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NeuroLeadership Summit 2009: Speakers and topics

Here's a list of speakers from the brochure (linked to below):

• Daniel Siegel – author of best seller ‘The Developing Mind’, co-director of UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center
• Warren Bennis – one of the greats of leadership development
• Werner Erhard – founding father of transformational leadership
• Jonah Lehrer – neuroscientist and author of recent bestseller ‘How We Decide’
• Marco Iacoboni – leading mirror neuron researcher
• Naomi Eisenberger – leading social neuroscience researcher
• Yi-Yuan Tang – leading attention researcher
• Matthew Lieberman – founding father of social neuroscience
• Evian Gordon – leading brain researcher, building world’s largest database of brain research
• John Joseph – expert on teaching kids about the brain
• Dr Al Ringleb – Director, CIMBA Business School, Italy, co-founder, NeuroLeadership Institute
• David Rock – author and global leadership consultant, co-founder, NeuroLeadership Institute

And some of the topics to be covered:

• Mindfulness and the integrated brain
• How we make decisions
• The neuroscience of flow
• Making decisions in groups
• Emotional regulation and the brain
• The neuroscience of motivation
• How we know each other
• The social brain
• Learning from the masters of change
• Making leadership development stick

More in this NeuroLeadership Summit brochure [pdf].

More about embodied cognition: Moving your body helps you solve problems

I find embodied cognition of great interest, and am glad practical applications are being found. (A previous post about embodied cognition.) From Body movements can influence problem solving, researchers report (Science Blog):

"Our manipulation is changing the way people think," said University of Illinois psychology professor Alejandro Lleras ... . "In other words, by directing the way people move their bodies, we are - unbeknownst to them - directing the way they think about the problem."

...

"The results are interesting both because body motion can affect higher order thought, the complex thinking needed to solve complicated problems, and because this effect occurs even when someone else is directing the movements of the person trying to solve the problem," Lleras said.

The new findings offer new insight into what researchers call "embodied cognition," which describes the link between body and mind, Lleras said.

"People tend to think that their mind lives in their brain, dealing in conceptual abstractions, very

Mediators and other conflict professionals, here's the new Web site for The Center for Understanding in Conflict

As many of you know, I am an ardent proponent of understanding-based mediation. Therefore, I was very pleased to see the new Web site for The Center for Understanding in Conflict. The Center and its sister organization The Center for Mediation in Law were co-founded by Gary Friedman and Jack Himmelstein. Gary and Jack wrote the book on the understanding-based model of mediation entitled Challenging Conflict: Mediation Through Understanding. The book was co-winner of the 2008 Outstanding Book Award given by CPR International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution. Highly recommended reading!

Click on over to the new site to learn more about their programs, model, philosophy, and people.

Another myth: It takes 21 days to make or break a habit

So often I read and hear statements that it takes 21 days to create a good habit or get rid of a bad one. That assertion is typically accompanied by words such as "research shows" or "we know" or "psychologists say." The problem: there is no such research. This is a myth that seems to be traceable to the book Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz, first published in 1960. Maltz cited no research for the 21 days; that it takes 21 days to change was based on his observations and was anecdotal.

And now look at what has happened! This notion has become gospel. Widespread gospel. Search at Amazon on "21 days" and this morning you will find over 53,000 titles.

Making and breaking habits is very individual. Doing either varies according to many factors, including age, habit, situation, support, surroundings, and more. Basically what you are doing is engaging in self-directed neuroplasicity (SDN), creating new synapses and dulling old ones with your thoughts and actions. It would be nice if SDN always took 21 days but it does not.

I am now going to commit the sin of using anecdotal data because I think it shows that the experience of others

Blog Glob: "Brain exercises are 'waste of time'"

Excerpt from "Brain exercises are 'waste of time'" (The Observer):

Brain exercises, such as those taught to thousands of schoolchildren or advertised on television to adults as a way to prevent dementia, are a waste of time and money, a neuroscientist has claimed.

...

The Professor of Human Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Edinburgh [Sergio Della Sala] will next month attempt to expose many of the most common myths in a speech at the university's inaugural Christmas Lecture, when he will become the first recipient of the Tam Dalyell Prize for Excellence in Engaging the Public with Science.

'There are all kinds of myths that surround the brain. Some are passed on in good faith, some are funny and have been made up by pranksters, while others are designed with commercial reasons in mind - these are the most dangerous,' said Della Sala.

...

'Another typical myth is that we only use 10 per cent of our brains. Logically that means we can 

No, people do NOT remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they see, etc. : Another myth floating around the training industry

A discussion of some of the myths believed and taught by trainers has recently appeared on the Training-Ideas listserv (6573 members as of this minute). Long-time readers may recall that I post about these myths when I learn of them. For example:

• Visual, auditory, kinesthetic: Let's not assume VAK is true
• What is the biggest communication myth? Perhaps this one [looking at the Mehrabian myth]
• Debunking another myth: The goal-setting of the Yale class of 1953

As a result of this listserv discussion, I came upon a very complete and well-researched expose of the myth about what people learn and retain. From Will at Work Learning:

People do NOT remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they see, 30% of what they hear, etc. That information, and similar pronouncements are fraudulent. Moreover, general statements on the effectiveness of learning methods are not credible---learning results depend on too many variables to enable such precision. Unfortunately, this bogus information has been floating around our field for decades, crafted by many different authors and presented in many different configurations, including bastardizations of Dale's Cone. The rest of this article offers more detail.

Over the last several years, I have learned to question and research everything I include in my training and writing. It is hard to remain vigilant though because so many of these sacred cows are tossed out of trainers' mouths. Warning: Question everything your hear from trainers, consultants, and speakers, especially if the "fact" is a gem that is supposedly based on research. Search for the research before you echo the findings.

Image credit: o0o0xmods0o0o.

Learning about perception from magicians: Think this information relates to negotiation, persuasion, even bias and prejudice? I do

In an earlier post Looking at something doesn't mean we see it: Will becoming a magician improve your negotiation skills?, I looked at what magicians are teaching neuroscientists about perception. (That post has several later-added related links.) For those of you interested in this topic and what we are learning from magicians, here's a new article from Scientific American: "Magic and the Brain: How Magicians 'Trick' the Mind." Amazing how easily we can be tricked, isn't it?

Image credit: FreeFoto.com.

Stressed out by the bailout (or by anything else)? Duke Integrative Medicine offering free online classes in mindfulness

I learned at A Highly Placed Source that Duke and eMindful.com are offering courses at no charge on mindfulness through October 10. From  AHPS's post Help for People Stressed by Wall Street Financial Crisis:

Free online classes in stress reduction for people affected by the recent events in the financial markets are being offered by eMindful.com, a web-based mindfulness training resource, and Duke Integrative Medicine. Developed and taught by researchers at Duke Integrative Medicine, these classes are conducted in virtual classrooms where students can see, hear, and interact with live teachers and other students. Entering the virtual classroom is simple - and no software is required! Even novice computer users have easily accessed and enjoyed the eMindful classes.
...

The free classes will begin on Saturday, September 27th, and will be available periodically until October 10th at no charge. The courses are interactive and offer experiential exercises utilizing the techniques learned in class. Class times can be found at: http://www.emindful.com/schedules/MBSR.html

There was a time in the not-too-distant past where people lent a hand to each other just because… eMindful and Duke Integrative Medicine would like to lend that hand now.

The courses are called "Five Good Minutes Class for those affected by the Financial Crisis," "Learning to Manage Stress with Mindfulness Class for those affected by the Financial Crisis," and "Two-Hour Stress Reduction Class for those affected by the Financial Crisis."

How nice of them to provide this service! I have a feeling these classes will fill up quickly. If you are interested, you may want to register very soon.

Two upcoming dispute resolution conferences

From the Alternative Dispute Resolution listserv come announcements of two conferences, both sponsored by the Werner Institute at Creighton University.

June 3 - 5, 2008 International Conference on Creating Cultures of Engagement in Health Care

This forum provides an opportunity for us to envision a new way of working together. Building on successful strategies and guiding principles used by conflict engagement specialists, collaborative lawyers, and dispute resolution professionals experienced in working with innovative health care organizations, attendees will learn effective techniques that foster collaboration in health care environments around the world.

June 5 - 7, 2008 International Conference on Chaos, Complexity & Conflict

This first-of-its-kind-conference will focus on applying chaos theory, complexity and emergence to the field of conflict resolution. Experts on complexity studies will come together with practitioners and educators of alternative dispute resolution. Together we will discuss how an understanding of complexity can bring the field of conflict resolution to a higher level. This interactive conference will focus on the integration of theory and real world applications for practitioners of alternative dispute resolution who are working with complex organizations.

Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School—A heady success

Not a day goes by lately when I do not see mention on blogs of the new book Brain Rules. The praise often includes the Web site created by the book's author Dr. John Medina. Coert Visser at Solution Focused Change writes:

Dr. Medina's website is an impressive display of modern day book promotion. There are video's, there's a blog, there are links to reviews and articles, and there is more.

At Neuroanthropology, Greg Downey commented on the site and also complimented Medina on his accessible way of presenting information .

The website contains a wealth of Flash-based audio-visual elements from the book, bibliography, graphics, and a host of other resources. I’m struck by several things about it; first, Medina is very savvy — he’s pitched this book brilliantly for a general audience. I don’t mean that as a backhanded compliment; in fact, it’s something that I aspire to in my own writing, and it’s educational to see such a good practitioner. Second, he’s done a great job of distilling some complicated ideas into bullet-point amenable, succinct statements.

Alvaro Fernandez at SharpBrains earlier this week posted an article by Medina which will give you the flavor of the book.

Interested in a good, non-technical, summary of the implications of recent brain science in our daily lives? Biologist John Medina offers that in his article below (as part of our Author Speaks Series) and in his new book: Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School. Enjoy!

Matt Homann at the [non]billable hour explained his favorite of the 12 rules presented in the book.

I especially liked Rule # 10: Vision Trumps All Other Senses, and it contains this rule of thumb for presenters:

You'll get 3x better recall for visual information than for oral. And you'll get 6x better recall for information that's simultaneously oral and visual.

Hey, Matt? Have you read The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures by Dan Roam? I think you are going to love it!

I am reading Brain Rules and will tell you more when I have finished. So far, I have enjoyed it thoroughly. Have you read it yet?

Note (added March 30, 2008, 8:50 PM Mountain): Click for a BusinessWeek article which includes The Back of the Napkin titled "Doodling for Profits."

Here's another article on The Back of the Napkin: "Pictures aid communication, book argues." And the "lost chapter" of the book: "The 10-1/2 Commandments of Visual Thinking." (pdf)