Posts tagged ‘Learning’

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December 7, 2011

Accelerate Team Learning With Practical Neuroscience

English: conference room

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One of the landmark references to “team learning” appeared in Peter Senge’s Fifth Discipline (1990), where he said,  “The discipline of team learning starts with ‘dialogue‘, the capacity of members of a team to suspend assumptions and enter into a genuine ‘thinking together’ …. [It] also involves learning how to recognize the patterns of interaction in teams that undermine learning.”  Let’s look at, explore and expand Senge’s concept of team learning in the light of modern and practical neuroscience.

Team learning, thinking and performance form a coherent trio of what a team strives to do together. Dialogue is a method for communicating with one another about topics, situations and challenges of shared interest. The goal of dialogue includes expansion of individual and collective knowledge. Effective and successful communication requires all parties to be willing to exchange information with an open and flexible mind.

True dialogue involves understanding diverse points of view rather than defending a position and attacking others. Suspending assumptions and judgment about what’s true or false and surrendering the personal need to be right allow team members to make a giant step toward consciously learning from one another. This applies both to one-on-one and “team” dynamics in your personal and professional life.

If the true purpose of dialogue is “learning and thinking together,” perhaps most communication exchanges do not fit this description. Think about how much time the people you live and work with spend in true dialogue. “Non-dialogue” communications involve telling people what to think, defending and attacking, complaining, providing irrelevant information and emoting with the sole purpose of protecting one’s ego.

True dialogue can be conducted in two forms:

Non-directive dialogue is when two or more people get together with no specific agenda or topic. They meet in a quiet and comfortable environment, free from external interruptions and sounds. The idea of non-directive dialogue is to expose subconscious thoughts about what may be blocking or limiting team success and to reveal opportunities for breakthrough thinking. The process can be awkward and painfully slow for newcomers; expert facilitation is recommended.  At least one hour should be allotted for a session; this can be a problem when people are focused on the clock and getting visibly productive work done. Non-directive dialogue is a powerful and transformative procedure for team members who trust one another, feel safe in each other’s presence, are daring and willing to be vulnerable, and have the desire to “leapfrog” team performance.

Directive dialogue revolves around exchanging information important to team performance, with the goal of building core competencies, creating and improving products and services, solving problems and making good decisions. This can occur in meetings, retreats, email exchanges, phone conversations and teleconferences. Directive dialogue sessions have great potential for leveraging team member’s know-how and decreasing communication time. Teams rarely think about aligning their people’s interests and competencies with subject matter and the best ways and times to communicate, but team productivity and performance will soar when teams develop and implement their communication methodologies.

The missing link for team communication success is statistically validated information about each person’s sensory and cognitive pathway strengths for learning, thinking and communicating. This knowledge helps the team communicate effectively with one another and leverages their collective brainpower for “whole brain thinking.”  Foundational practical neuroscience data on how team member’s brains are wired for success is the basis for exceptional team learning, thinking and performance.

In conclusion, dialogue, whether directive or non-directive, is the “high road” pathway for team learning and thinking success. It involves suspending judgment, opinions and positions.  Successful dialogue requires open and flexible minds to understand diverse perceptions, observations and thinking.  There is no right or wrong in true dialogue; what matters the most is the apparent best course of action for the good of the team and its stakeholders. All teams benefit from leveraging their brain strengths for communication success. Practical neuroscience methods such as these are the ideal solution to strengthen team communication and accelerate team learning, resulting in greater team success.

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November 22, 2011

Are Your Mental Models on the High or Low Road?

Road Closed

Peter Senge in his The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organization (1990) describes mental models as “deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations, or even pictures of images that influence how we understand the world and how we take action.” Mental models have profound impact on how we view, react to and respond to the world; they shape our decisions, relationships and quality-of-life. They affect us on all levels –personal, social, professional, organizational, national and global.

My purpose is to raise your level of awareness of what mental models are and how they operate.  Practical neuroscience principles and tools help you challenge, change and manage your mental models for a better, more peaceful and less stressful life.

Personal Observations of Mental Models

  • Mental models are stored information and emotional imprints of how your brain perceived  and remembered direct personal experiences, as well as information learned from a third party or indirect source like the media.
  • Mental models that yield harmful outcomes to you and/or others are good candidates for examination and changed thinking.
  • Formed over time from accumulated information, mental models may also be developed quickly and deeply depending on their importance and emotional impact.
  • Most people are unaware of their mental models, where they came from and their effects.
  • Mental models are subtle and challenging to identify and describe.
  • They seem to operate in a “back room” or subconscious part of our brain.
  • Our mental models tend to get stronger over time as human nature wants to “be right” about its opinions.
  • Mental models may or may not be verifiable through direct experience or independent observations from integrous people.

I believe the core question is “how well do my mental models serve me and others,” rather than “are my mental models right or wrong?” There is no right way of taking in and processing sensory information because everyone perceives and interprets information differently. A group of people agreeing on something doesn’t make it true; the process merely bonds the group around something they hold to be true. Needless arguments, and even wars, ensue due to differences of opinion about mental models.

Evaluating Mental Models

These everyday life situations give you a grasp of what mental models look like; each pair contains differences of mindset for illustrative purposes. As you look them over, ask yourself which ones might serve you and others best, rather than deciding on what may be correct or in error. The purpose of this exercise is to shift your focus to a “high road” or positive perspective for evaluating mental models. Hopefully, these examples will stimulate your thinking to write down your mental models that serve you well or poorly.

Low Road: Good ideas for innovation are drying up and there is limited opportunity for me to prosper.

High Road: Good ideas for new products, technology and services are endless and infinite.

 

Low Road: We live in a competitive world of scarcity.

High Road: We live in a world of boundless opportunity where situational cooperation is possible.

 

Low Road: Girls do poorly in math and science.

High Road: Anyone can learn what interests him or her, when in a supportive environment.

 

Low Road: You can’t trust people who look , act and speak a certain way.

High Road: There are trustworthy and untrustworthy people in all walks of life.

 

Low Road: In this economy, no one will interview me, much less, hire me.

High Road: I have transferable skills and positive traits that some employer is looking for.

 

Low Road:  I can’t trust myself behind the wheel due to my driving record and what my spouse says.

High Road: A refresher course will make me a safer, more dependable and better defensive driver.

 

Low Road: I can’t learn new things because I made poor grades and my teacher said I was stupid.

High Road: My brain has infinite capacity to grow, get stronger, learn quickly and make great decisions.

 

Low Road: It’s unlikely I’ll live beyond 73 because of my family health history.

High Road: Good health practices and a positive mental attitude will increase my quality-of-life and perhaps add years to my life span.

In conclusion, mental models are what we believe and hold to be true about life. They are our “software programming” that drives thinking, opinions and behaviors. There is always an outcome from every mental model, although they may not be obvious. People vehemently agree or disagree on the truth of their mental models. The defining moment for challenging a mental model occurs when the focus shifts to the desired outcome. Clarity can best be achieved by examining gaps between what is desired and the outcome that actually occurs. This is the only way I know to break the endless cycle of defending and attacking mental models.

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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

Premioneurona

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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September 14, 2011

Three Blessings of Perception to Navigate Life’s Choices

Blind men and an elephant

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When you think about the myriad decisions you have to make each day, you may want an expanded, intelligent basis for making better choices. Understanding and leveraging the three blessings of perception may be the best way to navigate life’s decisions and achieve the outcomes you desire. The alternative is being told what to do by others and/or making poor choices impulsively, without thinking things through.

There are infinite levels of perception and choice when it comes to understanding and applying the principles behind the three blessing of perception. The classic story of the “blind men and an elephant” illustrates the need for open-mindedness to understand different perspectives and comprehend the basis of choice. The story also provides insight into the relativity of perception and the nature of truth.

The theme is that a group of blind men are instructed to touch an elephant to learn what it is like. Each blind man feels a different part and they compare notes. One feels the tusk and says it’s a pipe, another feels the tail and says it’s a rope; the one who touches the leg says it’s a pillar; still another, who feels the belly, says it’s a wall and so on. They learn that their experiences differ greatly. After intense and heated disagreement, a wise King explains that all the blind men are right because they touched different parts of the elephant and the elephant possesses all the characteristics described. In actuality, the blind men came to know much more about the nature of an elephant that most people from the entire process. They focused on one aspect and shared their perspectives to construct a more expansive picture with the help of the King. They not only knew about the content of an elephant, they also came to know the essence and context of an elephant. The combination of this knowledge becomes, metaphorically, significant and valuable.

The three blessing of perception are:

Humility

Recognize that there is more going on around you than you perceive. You cannot possibly collect enough accurate observations and data to form a complete picture of anything. The awareness of this truth opens your mind to ask revealing questions, helps you go beyond first impressions and encourages you to investigate the perceptions of others. Remember the story about the blind men and the elephant.

Relative Perception

Everything is a continuum of infinite relativities. One person may say 100° Fahrenheit is hot, but a steel maker will say that 1,000° Fahrenheit is not hot enough to melt all the metallic ingredients to make the desired alloy. A mother may say that standing on the third rung of a stepladder is too high and scary, but an astronaut on the moon may say she wants the exhilaration of going still higher.

Mother Teresa gave selfless service to the hungry, poor and sick people on the streets of Bombay; a bank robber may value stealing from others and then decide to give it up and move to the next level of being a responsible citizen.  Each person here is evolving to higher levels of values and behavior. The point is that everyone is doing the best they can in their environment, given their state-of-mind and available knowledge. The moral of these examples is to suspend judgment of others and to focus on your own life. Suspend judgment of yourself as well and move on to the next level of being the best person you can be.

Trust in Your Trusted Advisors

Sometimes you simply have not lived long enough to accumulate adequate experiences from which to draw wisdom in certain situations. You can, however, use knowledge of other people’s struggles, failures and successes as a basis for making better personal decisions.

Trusted advisors are not necessarily people who have made all the right choices. Great lessons can be learned from people who have made poor decisions and failed. Also, select people you admire and ask yourself what they would do in the situation. These may be people you interact with in your daily life or familiar individuals whose stories and lessons you can learn and absorb from great books, magazines, newspaper articles, movies, lectures and talks, internet or television.

In summary, the three blessing of perception lead to highest levels of making decisions, solving problems and living the best life possible. Humility added to recognizing the relativity of everything and tapping into the experiences of others is a sure-fire formula for continuous learning and raising the bar for a more prosperous, peaceful and fulfilling life.

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September 8, 2011

Performance Strategies For Kinesthetic Learners

Heavy equipment in use

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People who have Kinesthetic as their primary and strongest sensory preference for learning, receiving information and performing work tasks comprise 59% of the population. You can add another 30% of the population who have Kinesthetic as their secondary, or back-up, sensory pathway. This adds up to a whopping 89% of the population that relies on Kinesthetic processing as their primary or secondary pathway to learn, make decisions, solve problems and perform at high levels.

Kinesthetic Strengths

Kinesthetic learners remember and work best using hands-on activities, movement, action and touch. They enjoy moving into immediate physical action and have an instinctive feel of people and situations. They generally thrive on the positive feeling of moving projects and initiatives forward. Kinesthetic learners, having Visual as a primary or secondary pathway strength, are potentially good at operating equipment and repairing/maintaining/building things, due to their “eye-hand” skill set. Surgeons, dentists, airline pilots, equipment operators and similar professions rely on their Kinesthetic pathway strengths to perform at high levels. Imagine the consequences if a dentist lost focus and became physically awkward and clumsy when doing a root canal.

Kinesthetic Strategies

These strategies and risk management guidelines are based on practical neuroscience principles involving sensory and cognitive pathways strengths and “blind spots.” They help you perform at high levels of excellence and minimize mistakes and costly accidents.

  • Physical Comfort

You must be physically comfortable and be relatively free of physical ailments or pain to perform at maximal levels. Otherwise, your brain will be distracted by your physical condition rather than the Kinesthetic movements and manipulations you need to employ to do your job properly. It is best to take care of physical body needs before engaging in high-risk Kinesthetic activities.

  • Ability to Move Freely

It’s essential that you have the ability to move about freely, without any physical impediments that can get in your way, to accomplish your Kinesthetic activities. The workplace must be clean and free of clutter with no possibility of slipping, falling or bumping into something, while performing.

  • Functional and Available Tools and Equipment

It’s likely that you will need hands-on equipment to accomplish your Kinesthetic activities. This may be as simple and safe as a computer or Fax machine, or potentially dangerous like a chain saw, laser knife, plasma torch, car or airplane. Your tools may be an extensive set of tools, meters or surgical equipment. Regardless of whether you are driving a vehicle, writing a proposal, inputting data, assembling something or doing  complex eye-hand activities, it’s essential that your equipment and tools are in tip-top operating condition. Everything you require needs to be within line-of-sight and comfortable reach. Otherwise, time will be lost and you risk physical awkwardness and clumsiness as you access your equipment and tools.

  • Conducive Environment

Lighting must be adequate for the activity. It’s usually best to work in a cool, yet comfortable temperature to remain alert, awake and focused. Clean water should be available to refresh and oxygenate oneself to maintain high levels of brain function.

  • Avoid Stress and Distractions

Any form of stress or worry has the potential to shift your focus away from what you have to do. Your state-of-mind must be positive and resourceful to achieve maximal performance. This strategy applies to anything you engage in, not just Kinesthetic activities. When doing Kinesthetic/Visual activities (“eye-hand” coordination) it is best to work in a quiet and interruption free environment. A loud noise or sound can startle you and cause an unexpected and unintended body movement that could spell disaster.

In conclusion, imagine the safety and productivity implications of 89% of the population having Kinesthetic as their primary or secondary sensory pathway strength. The practical neuroscience strategies provided help people work safer and get more done in less time.

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September 6, 2011

Unleash Your Genius with Mind Mapping

Mind map of the mind map guidlines.

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Mind mapping is a powerful and underutilized whole brain system to solve problems, make decisions, develop plans, accelerate learning and communicate effectively with others. It’s faster, more fun and covers more bases than traditional outlining methods.

Mind mapping is widely acknowledged as being developed by British psychology author and brain researcher, Tony Buzan. His mind mapping contributions are an integrated approach, combining key words, visual images and symbols into a free-flowing “tree” emanating from a central idea, concept or subject area. “Trunks, branches and leaves” are the associated key points forming the “tree.” The process ends with a logical element of analysis and alignment.  Other practitioners of mind mapping are Nancy Margulies (author and visual mapping artist) and Michael Gelb (author of How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci).

The core concepts and methodology of mind mapping are well grounded and supported by practical neuroscience. The system taps into the visual cortex that constitutes a large percentage of the brain’s neurons. Mind mapping uses the brain’s imagination, natural curiosity and logical thinking powers. Most people are amazed at how quickly the system captures their ideas, stimulates creativity and formulates practical and realistic solutions to complex problems.

Despite what you may think, mind mapping doesn’t require artistic abilities. Anyone can mind map. Willingness to engage in the following simple and practical neuroscience methodology is the primary requirement to get started.

Materials

Start with a large piece of paper; flip chart paper is ideal. Use colored pens, pencils or crayons. Purchase colored stickers depicting shapes, images and symbols that appeal to you and pertain to the subject matter. These will give your mind map artistic qualities without requiring artistic skill.

Methodology

1. Start In The Middle: Draw a circle or oval with the subject or key concept in the middle of the page. You can use a symbol, image, or key word. Even a small photograph works fine.

2. Employ Key Words: Single key words are preferred over phases and short sentences. This may take a little patience and practice at first. Developing the ability to think in key words pays dividends because they are content rich, easy to remember and activate other key word concepts. “Strings” of associated key words eventually describe the context of a situation and the pathways to the insights, solutions and your desired outcomes. Key words are powerful catalysts for both creative and practical thinking. Effective use of key words is a competence worth cultivating.

a. Print your strongest concept key words on lines (to form the “trunks of the tree”) emanating from your subject in the middle of the page. As an example, if you are mind mapping your business, start with words like “PURPOSE,” “CUSTOMERS,” “CONCERNS” and “GOALS.” Be sure to use only one key word per line. Utilize color, images and symbols. This is where your stickers may be a handy aid. Stick figures and other simple, hand-drawn symbols work well.

b. Your key words will stimulate other key words aligned with central ideas. As an example “CONCERNS” may trigger new key words like “FINANCING,” “COMPETITION,” and “LICENSING;” these become new lines (e.g. “branches”) emanating from the “CONCERNS” line. These key words will create another chain or sequence of key words that become more new lines (e.g. “leaves”).  Again, always use color and images to depict and add meaning to your key words. It is best to print your key words.

3. Let It Flow and Go: Spontaneity, imagination and “big picture thinking” are the operative words when mind mapping during this early creative stage. Move as quickly as you can to fill out your page. Go wherever you want. This is not the place or time to be logical and sequential. If you get “writer’s block” with any string of associated key words, move to another key word “trunk” or “branch” that catches your eye and add key words that come to mind. Continue until you feel you have more than enough ideas to work with.

4. Analyze and Align: Take a break and rest awhile before you come back to analyze and align the results of your imaginative, free-association stage. This is the part of the process that will utilize your sequential, analytical and logical powers. Look for themes, patterns and relationships between the “trunks, branches and leaves.” Align and connect parts of your “tree,” using more lines, arrows, symbols and key words to give it additional meaning and provide the outcomes for which you are looking. You may also select what you think are the most relevant parts and eliminate the ones that seem unimportant.

5. Redraw Mind Map: Depending on the application, you may want to redraw your mind map and sequence the key ideas and concepts with numbers in a clockwise manner. This may be appropriate for communication and training purposes or for your use as a daily learning and memory aid to building a business or implementing a significant project.

In summary, mind mapping will reveal and unleash the genius within by utilizing the power of your visual cortex, imagination and logical thinking for planning, learning, solving problems and communicating with others. You have nothing to lose except the opportunity to directly experience the power of your brain to leapfrog your life forward.

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August 17, 2011

Four Steps to Dream Team Performance

A group of Individual Placement members enjoy ...

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Are you a member of a successful team or one that performs marginally or miserably? Have you ever wondered why some teams excel at what they do and why their people are energized, happy and having fun? What differentiates these successful teams from those that experience low performance, with people who are demoralized, complaining and depressed? You may be surprised to learn that “dream team” performance is almost guaranteed when four foundational neuroscience principles are practiced. They are easy to understand and implement when forming new teams, retooling struggling teams and taking successful teams to higher potential. Dream teams may include couples, families, businesses, sports and organizations of all sizes and types. Teams who practice continuous learning and improvement maintain the “razor’s edge.”

Step# 1 Align Team Members with Mission, Values and Goals

Discussion

A simple definition of a team is “a group of people that come together to do something together.” Teams often fail because their purpose and values are vague, unknown or unacceptable. There must be a clear and compelling purpose and value for team members to be interested, motivated and engaged. Values ultimately determine team success and sustainability, because values drive behavior. The higher values of “service,” “teamwork” and “continuous learning” will ultimately prevail over values of “competition,” “self-interest” and “disrespect.” Even a team with a strong and charismatic leader will fail without a clear purpose and good values.

Neuroscience Principles

Your brain voluntarily engages with work, projects, and people when there are strong value components and desired positive outcomes. Your brain pays maximum attention and engages with situations containing high levels of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Your brain likes challenges, inspiration and noble causes. Consistent favorable outcomes, and even the thought of future potential outcomes, keep your brain focused, flexible, curious, interested and hungry for similar experiences.

Practices

All team members will be well served in the process of creating and refining their team mission, values and major goals. These actions connect each person to the collective team. A major role of the Team Leader is to continuously communicate and strengthen the team purpose and values. This step achieves team unity by aligning everyone with the mission and values. Team member needs may vary widely and do not have to be the same to have a united team. Having compelling reasons for each team member to be engaged, interested and productive is the key to this foundational alignment step.

Outcomes

Shared values and alignment of purpose are the team’s:navigation system.” Successful teams never get lost or disconnected, even in changing and chaotic times, when their navigation system points to “magnetic north.” The team is bonded through their values as they work collaboratively and cooperatively in alignment with their mission and goals. Teams having achieved this first step are poised for successful outcomes and camaraderie.

Step #2 Define and Build Core Competencies

Discussion

Essential and collective knowledge, skills and experience form the core competencies of a superior team that meets and exceeds its goals and customer needs. As examples, technological core competencies for Canon include optics and microelectronics; Honda’s technical competencies include small, quiet and powerful engines, and, drive trains. Core competencies may include sales excellence, market research, product development and customer service. Criteria for core competencies include:

  • Transferable to multiple products and services
  • Access to multiple market segments, customer groups and applications
  • Difficult for competition to replicate quickly
  • Learning and brain-based intellectual property

 

Neuroscience Principles

Core competencies define the focal points for learning, sharing, and applying essential knowledge to the team goals. Learning occurs best when people are willing to be vulnerable and honest about what they truly “know, apply and teach” rather than what they “know about” (e.g. shallow knowledge to impress).The core competency list becomes the most important daily team tool for continuous growth and improvement. This focus harnesses each team member’s brainpower and builds a powerful “team brain.” Intellectual property and skill sets grown by a well-developed team are not easily replicated by competition.

Practices

Each team member is assigned the responsibility to develop and grow one or more core competencies. The list of team core competencies should not exceed five. The analogy is “inch wide and mile deep” rather than “mile wide and inch deep.” Core competency teams constitute a minimum of three people. This helps protect the intellectual property in the event a team member leaves. Core competency teams meet quarterly, or more frequently, to share learning with the other competency teams. This activity can be likened to connecting and filling silos of knowledge.

Outcomes

Teams that focus on creating and growing their intellectual capital set themselves on a high road, rarely traveled by the competition. They get to their destination quicker, safer and with greater ease than those traveling the conventional, well-traveled roads. Learning, growing and applying new knowledge to challenges and problems helps create happy and healthy brains.

Step #3 Align Team Member Strengths with Goals, Core Competencies and Activities

Discussion

Typically, one thinks about team member strengths in terms of subject matter expertise, skills, education, experience, leadership ability and enthusiasm. These are essential characteristics for all successful teams. Rarely are sensory and cognitive thinking strengths valued as important traits. Knowing how each team member’s brain is wired, how they think and how to leverage their brainpower is the missing link to connecting knowledge with team success. The following neuroscience principles explain sensory and cognitive thinking strengths.

Neuroscience Principles

1. Nearly every activity has combinations of sensory and cognitive thinking characteristics that define the “neuro-signatures” of the activity. Team members are more likely to engage, enjoy and perform better in work aligned with their brain strengths.

2. Each team member has unique ways to take in and process sensory information. These strengths affect work productivity, problem solving, decision making, learning and communicating.

3. Team members, exchanging information on each other’s sensory and cognitive thinking “wavelengths”, will understand each other more fully and obtain understanding in the minimum amount of time, thus, improving individual and team productivity. This activity also engenders greater respect and rapport.

Practices

Each team member’s sensory and cognitive thinking strengths are determined by using a reliable and statistically validated survey. Aligning team member brain pathways strengths and knowledge with the neuroscience signatures of the activity is a powerful way to create work assignments. As an example, a team member having Auditory (listening and crafting words) and Global (creative problem solving and seeing possibilities) strengths might be a good candidate for situations involving conflict and negotiation, supplier contracts, joint ventures and legal disputes.

Sensory Pathway Activities:

  • Visual: data entry, quality control observations, reading instructions, visual arts, design, proof-reading
  • Kinesthetic: hands-on activities, operating equipment and tools, physical action and movement, face-to-face interactions
  • Auditory: listening attentively, asking and answering questions, conflict resolution, crafting language, hearing tone of voice

 

Cognitive Thinking Pathway Activities:

  • Sequential: analysis, staying on-task, organization, logic, process and procedures, tactical, content, practical and realistic
  • Global: open-ended, multi-tasking, options and possibilities, systemic, exploratory, ideating, “big picture,” strategic, context
  • Integrated: a combination and near equal balance of Sequential and Global activities.

 

When each person’s sensory and cognitive thinking preferences are known, team members can communicate on each other’s “wavelength.”

  • Visual Learners Need: Visual media. Key written points. Pictures. Graphics. Images. Color. Clutter-free environment.
  • Kinesthetic Learners Need: Physical, hands-on experiences. Comfort. Freedom to move about. Frequent breaks.
  • Auditory Learners Need:Clarity of words. Attentive listening. Ability to ask questions. Quiet environment.
  • Sequential Thinkers (“left brain”) Need: Logic. Order. Particulars. Realism. Practicality. Data. Schedules. Content.
  • Global Thinkers (“right brain”) Need: Possibilities. Options. Generalities. Open-ended. Big Picture. Context.
  • Integrated Thinkers Need: A combination and balance of Sequential and Global communication methods.

 

Outcomes

Teams having achieved Steps 1 through 3 are experiencing phenomenal success. Goals are met and exceeded. Team members are engaged, having fun and can’t wait to get to work. Competition can’t figure out what this team is doing right. Customers are happy and loyal.

Step #4 Continuous Alignment, Learning and Improvements

Discussion

Even in light of high performance, the best teams and organizations seem to “burn out” and lose their competitive differentiation after a period of greatness. Why is this and what can be done to maintain the “razor’s edge?” Continuous alignment, learning and improvement are the keys to continuing patterns of success.

Neuroscience Principle

Your brain gets bored and lazy with the “same old thing” even if, at one time, the “same old thing” was great and wonderful. The brain needs new challenges, new experiences and new learning to operate at peak performance. Applying knowledge and taking action strengthens brain neuron pathways. The potential for neuronal growth is infinite due to the 100 billion neurons that grow multiple pathways to one another like an elaborate root system.

Practices

1. Continuously strengthen the mission and values of the organization

2. Create new and challenging goals for:

a. Core competencies

b. Customer needs

c. Individual and team development

3. Always, always, stay in touch with the customers, tracking their needs and wants. Anticipate their future needs so you are there when they need you.

4. Avoid studying the competition. This is a distraction. It is a better use of time and energy to focus on team performance, customer satisfaction and long-term customer needs. A danger of studying competition is evaluating their weaknesses; in doing so, you may be unconsciously building your own neuropathways around their weaknesses. If you do study the competition, be sure to clearly define their best practices and the patterns of behavior you want to replicate and improve upon for your team.

5. To avoid team members becoming stale, switch positions and establish coaches to continue raising the performance bar. Occasionally, let willing and able team members take leadership positions. Encourage team members to go on sabbaticals to learn, help other teams and be of service to others. Your team may become the spawning place for developing team leaders in your organization.

6. Strive to strengthen and add new core competencies. Learners should teach others as the ultimate way to learn. Subject matter experts and core competency carriers should oversee and coach others. The goal is to build and connect “knowledge silos.” A true learning team continuously builds knowledge, skills and competencies.

7. Embrace and welcome change, including team members moving on, new team members coming aboard and changing marketplace conditions.

Outcomes

Teams who practice continuous learning and improvement maintain the “razor’s edge.” It takes due diligence, focus and high energy to maintain “dream team” performance.

In conclusion, these neuroscience solutions will create, build and strengthen “dream team” performance. The four-step formula is:

1. Align team members with a clear and compelling mission, based on high integrity values that resonate and are important to each team player.

2. Define and build team core competencies as the engine for mission and goal success.

3. Align team members’ knowledge and brain strengths with the goals, core competencies and activities of the team.

4. Promote continuous alignment, learning and improvement.

These four steps may be the best and most advanced way to build superior and sustainable teams using neuroscience principles and leveraging the power of the brain.

 
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July 26, 2011

Practical Neuroscience Approach for Homeschooling Parents

Studying

Image by scui3asteveo via Flickr

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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