this is far from an impulsive, devil-may-care approach to life. It is an APPROACH, and that is key - choosing to approach the edge rather than shying away reflexively from it and retreating back into one's shell...The mentality that we can take away from this involves a cautious 'approach'-centric attitude which strives to acknowledge uncertainty, but balanced with confidence and a reassurance that a committed step is within one's capability. Stress can facilitate performance positively, and risks are worth the rewards when taken with this level headed decision making process. The mind inflates consequences, and fabricates reasons to fail, but the very least one can do is to take the step out onto the ledge, and to approach the edge cautiously but with excitement, to see what lies beyond. Rather than to make the decision well back from the edge, and rely on false impressions about what is out there...Even if the decision is made to abort, it is done so from an empowered and enlightened position that one can grow from, and realise more about oneself that is not possible from a 'safer' vantage point.