Posts tagged ‘auditory’

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January 4, 2012

Listening Aids May Do More Good than Hearing Aids

Hearing

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Statistics indicate that about 1 in 10 people have some degree of hearing loss, with the prevalence of loss increasing to 3 in 10 over the age of 65. A major cause of hearing loss is thought to be loud noise from high volume music, children’s toys and industrial settings.  Safe and cheap ways to stave off the purchase of a hearing aid are wearing hearing protection in loud environments, turning down the volume and educating friends and children of these facts.

“Listening loss” is far more prevalent than “hearing loss.” About 80% of the population least prefers Auditory (listening) inputs, when taking in information. Is it any wonder that meetings are long and people don’t understand one another, when the “transmitting style” is Auditory and the preferred “receiving styles” areVisual and Kinesthetic?  Frequent mistakes are made in business and personal interactions when people have to act upon and pass on Auditory information, instructions and directions. Most students struggle in learning situations involving lectures with a minimum of things to look at and do, because the “teaching style” is misaligned with their “learning style.” The world would be more effective and peaceful if we were better listeners.

Listening Aids

Listening aids are Free. They improve relationship rapport, facilitate understanding, avoid costly mistakes and free up more available time. The practical neuroscience methods for improving listening skills shown below apply to 80% of the population. For those of you whose primary or secondary preferred pathway to receive sensory information is Auditory, you are already attentive and patient listeners, ask great questions, remember and trust what you heard and can read tone-of-voice to detect incongruence reliably; you think about the meaning of words and are good at crafting language for talks, presentations, contracts and copy.

  • Be More Visual: Look at the person in face-to-face situations. Comfortable eye contact communicates that you are paying attention. Observe their body language; what is it communicating? Take notes. Let the other person see your notes. Ask them to use a white board or flip chart or outline key points on a piece of paper. This helps understanding, because you are integrating a primary sensory pathway (Visual) with Auditory.

 

  • Be Less Visual: In a lecture situation or on the phone, close your eyes occasionally to remove visual distractions; this helps you focus on what is being said. You can still take notes with your eyes closed.

 

  • Be More Kinesthetic: Engaging in a physical activity, such as moving about respectfully or squeezing a Koosh ball while listening, may help you process Auditory information. You may offer to take a walk or share a meal with another person who wants to have a discussion with you.

 

  • Be More Auditory: Listen to the tone-of-voice. Is it in alignment with what is being said? Ask questions to clarify the meaning of what people are saying and any incongruence you sense between the words and tone-of-voice. Paraphrase what you heard.

In conclusion, “listening loss” is outpacing “hearing loss” at seemingly epidemic rates. The advent of smart phones with visual/kinesthetic texting, games, email and the internet seem to be further defocusing our attention from crafting and listening to the spoken word. Practical neuroscience methods easily and quickly improve listening skills, so we can have greater connectivity and richer relationships with people at home and work.

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November 16, 2011

Three Reasons Why People Talk More and Listen Less

Listen, Understand, Act

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Have you noticed that many people can’t remember what was said, interrupt others regularly, rarely ask genuine questions and generally have poor listening skills? Has attentive and respectful listening gone out of style since the advent of TV, computer technology, cell phones, texting and video games? I wonder if people were more “auditory,” from a listening standpoint, when distractions were fewer, people engaged in more mealtime conversations and radio was a bigger source of news and entertainment.

Our worldwide statistics show that 78% of the population least prefers to listen as a primary way to receive sensory information; these people prefer to take in information visually and kinesthetically. Why do people who least prefer to listen select talking as their preferred way to express themselves? Practical neuroscience and common sense reveal possible reasons and provide pathways to improve listening competencies.

Reasons Why People Talk More and Listen Less

  • Lack of awareness: I believe most people are unaware of how their poor listening skills negatively impact rapport, harmony and understanding others. Interrupting, “tuning out” others and raising one’s voice to get attention serve no useful purpose; hurt feelings often occur and important information is lost. As a practical matter, meager listening takes a steep toll on valuable time that could be used for other things. At worst, important relationships can be put in jeopardy and may crash. These factors are why people benefit from being informed of how their brains are wired to receive and process information. Practical neuroscience reveals our sensory and cognitive processing strengths, thus providing a simple recipe to communicate with others in optimal ways.
  • Busy Schedules: During an executive coaching session, I asked a person about his listening competency. His reply was, “it’s poor and I don’t care because I don’t have time to listen.” He went on to say, “I prefer to receive information by email, text and brief discussions when walking with a colleague to a meeting or during mealtime.” I asked him what impact his tactics would have on his morale and productivity if he walked in the shoes of his direct reports and peers.  He then asked how he could be a better listener; the Hot Tips (below) summarize what I suggested. Within a week of using these new “high road” listening tactics, this busy executive received positive feedback from three people saying they enjoyed working with him and it seemed like he was different person.
  • Maintaining Control: As long as you are talking, you don’t have to listen, answer questions or respond to other people. A higher form of talking is using language understandable to others, stating the purpose of the communication and asking questions to confirm their understanding. Listening requires attention, focus, personal involvement and feedback. Attentive and respectful listening sends a strong message that you care about the other person; talking, alone, may introduce an element of doubt about your intention and integrity.

Hot Tips for Being a Better Listener

  • Ask for the purpose and desired outcomes of the conversation.
  • Respectfully, set a time period for the discussion, if time is an issue.
  • Do not interrupt and impose your opinion.
  • Ask questions to gain clarity and understanding.
  • Listen for congruency of tone-of-voice and body language with what’s being said.
  • Paraphrase what you hear.

In conclusion, improved listening skills pay big dividends of relationship rapport, mutual respect, understanding others and making effective use of available time. Based on statistics, most people should talk less and communicate more visually and kinesthetically. Practical neuroscience methods are the ideal solution for “transmitting” information on the preferred “receiving wavelengths” of others.

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November 8, 2011

Practical Neuroscience Approach to Personal Mastery

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Several visionaries cite “learning” as a key ingredient to personal and organizational success:

Peter Senge identifies “personal mastery” as the second discipline of a learning organization in his book, The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organization (1990). Senge describes personal mastery as a commitment of employees and leaders to the process of learning.

John Naisbitt says, “In a world that is constantly changing, there is no one subject or set of subjects that will serve you for the foreseeable future, let alone for the rest of your life. The most important skill to acquire now is learning how to learn.”

Peter Drucker states, “We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn.”

Steven Covey declares that the mental component of “Sharpening Your Saw” (the 7th habit of The 7-Habits of Highly Effective People) is “learning, reading, writing and teaching.”

Many people agree on the underlying value of personal mastery through lifelong learning. However, few know the practical neuroscience principles and practices behind learning with ease, thinking imaginatively and logically, solving problems quickly, working happily, communicating effectively and making decisions accurately. Most people appear highly interested in learning more about how their brains are wired for success and what makes them tick. There seems to be a strong undercurrent of awareness that understanding and leveraging individual and collective brainpower may be one of the last frontiers for human development.

Practical Neuroscience 101 for Gaining Personal Mastery

The following is a summary compilation of practical neuroscience principles and practices that will help you understand and leverage your brain strengths for personal mastery.

  • Practical Neuroscience: An overarching term comprised of neuroscience-based principles and practices focused on understanding “self” and the people you influence and lead. Practical neuroscience acknowledges and respects diverse brain strengths, varied knowledge, personal interests and emotional trigger points; it enables people to be the best they can be, individually and collectively.
  • Neuroplasticity: Your brain is the most amazing mass of protoplasm in the known universe. It contains about 100 billion neuron cells, each having the potential to make multiple connections with other cells. Your brain is dynamic, not static. Neuroscience research reveals that you have “brain plasticity” or the ability to continuously grow and adapt your brain as you learn and use new information, despite your age. The more you learn, think and use knowledge, the more you grow and increase your intelligence and resourcefulness. What set Einstein’s genius apart, was not what he started with, but how he developed his thinking through vast neuron pathways. The bottom-line is that we can rewire our own brains for new and better outcomes and help other people do the same.
  • Learning Is Voluntary: Your brain must establish value and positive emotions to engage with learning, thinking, listening, working and any form of mental or physical activity. Fear works poorly as a motivator and is not healthy or sustainable.
  • Unique Sensory and Cognitive Strengths: Everyone has their preferred order for taking in sensory information; there are six combinations of Visual, Kinesthetic and Auditory sequences. Besides, people have cognitive preferences for processing sensory information, receiving communications and for specific types of work activities; there are three major categories: Sequential, Global and Integrated.
  • Alignment Is Your Key to Success:  No one combination of sensory and cognitive preferences is better than another. The key to success is aligning your brain strengths with activities and tasks you are passionate about and require your strengths. Communication challenges are often due to misalignment with how people prefer to receive and process information. You can “flex” and align with people who are different from you to gain rapport, respect, trust and understanding.
  • Integrate Fun Into Everything You Do: Your brain is naturally curious and loves to learn. A fun and safe environment naturally engages your brain. Create fun and safe environments for others; teach others what you want to learn. These are some characteristics of a neuro-leader.

In conclusion, practical neuroscience is the pathway to greater self-awareness of your potential for personal mastery. Online, validated assessments accurately determine your sensory and cognitive strengths and offer tools to help improve your learning, thinking, problem solving, decision making, communication success, career fulfillment, and help you experience more fun in life.

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October 5, 2011

Why Kinesthetic and Global Kids Fall Between the Cracks

Kinesthetic Learning

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Do you know that the students most likely to struggle in traditional classroom settings are Kinesthetic, hands-on learners with Global, big-picture cognitive strengths? This is because their brain wiring is misaligned with how many subjects are taught. This frustrating learning challenge may begin in middle school and continue through high school, college and into adulthood. Without self-awareness of what’s going on, the individual is likely to develop a strong disdain for learning and experience low self-esteem that can carry over into their adult life.

I have personal experience with the “brain wiring” preference combination of Kinesthetic learning and Global thinking. I can claim 100% success for learning anything that interests me through practical neuroscience strategies that support how my brain is wired and what makes me tick.  I hope this knowledge helps millions of students and adults whose brains are wired similarly to mine. Anyone can take control of their learning success by knowing how to leverage their brain pathway strengths.

Kinesthetic Learner and Global Thinker Challenges

My sensory learning preferences are Kinesthetic followed by Visual and then Auditory. I need to have movement, touch and hands-on experiences to stay engaged and remember. Having to learn solely through listening and lecture, with a minimum of visual materials and an inability to move about, is my worst possible scenario. Highly Kinesthetic learners do well in lab courses, shop, drafting, graphics, field trips, and other hands-on, experiential learning environments. Having to sit still in one place, listen to a lecture and run the risk of getting reprimanded for fidgeting or moving about is a situation most Kinesthetic learners prefer to avoid.

The other half of the learning equation is how one prefers to process and think about stored and incoming sensory information. My cognitive strength is Global rather than Sequential. I like “big picture” subjects dealing with context, overarching concepts, possibilities and options. Subjects that stimulate my imagination and permit jumping about in non-logical steps are the ones that keep me interested and engaged. Unfortunately most subjects tend to be taught in a Sequential (e.g. logical, orderly, detail-oriented), step-by-step manner. This is a torturous scenario for a person with strong Global thinking strengths. This is because their Global brains are moving at a rapid-fire rate and get bored with staying on one aspect of a bigger concept longer than a couple of minutes. Global thinkers are equipped to understand the foundational principles of most traditionally Sequential subjects like mathematics, programming theory, thermodynamics, metallurgy, physics, electrochemistry and human anatomy; the problem lies with their attention span and the focus required to complete detailed assignments and pass tests requiring accuracy.

Hot Tips for Kinesthetic and Global Brains

Learning is a voluntary brain process. First, establish the strongest positive outcomes, value and benefits you will receive from learning your chosen subject. This hot tip applies to everyone, regardless of their brain pathway strengths.

  • Kinesthetic Strategies: Implementing movement and touch with your learning experience helps you stay engaged and remember. Closing your eyes occasionally helps you listen deeply during a lecture. Take notes and/or doodle while listening. When reviewing material, ask yourself, “what feels and looks important here?” Flash cards are a great aid for Kinesthetic learners.
  • Global Strategies: When detail and accuracy are required, do your studying in a formal environment with a moderately cool temperature to stay engaged and focused. Use snacks and refreshments as a reward during breaks and for completing chunks of work within 20-30 minute periods of time.

You can quickly, accurately and reliably determine how your brain is wired to learn, think, perform, solve problems, and make decisions with statistically validated preference instruments. Online results generate customized and comprehensive accelerated learning strategies for all brain pathway combinations.

In conclusion, your past learning challenges may have been due to your brain wiring being misaligned with the subject and how it was taught. Practical neuroscience is the unrecognized solution to quick, easy and fun learning.

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August 25, 2011

Secret Weapon For Job Hunters and Career Changers

Your secret weapon is how your brain is wired for performance excellence. Job hunters and career changers will differentiate themselves from the competition and accelerate their success rates by integrating practical neuroscience into the search and interview process. Combining your brain strengths with passion for a specific career is a foolproof way to land, keep and enjoy the “right job.”

It can be so incredibly frustrating when you apply for job opportunities that seem to fit you perfectly, but get no response. Your experience, achievements, education and values seem to be in perfect alignment with the job requirements. As you begin to feel like a “speed bump” from all the disappointments, you get back up, put on your “happy face” and keep the faith that you will soon experience success. In the meantime, stress may take hold and affect your peace-of-mind, health and relationships. You probably wonder what else you can do to give you renewed direction, confidence and an edge on the competition.

If you’ve read “What Color Is Your Parachute?” by Richard N. Bolles, you may have used tools from this job hunting guide to analyze your achievements, skills, competencies and preferences. This classic treasure helps you navigate your career journey. The problem is that there are fewer jobs available and more people actively competing for them. There is one small omission of a little known strength category in this wonderful book. This strength is almost always ignored by job hunters, career changers and employers alike. The job seeker who leverages this strength gains a unique advantage during the screening and interview process.

Most strength groupings seem to focus on “how smart you are,” rather than the “ways in which you are smart.” This is where practical neuroscience enters the picture. The most fundamental and ignored “strength category” is your sensory and cognitive pathways strengths:

Sensory Pathway Strengths

  • Visual: “Picture Smart” (design, graphic arts, data entry, quality control observations, reading body language, eye for detail, remembering what was seen and how it looked)
  • Kinesthetic: “Body Smart” (“gut feel” and instinct for what to do, hands-on activities, projects involving movement and action, building and repairing things, tools and equipment)
  • Auditory: “Word Smart” (listening attentively and patiently, asking questions, copy writing, speech and proposal writing, negotiating, public speaking, coaching and counseling)

Cognitive Pathway Strengths

  • Sequential: “Logic Smart”  (orderliness, sequence,  process and procedures, practical and realistic, schedules and budgets, content, data and accuracy, staying on task)
  • Global: “Imagination Smart” (“big picture”, brainstorming, ideating, inventing, creative problem solving, research, open-ended situations, context, options and possibilities)
  • Integrated: “Balanced Brain Smart” (managing diverse teams, conflict resolution, negotiating highly different points-of-view, combination of strategic and operational initiatives)

All job activities have “neuro-signatures” comprised of a unique combination of sensory and cognitive characteristics. Alignment of how your brain is wired with the “neuro-signatures” of job activities is a secret formula for performance excellence. As an example, IT professionals with strong Visual and Sequential strengths have higher productivity and make fewer mistakes than co-workers who have different brain wiring strengths. A telemarketer or copywriter should have strong Auditory preferences, with a good balance of Sequential and Global strengths to craft language into understandable and memorable messages.

In conclusion, it’s quick and easy to determine your sensory and cognitive strengths using reliable statistically validated assessments you can trust. The next step is to think about job activities that you find engaging and enjoy the most. These will inevitably involve and call for your brain strengths. The final step is to use this unique and powerful knowledge in your cover letters, resume, “elevator speeches,” emails, phone calls and personal interviews. Educating the interviewer and your future boss about unique competencies afforded by your sensory and cognitive strengths will set you apart from competition. Combining your brain strengths with your experience and passion for a specific career is a foolproof way to land, keep and enjoy the job you dream about.

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August 9, 2011

Career Success Factors for Information Technology (IT) Professionals

Desk

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Are you an information technology professional, wondering why you or some of your co-workers have engagement and productivity issues? Or, perhaps you are considering a career in this growing field and questioning whether you have what it takes to land and keep a great job.

Being successful in any field of endeavor requires more than passion and a good education. Your brain strengths need to be in alignment with the “neuro-signatures” of the job activities. Neuro-signatures are the sensory and cognitive modalities required to do the job properly. As an example, a telemarketer needs strong Auditory (listening, asking questions, and crafting responses) and Sequential (logical, following processes and procedures) skills. Analyzing the alignment of one’s sensory and cognitive pathway strengths with the job requirements is a major step on the road to achieve career success.

The following true story illustrates what happens when an IT professional‘s brain pathways strengths are misaligned with the neuro-signature requirements of his job. The author received an email from Jason (fictional name) who said, “I was pushing 40, married with two young sons, and was just discharged from work for the third time in three years.” Jason went on to say, “I graduated with a B.S. and M.S from a decent university with a GPA of 3.65; all three bosses said my people skills exceeded other IT professionals but I wasn’t performing to expectations.” Jason said he was pessimistic about getting and keeping another job. He was confused why his performance was sub-par and wondering if there was anything wrong with him or his brain. He was open to looking at practical neuroscience solutions to his career dilemma.

An analysis of Jason’s sensory and cognitive pathways preferences revealed the following:

Jason’s Brain Pathways Preferences:

  • Sensory Sequence: Auditory, Kinesthetic and then Visual

Jason’s neuroscience sequence signaled an immediate misalignment for a traditional IT programmer. His least preferred sensory pathway is Visual, the most important pathway for his job. Jason told us that he had a difficult time staying focused on the computer screen. His world revolves on how things “sound” (Auditory) and “feel” (Kinesthetic), not on how things “look” (Visual).

  • Cognitive: High Sequential and Global thinking preferences

Traditional IT jobs require high levels of sequential, logical and orderly thinking. Jason reported that his brain was like a pendulum, swinging from global, “big picture” thinking to sequential processing. He daydreams, multi-tasks, moves about and talks to his fellow programmers, when focusing on a task becomes challenging. Other programmers had higher productivity, getting more done in less time with fewer mistakes.

Bottom-Line

Performance is always an issue when there is misalignment between brain strengths and job neuro-signatures. Jason has a passion for IT principles, challenges, culture and people. He loves to interact with people and is a great listener. His high Sequential and Global thinking preferences enable him to see a wide range of points-of-view, without reaching a premature conclusion and taking a rash position. This is ideal for supervisory, consulting and teaching positions. He now plans to pursue this career path in IT. Jason remembers that “during my college days I was awarded Best Teaching Assistant of the IT Department.” He is optimistic about his future and confident that he can leverage his practical neuroscience brain strengths for a successful career.

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July 26, 2011

Practical Neuroscience Approach for Homeschooling Parents

Studying

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Homeschooling parents undertake the monumental responsibility for facilitating their children’s education. Taking on the role of “teacher,” as opposed to being a “facilitator of learning,” is a potential deterrent to successful learning outcomes for parent and child, alike. The two greatest gifts a parent can bestow on their children are instilling a lifelong desire for continuous learning and helping them develop the life skill of “learning how to learn.” These two elements of practical neuroscience all but guarantee the development of young minds into responsible, successful and self sufficient adults and future leaders. This applies to all parents, regardless of whether they home school or not.

John Naisbitt, American author and futurist, said:

“In a world that is constantly changing, there is no one subject that will serve you for the foreseeable future, let alone for the rest of your life. The most important skill to acquire now is learning how to learn.”

Many homeschooling parents may associate “learning how to learn” with learning styles. The practical neuroscience definition of learning styles is your child’s preferred sensory sequence to take in information and their cognitive preference to process it.

Sensory Pathway Preferences

It’s important that you, as a parent, and your child, both know the child’s most and least preferred ways to take in new and challenging information. For successful learning outcomes, the inflow of information must be presented in the student’s two strongest sensory pathways. Your child should pursue self-directed learning, whereby they request and select learning resources and delivery methods best suited to the way their brain is naturally wired to learn.

Sensory Learning Aids for:

Kinesthetic Children

  • Allow student to move around and be comfortable while learning
  • Encourage making flash cards for key learning points
  • Let student squeeze a small ball or work with another manipulative, while learning

Visual Children

  • Provide material to look over and read before class
  • Give instructions, homework, and key learning points visually
  • Minimize words and maximize symbols, pictures, charts, illustrations

Auditory Children

  • Allow extra time for questions and discussions
  • Suggest reading notes and study material aloud
  • Encourage student to discuss and tell others what they are learning

Cognitive Pathways Preferences

Cognitive processing is required to solve problems, make decisions, and develop skills and competencies to navigate life. Your child’s tendencies for Sequential and Global thinking may be established from birth or may be dependent on their environment and how you influence them. By the age of 7, the preferences for cognitive processing can usually be observed. The strongest cognitive preference should be acknowledged, while allowing opportunities to use and strengthen the least favored one. This approach helps build an integrated and balanced “whole brain.” If resistance is experienced, let your child follow their natural instincts. Both Leonardo da Vinci (Global) and Isaac Newton (Sequential) have made significant contributions in the world.

Cognitive Learning Aids for:

Sequential Gifted Children

  • Connect the key learning points and steps to one another to form central concepts
  • Organize assignments into logical steps and sequences
  • Encourage students to complete one assignment at a time
  • Formal physical environments are favored: straight back chair at table, quiet, bright and direct light, cool room temperature, snacks and drinks limited to breaks

Global Gifted Children

  • Explain major concepts and the big picture first; then provide the detail, if necessary
  • Allow student to multi-task as long as learning progress occurs
  • Provide for frequent breaks to maintain interest and focus
  • Informal physical environments are favored: Casual furniture, dim and indirect light, warmer room temperature, snacks and drinks while learning

In summary, each child has distinct interests, gifts and styles for receiving and processing sensory information. Homeschooling parents can lighten their “teaching load” by helping their children become self-directed, lifelong learners. Parents can also role model what they teach, provide a smorgasbord of learning opportunities and assist with making learning resources available.

 
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July 20, 2011

Two Quick Ways to Kick-Start Your Personal Productivity

Productive

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You’re not alone if you think you should be getting a lot more done in a day, considering all the time you put in. Continuous low productivity degrades your morale and builds stress. Besides running the risk of losing your job, you compromise your immune system and increase the probability of stress-related health problems. You also escalate the chances of making mistakes or having a work related accident.

You may not know that the way your brain is wired to work, think, learn and communicate has an impact on your personal productivity. Practical neuroscience provides the understanding and actionable tools to improve your current situation.

Practical Neuroscience Principles of Personal Productivity

You engage with what you’re most attracted to. This includes subject matter and the value received from engaging with the subject. When you don’t like certain tasks at work, there’s a natural resistance and push-back, making it difficult to engage with them. This is the genesis of productivity problems.

You always get more done in less time, with fewer mistakes, when you’re interested in the subject and your brain wiring is aligned with the activity. Conversely, you avoid things that don’t interest you or tasks with requirements misaligned with your brain strengths. Resistance to doing what you naturally don’t want to do decreases engagement and productivity. This builds stress, anxiety and guilt. It can lead to loss of health, peace-of-mind and your job.

Two Quick Ways to Kick-Start Your Personal Productivity

1. Establish value or give yourself a reward

If you’re in a job you intensely dislike, what are its most positive aspects? Examples may be a paycheck, medical coverage and two weeks paid vacation. Concentrate on your most positive thoughts during the workday to help you focus and engage with work activities; then, when you get home, start imagining and working toward a new and better job.

Establish rewards for accomplishing one to two hour “chunks” of work, having identified recognizable progress milestones. Rewards may be short breaks to take a walk, enjoy a snack, look at a travel magazine, write in your journal or look at family photos. Your “mini-rewards” should always involve getting away from your direct workspace, even if it’s for 10 minutes or less. On a macro basis, look forward to the end of each day and imagine doing something nice for yourself and your loved ones. You will be happier and find yourself getting more done.

2. Create the optimum physical environment for the activity

Your brain performs best when the physical environment is aligned with the sensory and cognitive components of the task. For hands-on (Kinesthetic) activities, provide for physical comfort and freedom of movement. Be sure to have all your tools and equipment within easy reach. Visual tasks are best completed in organized and attractive environments, where your eyes can focus on your work. Attentive listening (Auditory) requires a quiet and interruption free environment. Sequential tasks, calling for accuracy and focus, are best accomplished in bright light and cooler temperature. Global work, involving imagination and creative problem solving, requires dim light, warmer temperatures and comfortable furniture.

Keep a positive mental attitude, remember to breathe deeply and drink water throughout the day to oxygenate. Take frequent breaks to refresh and reenergize. These simple methods alone will raise your personal productivity and improve the quality of your work life.

In summary, you have more control over your personal productivity and the quality of your work life than you may imagine. No matter how bad your current work situation is, you can take immediate steps to improve it. Practical neuroscience and knowing how your brain is wired are your pathways to a better and more prosperous life with less stress.

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July 11, 2011

Using Practical Neuroscience for Fast, Easy Learning

Group of students studying Bible

Image via Wikipedia

Practical neuroscience and how your brain is wired to learn and think are the keys to successful, self-directed, accelerated learning. Few people know that a secret to fast, easy learning is teaching someone who is interested in the same subject you want to learn. This method reduces traditional learning time by 50% or more. When people of like-mind come together and learn from each other, by teaching one another, the highest form of collaborative learning occurs.

William Glasser, MD, American psychiatrist and author says:

“We LEARN:

  • 10% of what we read
  • 20% of what we hear
  • 30% of what we see
  • 50% of what we both hear and see
  • 70% of what is discussed with others
  • 80% of what we experience personally
  • 95% of what we TEACH to someone else”

It’s really quite easy to reach that 95% plateau referred to by Dr. Glasser. The first practical neuroscience principle embedded in this model is that multi-sensory learning increases retention. The second principle is that teaching strengthens your resolve through a personal commitment to a fellow learner. The third principle is that there is a synergy of minds joined to learn something together.

The following steps will guide you through the process:

Step 1: Identify the benefits

Document the benefits desired from the learning experience upon which you are about to embark. Learning is voluntary and your brain must have powerful reasons and positive emotions to stay focused, particularly when distractions arise and available time seems to diminish. Ask yourself questions like: Why do I want to engage in this learning process? What are my desired outcomes? How will I and/or others benefit from my newly acquired knowledge and skills? How will I feel, as I progress and reach my goals? Will I be happy that I expended energy and time for this learning experience one year from now? Be sure to commit your ideas in a visual form like a “mind map.”

Step 3: Identify learning resources

Use your instincts, when selecting ways to search for resources. They may include consulting with a subject matter expert, Googling key words or browsing the subject area of a library or book store. Your instincts will guide you to research methods that will be most effective for you. Think about your strongest sensory pathways to learn (Auditory, Visual, and Kinesthetic), when selecting your resources or courses. As an example, if you are a strong Kinesthetic learner, you will want a hands-on approach, as well as to be physically comfortable and have the ability to move about. Most people least prefer Auditory learning, so lectures and audio tapes would typically represent a poor choice.

Step2: Select another person or two interested in your subject

This is the most important part of the process. Find people you get along with, who have similar interests and values.  Share your reasons for learning and ideas about learning resources. Discuss the ways your “learning team” prefers to learn and think. This will guide your “learning plan.” Be sure to develop goals and milestones to measure progress. Create visual documentation of this process and review it from time to time.

Step 3: Teach one another

Teaching one another will come naturally and easily from the previous steps. The process may be a combination of self-directed learning, coupled with email and interpersonal interactions. Consider video conferencing when face-to-face meetings are not possible. Communicate key learning points and insights. Socratic questions are always a great way to learn. The more questions the better; the brain that composes a great question already has an inkling of the answer. It’s only a matter of time until awareness, connections and break-through learning occur. The time frame is accelerated when two or more people engage in the Socratic process.

In conclusion, teaching is the highest form of learning. It’s fun, easy and quickens the learning process. You can trust your brain and the brains of your “learning team” to achieve outcomes beyond your wildest dreams.

 

©2011 The Hadron Group, Inc.  All rights reserved

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July 5, 2011

Three Secret Hot Tips for Exceptional Rapport and Communication

Communication

Image by P Shanks via Flickr

Nearly everyone desires exceptional rapport and communications with people they love and care about; this is the key to building successful and healthy long-term relationships. Professional relationships also require communication excellence to convey information efficiently and gain understanding quickly for people to do their jobs properly.

The core premise for exceptional rapport and communication is anchored in practical neuroscience. Achieving communications excellence requires attentiveness to everyone’s unique preferences for taking in and processing information. When you align your transmitting style with another’s preferred receiving style, you exponentially increase the probability for greater rapport and understanding. This is because people immediately become aware that you are on “their wavelength.” It is also important to respect the other person’s views, values and where they are coming from. These principles have enormous implications in all human relationships.

Hot Tip #1: Seek to understand before being understood

People relate to one another better when there is mutual respect and some level of caring about each other’s well being. In work situations, be sure to take the time to build sound relationship foundations, even if there are areas of disagreement and conflict. These foundations are particularly useful when time is of the essence to get things accomplished in stressful situations.

Interrupting one another to drive-home points-of-view, before paying attention and understanding each other, is a “dead end street.” Interruptions usually result in confusion, anger and resentment. It’s not necessary to agree with one another. Understanding respective positions, rationale and thinking, however, are required to co-exist peacefully. One can always find areas of commonality to move forward, no matter how far apart you may seem.

Hot Tip #2: Align with the person’s sensory and cognitive thinking preferences

Auditory learners prefer to listen and ask questions. Be sure to ask them to paraphrase their understanding of what you said; likewise, repeat back to them what you heard them say. They need quiet and interruption free environments to listen deeply and process what was heard.

Visual learners prefer to see instructions, progress reports and general information in visual form with a minimum of words. Use email, mind maps and white boards to convey key points. They prefer uncluttered environment to avoid distraction from what they are looking at.

Kinesthetic learners prefer hands-on interactions, when receiving and processing information. They need to incorporate movement and touch, when looking at or hearing about the subject matter. Provide for physical comfort, movement and frequent breaks.

Sequential thinkers prefer information presented in orderly, logical and realistic ways. They want facts, figures and data from reliable sources. Sequential thinkers prefer bright light and a formal work environment.

Global thinkers prefer the “big picture,” possibilities and options. They thrive in open-ended situations where they can use their imagination. Global thinkers prefer informal and unstructured environments.

Hot Tip #3:Match, Match, Match

Rapport language means specific types of words, which resonate with Auditory, Visual and Kinesthetic learners and Sequential and Global thinkers. Use the appropriate rapport language to match the preferences of others. To learn more about this, contact the author for a free, one-page Rapport Language List. The email link is on the Brain PathWays™ web site.

Vocal speed varies, depending on the person’s strongest sensory pathway. Pay attention to the other person’s vocal speed and match it respectfully, so they experience language alignment with you.

Body Language reveals what the person is experiencing and feeling. Imagine yourself as their dance partner. Be respectful and match subtly with similar, but not exact, movements. Make comfortable eye contact when eyes meet. Staring may make a person feel uncomfortable, whereas no eye contact may send the message that you are not interested.

In summary, secret hot tips for exceptional rapport and communication are simple and quick practical neuroscience methods that connect you with another person on deep and meaningful levels. These practices are based on conscious and respectful transmission of your message, in the way that the other person’s brain is wired to receive and process information most effectively. All personal and professional relationships you care about will benefit from these brain-based hot tips. The outcomes are always greater understanding, increased respect and enhanced ability to solve problems and move forward together.

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