The Art and Science of Training explores the creative and logical aspects of professional development. The book imagines the practice as both a science and an art and teaches instructors how to maximize the impact of lessons inside and outside the classroom. Training expert Elaine Biech breaks down instruction into core components like designing lessons around students, mastering technology, and aligning content with organizational standards. The book also teaches facilitators how to handle difficult situations like stubborn students or technical glitches. Buy The Art and Science of Training. 8. Telling Ain’t Training by Harold D. Stolovitch and Erica J. Keeps Notable Quote: “Training is a process designed to assist an individual to learn new skills, knowledge, or attitudes. As a result, individuals make a change or transformation that improves or enhances their performance. These improvements ensure that people and organizations are able to do things better, faster, easier, and with higher quality.”

Notable Quote: “It seems that to truly facilitate learning for others, trainers must understand them first; learning comes after that. Trying to impart knowledge without thoroughly understanding the learner is like venturing into enemy territory without first doing reconnaissance. Success happens because you understand others; it’s not from understanding the content.”

In other words the author explains that you have to be good at being bad before having talent. For this to work you have to love to fail, knowing you are actually gaining the entire time. This reminds me of a famous quote by Thomas Edison who, before inventing the lightbulb, failed over 10,000 times. Except Edison's viewpoint wasn't that he failed 10,000 times in the quest for the lightbulb--he instead found 10,000 ways that did not work. This is the premise of the theory of this book. The author points out that those who are truly talented started off as terrible and then became good. What may look like an overnight success is really hours and hours of practice before mastery. Many would say that walking on the moon, measuring the weight of the Earth, or painting the Sistine Chapel, were feats of impossibility; however, they proved something about human nature. These periods of human excellence are often ignited by the idea that the impossible has become possible. When individuals witness impossible achievements being accomplished, this often creates a bit of a boom. Let’s face it: whether we want it or not, it’s very probable that, as long as we live, our brain will remain a mystery to us. And with it, talent itself. “The Talent Code” is a nice way to reveal some of its alluring secrets. But, just like few other books on the subject, it isn’t necessarily deep. If more myelination means becoming faster, better and more accurate, you would definitely want to know how it is created, and how we can influence it. Notable Quote: “Transitioning new hires into your company has multiple cascading events that take place over time– for the leader, for the new hire, and the organization. Much more than merely enrolling people in benefits and setting up their payroll, it’s your first chance to make a good impression and truly integrate the individual into your culture.”

Deep Practice –Everyone knows that practice is a key to success. What everyone doesn’t know is that specific kinds of practice can increase skill up to ten times faster than conventional practice.Although talent feels and looks predestined, in fact we have a good deal of control over what skills we develop, and we have more potential than we might ever presume to guess.” The sweet spot: that productive, uncomfortable terrain located just beyond our current abilities, where our reach exceeds our grasp. Deep practice is not simply about struggling; it's about seeking a particular struggle, which involves a cycle of distinct actions.” From the simplest skill, such as flipping a coin, or riding a bike, to complex ones such as programming, proving a mathematical formula, playing the piano, etc., each human skill involves chains of nerve fibers and neural circuits that carry tiny electrical impulses. You can find more about him and his hot-off-the-oven chart-topper, “The Culture Code,” at: http://danielcoyle.com/. “The Talent Code Summary”