Long ago we had meetings around a campfire. A small group of people in a circle, listening to stories, debating, conversing, learning from each other.
Much later, in more recent ages, only the rich and powerful could talk to larger groups, armies and other audiences.
And even more recently, thanks to sound equipment, we all can afford to address a public, larger than the campfire crowd.

ScienceDaily (June 4, 2010) — Feeling sluggish? The solution may require getting outside the box -- that big brick-and-mortar box called a building. Being outside in nature makes people feel more alive, finds a series of studies published in the June 2010 issue of the Journal of Environmental Psychology. And that sense of increased vitality exists above and beyond the energizing effects of physical activity and social interaction that are often associated with our forays into the natural world, the studies show.

Wash Away Your Doubts When You Wash Your Hands ScienceDaily (May 7, 2010) That's the key finding of a University of Michigan study published in the current (May 7) issue of Science. The study, conducted by U-M psychologists Spike W. S. Lee and Norbert Schwarz, expands on past research by showing that hand-washing does more than remove the guilt of past misdeeds.

Summary Report from an OECD-CER Meeting, Copenhagen, Denmark As there are 34 000 classified emotions, the question arises as to how are teachers supposed to recognize and deal with the emotional states of their students, when most of the time the students don’t even know what they are feeling themselves..... Is it possible to develop a coherent framework for dealing with emotions that does not produce confusion?

John Medina has the rare gift of making science fun and accessible to business leaders. He is an extraordinary speaker -- perhaps one of the most energetic and engaging speakers you will ever encounter. And he has a message that every leader needs to survive and thrive at work. In a keynote presentation or dynamic workshop, Medina guides you through his 12 Brain Rules, things you should know about how the brain works. With fascinating stories and his characteristic sense of humor, he'll explain:

Brain Rules for Presenters

ScienceDaily (Feb. 2, 2010) — Despite the common association of "right" with life, correctness, positiveness and good things, and "left" with death, clumsiness, negativity and bad things, recent research shows that most left-handed people hold the opposite association. Thus, left-handers become an interesting case in which conceptual associations as a result of a sensory-motor experience, and conceptual associations that rely on linguistic and cultural norms, are contradictory.

Relaxation increases energy and focus When stress is out-of-control, it can get in the way of your ability to: * Think clearly and creatively * Communicate clearly * Accurately “read” other people * Hear what someone is really saying * Trust others * Attend to your own needs

ScienceDaily (Jan. 16, 2010) — Have you ever accidentally pulled your headphone socket out while listening to music? What happens when the music stops? Psychologists believe that our brains continuously predict what is going to happen next in a piece of music. So, when the music stops, your brain may still have expectations about what should happen next.