Neuromarketing Neuroscience

We Talk Too Much: What Neuroscience Teaches You About Crucial Conversations

The average speech rate is 150 words per minute, and according to the authors of NeuroWisdom, the average time a person speaks before giving up air space to the listener is 2 – 3 minutes (300 to 600 words). The challenge, as the authors point out, is that the listener cannot absorb 60 – 80% of what is said, so what they absorb is usually not what we intend.

The solution? Research suggests rephrasing your thoughts and speech in four to seven words (10 maximum), as this is the capacity of short-term working memory. And, crucially, remain very calm. Anxiety and stress are translated into our vocal emotions and picked up by the listener’s brain, telling them to beware.

From distraction to self-absorption, researchers found that we choose what we say based on how easy the sentences are for us to speak, without taking into account the listener’s comprehension or ease of understanding. This creates issues of “message sent is not message received” because the brains of the speaker and the listener aren’t matched up.

Further, we usually aren’t listening. Instead, we’re crafting our response to what is being said. Evolutionarily, silence means danger. When a bird or animal stops, there’s usually a predator afoot. Silence causes discomfort to many, so we speak to fill the void of quiet. Ironically silence is actually a good thing. Research finds silence to be associated with the development of new cells in the hippocampus, the brain region associated with learning and memory.

In music, the silence was paradoxically found to have a calming effect. Rather than the music being soothing, studies injected a two-minute silence in listening found that it was the two-minute silent pause that was more relaxing and showed measurable effects on blood pressure, carbon dioxide levels, and circulation in the brain. Switching from intense focus to deliberate and intentional silence allows the brain to make more connections between divergent ideas and information. Silence allows for greater creativity and better decision making.

We do speak too much, too quickly, and we use too many words. While this helps the evolutionary brain of the speaker, it hurts the evolutionary brain of the listener. Listeners only hear 20% – 50% of what we say. Work on making your points in a few words, and do so slowly and calmly. If you really want to have an impact on what you said, stop talking!

Software Development

Beware the Costs of Poor Quality Software Development

While already on the rise, the post-COVID world amped up the need for more apps, systems, and tech-driven innovations. Innovations like DoorDash or rent applications like Rently saw extensive growth when the whole world was forced to go remote. Companies needed to adopt digital processes to achieve top customer experience and improve operations.

The world of digital is powered by software developers. According to Evans Data Corporation, last year there were about 23.9 million software developers. While this may seem like a lot, the field is actually facing a shortage. Estimates estimate that the demand for software is twice the current supply of developers. Meaning, organizations and business leaders are having to prioritize their ambitions and forego some of their dreams.

Costs

It’s really simple: you get what you pay for. In North America, the cost of software development is somewhere shy of 10% of the entire GDP of the United States!

One method that NX has created for keeping up with this demand is the creation of the Project Captain, a new type of development, while the software manager remains laser-focused on results. As with all tech initiatives, fixing errors down the line is significantly costlier than getting it right in the first place. Often, people try and go out and find the cheapest developers and engineers they can, then suffer from the results years down the road.

More expensive isn’t always better. NX has personally overseen the firing of $150 an hour software developers, only to hire $20 an hour overseas workers and get more done, faster. A lot of traditional software agencies never brush up on new skills and end up installing outdated technology. This hidden cost eats businesses all over the world.

Quality in Software Development?

One point highlighted by experts in many areas is that there are really no clear standards or guidelines in outlining and measuring the quality of a software product. Certifications, experience, and cost don’t always equate to quality in development. Instead, quality is determined by factors like downtime, how fast and easy it is to make new changes, and the ease of use of the system.

At the end of the day, functional software is fairly obvious. If you have software that runs well but gets hacked all the time exposing sensitive data, you don’t have quality software. Efficiency, security, maintainability, and scalability are all very difficult to measure but are required in instilling a culture of quality in development.

Poor quality and low-cost software development is a tarnish on your brand’s reputation. Trying to cut corners on software development is going to impact your brand in a world where key software and data access is growing more and more important by the minute.

 

Project Managementt Software Development

The Seven Phases of the SDLC

The system development life cycle or software development life cycle (SDLC) is a set of processes used by the software industry to design, develop, test, and release quality software. Often times, hiring cheaper and inexperienced developers throws out some of these standards. Removing known standards causes projects to fall out of scope, and preventable issues to occur more regularly.

The most recent version of the development life cycle has grown into seven stages, from the traditional five stages. Increasing the number of steps has helped analysts define clearer actions to achieve specific goals. This standardization is an easy way to keep software development on track, on time, and on budget.

The Seven Phases of the SDLC

 

1. Planning

The first phase, and the most important phase, is planning. Nowhere is the phrase “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” more true than in software development. The vast majority of failures in software development are really a result of a lack of planning. This step is meant to scope out the problem at hand and determine solutions. Resources, costs, time, benefits, and other items should be considered in this stage.

2. Systems Analysis and Requirements

The next phase is where the business will work on the source of their problem or the need for change. Does the scope and hypothesis identified in step 1 work in the real world? This is where teams consider the functional requirements of the project or solution. For example, a lot of companies have requirements for machine learning or AI programs. In this phase, the company may find that the graphic card requirements for running the program they wanted are way outside the budget anticipated. System analysis is vital in determining what a business’ needs are, as well as how they can be met.

3. Systems Design

The third phase defines all of the necessary specifications, features, and operations that will satisfy the functional requirements of the proposed system. This is the step where end-users (the people who are actually going to use the system) discuss and determine their specific needs for the proposed system.

4. Development

After the planning has been done, the fourth phase is where the programmers roll up their sleeves and get to work. The major work of the project is done in this phase. The development stage is also characterized by installation and change, but is where the boots-on-the-ground folks get the work done.

5. Integration and Testing

The difference between a successful software launch and a failed launch comes down to testing and integration. Testing is one of the most important parts of the entire development process. Testing may (and should) be repeated, specifically to check for errors, bugs, and interoperability. Testing should be done with the goal to try and break the system, rather than trying to make it “work.”

6. Implementation

The implementation phase is where the installation of the newly-developed system takes place. This step puts the project into production, moves data over, and is what could be considered the “product launch.”

7. Operations and Maintenance

The final phase involves maintenance and updates. This is when end user feedback is given to the programmers and allows for the fine tuning of the system.