Learning 2006, Monday morning

Learning 2006 Monday morning. Learning 2006 has about 60 sponsors. Along the back wall, each sponsor has a 3′ wide stand which holds their literature. Every vendor has a cell phone, should you want to connect with them. And the CD in the portfolio has 386 pp. of vendor brochures and white papers.

Sleep disruption. It’s a threat to productivity. See the article in HBR. (Or Marcia’s latest article on the Fast Company site.)

Dave Hopla, one of the top coaches on shooting baskets from the foul line, is going to tell us a bit about muscle memory. “How are we doing today?” “Good.” Dave says good is not good enough. You gotta be great. Try to swish every shot.

Dave is talking about controlling the ball, having a firm foundation, and pointing your foot at the target, all the while shooting baskets with one hand. Swish, swish, swish. Elbow should be above the eyebrow. Pretends he’s putting this hand into the hoop. Practice 5-10 times a day. Some call the left hand the “guide hand” or the “off hand” or the “non-shooting hand.” Dave calls it the balance hand.Dave documents every practice session. “I practice every day,” says a player. “Did you practice on my birthday?” asks Dave. “I don’t know when that is.” Dave replies “If you practice every day, of course the answer is ‘yes.’” Dave believes in looking at the positive. Tells prisoners “You play all home games.” And “it’s a gated community.” (Dave has thrown four dozen perfect shots thus far.)

He doesn’t tell the players they have to change. He says he’s working on a slight adjustment. Dave really pays attention to the details. He breaks things down to the microcomponents. Muscle memory is learned by doing the same thing over and over again. Consistency is the mark of greatness. Elliott is interviewing Dave throughout. What’s it take? Be positive. Don’t scream and holler. Be kind. Dave is going to hang out for the day so people can take individual lessons.

Wal Mart University wins leadership award. First, a propaganda film on the customer pledge.

1.8 million people, growing by 125,000/year. A billion dollars a day in revenue. 6800 facilities in 13 countries.Now working on consistency. John DiBenedetto built corporate univesity without walls in place of old-style training department. Elliott asks how they deal with publicity. If you want the real story, go to WalMart Facts.com.

WalMart is sued by its employees three times a day! Increased focus on peer-to-peer learning on the floor.

Arch Lustberg. 81 years old. Communications consultant.

Biggest mistakes. Acting vs. performance. Acting is pretending to be someone else. Performing is giving yourself. Bob Dole: “Now I can return to my being myself.”Arch helping people to be their own true selves in front of an audience. Mind, face, & body control. Conversation is intellectual love. Teaches face to be open. Frown is a closed face; no affection. Neutral face: only the lips move. (”the Al Gore face.”) The open face gives more eye. No one has ever talked with a baby without emotion.

“Short sentences are weak.” He recommends people exascerbate only in their own homes. Key = learning what you do when you are natural. Otherwise, we act.