Neuroscience for Organizational Communication

Organizational communication is at a crossroads and professional communicators and leaders alike need to up their game. In this insightful and practical guide, leadership psychologist Dr. Laura McHale shows how neuroscience can help, surveying the field to reveal the science that is most applicable to organizations and providing an evidence-based approach to dramatically boost the effectiveness and impact of communications. From structural dynamics to occupational aprosodia, from the threat (and opportunities) of GPT-3 to the neuroscience of Zoom fatigue, she takes the reader on a fascinating journey of how neuroscience can help unlock the potential of communicators and the organizations they work for.

“A terrific guide to this emerging field, with practical applications that communicators and leaders can use right away.” (Srini Pillay, M.D., CEO of NeuroBusiness Group; Author of Tinker Dabble Doodle Try: Unlock the Power of the Unfocused Mind)

“We need decoders, like the special rings some of us had in the 50’s. With the onslaught of fake news, disinformation, modern PR companies manipulating social media for desired contagion, it is difficult to know what is true or valid. Laura McHale comes to the rescue. She demystifies the brain’s mechanisms and how it affects our interactions and communications. As a neuroscientist, I deeply enjoyed her use of language and fluid style to make complex research accessible. All the while, she stays relevant and recent helping to explain Zoom fatigue and somatic mind-body links. She explains internal mechanisms that are deeply unconscious and provides useful ways to reflect and increase your efficacy, as well as learn some new phrases to impress friends at dinner parties! Read it! You owe it to yourself and your family and friends to know more about what is going on inside your brain.” (Richard Boyatzis, PhD, Distinguished University Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Co-author of the international bestseller, Primal Leadership and the new Helping People Change)

“It is a real pleasure to read Dr. Laura McHale’s Neuroscience for Organizational Communication: A Guide for Communicators and Leaders. She presents a compelling framework of interdisciplinary research to develop a foundation for understanding the impact that communication practices have on human behavior and the brain. She shares examples of how simple language choices can change the intention of a message and the probability of compliance from organizational members. Lessons abound for both organizational communicators and organizational leaders who rely on communication strategies to develop resilient organizations in the best of times and trying times. In Dr. McHale’s own words: “Crafting corporate messages that are sensitive to the fear that comes with uncertainty, where difficult realities are acknowledged, different ways of framing conflict are encouraged, and adaptive responses are co-created can go a long way toward building healthier and more resilient organizations” (p. 40). This book delivers a practical understanding of brain functioning that does not overwhelm the layperson reader. Dr. McHale provides actionable insights into the way our brains function on communications and how to fire up leaders and followers alike. I will be adding this book to my recommended reading list for both practitioner colleagues and corporate communication students.” (Tamara L. Gillis, Ed.D., ABC, IABC Fellow, FRSA, Editor, The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication (2006, 2011) and The IABC Guide for Practical Business Communication (2021), Professor of Communication, Elizabethtown College)

“A really compelling and rewarding read; highly recommended for all heads of public affairs/corporate relations serious about authentic communications and driving cultural change. The neurocommunicator’s approach developed by the author should be in everyone’s C-suite comms toolkit.” (Clare Williams, former Global Head of Reputation Risk Management, Barclays)

“A deeply researched informative exposé that deconstructs the discipline and art of communications in the modern world.” (Anna Whitlam, Founder & MD at AWPeople, and Head APAC Talent Advisory, Teneo)

Dr. Laura McHale (PsyD, CPsychol) is a leadership psychologist, lecturer, and author specializing in neuroscience, communication, and organizational culture. She is the founder and managing director of Conduit Consultants, a leadership consulting firm based in Hong Kong. Prior to becoming a psychologist, Dr. McHale worked for over 15 years as a corporate communications executive in the financial services industry, across the US, Europe, and Asia. Dr. McHale earned a doctorate (PsyD) in leadership psychology in 2019 from William James College, with a concentration in the neuroscience of leadership. She holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University, where she received the Babsy Marchioness of Winchester Award in Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in 2000. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of California San Diego. Dr. McHale is a member of the American Psychological Association, a chartered member of the British Psychological Society, an EMCC accredited coach at the Senior Practitioner level, and she holds an accreditation in business communication (ABC) from the International Association of Business Communicators.