A few years ago, my husband, an engineer, was hunting for a job. It’s grueling when you’re over 50 and trying to find a job in high tech.

After a particularly frustrating day, he came into my office looking completely stressed out. I asked, “What’s wrong?” He said, “I’m an engineer. I’ve done coding, I’ve been VP of engineering, I’ve managed projects. This application wants me to write an essay about what assets I might bring to the company.

“I’ve been working in the field for over 20 years. How am I supposed to describe that in 500 words?”

His dilemma is one that people of any age and career level have faced. How do you condense what you know, and what you can do, into a short statement? How do you put together a concise resume that communicates the essence of your professional life? Or even, God forbid, an elevator statement?

Use Solution Mapping to Power Through Mental Roadblocks

A really common riddle that productivity coaches use to describe handling a big project is, “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer, they say as they waggle their eyebrows, is “One bite at a time.”

They don’t have a clever answer for the next question from the person who actually has to complete that project: “Which part of the elephant? Where do I start?”

The straightforward answer is this: use solution mapping to figure out where you’re going to start and what you’re going to do.

Solution mapping is a tool for problem solving, strategy, idea creation, and knowledge sharing. It’s great for finding ways around bumps in the road for just about any project of any size.

Don’t Know How to Start That Job Application Essay, Blog Post, or Article?

Starting the writing process is the most difficult part for most people. We learned how to organize our writing in school, but working that linear outline and starting with the introductory sentence is torturously slow for many of us.

Why? Because some of us are not linear thinkers or the words just don’t flow for us in sentence format all at once. Different people, learners, and writers work differently. Sometimes our working memory is so full of what we might write, we can’t seem to get started with the process of writing. That’s what we call, “writer’s block!”

Thankfully, there is a better way.

By using a simple Solution Mapping variation: clustering writing strategy, and starting with what we know, we can write more effectively, more quickly, and with much less anxiety and frustration.

Detailed instructions are explained here. I’d love to hear from you if you try this strategy and it works for you!

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Discovery time can spawn major innovation and happier employees — but only if you do it right.

Instituting “discovery time” in the workplace can be a game changer for organizations in competitive industries that are looking for the next disruptive idea. Discovery time is a set period of time during the workday for employees to innovate and create outside of their current workload. But if it’s not implemented with the employee in mind, you may not get the results you’re hoping for.

I’ve worked with more than one CEO who implemented discovery time in the workplace but told me that it wasn’t working. Employees weren’t taking that allotted time. Or, if they did take that time, they didn’t spend it being productive. They didn’t see an increase in innovation or creative problem solving. Why did it work for other companies, but not for theirs?

The Problem Isn’t What You Think It is!

In every case where discovery time wasn’t yielding results, the problem wasn’t the employee. The problem was the way the program was implemented.

That’s because creativity doesn’t fit into a box. Think about it this way; when you’re trying to come up with a creative solution to a problem, do you find that solution when you’re forcing your brain to think about it? Or is it more likely that the solution arrives when you’re not concentrating on it?

You Can’t Force Innovation

The creative spark hits at weird times. Maybe when you’re hitting the snooze button on your alarm clock early in the morning. When you’re in the shower, or on your commute to work. Suddenly, the solution to the problem you’re struggling with presents itself, when it is the last thing on your mind.

Our brains solve problems when we are able to detach from external stimuli and activity. When we get rid of the constraints of regimented activity, like going to the office and attending the same meetings every day, our mind is free to flow where it will. Often, we are able to solve problems we have been struggling with.

Our Brain Has Default Settings?

Neuroanatomists call this detachment time the “default network.” It’s the part of our brain that works on solutions to gnarly problems. This is described in detail by Adam Waytz and Malia Mason in, “Your Brain at Work” (Harvard Business Review Special Issue, January 2019, pp. 12–13).

The “default network” is what some people describe as the part of the brain that can achieve transcendence. It’s the place we can go to in a daydream — we can imagine ourselves in a different place. We may not even be aware of where we are, or any specific problem or idea that we’re thinking about. We let ourselves go and let our brain flow. We let our thoughts flow.

I Get My Best Ideas When I’m not Racking My Brain

The problem with discovery time is that, often, employees are trying to find solutions within a finite, scheduled period of time. They are being forced to think directly about the problem and come up with ideas and solutions. Plus, they’re often distracted by external stimuli like their phones or emails. These interruptions are all factors that block creativity. Doctors pointed this out in his article, “Unleashing Employee Creativity: What Matters Most in Sustaining Creativity Engagement?” (Northwestern University, March 2013)

That’s exactly what we don’t want. We want employees to be able to turn off their email, put away their phones, and stop thinking about the problems and their solutions. We want them to relax, experience the moment, and let their brains flow. That is when their brains will be able to start the process of free association, of ideas and information, that is intrinsic to the “default network” concept. They’ll process the information that employees already have and allow innovative ideas to bubble up to the surface.

That’s when they’ll have the “a-ha” moments, after they walk away from the challenge or the problem and leave their brain alone for a few minutes.

Creating an Innovation Friendly Atmosphere

Creating the kind of atmosphere where the employees can let themselves go and allow their brains to relax is a problem. Some of the biggest tech companies in the world are grappling with this issue. It’s why Google installed “nap pods” and recreated sidewalk cafes and pubs inside their offices, so employees can relax when they need to. “You can’t schedule innovation, you can’t schedule idea generation,” Google’s David Radcliffe told CBS News in a 2013 article. The company even considers color schemes in its building designs that help employees relax, focus, and create.

Not every company has the resources that Google does. And now, when so many employees are working remotely from their home office, it’s even more challenging. Companies that are truly committed to helping their employees discover solutions and new innovations must find ways to help them tune out and turn off for a few minutes.

As a leader, suggest ways that employees can recharge their mental batteries in any available space. Create a “meditation corner” for employees to recharge. Or let them simply step away from their desk and exercise, read a book, or play a video game. Further, model that behavior as a leader by pledging to take discovery time and following through. It will not only encourage employees to follow your behavior, it will allow you to decide whether your implementation of discovery time is actually helpful.

Safe, Secure, and Empowered — Key Factors in Learning and Innovation

Teams need to feel safe, secure and empowered. Foster an environment — both in the office and remotely — where employees are allowed to disconnect and recharge. The boost in brain power — and in problem solving and innovation — will surprise you.

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Do you believe that you’re just average? Would you like to achieve more in your life, but don’t know how? Did you know it’s possible to get smarter overnight? Sometimes letting your smart shine is more about how you learn, not how smart you are. It’s about what you do to bring out your smarter self.

When I was in high school, I did not think I was smart. I looked at the kids who got straight A’s and wished that I was like them. I figured some people were born smart. The rest of us were less than. I was wrong.

I did not think that I could improve my intelligence. It is hard for me to focus. I’m a terribly slow reader, and memorizing information for tests was not a strength of mine. I still have difficulty with multiple-choice tests because I can always see several angles of a question. I didn’t get straight A’s like the smart kids.

Accepting that I was average, I went on to college scared to death that I would fail. I was so afraid someone would figure out that I was not smart enough to be there.

One question changed my life

Then, with one question, Dr. Blakeslee changed my life. He was preparing for certification to administer the Stanford-Binet Intelligence test and needed to practice. He asked me if I would be willing to help him out and take the test. I agreed, but I was afraid he was the one. He was the one who was going to find out that I was not smart enough to be in college.

I held my breath when he called me in to share the results. To my surprise, I scored in the high average range. He was puzzled because I correctly answered some exceedingly difficult questions, yet, got two easy questions wrong. I would have scored in the superior range if I had not missed the two easier questions. He said, “I don’t understand how you could get this difficult question but miss these easy ones.”

The fact that I got easy questions wrong did not surprise me. It was the story of my school life. That’s why I thought I was not smart.

But again, I was wrong about myself. I was smart, but I didn’t realize it. The way I learned was not aligned with the way schools test, grade, and measure students.

Dr. Blakeslee changed my life with that test. Once I realized I was smart, nothing would stop me from figuring out how I learned best. I threw out study methods I was taught in school that did not work for me and figured out what worked for my brain.

I learned how to get smarter overnight. The first step was believing I was smart enough to learn.

Since my college days, I’ve dedicated my life’s work to education. Through extensive research, I found ways to help others learn fast and achieve more. Average is no longer an option. Reaching your highest potential is possible. And guess what? It’s not that hard! Once you know how to get smarter overnight, you’ll achieve more than you ever thought possible!

Five ways to get smarter

To help you get started, I’m going to share five tips to learn fast and achieve more:

1. Use technology that’s available to you. Technology will help you be more efficient and save you time with your learning. For example, use the Video Speed Controller browser plug-in to speed up or slow down webinars. This can save you hours! I find listening to webinars at 1.75 speed also helps me stay focused.
2. Find alternative sources to learn information. Often, the way information is presented is not how you learn best. Find the information somewhere else. Because of the internet, we have access to infinite amounts of information! Find videos on YouTube, or other classes on-line that present the topic in the way you learn best. Find infographics on the topic by searching Google Images. If you are a hands-on learner, ask someone to show you! Don’t be afraid to deviate from the canned program to get a better understanding of the topic! Of course, be certain to ensure that your source is credible.
3. When you’re taking in information, make sure to record key takeaways. Sometimes, we’re overwhelmed with the quantity of content. Stop often and jot down key points. Better yet, record the most important things using your phone’s voice recorder. Writing or speaking key points will help you to remember them.
4. Create a focus friendly environment. Distraction is the killer of focus. I understand it’s often harder to do during this COVID-19 environment. If you are working remotely, you might be dealing with challenging circumstances. Possibly, the entire family is home, you’re homeschooling your children, or household tasks are beckoning. I recommend investing in noise cancelling headphones. It’s amazing how much difference they will make in your ability to focus!
5. Build in the time to reflect on what you’ve learned. Give yourself some time to let your brain process what you’ve learned. Take time to move. Take a walk around the house, or if you’re at work around the building. Walk outside. Fresh air does wonders. Do something to give yourself quiet time to reflect on your learning.

Ten tips to Shock Your Potential

By uncovering how your brain takes in information, you’ll learn faster. Do what works for you to reach your highest potential. You’ll get smarter overnight!Listen to my guest episode, Learn Fast and Achieve More in Your Career, on the Shock Your Potential Podcast. Podcast host, Michael Sherlock and I discuss my top ten tips on the topic. I invite you to listen here: https://www.shockyourpotential.com/2020/10/08/learn-fast-achieve-more-in-your-career-susan-fitzell/

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For Verbal/Linguistic Learners

These learners learn by saying, hearing and seeing words. They can easily memorize names, dates, places and trivia. To help verbal/linguistic learners:

• Use descriptive language.

• Have them study by reading, writing, telling stories, playing word games and working with jokes and riddles.

• They are good at creating imaginary worlds.

• Create crossword puzzles for practice at www.puzzlemaker.com

For Logical/Mathematical Learners

These learners are adept at categorizing, classifying and working with abstract patterns and relationships. They work well with reasoning, numbers, abstractions, logic, problem-solving and moving from the concrete to the abstract.

• Compare and contrast ideas.

• Create a timeline.

• Classify concepts/objects/materials.

• Read or design maps.

• Use a Venn diagram to explain…

• Teach using technology

For Bodily/Kinesthetic Learners

The brain’s motor cortex, which controls bodily motion, is the key to the intelligence of bodily/kinesthetic learners. These learners process knowledge through bodily sensations and need to touch, move and interact with space.

• Create hands-on projects.

• Conduct hands-on experiments.

• Create human sculptures to illustrate situations.

• Reenact great moments from history.

• Make task or puzzle cards for…

For Visual/Spatial Learners

Visual/spatial learners rely on their sense of sight and the ability to visualize an object.

• They create – Make a visual organizer or memory model of the material being learned.

• Graph the results of a survey or a course of study.

• Create posters or flyers.

• Create collages.

• Draw maps.

• Color-code the process of…

For Musical/Rhythmic Learners

Musical/rhythmic learners recognize tonal patterns. For optimal learning, suggest that they hum or sing the information they want to grasp or have them move their bodies while they study.

• Create “raps” (key dates, math and poems) or write new lyrics to a song so that it explains…

• Identify social issues through lyrics.

• Analyze different historical periods through their music.

• Make up sounds for different math operations or processes.

• Use music to enhance the learning of…

For Interpersonal Learners

Person-to-person relationships and communication are necessary for interpersonal learners. They study and work best with others.

• Analyze the relationships in a story.

• Review material/concepts/books orally.

• Discuss/debate controversial issues.

• Find relationships between objects, cultures and situations.

• Role-play a conversation with an important historical figure.

• Solve complex word problems in a group.

• Peer Tutor the subject being learned.

For Intrapersonal Learners

Almost the exact opposite of interpersonal learners, intrapersonal learners thrive when working alone. Self-paced instruction and individualized projects work best with these students. Suggest that intrapersonal learners keep a daily journal, as their thoughts are directed inward. They have a great degree of self-understanding and they rely deeply on their instincts.

• Keep a journal to demonstrate learning.

• Analyze historical personalities.

• Imagine being a character in history, a scientist discovering a cure or a mathematician working on a theory and describe or write about what you imagine to demonstrate learning.

For Naturalist Learners

Naturalist learners observe and understand the organized patterns in the natural world. Provide them with visualization activities and hands-on activities that are based on nature. Bring the outdoors into their learning environment whenever possible. Study in ways that call on the naturalist learner’s abilities to measure, map and chart observations of plants and animals.

• Sort and classify content in relation to the natural world.

• Interact with nature through field trips.

• Encourage learning in natural surroundings.

• Categorize facts about…

For more information about study strategies for your student, see Susan Fitzell’s book, Please Help Me With My Homework. Available in both print and electronic versions!

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While each student, and subject, is different and may require different methods for studying and learning, we have included some great ways to help you help your student learn vocabulary.

Vocabulary Study Strategy

1. Choose a vocabulary word
2. Print it on one side of a “flash” card (use index cards, heavy paper cut into strips, etc.)
3. Put a border around it.
4. Ask your child to tell you what he or she thinks it means, so that it draws from things your child already knows
5. Reinforce the correct definition
6. Print the definition on the other side of the “flash” card
7. Stand and act out a movement for the word while spelling it aloud three times!
8. Repeat the process with the next word on the spelling or vocabulary list.

If your child’s teacher requires that he or she write the words three times each in cursive, ask the teacher if your child can write the word two times in cursive and one time printed on a flash card.

Explain that you are better able to help your child using flash cards. Some children will not mind writing the words four times each. My children, however, objected to the extra work and even insisted, “But the teacher says I have to do it THIS way!” So, I made a deal with the teacher to have one set of words on flash cards and the teacher then told my child that it was okay.

Excerpted from Please Help Me With My Homework by Susan Gingras Fitzell.

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Many of the instruction methods and tips that I discuss in my books are “brain-based”, meaning that they are based on the brain’s needs as discovered through brain research.

Renate Nummela Caine and Geoffrey Caine, for example, identified basic patterns of how human beings learn through their brain research. They call these the Twelve Principles of Brain-Based Learning.

Here are 12 principles of brain-compatible learning that have emerged from brain research:

1.      Uniqueness – Every single brain is totally unique and becomes more unique as we age.

2.      A threatening environment or stress can alter and impair learning and even kill brain cells.

3.      Emotions are critical to learning – They drive our attention, health, learning, meaning, and memory.

4.      Information is stored and retrieved through multiple memory and neural pathways that are continually being formed.

5.      All learning is mind-body – Movement, foods, attention cycles, drugs, and chemicals all have powerful modulating effects on learning.

6.      The brain is a complex and adaptive system – Effective change involves the entire complex system.

7.      Patterns and programs drive our understanding – Intelligence is the ability to elicit and to construct useful patterns.

8.      The brain is meaning-driven – Meaning is more important to the brain than information.

9.      Learning is often rich and non-conscious – We process both parts and wholes simultaneously and are affected a great deal by peripheral influences.

10. The brain develops better in concert with other brains – Intelligence is valued in the context of the society in which we live.

11. The brain develops with various stages of readiness.

12. Enrichment – The brain can grow new connections at any age. Complex, challenging experiences with feedback are best. Cognitive skills develop better with music and motor skills.

From Special Needs in the General Classroom: Strategies That Make It Work

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