The Power of Understanding and Connection

The main subject is the impact of understanding and connecting with what matters most in a person's situation.

### The Power of Connection: Transforming Depleted Brains to High Performance
* 💡 "You will be the hero that goes on a journey today and **discovers a gift that could change your world**."
* 🧠 The speaker shares a personal story about growing up in a family with conflict, leading her to live and work in **"the space between"** for 50 years.
* 🧠 She introduces a story about Paula, an engaged but exhausted employee, and her manager Ziad, who helps her move from **depleted to energized**.
* 🧠 When the brain is depleted, it loses access to executive function, affecting **focus, decision-making, and emotional regulation**.
* 🤝 Ziad initially takes a "parenting" approach, trying to fix Paula's situation by **removing challenges**, which is **unfulfilling for both**.
* 🤝 After learning about energizing people's brains, Ziad shifts to a "**partnering**" approach by asking Paula what **matters most to her**.
* 🧠 Understanding what matters most and connecting on it releases powerful hormones like **oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin**, boosting **trust, motivation, and confidence**.
* 💬 The speaker emphasizes the importance of **truly connecting with others**, rather than **imposing our assumptions or solutions**.

How to fix the exhausted brain | Brady Wilson | TEDxMississauga

TEDx is an international community that organizes TED-style events anywhere and everywhere -- celebrating locally-driven ideas and elevating them to a global stage. TEDx events are produced independently of TED conferences, each event curates speakers on their own, but based on TED's format and rules.

For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request here: https://media-requests.ted.com.

TEDx Talks

The Power of Stepping into the Space Between

At a young age, the speaker was caught in the middle of her fighting brothers, creating a lasting impact on her.

She shares a story of Paula, whose work environment led to exhaustion and depletion, reflecting a common issue in North America.

The brain's significant energy consumption highlights the challenge of functioning at our best when depleted.

The Impact of Brain Energy on Executive Function

The brain has the highest energy demand of all organs, and when depleted, the first loss is access to executive function.

An energized brain allows for focus, emotional regulation, and wise decision-making, while a depleted brain leads to impulsivity, distraction, and unwise choices.

A manager's attempt to help by lightening the load can sometimes create more frustration and depletion for the individual.

The Trainable Skill of Understanding What Matters Most

Understanding what matters most is a skill that anyone can learn.

Different situations can trigger the need for belonging, security, freedom, significance, or meaning.

The key to connecting with others on what matters most is simply to ask.

In the case of Ziad and Paula, he discovered that her need for significance was more important to her than freedom, leading to a more fulfilling interaction after he asked her directly.

The Power of Hormones in Performance and Connection

A mentor challenged a struggling individual at work, leading to significant growth and success.

The interaction between mammals, including humans, shows that creating connection releases oxytocin, which produces trust and bonding.

The sight of possibility releases dopamine in the brain, leading to motivation, creativity, and goal orientation, while the feeling of progress and achievement releases serotonin, creating a sense of confidence and self-efficacy.

The Power of Empathy in Connecting with Others

Empathy allows people to partner for progress and see possibilities.

However, the tendency to shift the focus to one's own experiences can hinder genuine connection.

The speaker's personal story of sharing his son's traumatic experience and being met with a friend's unrelated story highlights the common challenge of truly listening and empathizing with others.

Genuine connection is about understanding and rapport, not one-upmanship.

Sharing personal stories can create a deep emotional impact and meaningful connection.

Authentic interactions have the power to leave people feeling either engaged or depleted, with a significant impact on energy levels.