Mind-tricks, Magic, and the Media

Posted by Allen Baird, Partner on Sep 22, 2008 in learning, news and events, training | 1 comment

Interest in my Jedi ‘university workshop’ has, I think, climaxed.  I’ve mentioned that I was interviewed on ABC Radio in Oz.  The latest is an interview on Danish Radio Station DR, who were pretty into it.

So it was comforting to learn that I’m not the only wacko innovative, lateral-thinking teacher around.  Professor Richard Wiseman has told the British Association Science Festival that teaching magic tricks helps pupils perform better.  They learn a cluster of social skills – like empathy, confidence, and social intelligence – that are otherwise difficult to teach.

For those of you interested to know what happening out there with the Jedi course, here’s a sample of the word on the street.

The Irish News gave us a mention, as well as the global news network AHN.  News websites as far away as Thailand, Australia, and Michigan State University continue to mention it.

But what do people actually think of the idea?  Some of the comments made on these sites are hilarious.  For interesting feedback, see Shortnews, The Register, Slashdot, and Reddit.  109 is particularly good.  But when you reach the Jedi News, you know you’ve made the big time.

But things took a serious turn when a national business asked me if I would do a half-day speech/training session for them at their annual conference.  Apparently they want someone who can make communication and inter-personal skills interesting as well as informative.  Sounds like the force is strong with their training department!  Let’s see what happens.