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  2. 118. Behavioural Science Club: Interview with Co-Founder Louise Ward

118. Behavioural Science Club: Interview with Co-Founder Louise Ward

Sep 18, 2020

Today I am so excited to talk about a fantastic club that started a few months ago on LinkedIn. You’ll learn about the serendipitous nature of how this group was founded during my conversation with one of the catalysts of creating it, Louise Ward. The group is called the Behavioural Science Club, and (while it has had limits on how many people can be included in the past)...at the moment they are letting anyone with an interest in the online virtual book club of awesomeness join. 

That Being Said...when you do sign up to join through LinkedIn, please do mention you heard about it from The Brainy Business so we can connect and Louise knows how you got there. 

As you will learn, Louise has one on one conversations with every new member (there are close to 2000 now) and this is a group about interaction and engagement. If you just want a notch in your LinkedIn groups belt, this isn’t the club for you. 

If you want to 

  • connect with others from around the world who love behavioral science 
  • learn and chat 
  • meet some amazing people 

Then this group is for you and you should definitely join! Louise will personally approve you and let you in. 

Louise was so fun to chat with, and as you will learn, she is very new to behavioral science and behavioral economics. She is someone who was passionate and took the initiative to do something, which has put her on the radar of some pretty amazing people who she secured to come into the book club to discuss their books with us. (Rory Sutherland! Cass Sunstein! So many more!!!)

Show Notes:

  • [00:45] Today I am so excited to talk about a fantastic club that started a few months ago on LinkedIn.
  • [03:11] She is very new to behavioral science and behavioral economics, but was passionate and took the initiative to do something in a way that has put her on the radar of some pretty amazing people.
  • [03:59] Melina and Louise met during Nudgestock. 
  • [05:06] Her interest in advertising came from her father. She grew up in an advertising house. 
  • [07:31] She has always been interested in people. 
  • [09:59] She and Prakash Sharma created the Behavioural Science Club on LinkedIn. 
  • [12:43] It all started with a love of lists and a simple LinkedIn post... 
  • [13:54] Then it evolved farther into a LinkedIn group and Louise ended up being a co-manager. 
  • [16:33] So many authors have agreed to come into the group and do a question and answer session for the members. 
  • [16:45] They didn’t anticipate there would be so much interest and so much kindness from everybody. 
  • [19:07] They wanted the group to be a personal experience so membership was capped for a while. 
  • [20:46] The group is a mix of people that have an interest in behavioral science and people that work in the space. 
  • [22:07] The diversity of the group is very appealing. Even though they are reading books they are not exclusive to only behavioral scientists. 
  • [24:57] The very core is that we are all just interested in how people are behaving. 
  • [25:25] Melina and Louise both highly recommend the Nudgestock videos. 
  • [27:31] Most of the group growth has been attributed to word of mouth. 
  • [29:59] It is really beneficial to invest in a few things rather than doing many things. Showing up and having meaningful conversations is more valuable for the entire group. 
  • [31:09] Louise hopes that the pandemic’s silver lining is that people had time to step back and reflect on what is important to them. 
  • [33:10] The group has been empowering to many people and has given others the chance to make connections and interact with people they didn’t know prior. 
  • [35:44] The group is very active and so many people have so many great things to share. 
  • [38:41] When the group started on the first Saturday of the month they had book chat. The third Saturday was the author Q&A. Occasionally they have to alter the times to fit the author’s schedule. 
  • [40:31] Now they have upgraded to meeting every Saturday. The other weeks include authors of newly published books in behavioral science. 
  • [43:01] The easiest way to find the group is to go on LinkedIn and type in Behavioural Science Club. (or just click that link!)
  • [44:39] There are many discussions in the world right now about when it is behavioral economics vs. behavioral science. 
  • [47:27] Reflecting on my career, I (Melina) can see a lot of things I was doing years ago and understand now why they worked (from a behavioral economics lens) even though I didn’t have the perfect term at the time. 
  • [49:04] During this time in the pandemic, I have been really focusing on showing up in the right places instead of trying to be everywhere on a cursory level. I want to be able to really engage with others and learn from them, have great conversation, and make a difference. This group is a space to do that.
  • [50:01] No matter what your background or knowledge level you should come be part of this group if it interests you. I look forward to interacting with you there!

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