Recent events in Philadelphia show why Starbucks should use immersive technologies like Virtual Reality to train employees on empathy skills.

On Thursday April 12, 2018 two black men were arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks while waiting for a colleague. Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson issued an immediate apology, met and apologized to the two men, and announced that all U.S. Starbucks will be closed on the afternoon of May 29, 2018 for racial-bias education for its employees.

My worry is that a half-day of training focused more on words, and less on actions will be ineffective
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Starbucks should be praised for strongly condemning this action and for embracing the need for implicit (racial) bias training. From a science of learning perspective, however, the crucial question that arises is this:

“What can be learned in a half-day and will that training be effective in changing the workplace culture and employee’s behavior in the long-term?”

I have spent the last 30 years studying the psychological and brain science of learning. I have shown that people skills, such as embracing diversity, effective interpersonal interactions, and checking unconscious (racial) biases, are about behavior. They are about what we “do”, “how” we do it, and our “intent”. True behavior change occurs only when training engages the behavioral skills learning system in the brain. This system learns through incremental, dopamine-mediated changes in neural connections in the basal ganglia that drive behavior. Learning occurs when behavior is following in real-time, literally within 100s of milliseconds, by feedback that rewards correct behaviors and punishes incorrect behaviors. Behavior change can begin in a half-day of training, if delivered effectively, but the training must target the behavioral skills learning system.

Starbucks should be praised for strongly condemning this action and for embracing the need for implicit (racial) bias training
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Training that leads to true behavior change can be contrasted with training that recruits the cognitive skills learning system in the brain and the prefrontal cortex, in particular. This type of training focuses on knowing the definition of unconscious (racial) bias, knowing what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate behaviors and providing verbal guidance on what one should do. This system focuses on knowing the “what” whereas the behavioral skills learning system focuses on knowing “how”. The cognitive aspects of unconscious bias can be trained in a half-day.

Observational VR can allow one to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes
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Although knowing “what” to do and being able to identify it is important, this is not the same as knowing “how” to behave. I worry that Starbuck’s half-day training will focus more on the “what” and less on the “how” and will not target effective behavior change.

What can be learned in a half-day and will that training be effective in changing the workplace culture and employee’s behavior?
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My hope is that training based on virtual reality will become embedded in the corporate world and will be available to employees essentially 24/7. This will allow true behavior change training and has the potential to revolutionize the workplace. The psychological and brain science suggests that two types of virtual reality offerings can be used to effectively train people skills.

I hope VR training will become embedded in the corporate world and will be available to employees essentially 24/7. This will allow true behavior change training and has the potential to revolutionize the workplace
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First, passive observational VR can be utilized to allow one to “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes”. Although not the same as living a lifetime of racial bias, there is value in the empathy and emotional reaction to seeing oneself as someone else and experiencing some trauma. There is nothing quite like allowing a middle-aged, heterosexual, Caucasian male to live the life, even for a few minutes, of a transgender youth, an African American man, or a disabled child being harassed or disrespected, to help them understand the negativity associated with this experience. Although this involves passive, observational learning it targets emotional processing centers in the brain and helps the learner understand at a visceral level what it is like to be in a position of weakness, and to be the direct target of harassment, prejudice or bias. This type of experience leaves the learner poised for true behavior change.

Interactive VR can be used to train behavior in a safe and protected setting
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Second, interactive VR can be used to train behavior in a safe and protected setting. Whether live actors or artificial intelligence drives the behavior of avatars, the idea is that learners can be placed in real-time interactive settings in which feedback rewards correct behaviors and punishes incorrect behaviors. The learner can be placed in situations in which they must interact with an individual who is poor in people skills so that they learn how to deal with situations like those, or they can be placed in situations in which their behavior is responded to in a negative manner. More importantly, the learner can be placed in a broad range of situations and scenarios that include small or large numbers of bystanders, a broad or narrow array of ethnicities and genders, etc. Broad-based training enhances generalization and transfer and trains the individual to be prepared for any situation.

The psychological and brain science suggests that two types of virtual reality offerings can be used to effectively train people skills
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I applaud Starbucks for taking the initiative to train their employees and I believe their CEO when he says that this is not about public relations but rather about real behavior change. My worry is that a half-day of training focused more on words, and less on actions will be ineffective. Further training will be needed to change behavior and virtual reality may hold that key.

Behavior change can begin in a half-day of training, if delivered effectively, but the training must target the behavioral skills learning system
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For companies looking to get into Immersive technologies such as VR/AR/MR/XR our Virtual Reality Consultancy services offer guidance and support on how best to incorporate these into your brand strategy.

Todd Maddox is Science, Sports and Training Correspondent at Tech Trends, and the CEO of Cognitive Design and Statistical Consulting. Follow him on Twitter @wtoddmaddox

The post Training Against Bias with VR appeared first on Tech Trends.

2017 was the year of the Silence Breakers. Will 2018 be the year immersive technologies help tackle harassment culture?

Soft skills are “people skills”. They also go by many other names such as 21st Century skills, and socio-emotional skills. Yet regardless of how they are labelled, these skills essentially involve understanding oneself and relating to others by showing empathy, embracing diversity and abandoning unconscious biases. They can be trained, but current approaches are ineffective.

Soft skills are also known as people skills
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An individual with strong soft skills can be an effective collaborator, leader, and good citizen. They not only know what behaviors are appropriate, and how to identify them, but also how to generate those behaviors, and do so in a highly effective manner.

Soft skills require developing self-awareness and relating to others by showing empathy and embracing diversity
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While the “Silence Breakers” and #metoo movement make glaringly clear that effective soft skills training is seriously lacking in the workplace (and in society in general) a completely independent movement toward more artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace has led many in the C-suite to suggest that soft skills are going to become increasingly important.

2018 will likely see a spike in commercial offerings in soft skills training
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This leads me to predict that next year will see a spike in commercial offerings in soft skills training, focusing more on the science of learning during product development. This trend has already begun, and immersive technologies such as VR are at the forefront of that.

Science provides answers to difficult questions and drives innovation and success in the commercial sector. As applied to soft skills training in general – and sexual harassment awareness training in particular – psychological science suggests that two aspects are key to effective soft skills training.

The Silence Breakers and #metoo movement make glaringly clear that effective soft skills training is seriously lacking
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First, change occurs when the learner’s behavior is followed in real-time, literally within 100s of milliseconds, by feedback that rewards correct behaviors and punishes incorrect behaviors. Thus, it follows that training scenarios must be interactive.

Second, soft skills behavior change can be facilitated through first-person immersion in which you “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes”. There is nothing quite like allowing a middle-aged, heterosexual, Caucasian male to live the life, even for a few minutes, of a young female or member of the LGBTQIA community being harassed or disrespected, to help them understand the negativity associated with this experience.

As anyone who has ever tried to change their own behavior knows, it is much easier to know what to do, than learning how to do it
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The problem with most current soft skills training is that it involves reading a text, viewing slide shows and watching videos of appropriate and inappropriate interpersonal interactions. These approaches teach us the “what” – the definition of harassment, empathy, diversity and unconscious bias, as well as how to classify behaviors. What they do not teach, however, is “how” to exhibit the appropriate behaviors. As anyone who has ever tried to change their own behavior knows, it is much easier to know “what” to do, than learning behaviorally “how” to do it. Why is this the case? The science and brain basis of learning provides the answer.

Change occurs when learner behavior is followed by real-time feedback
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The human brain has evolved two distinct learning systems. One is the cognitive skills system in the brain which learns the “what” through passive observation, studying and mental repetition. The other is the behavioral skills learning system in the brain which learns the “how”.

In terms of soft skills, the latter involves such behaviors as showing empathy, embracing diversity (eye contact, attentiveness), being respectful. Although the detailed neurochemistry is beyond the scope of this article, suffice it to say that such behavioral skills are learned gradually and incrementally via dopamine-mediated, error-correction learning in the basal ganglia of the brain.

Interactive VR platforms are ideal for such soft skills behavior training because the learner is fully immersed in the situation
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When a behavior is rewarded (via a smiling face or a head nod for example) the neural connections that led to that are strengthened so is more likely to happen again. When a behavior is generated that is punished (via an angry face or a shaking head) the neural connections that led to that outcome are weakened and hence less likely to happen again. Learning in the behavioral skills system in the brain is active, which involves learning by doing, and physical repetitions.

One approach that brain science suggests should be highly effective for enhancing empathy and understanding another person’s perspective is to immerse the learner in another person’s life – to “walk a mile in their shoes”. It targets emotional processing centres in the brain and helps the learner understand at a visceral level what it is like to be in a position of weakness, and to be the direct target of harassment, prejudice or bias.

The human brain evolved two learning systems, cognitive and behavioral
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First-person immersive VR would, therefore, be relevant and effective for training employees in all commercial sectors, in particular, customer service representatives or medical personnel who routinely interact with others who are in some form of distress.

Although passive, observational, first-person immersive VR experiences offer a great tool for enhancing empathy and understanding, and likely can prime the learner for behavior change, actual change requires interactivity. Training platforms must, therefore, incorporate realistic interpersonal interaction and real-time communication into the mix.

The learner can be placed in situations in which they must interact with an individual who is poor in soft skills, or placed in situations in which their behavior is responded to in a negative manner. In other words, then can learn how to affect change in another, or affect change in themselves.

Interactive VR platforms are ideal for such soft skills behavior training because the learner is fully immersed in the situation. They have the feeling of presence. In addition, if the platform is constructed appropriately, the learner can be placed in a broad range of situations and scenarios that include small or large numbers of bystanders, a broad or narrow array of ethnicities and genders, etc.

The key is to target the behavioral skills learning system with realistic interpersonal interactions and real-time communication
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Yet regardless of the platform, whether VR or computer-based, the key is to target the behavioral skills learning system with realistic interpersonal interactions and real-time communication, and change will follow.

It is one thing to know what you should do when you interact with others, it is another to know how to behave when  doing so. The science indicates that the use of VR in soft skills training has great potential for effecting positive behavioral change. Deploying immersive technologies more widely in the training industry could, therefore, help reduce incidences of harassment, increase empathy, help people understand and embrace diversity, and increase awareness of unconscious biases. The result will be a more harmonious, effective and satisfied workforce, happier customers and clients, and a kinder society. Who wouldn’t see value in that?

Deploying immersive technologies in the training industry could reduce incidences of harassment, increase empathy, help people understand and embrace diversity, and increase awareness of unconscious biases
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For companies looking to get into VR/AR/MR our Virtual Reality Consultancy services offer guidance on how these technologies can enhance and support your brand strategy.

Todd Maddox is Science, Sports and Training Correspondent at Tech Trends, and the CEO of Cognitive Design and Statistical Consulting. Follow him on Twitter @wtoddmaddox

The post How VR Will Change Soft Skills Training appeared first on Tech Trends.