In the most current issue of the Harvard Business Review, I learned that neuroscientists have discovered that social interactions literally effect our brain chemistry. Not such a surprise, really since our interactions create emotional responses and, in the brain and body, different emotions are associated with different chemicals.

The article features Daniel Goldman, who launched the concept of emotional intelligence in leadership a decade ago, and contends:

“Leading effectively is, in other words, less about mastering situations — or even mastering social skill sets — than about developing a genuine interest in and talent for fostering positive feelings in the people whose cooperation and support you need.”

As we have noted before, other research is clear that we humans are such social creatures that we even interpret interactions in front of a computer as being social. So what does Goldman's new work tell us for more successful elearning? In my take-away...

1. We need to stay attuned to the personal needs of our learners (delivering solutions that meet these needs).
2. We need to understand how elearning fits within the social system of our learners (the entire picture of their work and time needs and demands).
3. We need to be part of the mentoring and coaching that every employee benefits from (making it obvious that there is more value to our programs than just shoving new information at our learners).

Will that change the brain chemistry of our learners? Apparently. But whether you believe that or not, you can be certain it will help build better relationships with their learners. And relationships with employees, sales channels and customers that gain more trust and commitment are always incredibly valuable when it comes to building brand and achieving business objectives.

It's nice to have the scientific foundation for these ideas, but these have always been the principles embedded in our work here at w/. That's why, when we say "w/" what we mean is: "We're w/ you."