The investigations into a case in Northland is likely to cause concern and spark anxiety and / or worry for many people. It’s probably going to be a couple of days before authorities gather enough information to make firm decisions about what meaningful action to take next. In trying to figure out what you can do […]
As you get older, echoes from your past start to catch up with you. Or maybe I have just got better at hearing them when they reach me. Or perhaps the increasingly networked world we live in means that the echoes have more pathways to reach me. I got a Facebook message form an old […]
Audiobooks are definitely a thing. A thing related to, but separate from traditional books, but also eBooks too. I’ve had a few enquiries as to whether my new book, “Steady: Keeping calm in a world gone viral” will be available on audiobook. I’m pleased to say that I’ll be working with Findaway Voices to make […]
It’s exciting to be able to let you know that my upcoming book is now available for global pre-order in both paperback and ebook formats. And of course, you can still buy it directly from me right here on my website. It’s loaded up into bookseller catalogues, so if you prefer to buy from an […]
For the past 6 months I have been busy. As well as a number of other projects, creating videos, scripts, and more, I have been writing a book. My first book. And it was ambitious. What started as an attempt to document what I did during the first lockdowns in New Zealand to advise the […]
There are some commonly held misconceptions in the general public about how the brain works and how it affects how we learn – these are often called “neuromyths.” We know that the general public can fall prey to these much of the time, but what about our educators? And if teachers believe in these neuromyths, […]
In this episode, I talk with Dr Michael Philipp of the School of Psychology, Massey University in New Zealand. We talk about his recent study on emoji and emoticons in computer-based communications. Michael’s original abstract can be found here on p.51: Here is the abstract for some context: Emoticons reduce semantic ambiguity and express emotional meaning in written […]
If you are working in comms right now, be specific. Be clear. Be concrete. Double-check your information before you put it out – your memory might not be so great either – not your fault, that’s just how memories can be.
If you work in psychologically-informed ways, in comms, strategic comms, health, welfare, HR, emergency management, central Government or local Government, then I recommend you watch this.
I’m doing a webinar next Wednesday 6th May at 12pm NZT. I’ll outline the main points from the Framework for Psychosocial Support published by the Ministry of Health in 2016, and how this translates to a new New Zealand Government Psychosocial Response Framework for COVID-19 – drawing upon what I’ve learned from the past 14 years working in Disaster Mental Health and Emergency Management and my experiences as a psychologist and policy maker.