Article submitted by Sebastian Wattam, Marketing & Communications Manager, St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill
In just a few short weeks, we have seen shifts in global leadership approaches, growing concerns about new players in the AI market, ongoing discussions about climate challenges, and are anticipating an imminent federal election. Amidst it all, one thing remains within our control—the way we choose to respond.
Call it stoicism, mindfulness, even prayer; there is, I think, an interesting psychological precedent which offers us an optimistic, practical lens through which to operate.
We have all walked into a room and forgotten for what reason we had done so. This phenomenon is what psychology calls the doorway effect.
When we pass through a doorway – digital or physical – we tend to forget what we were thinking or doing. Over hundreds of thousands of years, our brains have developed toward efficiency, able to identify patterns and shortcuts that will save us mental or physical exertion. One such efficiency protocol is to reset our focus and provide a mental “clean slate” at any available opportunity. Today, this manifests between door frames. (Tests have also been replicated digitally, with the effect found to be evident in participants moving from one window on a computer into another.)
The doorway effect is a study of brain patterns, thought by scientists to have originated from our cave-dwelling days – stepping out of your cave to the potential threat of a predator, our brains have fined-tuned the ability to prepare us for “the next room” by freeing up our brain space and reframing our context.
To put it another way and in a professional context, it’s as if stepping into a new space is a shortcut to clearing our thoughts.
There are things we can learn from this as advancement professionals. Our job is profoundly influenced by – indeed, it is the currency of – perception and framing. At all stages of the advancement cycle (I prefer the term ‘engagement cycle’), we are being evaluated, reevaluated, and positioned, consciously and unconsciously, by current and prospective families, bosses and colleagues, and the public.
How we frame our work, using the best strategy, words, sentiment, vision, imagery, and placement, gives our audience the best chance at a positive alignment with our offering. And the more touchstones we provide, the wider spread our word-of-mouth, the more opportunities we create for people to have their own doorway effect experience with us.
A great example of ‘hacking’ the doorway effect for positive benefit comes from Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. Phelps has spoken openly about his experience with depression and has been an advocate for therapy. Two years ago, he discussed one of the strategies he had learned in an interview with Blue Wire. “Say an affirmation every time you walk in through a doorway. Every single time. Every doorway you go through, say an affirmation. I would have 10 or 15 affirmations on hand and just riffle through them, and it was unbelievable. Those little things are so impactful and make such a big difference. Try talking to yourself in a positive way.”
Being the start of a new year, a new term, and for some a new school or industry, it behooves us to consider the way we frame things when we pass from one space to the next. Our families are all doing the same, so let’s make the place they walk into one they want to stay in.
Sebastian Wattam
Marketing and Communications Manager
St Joseph’s College Hunters Hill
