idealawg

Even if you think these tests are silly, see if you learn anything by taking this one

Many years ago, in my more airy fairy days, I took a 5-day class up at Boulder's Naropa which included a day with anthropologist Angeles Arrien. I liked her, and still do. One of the topics in her presentation was a test that utilized five shapes: circle, triangle, cross, square, and spiral. We ranked them in order of most to least preferred and she taught us a way we might learn from our rankings. Click to see how she would analyze your choices.

Something intriguing about the test were the discussions that followed the test analysis. Those of us who learned the five universal shapes returned to our various settings and asked friends and colleagues to do the shape ranking. The conversations that resulted were fun, provocative, and sometimes even enlightening. The thoughts and observations flowing from the test are likely its value, not the literal interpretation. Take it and let me know what you think.

Click to watch Arrien talking about the shape test and these symbols that show up consistently across cultures.

Upcoming teleseminar: What Neuroscience Can Teach Us About Teaching

This televent will be held Friday, September 23, 2011 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM (GMT). From the Web page:

Recent brain research shows that different circuits are called upon in the brain for different activities such as math, music and reading. In addition, learning and practicing particular skills can cause corresponding areas in the brain to grow or change by adding a tiny fraction of the brain’s neural circuitry and eliminating old ones. Imaging technologies are helping map the circuits and study variability among children with learning difficulties. Moreover, recent research is providing insight into attention systems in the brain and is shedding light on how we plan, initiate, organize, and most importantly, inhibit certain behaviours. This workshop contributes to this dialogue by summarising what we already know about the learning process in the brain and suggests how it might inform the teaching/learning process in the classroom using approaches such as problem-based learning

Click to read the rest and to register. There is no fee.

"Creating Tomorrow’s Leaders: the Expanding Roles of Millennials in the Workplace"

Excerpt:

For nearly a decade, the leading edge of the Millennial generation – also referred to as Gen Y - has been entering the workplace in growing numbers. Their arrival has spawned books and articles which describe their generational characteristics, offer advice on how to retain and manage these younger workers, and provide guidance on ways to foster collaborative intergenerational teamwork.

Even as employers focus on ways to attract and retain today’s younger workers, they must also begin to prepare for the next imminent challenge: guiding Millennials into leadership roles. To successfully accomplish this will require capitalizing on the Millennials’ generational strengths and helping them overcome perceived weaknesses.

Introduction to Millennials

It is important to begin any analysis of generational distinctions by noting that there can be variations among members of the same generation just as there are differences between the generations. This briefing analyzes some generalized characteristics of Millennials that can be helpful as we develop this generation into successful leaders.

Click to read the rest of "Creating Tomorrow’s Leaders" [pdf] (Boston College Center for Work & Family).

"How to pay no mind to the rantings and ravings of the mind": Nice overview of some of the mindfulness efforts down under

Excerpt:

VIRTUALLY overnight, mindfulness has hit the mainstream. Once a niche therapeutic tool, it is now taught to athletes, primary school students, cancer patients, the anorexic, the obese, corporate lawyers, prisoners, bankers and medical undergraduates. In short: anyone and everyone.

The truth about mindfulness is that its proponents have been spreading the word for a long time. Thousands of years, in fact. But as Western science has started endorsing many of the techniques of Eastern orthodoxies, mindfulness has crossed over from fad to commonplace.

...

It's a skill that needs practice, but once mastered may have many applications, psychologists say. At Monash, Dr [Craig] Hassed has overseen the inclusion of mindfulness training into the medical curriculum - a world first, he says - saying that it offers benefits to the students as well as their future patients.

Click to read the rest of "How to pay no mind to the rantings and ravings of the mind" (The Age).

Part 2 of "What Great Writers Can Teach Lawyers and Judges: Wisdom from Plato to Mark Twain to Stephen King"

Click to read the second of this two-part article from the Texas State Bar Journal. Click to read Part 1.

"Southern District Taps Law Students for Role in Court Mediation Program"

Excerpt:

The Southern District has enlisted three area law schools in a new program that will give participating students a practical exercise in client advocacy and managing expectations and help the court cope with an expected upsurge in mediations.

Under the supervision of their professors, approximately 30 students at New York Law School, Seton Hall Law School and Brooklyn Law School will represent about 20 employment discrimination plaintiffs in court-referred mediations. They will meet with clients to ascertain their goals, prepare mediation statements and conduct negotiations before volunteer mediators. If a resolution is reached, the students will also help draft the settlement agreement. However, students will not represent plaintiffs in litigation if the mediation is unsuccessful.

Click to read the rest of "Southern District Taps Law Students for Role in Court Mediation Program" (New York Law Journal).

H/T: ADR Times.

Life after law: 2 more yogattorneys

Former securities lawyer YuMee Chung is the first yogattorney in today's post. Click to read more about her. Excerpt:

Padmani (YuMee Chung) is a former securities lawyer who left behind a busy practice to engage more deeply with life. In 2002, she opened what would become the first Jivamukti Yoga studio in Canada and co-directed the studio for five years. In 2005, she conceived of and launched the Passport to Prana, which now operates in more than 20 North American cities. She has taught and spoken at national yoga conferences and she completed a tour of 19 North American cities with DJ medicineman. Today, she is a yoga teacher, entrepreneur and spiritual seeker.

And next up is Stuart Dean. He says:

I have been practicing and teaching many Asian mind/body techniques for over 40 years.  I have degrees from Tulane and Cornell and worked as a corporate attorney at a major Wall Street law firm and was Associate General Counsel at a major investment bank. 

H/T for Stuart: Susannah Breslin at Forbes.

Image credit: Padmani.

"How Does the Brain Work?" at NOVA scienceNOW-PBS Video

Click to "Explore the psychology of magic tricks, magnetic wands, artificial intelligence, and more" at PBS.

"Reminders of Money Elicit Feelings of Threat and Reactance to Social Influence"

Abstract:

When consumers are reminded of money, do they conform, shrug off, or react against others’ attempts to influence them? Prior research on reminders of money suggests that either of the last two outcomes is probable. The current research proposed that the self-sufficient motivation induced by money reminders causes consumers to perceive social influences as threats to their autonomy. We predicted that consumers reminded of money would deviate from social influence, an effect that would be caused by feeling threatened. Across three experiments, money-primed participants behaved opposite to the source of influence, displaying reactance stemming from heightened feelings of threat. However, this reactance response was eliminated when money-primed participants were not personally invested in a decision; consequently, they showed indifference in the face of social influence. Hence, reminders of money boost the motivation to be autonomous and sensitize consumers to potential constraints on their personal decision-making freedom.

Click to read more of the article (Journal of Consumer Research) and References.

Lives after law: Lawyer turned actress now teaching improvisational skills, another lawyer featured in HOUSE BEAUTIFUL

Excerpt from an article in chestnutlocal.com about one non-practicing lawyer's story:

Improvisation. Acting on the free flow of thought. Such a concept is often associated with jazz, different types of theater and other various art forms. But whether you are playing basketball, and the man the play is designed for has just slipped, or cooking and you are missing a spice, improvisation is present in our everyday lives in ways we may not realize.

Chestnut Hill resident Tema Feuer Esberg has been studying and performing improvisation and socio-drama on stage and film for the past 26 years. She has performed on stage throughout the Philadelphia area and in films.

In fact, it can also be used to teach self-improvement and conflict-resolution. For the past