Personal Skills

for the

21st Century

Learning for Life

The SMART way to improve learning,
thinking and communication skills.

A self help book for anyone using their brain, living with others
and determined to be happy.
 CHAPTER ONE LEARNING IN THE 21 ST CENTURY

In times of change,
it is the learners who inherit the earth
` while the learned are beautifully equipped
to deal with a world
which no longer exists
Eric Heffer, MP, UK

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 Introduction
The whole movement
of life is learning. One of the most exciting discoveries of the late 20th century
has probably been that intelligence is not fixed at birth or in
the first few years of an individuals life as it was previously

There is never a time in believed but it can develop throughout the entire life of an
individual and there is no limit for its development.

which there is no Research into the most powerful piece of

machinery in the universe your brain - has revealed that
learning. anyone can learn and carry on learning for life, provided they
have three things: one is a sense of passion and purpose in
their life; two is that there is in their heart enough love for life,
Every action is a for others as well as for the treasures that lie dormant within
themselves; three is that they have an insatiable curiosity for
movement of learning, discovering new territories either physical or in the realm of

every relationship is
knowledge, of thought, imagination, feelings or creativity.
Best seller author Gordon Dryden writes in the

learning. Learning Revolution, a ground breaking research into the

worlds most successful educational systems, People learn best when they want to learn, not at some predetermined age.
Nothing is more true and this the purpose of this book to share some of the key information and practices to make learning
Jiddu
easier, happier and smarter. Krishnamurti

Learning
We know today that the image of a learner as someone quietly sitting Learning
absorbed in reading or listening to a lecture is incomplete. It only
reflects one of the many facets of what real learning is.
Modern research has revealed what common sense knows:
starts
we do not only learn from books or from scholarly lectures, but we
mostly learn in real life, in relationship with others, in authentic, with wonder
meaningful and challenging situations, in direct relationship with
nature, phenomena and experience.
Intelligence is not limited to traditionally academic subjects Albert Einstein
and methods of learning but it can and must - involve more of the
potential of our brain. We learn best by researching, experimenting,
dialoguing: by thinking, sharing, feeling, experimenting, doing and
watching others doing.
Research says we retain an average 15% of what we hear, 30% of
what we see and hear, 40% of what we actively discuss, 70% of what we explain to someone else, 80% of what we
personally experience, 90 % of what we experience and then explain
Authentic learning involves many areas that are not traditionally educated, tested or rewarded by formal
education. It is supported by some key skills that you do not always learn at school neither in your family: thinking skills,
learning how to learn, open and genuine dialogue, meaningful communications, inquiry and critical thinking, but also
positive thinking, creative imagination as well as relaxation, stress management and self awareness.
At its core, learning is about observation, awareness: being able to involve oneself totally in what one studies with
interest, with curiosity, with passion. It is a process of consciousness and in order to understand learning, we need to
understand consciousness. But learning is also about being sensitive and it involves something of the heart.

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 The accumulation of knowledge that we usually call learning is necessary but it is not sufficient. It doesnt
guarantee the awakening of intelligence an individual needs to be able to understand him/herself and face life adequately.
Intelligence is much more than memory. Learning is more than acquiring skills that will allow us to earn a living
and fit somewhere in society. Learning is more than memorization, imitation or repetition machines do that.
Real learning is the intelligence of living. It is about the ability to extract meaning from information but also
sensing, how to be new in order to meet life and relationships. Life and relationships are always new. Intelligence is not
about knowing what to think but it is about knowing how to think - thinking pragmatically, practically and with common
sense: thinking in the now.
Real learning is about understanding events as they unfolds in front of our eyes and being able to make the most
appropriate responses to their movements; understanding the needs and demands made upon us; meet challenges with
confidence and a sense of excitement and purpose. Real learning is about unveiling the mysteries of every event and
recognizing the myriads of gifts life showers on us every day. Some of those gifts are obvious opportunities; others are
opportunities in disguise that we sometimes call problems or failures.
Real learning doesnt finish when one leaves school it actually usually starts there as one finds oneself in a
wider and often wilder environment most of which has not been described in the books, and one has to involve oneself
to a much greater extent.
When meeting the unexpected, the unknown, it is not always the learned who perform best but those who have
learned to think, trust themselves and are open to newness and change. It is not those who know but those who know they
dont know, who are willing to adjust and change and have learned how to learn.
Learning is not something that we do for a limited time, but it is happening all the time for the entire duration of a
lifetime. It is motivated by the aspiration for expressing your unique potential, talents and driven by the quest for excellence.
Academic and formal education through memorisation, imitation and repetition encourages students to fit into a
rigid body of knowledge and evaluate their ability to imitate, reproduce and repeat. It doesnt encourage them to explore,
think and create. It used to work in the past because the conditions of the world were stable and predictable. But this is not
true anymore.

The changing world around us

The world in which we live is racing through a The illiterate of the 21st
huge revolution, a hurricane of change that is
radically transforming the way in which we live,
think, communicate, prosper and learn.
century will not be those
Says Gordon Dryden, We are in the
most important decade in the history of our who cannot read and
civilization, a period of amazing technological
innovation, unprecedented economic
opportunity, surprising political reform & great write, but those who
cultural rebirth. We now have the ability to
store all of the worlds information and make it
available almost instantly, to almost anyone
cannot learn, unlearn,
and relearn.
anywhere on earth."
It is estimated that every two or three
years, the amount of information available in
the world doubles. This means that 90% of Alvin Toffler
what we know today will be out of date within
Futurist
seven years, and 90% of what we will have to
know in seven years is currently not known by anyone!

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With the internet revolution, Every year, some 2 million research
papers are published, 800 000 books printed and

we live in the first era of Internet traffic is roughly growing 30% every month
it doubles every 100 days! The speed at which

human history when our information and knowledge develops is such that
When students are in their fourth year, everything

species' entire heritage of they studied in their second year has become
obsolete. Says Nguyen Khac Thanh, director of

knowledge, wisdom & FPT Aptech quoted in Viet Nam News, June 28,
2005

beauty is available to each If human knowledge is doubling

every two or three years, it means the world
of us virtually on demand. is a different place from what it was a
generation ago and the way we deal
Robert Gross with it, our knowledge and skills needs

The Adult Learner constant updating. This requires the ability to be

highly flexible and adaptable: to be able to learn,
unlearn and relearn.
Training and retraining are today an on-
going fact of life. It will increasingly demand the
ability to master text books and training sessions.
Gone are the days when learning finished at
school!

The age of knowledge

The late twentieth century characterized by the internet revolution has been named the information age, the age of the
brain and the age of knowledge. It is now the brain that is at the centre of the economy and organisations now structure
themselves around the way the brain is built.
In the introductory session of the Self Managing Leadership seminar, Brian Bacon, president and founder of the
Oxford Leadership Academy, a global consultancy firm specialized in business turnaround and leadership talks about the
trends of globalization and underlies, Globalization started when the brain replaced muscles as the main production
mean.
The global world in which we are now living is controlled by companies that operate, prosper and compete on
intangibles, on knowledge.
In 1990, the top 10 companies in the world were telecommunication, Japanese banks, and heavy industrial
institutions; in 1998 with the ascension of corporations like Microsoft, GE, Intel, the world saw the emergence of knowledge
based corporations which are now controlling the capital. What is behind the success of those corporations? The brain.
Today, IT, insurance, banking and finance, communication, education, training, research, culture and entertainment,
advertising, consultancy, problem solving, etc mainly provide the jobs required to support our life.
Yet, very few people know how to benefit from this period of change. Most of us have been trained for the very jobs
that are disappearing daily. The jobs of the future will require thinking skills and the ability to confidently face the unknown,
take personal initiative to solve immediate problems. The era of repetition and reliance on rigid structures for decision
making is over.
In the new paradigm that is now emerging world-wide, driven by scientific research, new technologies,
globalization, rapidly changing social, cultural and economic conditions, people will increasingly only do what machines
cannot do: learn, think, solve problems, take initiatives, be creative, question, self assess and self improve. This is why it is
more important to learn how to learn, develop intelligence and response-ability, the ability to respond in specific and
adapted ways to ever changing circumstances, than to merely accumulate knowledge.

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The age of the brain
After the great revolutions of the middle of the twentieth century, the seventies
were characterized by space exploration where we completed our discovery of
the world around us; during the eighties, we mercilessly exploited this world
creating what many call irreversible damage to the environment; and the
nineties launched the discovery of inner-space: when we finally came to
appreciate and utilize the tremendous potential of the human mind/brain. The
human brain became one of the last domains of exploration, revealing wonders
and leading researchers to believe that it is the most complex piece of machinery in the universe - yet the only one that
doesnt come with a user manual.
Says world expert in thinking and learning Tony Buzan quoted in Gordon Drydens Learning revolution, "At school I
spent thousands of hours learning about mathematics. Thousands of hours learning about language and literature.
Thousands of hours about the sciences and geography and history. Then I asked myself: How many hours did I spend
learning about how my memory works? How many hours did I spend learning about how my eyes function? How many hours
in learning how to learn? How many hours in learning how my brain works? How many hours on the nature of my thought,
and how it affects my body? And the answer was: none. In other words, I hadn't been actually taught how to use my head."
Well after leaving university, he went into a library and asked for a book on how to use his brain. "The librarian
said: 'The medical section's over there.' I said: 'I don't want to take my brain out; I want to use it.' And she said: 'Oh, there are
no books on that.' And I thought: No books on how to use your most valuable tool. I must write one." Since then he has
written eight books. One of them, Use Your Head, has sold over a million copies.

Your brain is made of a trillion brain cells. Each one of them is many
times more powerful and sophisticated than most of the computers
around the planet today. Each one connects, embraces, hundreds of
thousands to tens of thousands of others. And they shuttle information
back and forward. It's been called an enchanted loom, the most
astoundingly complex, beautiful thing in existence. And each person
has one!

Your brain is a supreme example of, and is the ultimate, Internet. With
the advance of computer and electronic technology, the worlds human
brains have created the external, electronic Internet. We are, in a very
real sense, in the process of creating the first Global Brain.

Tony Buzan
www.buzanworld.com

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The age of communities
With the breaking down of frontiers, the tremendous increase in wealth and the crumbling of traditional structures taking
place in every society participating in the global economy, individuals have risen to a new level of power that make
themmore independent: capable to decide for themselves and assert their needs, aspirations and competence.
Parallel to that, never has the need for networking, teaming up and working within communities been such a vital
part of our life and of success.
In todays world,
because there is too much to
know, effective people are not We need a different human being to live in a world
those who still think they can - that changes so perpetually.
and should know everything
or make all the decisions
alone, but they are those who
What is the use of teaching facts they are outdated
know how to find the so fast?
information they need, when
they need it and who know
What is the use of teaching techniques they are
how to work and think with
others. outdated so fast?
In todays context,
we need to harmonize two What we need is a new type of human being who is
apparently opposite things:
comfortable with change, who enjoys change, who
being very selective about
what we want and being able is capable of improvisation, who is able to face with
to adjust to others and
confidence and strength and courage a situation
external circumstances.
In this context, we about which he has absolutely no warning.
need two sets of skills: on one
hand, a clear sense of self Abraham Maslow,
awareness, self knowledge psychologist
and self reliance: making our
own choices; knowing our
strengths, weaknesses,
talents, values, being very clear on what we want, being responsive and capable to change point of view or habits when
required a difficult thing to do for most of us!.
On the other, life long learning, reflective, communication and co-operative skills, creativity, flexibility, adaptability,
and knowing how to remain relaxed, clear, confident and focused.

The age of uncertainty and stress

Parallel to the tremendous opportunities the information revolution brings in our life, another trend is asserting itself in most
societies participating in the global economy: the rise of conflict and psychosomatic dis-eases.
It is now commonly accepted that some 80% of the illnesses doctors treat are psychosomatic in origin. They
originate in stress and reflect the tension the many pressures of our modern world puts on individuals. We can do more, we
own more, we have gained more independence and comfort but we are not necessarily more happy.
Since the 50s in the UK, although average earnings have multiplied 8 times, depression has multiplied 4 times,
family problems 20 times, street violence 30 times and teenager addiction 200 times!

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 80 %
In every country participating in the
global economy, stress spreads to almost all
of layers of societies.
Stress is a relatively recent word that
learning difficulties are related to has been defined by many researchers as the
plague of the 20th Century an apparently
stress.
normal and harmless phenomenon but one that
Remove the stress and you remove impairs performance and health and can kill.
Stress is now recognized as one of the main
the difficulties causes of poor performance and low learning
capabilities and the current understanding of the
brain and human nature leads researchers to say
Gordon Stokes, they do not really believe that there are bad
learners, but that potentially good learners
Dyslexic Learning Correction & Brain Integration
becomes bad when they are stressed.
Under stress, the brain literally blocks
like a computer crashes when overloaded. The
information is recorded inside,, but you cannot
access it. This is known of most students as
exam paralysis when you forget everything you
have learnt at the moment you need it the most:
on the day of your examination paper. But relax two minutes, breathe deeply and regain confidence and memory returns.
Stress is a reaction of the body and brain to the perception of a threat. All resources available are gathered for a
quick response of confrontation or avoidance. The brain switches off conscious thinking and reverts back to reflex mode.
This is the Fight or Flight response.
If the danger is real, the stress response is the most effective reaction: attention is at its peak, performance is
improved, decisions are instant but, when repeated, it leads to depletion of personal resource and exhaustion.
Stress can be provoked by a number of factors including overload of information, lack of clear motivation and
goals, boring lessons, repressive and competitive education systems based on reward and punishment, negative attitudes
toward mistakes, lack of proper diet or rest, uncontrolled worries about the future, interference of emotions, poor planning or
time management and low self esteem. It manifests in nervousness, irritation, criticism and anger or confusion,
forgetfulness, dullness and tiredness.
Gordon Stokes, Dyslexic Learning Correction and Brain Integration 80% of learning difficulties are related to
stress. Remove the stress and you remove the difficulties
When we are under the influence of insecurity, our ability to express our potential and manifest our talents is
significantly reduced. Fear is the enemy of learning, of personal development as well as of peace, love and happiness. This
includes worries generated by all the threats we see around us. In order to reduce insecurity within ourselves and develop
the self reliance required to face life with confidence, courage, enthusiasm and creativyt, we need inner strength, self
confidence and authentic self knowledge.
The potential of a person is actually much greater than what we ever thought. We know today that we
use only one to two percents of the potential of our brain. Why is this? Because we have not been educated in three key
areas of self development:: stress management, self esteem and learning/thinking skills.

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Self esteem
Self esteem has been identified as one of the key factors in
successful learning or simply success. Self confidence is one of People are born
the foundations of talent and effectiveness.
The attitude that consists in motivating ourselves - and
others - by complaining about what is lacking, pointing out
with intrinsic
defects and weaknesses, or comparing with those who are
supposedly better, smarter, bigger, richer or more successful, is
motivation, self-
not by far - the most effective method for sustained
effectiveness. esteem, dignity,
Although it is important to be able to acknowledge what
is not working and needs to be changed in our life, habits and curiosity to learn,
attitude, this change can only take place when we have first
established a solid core of self esteem: a realistic, positive and
confident perception of ourselves.
joy in learning
Repeated criticism and comparison tend to de-motivate people W. Edwards Deming
and block learning, effective thinking and creativity. They impair authentic and productive communication and promote
subservience or the development of hidden and deviant behaviour. Yet, studies show that American children receive six
negative comments for every positive comment. We mention studies conducted in the United States but those figures would
be similar in most countries in the world today.
Writes Colin Rose, best seller author of Accelerate your Learning research on number of positive and negative
comments made to children at school in the UK reveal the worse figures: 72positive comments against 684 negative ones.
Little wonder that although 80% 6 years old are confident of their ability to learn, this drops to 20% of 16 years old
People who lack self esteem are afraid of criticism. They do not usually look for solutions to the problems they
encounter, but they prefer to deny, hide or justify their mistakes - or find somebody to blame.
Self esteem is one of the most crucial ingredients for team work, as well as for a happy and successful life. It
affects our ability to set high but realistic aims, fulfill our potential, learn and think clearly, sustain good relationships with
others, and feel at ease with ourselves, confident in our talents and capabilities. Yet, because we cannot expect others to
be nice and supportive with us, self esteem is something we need to build and develop for ourselves.
Real self esteem is based on a clear awareness and appreciation of our own talents, values and purpose that
allow us to have the will and capability to self motivate, as well as self check, correct and improve.
People who have an authentic sense of self esteem are: (i) they are naturally inclined to do good things for others;
(ii) they can often do more than what is actually
required from them; (iii) they are able to

A well-developed mind, a respect others because they first respect

themselves.

passion to learn, People who have authentic

esteem perform well because they believe they
self

and the ability to put

can learn and succeed, because they know
what they want and therefore do not loose their

knowledge to work
time being side tracked or influenced by their
environment.
Self esteem is not arrogance or
are the new keys exaggerated sense of importance. Real self
esteem is about self awareness: knowing who
to the future you are and understanding that the only thing
you can really do in life is to discover,
understand, accept and make the best of who
U.S. Labour Secretarys Commission on
you are. Self esteem is based on an authentic
Achieving Necessary Skills
and positive definition of who we are leading to

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the conviction that, I can make a difference, I can change.
Everyone has talent. Everyone has greatness. Everyone can contribute. Everyone has at least one speciality they
can use to make their life successful and useful. Everyone has much greater potential than what they usually think they
have. And everyone can learn, grow and be successful in their own way.
When you know what you really want, you usually focus naturally. When you really know what you really want, you
usually get it. If you dont, you wont.

In every successful educational system we

have studied world-wide,

Self esteem ranks in importance before

course contents.
G. Dryden, J. Vos,
The Learning Revolution

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 Enhancing Self-Esteem

1. Risk taking
2. Encouragement / Reinforcement
3. Delay Gratification (Discipline)
4. Cultivate Positive Habits
5. Accepting & Learning From Criticism
6. Trust (self & others)
7. Support - Helping Others
8. Positive Mind movies / Visualization
9. Positive Inner Voice
10. Dont Compare Yourself With Other
11. Self-Acceptance
12. Think Youre Special But Dont Tell Anyone

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The Five Dimensions of Knowing
Knowing includes five main areas that need to be developed in order to be able to recognise, absorb and use new
information. There are five talents we need to learn in order to be able to learn:
1 knowing how to Be
2 knowing how to Observe and Understand
3 knowing how to Evaluate, Decide and Act
4 knowing how to Inter-be: Live and Work with Others
5 knowing how to Provide Service
Everyone can be great
because anyone can
Step 1: Start with yourself
Mind set, motivation and attitude influence our behaviour, serve.
relationships and overall performance. The better we know
and are able to take care of ourselves, the more we You don't have to have a
become stable and consistent. We are able to set clear
aims, stick to them, gain clarity, focus and personal college degree to serve.
effectiveness We earn the trust of people around us.
You don't have to make
Step 2: Gather and understand the facts
The best guarantee for accurate and effective intake of your subject and verb
information is a clear and relaxed mind, well defined
goals, confident attitude and adequate learning strategies: agree
the methods that match the brains ways to take in,
process, store and retrieve information. to serve.
Step 3: Know What you want to do - and How you You only need a heart
want to do it
Most people hold much more talents, experience and good full of grace.
will than they can imagine. Three key factors allow this
potential to become dynamic: Focus, will and capabilities. A soul generated by love.
By clarifying our goals and focus, identifying the values that support them and strengthening our will power, we are
empowered to make the best of our capabilities and achieve what we want in our life.
Martin Luther King, Jr.,
American Civil Rights Leader
Step 4: Team up
Every person has a valuable contribution to make to a group. In todays global context, sharing of skills and ideas has
become a key element for sustainable development and success and the strength of a community depends on how well it
can integrate and harmonise the widest range of individual talents and differences. Effective team work means managing
communication more efficiently but mostly creating an atmosphere of appreciation, respect and trust where people can
express themselves without fear, voice their opinions and suggest improvements, be creative, take risks when needed and
feel supported.

Step 5 - Provide service

We believe that a very necessary skill for success in any field of life - today more than ever - is the ability to identify specific
needs and take the initiative to meet them. This means focusing our activity around the question, "What do we have to offer
to improve peoples life?" rather than, "How can we get the most out of them?". It means being able to be helpful,
supportive, flexible and creative.

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About this book

This book is an introduction to a number of key skills that will support your learning throughout life and help you better
focus, relate, act and understand yourself.
It is not personal but it is a compilation of some of the most interesting methods and insights I have gathered on
my own journey through life and learning.
This includes the mind blooming Learning revolution from Gordon Dryden and Jeanette Vos, the research of Tony
buzan, E, de Bono and others on the brain and thinking, the learning methodologies developed by UK based Accelerated
Learning of Colin Rose, the approach developed by Stephen Covey, Brian Bacon, Mike George an others on Values
based/Purpose driven leadership, the insights on life, consciousness and education of Jiddu Krishnamurti.
This book has a special and unusual layout: it is designed like a live presentation: it has a lecture on the right
hand pages and something like a power point presentation on the left pages.
All the left hand pages are stimulating quotes or models I have found very useful and helpful. I have inserted them
in the text so they can be useful to you. They are ideas that encapsulate deep meaning and describe more than good ideas:
they speak of an attitude toward life where one is smart, creative, daring and self confident. You will probably remember
them easier than the text. They will help you
change your attitude and thinking.
You can photocopy them and put them
somewhere in your home, if you find they can
In yourself lies the whole
help you. You can color some of them to make
them more attractive and remember them better.
world, and if you know how to
Your brain likes colors. look and learn,
In the first part of the book, we
introduce the brain and the MASTER program, a
very simple and effective step by step method to
then the door is there and the
improve your learning capability.
The second part is about the master art
key is in your hand. Nobody
of relaxed alertness. It is now a proven fact that
your brain works at its best when you are
on earth can give you that key
relaxed. Tension diminishes the potential of your or open the door for you
brain and makes for poor efficiency. Relaxation,
when combined with clarity of focus and
constructive attitude supports clear thinking and
except yourself.
learning and empowers you.
The third part looks into memory, the Jiddu Krishnamurti
art of asking questions, goal setting, time
management and how to transform good intentions into actions.
The fourth part introduces the practices of co-operative learning, communication and effective listening some
key skills to adopt in todays global and international workplace.
The last chapter is aboutt self awareness and self management, the art to manage your own inner life in order to
better lead your external life.
We hope those few pages will help you become a better, more relaxed, more focused, more successful and
happier learner a more fulfilled individual.

Frederic Labarthe,
Hanoi 29th December 2008

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