Dr. Daniel J. Levitin has built a remarkable career at the intersection of music, psychology, and neuroscience. As a cognitive psychologist and neuroscientist, he's explored the complex inner workings of the mind and the science behind how we learn. But his expertise goes beyond the lab – he's also a bestselling author, musician, and record producer who's collaborated with icons like Stevie Wonder and Blue Öyster Cult. In his acclaimed books, like "This Is Your Brain on Music" and "The Organized Mind," Dr. Levitin has a knack for translating cutting-edge research into practical insights that resonate with readers worldwide.
In the latest Learning Unbound podcast, Dr. Levitin distilled his decades of experience into a masterclass on the art of creating impactful learning moments. His key message is that if we want to design learning that truly sticks, we need to focus on sparking people's natural curiosity and creativity. It's not about gimmicks or flashy tech – it's about tapping into the fundamental ways our brains work. Whether it's by asking thought-provoking questions, pushing people to grapple with challenges, or encouraging them to explore unexpected connections, there are simple but powerful ways to ignite those "aha" moments.
Please check out the full conversation with Dr. Levitin here:
But for now, let's explore five of his top tips for creating learning moments that last:
1. Surprise them like a comedian
Great learning experiences, like great jokes, are all about the element of surprise. Dr. Levitin explains the parallels:
"For a joke to be effective, you have to be thinking of what the punchline will be, and you have to be wrong. If you see it coming, you're just mad... But if of all the possibilities you can come up with, the comedian comes up with something different, you go, 'Aha!' And that's the spark of learning. That's, 'I thought the road was going here. And look at that. The road actually ended up over there. Isn't that interesting?'"
We can take a page from the comedian's playbook by setting up expectations, then subverting them in unexpected ways. Start by presenting a familiar problem or scenario, but then reveal a surprising insight or solution that shifts learners' perspectives. If you jolt learners out of their usual mental patterns, you'll grab their attention and open them up to new ways of thinking.
Just like a punchline, the best learning moments are the ones we don't see coming.
2. Ask questions, then wait for answers
One way to get people curious is by asking questions and letting them sit with their thoughts before giving away the answer. Dr. Levitin shares his approach:
"Lead them there, but hold back the answer until the last possible minute. When I taught at McGill and I had 700 students, I treated it as though I had 30. I would ask a question. I would cold call, 'Give me the answer, give me the answer,' and then cold call on someone else. 'What do you think of that answer? Do you agree? Do you disagree?'"
When learners have time to mull over a question, they're more invested in finding the answer. That bit of mental work sets the stage for a more impactful learning moment when the solution is revealed.
3. Help people connect the dots
Lightbulb moments often happen when we link ideas that we've never put together before. But Dr. Levitin worries that in an age of instant answers, we're losing the drive to make those creative leaps:
"With the lessening of [information's] value comes two things. One is we're less likely to retain the information because we don't have to. And the other follows from that because we're not retaining it, we don't make any effort to link it to other concepts that we know. And all great inventions and great discoveries...I would argue come from being able to link things that had been previously unlinked, to see connections between things that we hadn't seen before."
As learning designers, we need to set the stage for those unexpected realizations. Again, leading them there without simply introducing the connection. We can use exercises and prompts that encourage people to look at problems from different angles and find surprising parallels.
4. Show the business value
In the corporate world, busy professionals often struggle to prioritize learning. They're focused on bottom-line results and need to see a clear ROI for their time. Dr. Levitin frames the challenge bluntly:
"The question was, how do you get them motivated to learn new things? Because business people, corporate people tend to be very practical. What's the bottom line? How's this going to help me increase profits or increase revenues or reduce expenses? Or how does this increase innovation, which could increase profits or shareholder value? So that's a really tough one."
To get skeptical corporate learners on board, L&D teams need to explicitly tie learning programs to business outcomes. That means starting with a needs analysis to identify skill gaps that are holding the organization back. Then, design learning experiences that challenge participants to apply new concepts to real work projects.
By making learning feel directly relevant to their jobs and showing clear business results, you can turn even the most resistant corporate learners into willing participants.
5. Hire for learning agility, not just expertise
When it comes to building a workforce that can thrive in a fast-changing world, Dr. Levitin argues that raw knowledge is less important than the ability to learn and adapt. He puts it bluntly:
"They need somebody who can think creatively and who has an intrinsic desire to learn new things and apply that learning in new situations... They can't hire you based on what you know. They're not going to just hire a bunch of people who happen to know the circumference of the earth. That doesn't do any good. Or who can name all the elements in the periodic table in order and their atomic weights, that doesn't do any good."
In other words, if you want innovative thinkers, don't just screen for subject matter expertise. Look for candidates with a track record of learning new skills and solving problems in creative ways. Once they're on the team, fuel that agility with stretch assignments and chances to collaborate across functions.
For example, rotate your star data scientist onto a customer-facing project, or have your top salesperson spend time with the product team. By pushing people out of their comfort zones and exposing them to fresh perspectives, you'll help them flex their creative muscles and discover unexpected solutions.
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