THE BRAIN THAT CHANGES ITSELF

Last night I attended (with more than three hundred others) a presentation by Doctor Norman Doidge based on his best-selling book, The Brain That Changes Itself. I've been reading the book and have been most impressed by the examples and arguments. Doctor Doidge showed us a number of video clips of examples cited in the book and I was absolutely knocked out.

I have been taught that the human brain is more or less fixed. We have a certain number of cells, a fairly fixed IQ and that, after a fairly short time our brain cells start to die and we just have to accept that we forget things and think more slowly. The science of neuroplascticity, which is the subject of the book, proves that that is nonsense. There are so many examples in the book of people who have suffered massive brain damage, been written off and have made complete recoveries.

My own favourite stories in the book include the examples of autistic children who have made fantastic progress from following a regime based on the the idea that the brain can "rewire" itself and the story of Barbara Arrowsmith Young. As a young girl she was a slow learner and, in her own words, believed that she was "stupid". When she realised that, in fact, she had a problem with her brain, she developed new learning programmes which led her to setting up the Arrowsmith School, working with mainly young people with learning dysfunctions and helping them to achieve great results. Dr Doidge also has examples of 80-year olds who have reversed the mental aging process and are thinking and using their brains like people 25 years younger.

Neuroplasticity, when it is fully accepted, will change the way we think of disabilities, of pain, of aging. It is the most positive, hopeful product of scientific thinking I have seen in my lifetime. It will change the way I think and the way I run my training interventions. Thanks to the Centre for Cofidence and Well-being for organising Dr Doidge's presentation.

EXERCISE AND MENTAL HEALTH

I was supposed to be leading a workshop next month for the Centre for Confidence & Well-being. They had planned a conference in Glasgow on the theme of physical activity and positive mental health. As part of the conference there were to be a number nof physical activities and I was leading two groups who would walk from the conference venue in Glasgow's Merchant City to the People's Palace Museum at Glasgow Green, probably about a fifteen minute walk. At the museum they would hear from a number of speakers about community physical activities, including gardening. Unfortunately, the full-day conference has been cancelled because of lack of numbers. It will go ahead as an afternoon event, without workshops but still with the main speakers, Professor Ken Fox and Professor Nanette Mutrie.

I received an e-mail this morning from the Centre's Chief Executive, Carol Craig, apologising for the cancellation and pointing out that this is the first time in the Centre's five-year history that this has happened. As she explains, part of it may be down to the time of year. In Scotland we have just finished the holiday season and people may not have had time to plan to attend the event. It is a great shame.

As a runner, I am well aware of the psychological benefits of physical activity. I am training to run a 10K with my daughter at the start of next month, in fact just a four days before the conference. The weather in this part of Scotland has been cool and damp for the past few weeks and I have had to train sometimes on very wet days. Thirty years ago, when I ran marathons and had a full head of hair, I actually liked running in the rain. Recently, as I have lost most of my hair, I have found that rain can be painful on my scalp and I have been more reluctant to train in poor weather. Last week, knowing that the race is imminent, I felt obliged to set out on a wet, windy morning. Although the first mile was a bit of a trial, I was soon into my stride and forgot the horrible weather around me. When I arrived home, even before my shower, my wife remarked on the grin on my face and the glow around me. That lasted for the rest of the day and, in fact, until I had my next run on Saturday. And the glow from Saturday's run (this is Monday) which took place in sunshine, is still there.

The speakers at the conference will be presenting research evidence which proves that, for most of us, physical activity is not only good for our bodies but for our minds. My running experience confirms that. And I know that it is not only running. My wife finds gardening incredibly therapeutic. If you can do it, try some physical exercise. You'll be much better for it.

POVERY AND INEQUALITIES IN SCOTLAND

Just over a week ago I attended a conference on the above hosted by Scotland's Futures Forum at the Scottish Parliament. I shall write more on the conference later but I just want to mention here what a great day it was. The first part of the morning was taken up with speakers giving their slant on what we in Scotland and what the UK as a whole has done about poverty and inequality. There were some discussions about whether there is any difference and, I think, a general view that the extremes of inequality in the UK create the poverty. Later we had a series of soapboxes where a variety of speakers had four minutes to speak on a specific topic followed by four minutes questions/discussion, then in the afternoon a cafe conversation discussing how we think Scotland can/will move over the next ten years.

There was plenty of plain speaking during the day and many great suggestions at the plenary session. Despite the current crisis, the mood of the day was generally optimistic and I left feeling fired up again. Particular praise must go the the Presiding Officer of the Parliament who hosted and chaired the day (with significant help from the journalist Keith Aitken). Some of the comments about politicians were less than complimentary but the Presiding Officer never flinched and thanked everyone for their contribution. I'm looking forward to the final report which should be available at http://www.scotlandfutureforum.org/assets/library/files/application/1230811200.ppt. An audio of the day is available at http://vr-sp-archive.lbwa.verio.net/archive/Future%20Forum/futures_forum.wma.

SYSTEMS THINKING

A few weeks ago I attended a Masterclass organised by the Centre for Confidence & Well-being. It was led by John Seddon who talked about systems thinking in service organisations. John is highly critical of the approach, favoured by the present Government, of setting targets and micro-managing. He used an example of a telecoms provider and the approach when you call to report a fault. It exactly mirrored my experience which I wrote about three years ago, down to the person at the callcentre blaming me for their fault!

John is a marvelous speaker whose passion for his subject occasionally leads to him using what is euphemistically called "colourful language". I took no offence nor did anyone around me. When we have experts like John and his team around and when they have often shown their findings and offered their help to government at local and national level, why does this country continue to act in ways which are useless and expensive? This is our money that is being wasted. These are our friends and relatives who are being killed by an obsession with meeting targets as opposed to helping people. How long will this go on before we rise together and clear the lot out?

Check out http://www.systemsthinking.co.uk/home.asp for more.

SCHOOL OF EVERYTHING

I was at a Channel 4 event in Glasgow a few weeks ago and heard from Paul Miller who founded the amazing website http://schoolofeverything.com. As Paul describes it it's a sort of eBay for people have something to teach. basically you register (free of charge) telling the world what you want to teach, where and what you want in return. Students who want to learn then visit the website to find an appropriate teacher. Students can also register, telling the world what they want to learn then teachers can find them.

What you want to teach can be anything. I suppose that quantum physics could appear there but it includes driving tuition (at the moment because it's a new website there are a lot of driving instructors!), music tuition, reading, knitting - nothing seems to be ruled out. How you want to be paid can also be flexible. My entry describes me as wanting money or knowledge exchange. If someone is willing to teach me tenor saxophone in exchange for hypnotherapy or coaching or some kind of training, I want to meet him/her now!

Another blog, Boing Boing, described School of Everything as follows. 'It's one of those great, simple, smart ideas that make you want to smack your head and say, "Why didn't I think of that?"' If you have a skill you want to pass on or there is something you want to learn, check out School of Everything.

Monday was a special day for me. It was my 60th birthday. My wife and I had a quiet day and went out for a meal on Monday evening to a local Asian restaurant, the Indian Cottage. It was not our first visit to the place but, as we do not dine out often, it has been some time since were last there. We could certainly not be described as regular customers.

While the waiter was taking our order, my wife made a comment about it being my birthday. He politely asked if it was a particularly special event and we told him it was my 60th. Wishing me happy birthday and making a polite comment about me not looking my age, he went off with our order.

At the end of the meal (which was as good as any we have had recently), he returned with our bill and handed me a bottle of wine saying, "It's not every day that you're sixty." There was no need for that. We did not ask for nor expect any special treatment. As I mentioned earlier, we are not regular customers. It was just a very nice touch. My wife and I have already told at least a dozen people about it and we shall certainly return to the Indian Cottage soon. It was not an expensive bottle but that is not the point. It was lovely gift.

See, customer service is not complicated, not expensive, but it pays.

THE PARADOX OF CHOICE

I've recently been looking again at Barry Scwartz's book of the above title. It's based on research in the USA into the fact that today people have more choice than ever but are less happy than previously. Logically we think that more choice is better but psychologically this is not the case. There is a cut off point beyond which people end up confused and they then make no choice, or sometimes end up making choices without evaluating all the options with the result that they end up unhappy with the choices they make.

This is important for business. Let's say you run a shop selling running shoes. A customer of average height, weight and running style is looking for advice on the best pair of shoes. There are about a dozen pairs which will suit her so you offer them all. She just gets confused and leaves saying she'll think about it and return. Alternatively, you offer just one pair. This time she thinks you're just trying to punt the most expensive pair and again she leaves and goes to a rival store.

The best thing to do is to offer her three or four pairs. It's much easier for her to do a quick, mental cost-benefit analysis or pros and cons analysis and she is much more likely to make a decision. This results in a satisfied customer and money in your till.

So more choice is not necessarily a good thing. Some choice is better than no choice but too much leads to confusion and confusion leads to dissatisfaction.