NEW in Ottawa: When Thinking Harder Doesn't Work

Brains and Barstools brings captivating professors to Toronto bars for vivid lectures that spark curiosity and connection over drinks. On October 22nd, we present in Ottawa : "When Thinking Harder Doesn't Work" by Prof. Luciara Nardon. Expect an interactive and intellectually playful evening that may leave you with a completely new way of approaching uncertainty, complexity, and difficult decisions. We’re often told to think harder when we’re facing a difficult problem. But what happens when thinking harder just keeps taking us in circles? Some problems can be solved by gathering more information and finding the right analytical approach. Others are messy, uncertain, emotionally charged, or simply too complex for our usual ways of thinking. In those moments, the challenge may not be that we need to think more - but that we need to think differently. In this fascinating lecture, Prof. Luciara Nardon explores how we can create better conditions for thinking when the answers aren't obvious. Drawing on her research into facilitated sensemaking, she introduces a range of unexpected tools - from structured conversations and carefully designed questions to images, objects, metaphors, and even tarot cards. These “technologies of sensemaking” help us bring our thoughts into the world, look at them from a different perspective, and notice possibilities that can be difficult to see when everything stays inside our heads. Through research, practical examples, and some unconventional methods, this lecture asks a deceptively simple question: How do you think differently when you're stuck? 💡 About the incredible Prof. Luciara Nardon Prof. Luciara Nardon is Associate Dean of Professional Graduate Programs and Professor of International Business at Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business. Her research and teaching focus on how people make sense of complex, uncertain, and rapidly changing situations, including major transitions across cultures and large-scale disruptions such as COVID-19 and the rise of artificial intelligence. She is the recipient of several research grants. Her current SSHRC funded project explores challenges and opportunities facing global digital workers. She is the author of Making Sense of Immigrant Work Integration (Palgrave), Working in a Multicultural World (University of Toronto Press, 2017), Management Across Cultures (Cambridge), Managing in a Global Economy (Taylor & Francis). Join us for an unconventional exploration of how we make sense of the world - and what happens when we give our thinking a little more room to move. 📅 Date: October 22nd, 2026 🕡 Time: 6:30 – 8:30 PM 📍 Location: The Nelson Pub & Eatery, Ottawa 🎤 Speaker: Prof. Luciara Nardon 🎟 Seats are limited!