The Future of Right Brain Thinking and Learning
With the recent release of the latest "Harry Potter," a buzz whizzed around the office of excited whispers and tired eyes, of no one wanting to give away the story, but everyone wanting to share. I know I was one of them—staying up until two with my nose inches from the book hoping that if I was too tired to read, osmosis would kick in. Just one more chapter, I thought. When was the last time you stayed up too late to finish a book because you couldn’t imagine going to sleep without knowing a little more, without understanding why? This excitement should carry over into our work, but often it doesn’t. I often wonder how we can create this buzz or capture it in our workday. A feeling like this creates a connection to work, a desire to be there because you are a part of something larger. Maybe this is the reason "A Whole New Mind," by Dan Pink sparked my attention.
Pink argues that right-brained people will rule the world. No maybes about it. He points out trends across the world and calls this new dawn “The Conceptual Age.” So, what will all the left-brained people do? Well, the premise of the book isn’t about touting Pink’s own right-brained wisdom, but about tapping into that unexplored right-brain region to help all of us see things differently. If you are a left-brainer, he provides some ways to develop your right brain. If you already are a right-brainer, he provides some ways to stimulate that part of the brain even more. Pink breaks it down into six senses—design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning—then shows you ways to develop these creative senses through websites, activities, and role-play. Pink states that since we are moving toward this new age, we must work on developing both sides of the brain. “Both halves play a role in everything we do,” explains Pink.
As a society, we lean toward left-directed thinking or the logical, more concrete thinking as the better half and consider right-directed thinking as something for artists and flightly people. “But this is changing—and it will dramatically reshape our lives,“ states Pink. He then sets up how to use more of our right brain in the workplace. By further developing our right brains, as we shift into the Conceptual Age we will better be able to play an active role in that larger movement.
I find this interesting for two reasons. One, Allen is sponsoring a booth at Elliott Masie’s Learning 2007 conference in October where the theme is “Learning Changes.” The theme is indicative that more people than Pink believe a shift is happening. And two, Pink is speaking at Learning 2007 about reshaping the ways in which we learn. Will Pink’s delivery differ from the others? Will he engage his audience through right brain techniques? And more importantly, if we are moving toward a Conceptual Age, how will this change the face of corporate learning?
Pink argues that right-brained people will rule the world. No maybes about it. He points out trends across the world and calls this new dawn “The Conceptual Age.” So, what will all the left-brained people do? Well, the premise of the book isn’t about touting Pink’s own right-brained wisdom, but about tapping into that unexplored right-brain region to help all of us see things differently. If you are a left-brainer, he provides some ways to develop your right brain. If you already are a right-brainer, he provides some ways to stimulate that part of the brain even more. Pink breaks it down into six senses—design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning—then shows you ways to develop these creative senses through websites, activities, and role-play. Pink states that since we are moving toward this new age, we must work on developing both sides of the brain. “Both halves play a role in everything we do,” explains Pink.
As a society, we lean toward left-directed thinking or the logical, more concrete thinking as the better half and consider right-directed thinking as something for artists and flightly people. “But this is changing—and it will dramatically reshape our lives,“ states Pink. He then sets up how to use more of our right brain in the workplace. By further developing our right brains, as we shift into the Conceptual Age we will better be able to play an active role in that larger movement.
I find this interesting for two reasons. One, Allen is sponsoring a booth at Elliott Masie’s Learning 2007 conference in October where the theme is “Learning Changes.” The theme is indicative that more people than Pink believe a shift is happening. And two, Pink is speaking at Learning 2007 about reshaping the ways in which we learn. Will Pink’s delivery differ from the others? Will he engage his audience through right brain techniques? And more importantly, if we are moving toward a Conceptual Age, how will this change the face of corporate learning?
Labels: "A Whole New Mind", Dan Pink, Right brainers
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