When I heard some for the first time, it was in the context of a training program that I was myself going through. My first reaction was: ‘Wow! That sounds incredible.’ In the enthusiasm of the collective wows that were generated, I accepted the myths as truth.

But I soon realized I was not comfortable believing in them. Intuitively, I knew they could not be true.

Now all these myths seemed to be backed up by solid research though. So I wondered if I was being my usual arrogant self by questioning these supposed universal ‘truths’.

But I started my probe anyway and what I found really warmed my heart! These were myths for sure, very similar to urban legends that get popularized without any sound basis. Read on and join me in smashing them.

You remember 10% of what you read, 20% of what you hear, 30% of what you see and 90% of what you do.

This is a widely repeated statement by trainers all over the world. Maybe you’ve been subjected to this statement at some time as well. I hope you have not made it though! The round figures are easily remembered but completely wrong.

The findings can be traced to one D.G. Treichler, an employee of Mobil Oil Company, who put forth these figures in 1967.

However, the NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Science has laid claim to the figures, saying they are based on research in the early sixties and bizarrely adding that ‘we no longer have – nor can we find – the original research that supports the numbers’.

Though, there are many arguments against these figures, one that is most obvious is that all the percentages are perfectly round. What research into human behaviour ever resulted in four different round numbers?

In communication, only 7% of the meaning is conveyed through the speaker’s words, 55% through his facial expressions and the rest 38% through tone of voice.

I am sure you have come across this lulu too, especially if you have attended communication or NLP programs. In one sweeping statement, words are reduced to an insignificant role in the great game of communication.

Yet, when we think about this deeply, the fallacies start becoming obvious. Is it really possible that if I get lost in Shanghai and ask a passer-by for directions, I’ll have to work out the correct route mostly from their facial expressions and tone of voice, and not from the words they use?

The findings are attributed to research done by Mehrabian but, in reality, they are just a distorted version of what Mehrabian himself has to say on his website. He expresses the results of his research in the form of an equation:

Total liking = 7% verbal liking + 38% vocal liking + 55% facial liking

He explains that “this and other equations regarding relative importance of verbal and nonverbal messages were derived from experiments dealing with communications of feelings and attitudes (i.e. like-dislike). Unless a communicator is talking about their feelings or attitudes, these equations are not applicable.”

We use 10% of our brain (or anywhere from 1% to 15% depending upon where you have read it).

This one is so popular, even Albert Einstein is usually roped in as one of the endorsers! The media too has played a role in orchestrating this myth. Many of us therefore look at it as given.

Scientists have tried for years to change this misconception. They have clearly stated that there is no scientific evidence to suggest that we use only 10% of our brains. In fact it is very hard to say what using just 10% of your brain means.

It could mean that I could cut 90% of my brain and be just fine or that I just use only one out of every ten nerve cells at any one time. Let’s attack this one with common sense.

First of all, it is obvious that the brain, like all other organs, has been shaped by natural selection. Brain tissue is metabolically expensive both to grow and to run.

It strains credulity to think that evolution would have permitted squandering of resources on a scale necessary to build and maintain such a massively underutilized organ.

Secondly, losing far less than 90 percent of the brain to accident or disease has catastrophic consequences. Various medical tests reveal that there does not seem to be any area of the brain that can be destroyed without leaving the patient with some kind of functional deficit.

Likewise, electrical stimulation of points in the brain during neurosurgery has failed so far to uncover any dormant areas where no percept, emotion or movement is elicited by applying these tiny currents.

Having dug hard and deep, I find no evidence at all to support this myth.

The most powerful lure of the myth is probably the idea that we might develop psychic abilities, or at least gain a leg up on the competition by improving our memory or concentration.

All this is available for the asking, the ads say, if we just tapped into our most incredible of organs, the brain. It is past time to put this myth to rest, although if it has survived at least a century so far, it will surely live on into the new millennium.

The next time you are subjected to this one, just ask the speaker politely “Oh? What part don’t you use?”

Read these interesting articles to find out more about these myths and other myths related to training and learning.

Myths about adult learning

Myths about coaching

We use 10% of our brain

Myths about communication

Myths about NLP training

Myths about train the trainer

So I call myself an evangelist for success, an evangelist out to inspire people to make the most of themselves – to Be More, Do More and Have More in life. I want to help those who dare to go on a crusade – to be their best, better than their best. I want to put an end to mediocrity. We may be born average, but let’s leave our mark of excellence behind, that’s my war cry!

Some of you may be trainers already, or simply evangelists for success like I am. The rest of you are probably in a totally different profession – lawyers, doctors, engineers, fresh graduates, it really doesn’t matter. What’s important is that you have decided to read this article because a germ of an idea has entered your mind: Can I be a trainer? Is it something I may want to do?

It’s about giving and receiving
When we stand on a platform, we are giving of ourselves. By sharing our experiences, our knowledge and skills, we are making an impact on our audience. Whether positive or negative, we are leaving an imprint on others.

There is an awesome responsibility attached to that thought. Some may see it as power and they get a real kick out of it. To me, it is a wonderful opportunity to be able to “contribute”, to live a life that is significant and to influence others positively.

I started off on my journey of becoming a trainer/speaker because I wanted to give. But along the way, I have received so much more than I had started out with.
An experience I would never forget was when my husband and I were first invited to be keynote speakers for a business seminar in Sydney. I was a little nervous at the start, but my passion soon put that nervousness far away. At the end of a long day, where we spoke for two sessions, we were amazed when we saw a long stream of people coming up on stage, waiting to shake our hands, to speak to us, some to hug us and some to ask a question. It was a truly humbling experience, one I would not want to exchange for all the money in the world.

As Danny Thomas said, “Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others.”

And the most wonderful part is: The more we give, the more we will receive. Even as we give to our audience, likewise they are giving to us too – not only their time, but their attention, their energy, encouragement, and their commitment to following our teaching and advice. The completion of this cycle of reciprocity must be the goal of any trainer or speaker.

It’s about personal growth

As a Japanese proverb says, to teach is to learn. There is no better way to grow than to undertake the task to teach in the area we wish to grow in. We learn, we teach what we learn, we grow and the cycle goes on.

Why is growth important? If we don’t grow, we’re not really living. We’re just existing, what I call, occupying space. If you look at the life of someone who is not growing, it’s very much like watching a soap opera. You may not have watched it for some time, and when you tune in again after a few weeks or even months, much of the same stuff is still going on.

I meet many people who share with me their dream of becoming a trainer. Or perhaps I should say “hope”. They have a hope that they can become a trainer but they do not take that crucial first step of deciding to just be one.

They hesitate because they feel they are not yet good enough to teach. Some gave up on their dreams even before they got started because they judge themselves purely on their current state. They forget that everyone has the capacity to grow. As Zig Ziglar says, “Go as far as you can see and when you get there, you will always be able to see farther.”

It’s about Finding Your Purpose

Many people become trainers and educators because they had made a decision that they wanted to live the rest of their lives with purpose.

My husband Patrick developed a programme called YES Club International (Young Entrepreneurs Success Club International) for young adults aged 18 to 25 because he had a passion of wanting to help them design the lives they want. He sees young people who are so lost as to which direction they should take. He sees people in their 60s who, if they had the chance to live the last 30 years of their life again, would choose a different path and different actions.

For Patrick, it was a new purpose he found that prompted him to become a trainer.  He was already financially free, and established as a business coach and presenter in his existing business. But this was a new passion he discovered, something that would keep his adrenaline pumping – to develop a duplicable system so young people around the world could have mentors to help them design the life they really want.

What is your purpose? What is your dream?

Jessica See, a Certified Professional Trainer and Coach (IPMA UK), conducts programmes on ‘Training as a Profession’ in Singapore, Malaysia, Shanghai and Beijing. She can be contacted at  Jessica@qscasia.com

It starts at the top. Too many times managers blow off the session because they don’t need it (of course). This sends a strong message to all their followers: this training is not worth my time. If leaders haven’t attended the training themselves, how can they reinforce the message? I see this in medical environments all the time – the nursing staff has to attend customer service training, not the doctors – they are way too important. Guess who treats both the nurses and the patients poorly? The doctors. What kind of message does this send to the nurses? No wonder they don’t want to go to training.

Make it better: If you are going to have training for your people, you should go through it yourself. When you are there, support the trainer and your learners.

Exception: The only time you may want to consider not attending is if you want your people to interact freely with the trainer without your possibly intimidating presence. This is a very valid reason for not being there. If that’s the case – tell your people. Tell them you think the training is important and why you are not going.

No one likes boring training. Make sure the training is good and has value for the attendees. I know this seems obvious, but something horrible has happened to people. They have had to sit through boring sessions and they hate it. There are enough good presenters out there that you can find someone with high energy, humor and great information. Take the time to check out your trainers. If you are using internal trainers, make sure they don’t get burned out and bored with their own material. Take good care of them‚Äîthey have a big impact on your employees.

Make it better: If you people are laughing, they are not in pain. Good training can help with morale and retention. Don’t settle for boring.

They don’t want to be embarrassed. Make it fun, but don’t make attendees feel stupid or uncomfortable. I do a lot of customer service training. Very few attendees are excited about coming. Leadership is seldom there and it’s often held after hours. People think they are somehow being punished for not doing their jobs. It’s a tough crowd and I know I have to win them over and get them to drop their defenses fast. That’s why I have my Elvis theme. Right away they know this isn’t going to be like any customer service training they’ve had before. And before they know it, they’re laughing. I do not make them do any Elvis impersonations; they are never embarrassed or made to do anything that would make them uncomfortable. It’s interactive without putting anyone on the spot. If anybody acts silly, it’s me.

Make it better: Most adults are terrified of looking like idiots. Training should be fun and safe or your people will dread it.

Attendees‚Äîyou are not off the hook! You should come with an open mind. Hey, if you have to be there, you might as well have fun! Most of us have never been to a class where we learned nothing. In this life, you’re either growing or you’re dying. Take the chance to grow and learn. It’s the best way to improve.

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Denise Ryan, MBA, is a Certified Speaking Professional, a designation of excellence held by less than 10% of all professional speakers.  She is a blogger http://motivationbychocolate.blogspot.com
Her website is http://www.firestarspeaking.com

When I was a little girl – almost too long ago to recall – I remember my teacher asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up. My reply without hesitation was, “Sunday school teacher.” She must have been a little too taken aback to reply as I can’t seem to recall what she had to say to that.

Don’t ask me why I said that, perhaps my naïve mind was thinking, “Cool, I only need to work on Sundays!” Anyway, I never became a Sunday school teacher or even teacher, but instead became an editor for a women’s magazine for nine years and today, I “teach” adults on a variety of topics from image and grooming to how one can design their life – my absolute passion.

I don’t know about you but I’ve never heard a child who’s asked what he or she would like to be when they grow up, answer “Trainer.” They may say: doctor, lawyer or even astronaut but “trainer”? No, never! One is then tempted to engage in a lengthy discussion if a “trainer” is indeed a professional, as well as what exactly qualifies one to be a trainer.

But we shall not go in that direction here. My objective in writing this article is to highlight that training can indeed be a fantastic career alternative that pays well, better than most other professions. In fact some of the more well-known world class speakers and trainers can be ranked in the same pay bracket as world class entertainers!

So what does it take to be a professional trainer? Experience, expertise and, in my opinion, a passion for sharing. You may be an engineer, a doctor, a corporate executive – doesn’t really matter. Question to ask is: Do you have valuable experience/expertise/ideas to share with others? If the answer is yes, then the next question to ask is: Will they benefit from your sharing/teaching?

That would be at the very basic level. What is then needed to elevate one to the next level of being a good teacher/trainer/instructor/coach/motivator Рand indeed a trainer is all of that and more Рis the ability to communicate and present. As well-known speaker and trainer KC See once said, “Brilliance, without the capability to communicate or present it, is worth little in an organization.”

1. Communication skills

This is not so much about how eloquently you speak but rather, how well people understand you and how effectively your message is put across. At the end of the training period, there has to be productive change in the participants otherwise, as far as I’m concerned, the training objectives have not been met.

The highest level of communication which I personally would strive for as a communicator is what is known as persuasive communication. This takes place when the person(s) we are communicating with, 1) understands what we want to say, 2) feels what we are feeling and is then 3) motivated to take action on what we have said.  Effective communication may stop short at (2); the listener may not necessarily want to do something about what he or she has just heard.

There is so much to learn about communication that it’s truly an art, and a most fascinating one as well. There are so many elements to persuasive communication – body language, the art of asking questions…. You can see racks of books on this subject in the library or bookstore! I will certainly not attempt to oversimplify it in this short article. Suffice it to say, if you dedicate yourself to learning how to master this art, you will indeed be able to achieve whatever you set out to do in life.

2. Presentation skills

I’ve known many good communicators who do well one-to-one or in small groups but get tongue-tied when presenting from a stage.  Hence, the term, stage-fright. I also know many who simply bloom when put on a stage. In fact, to some “born” performers, it seems like the world’s their stage and life is but a performance.

So how can one move from the first group to the latter? Is good public speaking really something that’s inborn or can it be developed? Of course the skills can be learned and developed! You can learn how to get the butterflies to fly in formation! You can learn how to captivate and engage your audience. Once you’ve mastered the skills, I promise you, you will enjoy it… tremendously! And along the way, pick up some great income as well.

Jessica See, a Certified Professional Trainer and Coach (IPMA UK), conducts programmes on ‘Training as a Profession’ in Singapore, Malaysia, Shanghai and Beijing. She can be contacted at  Jessica@qscasia.com

In truth, this isn’t a problem just for new trainers. Us old ones also experience it from time to time.

My answer is that, if you are going to spend a day or more with people who perhaps don’t know you too well, you need to become a skilled rapport-builder.

On the ManageTrainLearn Customer Care courses, we put rapport-building at the top of the customer communication skills. It’s one of those skills that have lots of sub-skills, all of which can be practised on their own. These include:

1. finding something in common with your trainees
2. displaying empathy with their problems
3. using small talk to break down the barriers
4. dropping people’s names into the conversation in understated ways
5. using humour to bond with them
6. showing them you’re just like them through mirroring, resonance and pacing
7. respecting them.

My favourite story about building rapport comes from self-development guru, Anthony Robbins, and is called “Oops!”

It might serve as a reminder of how to click with your trainees, even if they start off in mischievous mood.

“A class of schoolchildren decided one morning to play a prank on their new teacher who was late in arriving. At a pre-arranged moment when she eventually came in and reached her desk, all the children dropped their books on the floor.

Noticing at once what was going on, and determined not to play the part assigned to her, the teacher put down her chalk, picked up her own book, and, as the children all waited to see what she would do, accidentally dropped it too.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said, picking up the book. “Let’s start at page 23.” And she continued as if nothing had happened.

From that moment on, she had the children eating out of her hand.

When I say “article” many of my clients freak out.  Here’s what I mean – 500-800 words (that’s a page to a page and a half) on a topic related to your products or services.  Once you do a few, you can crank one out in an hour or less.  Here are four tips to help you become a successful article marketer.

Tip #1: How to get started.  The most difficult thing for most newbies to article writing is sitting their butt in the chair and writing.  The dreaded blank page in front of them.  The fear that they aren’t smart enough.  Any of these limiting ideas floating around in your head?  Want to know my best tip on how to get past them?  Set a deadline and tell someone else about it.  I know that Pat is waiting to receive this ezine every Monday-she then gets it out to each of you every Wednesday. I’m not going to let her (or you) down!

Tip #2: Don’t worry about how great your writing skills might be!  My training in academic writing was an obstacle to overcome when it came to article writing – not a benefit!  I had to toss out the dry, impersonal style that had been drilled into me through writing many academic papers.  The tip is to write the way you speak – like you’re having a conversation with your reader.

Tip #3: How to structure your articles to make writing simple.  Remember, it shouldn’t take more than an hour to an hour and a half tops to get your article written. It’s a good idea to let it sit for a day and then reread it – you’ll be looking at it with fresh eyes.  Here are some of my favorite types of articles:

a.  Lists.  Everyone loves lists.  Think of David Letterman’s top 10.  How about these: Top 10 Misconceptions About Cancer.  Top 10 Books that Changed the World.  Top 10 Tips for Getting a Job in a Challenging Job Market.  My very first non-academic article was Top 10 Ways to Live Authentically. Go ahead and google it –you’ll find it all over the web!

I wrote out ten tips without thinking too hard about it.  Then I added two to three sentences to elaborate a bit on each tip.  This was the first article I submitted online.  I then offered it as a free giveaway on my website.  A few months later, I expanded each of the ten tips into about ½ page each.  I called it an e-course.  That became my free giveaway.  Each person signing up to receive this gift, received one tip in their email box each week for ten weeks.  Next, I could expand each tip into 10 -15 pages each and have a book! You don’t have to have 10 tips – I’ve been doing a lot of 3-4 tips – I just write and see how many I end up with!

Another angle is to share top “mistakes” – Top Five Job Interview Mistakes or Top 7 Mistakes Women Business Owners Make – these get your attention because YOU don’t want to make those same mistakes.

b.  How to. How to articles with bullet points are also well liked.  This article is an example of how to write an article.  The ideas are endless:  How to Make Your Lipstick Last Longer; How to Take the Best Pet Photos; How to Clean Your Home in 19 Minutes etc ….go ahead, think of a title for your next how to article!

c.  Review articles. You can review books, products, movies, anything you’re interested in that ties into your products or services.  Tell about the promise they made and whether it lived up to that promise.  You can talk about value or the experience you had.  You can compare products and make recommendations.

Tip #4: What do I do with it now? Ok –so you’ve decided to get your butt in the chair and write your first article.  What do you do with it after you’ve written it?  Submit it to your database. I recommend using aweber.com. Submit it online – http://www.ezinearticles.com and http://hubpages.com are good places to start.  Think about any local newspapers or newsletters whose readers might benefit from your article and submit it to them.  Use it as a handout when you do speaking engagements (in return for the participant’s email address).  Take a piece of what you’ve written and talk about it on your blog.  Record several articles onto a cd as a free giveaway…you see, all this marketing leverage from an hour of your time.

I’d love for you to drop a line and tell me you’ve written your first article!

About the Author:

Ann Ronan, Ph.D. is an author, speaker, certified career coach and self employment expert, and vision generator.

Ann delivers smart, simple ways for people to acknowledge what they love to do and do more of it.  Her articles, products, and books have motivated and inspired readers in numerous print and online publications.  She regularly leads coaching programs, tele-seminars and live retreats, bringing the message to audiences internationally that living a passion-based life will bring prosperity and success.

She was recently selected from a nationwide search to be featured in Discover Your Inner Strength. The book features best-selling authors Stephen R. Covey (Seven Habits of Highly Effective People), Brian Tracy (Million Dollar Habits), and Ken Blanchard (One Minute Manager).

Research phase

When I got to realise that I am out of the business etiquette mould (my last workshop), I was pretty comforted.

But having said that, there was a gargantuan task in front of me. I was supposed to take the scientific theory part of personality development workshop. I say it gargantuan task because it was like diving in ocean and then searching for pearls in the ocean. And it is easier said than done.

The only way out for this was an all-out research! And I did that. I had gone through 4 management books of various universities (the likes of Symbiosis and Amity) .On the other hand I was exploring the web meticulously.

My research continued for around 2 weeks and after a lot of tough grind I was supremely confident of the theory part.

When I think of seven habits part of my presentation it was equally fulfilling. When I came to know that I will be taking this part, I straightaway went to Landmark to purchase the bestseller. And yes, going through the book helped me a great deal. It was a great responsibility on my shoulders to carry off the Stephen Covey’s best seller’s content in a customised fashion.

Design phase

It was decided that the theory part power point has to be developed by me.
As far as power point study on personality development is concerned, I had gone through a pool of it, but it was not of much help as I always believe in delivering customised content. While designing the power point, I always kept in mind that the content has to ensemble the climate and culture of our Sahara Pariwar. After preparing a tailor made power point presentation and getting an OK from my HOD, it was down to rehearsal point.

Deploy phase

I remember very well that during the dry run I was pretty apprehensive. This was because I knew I will have to face plentiful questions about those fiddly theories. There was a rationale behind it. The part of scientific theory I was covering in 13 slides, was just the tip of the iceberg. And if you have to answer the questions well, you need to be ready with the rest of the iceberg. So my hardcore research was handy and enabled me to answer those expected questions. The upshot was extremely satisfying as I was able to handle the queries pretty confidently.

Workshop Goes Live

In my workshops I always believe that trainer is merely a facilitator for learning. If learning has to take place, it becomes very necessary to tease the intellect of the participants in such a way that interaction becomes an integral part of the workshop. The best way of initiating this, I have found, is to call people by their names. This helps in many ways. Primarily, it removes the mental inertia to a great extent, which further helps in unlearning, which is a matter of concern across the globe while conducting interactive workshops. When a participant is addressed by names it comes a pleasant surprise to them, which again helps in removing the dread of a classroom session. Remember, this dread, is a huge deterrent for a congenial learning atmosphere.

At the outset, it was a captivating NLP exercise (brain child of our HOD) carried out by me. Then it was down to the instructor led lead learning. The things began with personality theories. And as the contents progressed; I started loving to explain those theories, with élan.

I still remember that in my MBA days I found it pretty tough to comprehend the Carl Jung theory of personality. In fact at that point of time, I just managed to understand a tad of it. But several years down the line, my trainees comprehending it with ease, it was extremely heart-warming.

As far as 7 habits are concerned, the “buy in” factor did the trick for me. That is why the book is one of the all-time best sellers across the globe. Everybody wants to create a fine balance between ones personal and professional life. And Mr Covey has answered the pertinent question quite pragmatically. Since I had assimilated the essence of the book, the explaining task seemed easy. Real challenge was to incorporate live examples, for which I had done enough homework. End result? Super satisfaction! The warmth and respect I have received after this workshop, has elated me to a great high. I know to outperform this show of mine it will again challenge me!

That is the magnitude of splendour of my profession! Sorry MacDonald and MRTPC, But I am Loving It!

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Nishant is Assistant Manager-Training and Development at Sahara Prime City Ltd, Lucknow. He has trained and mentored 1800 plus people till now. He wants to explore his proficiency further in the mentoring domain. Contact him at nishumoni1610@rediffmail.com.