What if leaders, managers and human resource professionals could understand what’s going on inside people’s heads? What if teachers and parents had access to this same information?
Twelve Rules About the Brain for the Brain
Brain science has new answers about what’s going on up there, and John Medina makes this knowledge accessible in Brain Rules. Medina, a molecular biologist, gives the reader 12 principles for understanding how our minds function. He writes in plain English, with real world examples, entertaining stories and a terrific sense of humor.
Medina explains what we pay attention to and why; how we remember, learn, work under stress; and why vision trumps all other senses. Medina also explains that despite all the hoopla, we don’t really multi-task but move rapidly from one mental process to another, and while we do so, our cognitive abilities deteriorate. We actually perform worse.
Brains Like Motion
In rule one Medina takes on a short journey through human evolution to illustrate that the brain is designed to function best when we are in motion, not while we are seated and definitely not while on our butts eight hours a day. This principle can be used to re-create corporate meetings and to re-design meeting spaces.
Brains Give You Nine Seconds to Get Their Attention
Rules about attention determine we have at most nine seconds to grab mind-share and another 10 minutes to make our point. Then we must do something to re-engage our listeners because if we don’t, at 10 minutes and 1 second we will lose them. Have a question about how to get your most important message across? Medina explains how to craft stories and where to place relevant examples with emotional charge such that people remember your key points.
Got Brains? Get the Book
Brain Rules is not a how to book but a series of principles for and about the thinking brain. You may want to use yours to read this book, possibly while standing up. You will be better and do better for the read.
To order Brain Rules click the link in the right hand column. Please note, I am an Amazon Associate and receive a small stipend when you order this book from my website. Also please note my professional reputation is worth way more than this stipend, so I list only those books that I believe are of value to my clients and colleagues.