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While our technology changes at an incredible rate, the brain evolves slowly, allowing for the vast amount of existing cognitive-science research on how the brain takes in information. To create powerful learning experiences, it’s helpful to understand how the brain works. Translating research into meaningful, evidence-based practices, programs, and policies is crucial for learning and development professionals seeking to gain the most impact out of their endeavors.

The five methods by which the brain processes information below will put you on track to improve your own learning and development initiatives.

Many neuroscientists characterize learning in the brain as a process of rewiring, with the strength of the synaptic connections between neurons being altered over time. 

There’s a growing body of research about how counterproductive multitasking can be. While we may feel like we’re getting more done, the reality is that regular multitasking can leave us with a diminishing ability to focus.

That’s good to know. But if you’re a chronic multitasker who finds it hard to focus, is there any hope of getting your attention span back?

While neuroscientist Daniel Levitin, psychology professor at McGill University in Montreal and author of This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession won’t speak definitively for everyone, he says there are some general things most of us can do to improve our focus. Put these practices into place to sharpen your concentration and be more effective.

So is meditation just another fad that pops up from time to time like bell-bottom jeans? Nope. Here's why.

Procrastination is a skill, an art, a slight-of-hand technique. I’m procrastinating right now, but you’d never know it. How many tabs do I have open in my multiple browser windows? Pick a number, any number. How many tasks have I put off today? How many dreams have I deferred? I’ll never tell.

Get lost in a good book. Time and again, reading has been shown to make us healthier, smarter, and more empathic.

If you feel like most of your meetings at work are a waste of time, the good--and bad--news is that you're onto something. One survey found that 50 percent of meeting time is unproductive while up to 25 percent of meetings are spent on irrelevant issues. The same way we put deliberate thought into building businesses for our customers, we need to be intentional about planning meetings for their participants. A successful meeting is designed with its participants in mind.

Here are four tips for designing a brain-friendly meeting.

It’s no secret that technology advancements have affected our brains. With instant messages, push notifications, wearable technology, and many other tech-driven distractions, the pace at which we are expected to respond has accelerated. We’re multitasking with unfortunate effects. How much more can our brains take? And is it possible to future-proof them for all the technical advances yet to come?

Performance expert and Australian medical practitioner Jenny Brockis, author of Future Brain: 12 Keys to Develop Your High-Performing Brain, thinks so. Our brains are designed to adapt, but there’s a difference between adjusting to change and expecting an organ to endure relentless stress without time to renew, she says. So the first step to future-proofing our brains lies in good physical care, including nutrition, exercise, sleep, and downtime, she says.

The future of work is all about innovation and agility. We have to be prepared for ever-changing circumstances, and that means being open to learning new things.

Learning is no longer something we just do in schools. We can't rely on just the skillset we knew when we entered the workforce--that will guarantee career stagnation.

So I decided to sit down with Dr. Josh Davis, the Director of Research and Lead Professor for the NeuroLeadership Institute, an organization devoted to using science to advance leadership potential.

NLI has recently been exploring how to make ideas stick. Through their research, they created a model outlining four key conditions for effective learning: Attention, Generation, Emotion and Spacing (AGES).