Supporting organisations to develop neuro-inclusive workplaces.
Connections in Mind works closely with organisations of all sizes to implement a neuro-inclusive approach, focussed on understanding our brains executive functions and associated skills.
Executive function skills are critical for employee resilience, self – confidence, performance & productivity. Our approach normalises everyday challenges and creates an inclusive, reflective and supportive working environment where everyone can thrive.
What are executive functions?
The term ‘Executive Function’ describes a set of brain functions that reside in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. These functions help us to plan and organise our responses, behaviour and emotions. The core executive functions include:
- Inhibitory and interference control – self-control, selective attention, cognitive inhibition, resisting temptations and resisting acting impulsively
- Working memory – our mental workspace that controls our ability to retain and manipulate pieces of information over short periods of time
- Cognitive flexibility – thinking “outside the box”, seeing things from different perspectives, and quickly and flexibly adapting to changed circumstances
Why should organisations focus on executive function skills?
Why should organisations focus on executive function skills?
These are many of the skills that underpin success in the workplace and enable people to get work done in a timely, organised and rational manner. Increased stress levels and/or anxiety, like the uncertainty we’ve all just lived through, can significantly inhibit effective access to these skills.
Recent scientific studies have found that this part of the brain typically takes 25 years to develop and longer in individuals with neurodiverse profiles such as ADHD, ASD and Dyslexia. Not all executive function skills develop equally, so most people can benefit from further honing these skills.
Who can benefit?
The answer to this question is simple – everyone. We each have a unique executive function fingerprint – no one has a perfect profile. Indeed, environmental factors such as sleep, nutrition, stress and exercise have an impact on our executive functions, so our ability to use our executive functions can change day-by-day.
As a result of the COVID 19 crisis, organisations rely on their team’s executive functions even more as people have to complete their work under new stressors. Everyone can benefit from learning more about these important brain functions and working on strengthening them.
Our Services for Organisations
Inclusion starts with understanding
Level: Introductory
Duration: 60 – 90 minutes
Delivery: Interactive online or face-to-face presentation.
Description: A thought-provoking workshop, to help unpack unconscious bias in society and at work, understand how it impacts people, and how to tackle it.
When our brains get in the way of our goals
Level: Introductory
Duration: 60 – 90 minutes
Delivery: Interactive online or face-to-face presentation.
Description: An interactive workshop covering:
- brain development
- executive functions & getting things done
- how executive functions impact our productivity
- the impact of wellbeing on optimal brain functioning
Target your support
A bespoke report for each employee and their manager with strategies for improving individuals’ executive function skills.
Profile your teams: identify gaps and areas for further training, support and development.
Essential skills workshops
Level: EF Aware
Duration: 90 – 120 minutes
Delivery: Interactive online or face-to-face presentation.
Description: Small group workshops to develop tailored strategies to strengthen specific executive function skills in your organisation’s work environment
Coaching for team members
Our expert coaches work within organisations to provide 1:1 or group support, helping individuals to improve their productivity.
*Available through UK Government Access to Work Scheme
*Train your own executive function coaches to work within your organisation.
The training was really eye opening for all of us. We found that we all had neurodivergent traits and it helped us to be more supportive. Looking forward to the next session.
As a neurodivergent person I really enjoyed seeing my colleagues understand my challenges in a really relatable way. I consider myself to be well informed, but I learnt a lot too.
The training really helped the team understand the neuroscience behind their behaviours and it has helped us have more open honest conversations.
Organisations we have worked with:
