Tag: adult learning principles


We Are Drawn To Effortless Education Which Results In Temporary, Fleeting Illusions Of Grandeur

There are no shortcuts to learning. Yet, we believe there are. We rush to see the top 20 tips in 60 minutes. Or the six best pointers an expert has learned from their own success. Our brains love lists. And our brains will take the easy route to alleged learning anytime. The Illusion Of Knowing … [Read more…]

Is Your Success Dependent Upon Proving You Are Smart Or Learning?

I don’t divide the world into the weak and the strong, or successes and failures… I divide the world into learners and non-learners. ~ Sociologists Benjamin Barber. Your Drive To Learn All babies are eager to learn says Stanford professor, neuroscience researcher and author Dr. Carol Dweck. “You never see an unmotivated baby,” she says. … [Read more…]

Speakers: Covering Content Actually Obscures Understanding

Education is one way to improve ourselves personally and professionally. Whenever we find ourselves lacking knowledge, understanding or skills for a specific job task, we take a class. Or attend a conference. Or participate in a webinar. Or read a book. Sounds really simple. Right? Well, it’s not. The challenge with most education is our … [Read more…]

Your Conference Needs To Offer Transformational Learning Not Informational Learning

Which word describes the type of conference education sessions you prefer to attend? Pick one. Informed or transformed? The Best Learning At Conferences For me, I want to be more than just informed. I can be informed by reading information online. I don’t need to travel to a conference to become informed. I prefer a … [Read more…]

You Must Recruit The Powerhouse Of Your Attendees’ Brains For Real Engagement

Have you ever had a slap-your-forehead-duh-moment? Without realizing it, you have literally tapped, one of the most important regions of your brain: the prefrontal cortex (PFC). It’s the area directly behind your forehead. The PFC is a powerhouse region of your brain. It controls whether your attendees are engaged at your event. You need to … [Read more…]

Time To Face This Ironic Truth: We Do Not Learn From Experience

There, I said it. People do not learn from experience. You may think you learn from experience but… People only learn from reflecting on their experience. That’s the point author, facilitator and educator Sivasailam “Thiagi” Thiagarajan drives home in his writings and workshops. The Key To Learning From An Experience If people learn from experience, … [Read more…]

Confusion And Brain Strain Are Freakish Factors Required To Learn

Whenever possible the brain operates on autopilot. That’s why for example you can fold laundry while having a conversation. Your brain goes on autopilot to fold clothes so you can focus your thinking on the conversation. When you do something over and over again, your brain picks up the pattern and reverts to autopilot. This … [Read more…]

All Brains Use These Four Things To Survive Conference Experiences

We are born with the capacity for fear and pleasure. Unfortunately, we are not born with the knowledge of what to fear. Or what gives pleasure. We learn those things. Our Brain’s Four Wants At A Conference Our brains survive most conference experiences. Regardless how good or how bad they are. It is rare to … [Read more…]

Snack Bite-Size Learning Rules The Roost At Conferences

Blogger Karla Gutierrez gives five reasons why bite-size learning works at Shift’s eLearning blog. Here’s one key point all conference organizers and speakers should know and implement: Chunk Content In 10 Min Sections Bite-size learning as well as bite-size instruction improves an attendee’s psychological engagement. It prevents cognitive overload and mental burnout. It also encourages … [Read more…]

Cheat Sheet: Using Group Talk As Discussions For Conference Education

The evidence is loud and clear that peer discussions are more effective than lectures if memory and knowledge retention, attitude, behavior and skill change, and learning are the goals. Just dividing a traditional lecture into 10 minute chunks and then giving the audience two to ten-minute breaks for time for discussion increases learning. How Discussions … [Read more…]