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Instructor:  Stuart G. Walesh, Ph.D., P.E., F.NSPE, Dist.M.ASCE

Course Length: 1.5 Hours

This 90-minute webinar offers science-based tools to help you, your team, and your organization be even more effective, efficient, and innovative. It begins with a brief brain primer. After outlining the brain's physiology, the focus moves to lateralization, left and right-brain capabilities, conscious and subconscious cognitive processes, neuroplasticity, brain versus the mind, and personality profiles. Then, building on the brain primer foundation, the presentation becomes pragmatic. Nine working smarter tips, each of which reflects current neuroscience, are described and illustrated.

Purpose and Background

Most of us strive to enhance our and our organization's performance. We want to be more effective and efficient, more innovative. How can we improve our individual performance and help others improve theirs?

The short answer: Recognize that our most important individual asset is that three-pound marvel in our head, that is, our brain. Also appreciate how much we have learned about the human brain in the past decade or so and how any one or any organization can apply that knowledge to enhance their day-to-day work. As stated by neuropsychologist Paul D. Nussbaum, “The human brain is the most brilliant and magnificent system ever designed, There is perhaps no greater untapped resource in the universe than the human brain, The human brain is no longer the domain of academia and medicine.”

We don't have to be certified automobile mechanics to improve the performance of our cars (e.g., get better mileage). We simply need to learn and apply some basics about how our cars function. Similarly, we don't have to be brain surgeons to improve the performance of our brains (e.g., be more effective, efficient, innovative). We simply need to learn and apply some basics about how our brains function.

A common reaction to “working smarter” tips is to dismiss them because of their alleged subjective basis. That is,“those tips might work for him or her, but not for me, because we are all very different.” That concern does not apply to the tips offered in this webinar. Why? Because, the tips are based on neuroscience, they help individuals make use of the untapped resources of their brains.

Each audience member will leave the webinar prepared to apply at least some of the working smarter tips to their work and beyond, such as in their professional society, community, and family activities. Participants receive a handout summarizing the webinar including a list of articles, books, e-newsletters, websites and other self-study materials.

Primary Discussion Topics

• Brain physiology
• Left brain vs. right brain capabilities
• Personality profiles
• Conscious and subconscious cognitive processes
• Tips for working smarter

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Appreciate the practical value of recent neuroscience advances
• Recognize key brain functions
• Determine how to use 9 working-smarter tools
• Recognize alternatives to working harder

Webinar Benefits

• Increase individual and group effectiveness, efficiency, and innovation
• Replace bad with good personal and organizational habits
• Apply the practical implications of recent neuroscience discoveries
• Reduce stress
• Increase job satisfaction
• Develop leading-edge products and services
• Find new ways to solve old problems/issues and pursue new opportunities
• Add to your “bottom line”
• Acquire productive techniques applicable outside of work

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Students' achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a short post-assessment (true-false, multiple choice and fill in the blank questions).

Intended Audience

This webinar will assist individuals in the government, business, and academic sectors, including students, who want to improve their and their organization's performance. Receptive individuals will recognize that the easy to use scientifically-based tools described in this webinar will increase effectiveness, efficiency, and innovation.

Webinar Outline

• Doing more with less: A better way
• Brain primer: Recent neuroscience discoveries and the potential value to you
• Einstellung effect: Obstacle to working smarter
• Medici effect
• Mind mapping
• Borrowing brilliance
• Habits – Replacing bad with good
• Fishbone diagramming
• Multi-tasking – Taking it to task
• Keystone habit
• What if?
• Taking a break
• Closing thought: Wrapping tires in brown paper?
• Resources for additional study

How to Earn your CEUs/PDHs and Receive Your Certificate of Completion

To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short on-line post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 1 year of purchasing the course.

How do I convert CEUs to PDHs?

1.0 CEU = 10 PDHs [Example: 0.1 CEU = 1 PDH]