What Change Are You Trying to Make In People?

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Are You Awakening Possibilities in Others?

Posted on 2012/12/312012/12/31 by Jason Hensel

The year is winding down, and I’m sure many of you are making plans and promises for next year. For example, like many writers, I’m planning on writing more.

However, there is one plan I will work hard at achieving next year, and that is to help awaken possibility in people. No, this isn’t some New Age-Kumbaya goal. It’s simply an effort to help others see how powerful they can be on their own. It’s a positive take on my philosophy that we don’t need hierarchies (in business or life) in order to be productive or better people.

I thought of this resolution yesterday when I was re-watching a classic TED video (embedded below) from musician and conductor Benjamin Zander on the transformative power of classical music. Toward the end of his presentation, he talks about you can tell if you’re awaking another’s spirit.

Now, I had an amazing experience. I was 45 years old, I’d been conducting for 20 years, and I suddenly had a realization. The conductor of an orchestra doesn’t make a sound. My picture appears on the front of the CD, but the conductor doesn’t make a sound. He depends, for his power, on his ability to make other people powerful. And that changed everything for me. It was totally life changing. People in my orchestra came up to me and said, “Ben, what happened?” That’s what happened. I realized my job was to awaken possibility in other people. And of course, I wanted to know whether I was doing that. And you know how you find out? You look at their eyes. If their eyes are shining, you know you’re doing it.

I think we’re all searching for excitement in life and avoiding routine when we can. Perhaps if we all help awaken possibilities in each other, we’ll have much more fulfilled and happier lives. That’s my goal for next year. What’s yours?

(Image via Flickr: Chris James / Creative Commons)

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The Most Popular Posts of 2012

Posted on 2012/12/252012/12/28 by Jason Hensel

I’m a sucker for year-end lists, so I’m going to let you in on what have been my 10 most popular posts of the last year. Judging from this list, I should do more music reviews. Those appear to pull in the page views. Thank you to everyone that has visited.

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Become a Better Writer

Posted on 2012/12/182012/12/19 by Jason Hensel

I have the following poster hanging near my desk. I just need to remember to read it every day.

Like this infographic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger.

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The Value of Discovery

Posted on 2012/12/052012/12/20 by Jason Hensel

The great improvisation teacher Del Close often said that performers should play up to their audiences, that they should treat them like poets and geniuses. This idea, though, shouldn’t be relegated to theater only. It should guide choices for anyone that creates and works with an audience, whether you’re a writer, a teacher, or an event planner.

Because here’s a truth: Like attracts like. If you cater your content for idiots, all you’ll ever get are idiots consuming your content.

Perhaps that’s what you want to do, and if so, great. Keep on keeping on. Personally, I’m unable to go down that path. I’ve always struggle with “write to an eighth-grade level” or “be overt with how it’s applicable to the audience.” To dumb down content, for me, is appalling.

The best part about improvisation is discovery. It’s an incredible feeling when you’re on stage and you discover that your ideas and actions match your co-performers’ ideas and actions. In other words, it’s magical when you hit upon group mind. It’s double magic, wizard-style, when that group mind spreads out into the audience. You can hear audience members gasp when you gasp. You can sense that they know it’s time for a callback at a particular moment and you do, too. And when the show is over, you get a rousing round of applause because everyone, on stage and off, discovered something magical together. The show will be unforgettable for a long time.

You can apply the same idea to writing and reading. In fact, reading is an action. A person may look passive reading a book or magazine, but she’s not. Her brain is making all sorts of connections and working in overdrive to sort out meaning and context. And guess what will make that book or magazine article memorable. Yep, discovery. Actively participating in the reading process, along with the writer who is pouring out info to guide you, makes for a much more fun and enjoyable experience.

You can’t have that, though, if you’re treated like a dummy. For example, consider if William Faulkner started off The Sound and the Fury with “This is a story about the disintegration of Southern values.” That takes the fun and mind growth out of reading it. Isn’t it more interesting and more rewarding as a reader to discover that on your own, to make that connection yourself or talking it out with others?

The question is: Do you want to create content that’s memorable, or do you just want to relay information? The answer depends on who you want as your audience. As I mentioned, if you want to continue with a passive audience, that’s fine. Me, though, I’m sticking with active participants, because through discovery comes change and enlightenment. And, really, this world could use more discoverers.

(Image via Flickr: John Goodridge / Creative Commons)

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Learn a Language Easily Via Memrise

Posted on 2012/12/042012/12/05 by Jason Hensel

I’ve been wanting to learn a new language for months. However, I don’t want to take a in-person class, primarily because of time and money constrictions. I tried out different audio CDs and free online courses, but nothing stuck with me.

Finally, though, I’ve come across one website that has caught my interest. It’s called Memrise, and it makes learning a language fun. My gosh, I just realized how much this post is starting to sound like sales pitch. It’s not, I promise. I just really like the site, and I originally found it via Lifehacker.

Memrise uses a three-prong approach to teaching you languages: science, fun, and community.

“We’re obsessed with using brain science to help you learn faster,” reads the site’s About Us section. “This isn’t a marketing ploy–we’re really experts in this stuff. And from day one we’ve built Memrise to embody the very best knowledge about how your brain works, and so help you learn as quickly and effortlessly as possible. We use ‘mems’ to help you form vivid, sensory memories. We test you continuously, always making sure to give your brain just the right workout. We remind you of what you’ve learned at scientifically optimized times so your memories are always growing stronger, and never forgotten.”

Concerning the fun part: “We want to make learning your favourite playtime activity. That’s how it should be: we learn best when we’re relaxed, curious and confident, and, after all, the world is a very interesting place. So we’ve turned learning facts and language into a game where you grow a colourful garden of memory. You grow and water your memories in a garden of memory, you zoom up the leaderboards, and you learn alongside your mempals. It’s like a guiltless video-game.”

Finally, let’s find out about the community part: “We believe learning should be as rich and varied as the world you’re learning about. So with our community we’re building a kind of multimedia wonderland of learning, where videos, audio, usage, mnemonics, etymologies and much more bring your learning to life. We believe that every learner is partly a teacher, and we hope that once you get started, you’ll soon be supplying little nuggets of wit and wisdom to help the rest of the community as they learn!”

I’ve been interested in learning French for a long time (I’m not sure why), and Memrise has been the most helpful learning site I’ve come across in learning it. There are many other languages and courses available on the site, so I’m sure you’ll find something of interest. Check it out, and please let me know what you think about it in the comments.

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