Six years ago, epicMeets founders Robin and Thomas, armed with Robin's extensive research experience and Thomas's deep understanding of meetings and business, embarked on a journey to revolutionize communication, work, and information processing.
Their expertise led them to identify five crucial components: our natural inclination towards visual thinking rather than textual analysis, our innate ability to enhance communication through metaphors, the profound impact of storytelling, the necessity of creating a psychologically safe working environment, and lastly, our understanding of memory functions.
With over half of its cortex dedicated to visual processing, the human brain is naturally equipped to handle images much more efficiently than text. It processes visuals at an extreme pace since most of the information we absorb is visual. These facts underscore the power of visual information from a human perspective. Most people are visual thinkers, and even those who prefer text can feel empowered by using visual aids.
The power of metaphors and storytelling further highlights the impact of cognitive preferences on communication. Metaphors, a significant psychological tool, simplify complex ideas by relating them to familiar ones, enhancing understanding.
Storytelling, more than just entertainment, activates comprehensive brain areas, aligning the listener's experience with the speaker's message and significantly improving memory retention. Stories, enriched with distinctive details and contexts, tend to have a more prolonged existence in our memory compared to mere facts. Notably, humans have successfully transferred information for tens of thousands of years before learning to read and write.
Psychological safety, a concept outlined in Maslow's hierarchy of needs, is not just a buzzword. It's a fundamental requirement for individuals to achieve their full potential. This form of safety empowers individuals to take risks and express ideas freely without fearing negative consequences. It creates an environment that nurtures creativity and innovation and makes individuals feel secure, where ideas can flourish and grow.
Additionally, our memory systems face challenges in keeping pace with the demands of the modern workplace. The transfer of information from short-term to long-term memory—a process crucial for retaining knowledge—requires consolidation through sleep, correcting pacing, practice, and meaningful engagement.
The insights gained from this realization have significant ramifications for enhancing communication and working within a business setting.
We can significantly boost productivity and creativity in workplace interactions by harnessing our innate capacity for visual thinking, fostering psychological safety, utilizing memory to maximum effect, and leveraging the power of metaphors and storytelling. Understanding those factors is precisely why epicMeets was developed - as a solution to these challenges.
From an idea to reality
