Why build brain friendly communities? – Brain Leaders And Learners

Increasingly we walk into uncertain times. We face the thick and thin of life’s challenges, often when we feel least ready. People fail us and we fail others. In it all though, we tend to count on community to reach beyond our differences and bring us together around shared interests. Imagine tangible benefits of a robust community that knows and acts on newly discovered wonders and wisdom of every brain, including yours!

All 60 dinner dialogue topics, tips, and blogs for our roundtables are listed below. Each topic links to related blogs about research and doable, brain-friendly applications that ensure practical takeaways for all who participate.

What do you believe? Roundtable 1

Reversing racism- Roundtable 2

Content in a storm – Roundtable 3

Plastic brain – Roundtable 4

To know is to apply – Roundtable 5

Stress shrinks brains – Roundtable 6

Moods matter – Roundtable 7

Fixed or fluid IQ? – Roundtable 8

Choose creativity not chaos – Roundtable 9

Brainpower of play – Roundtable 10

Dare to risk – Roundtable 11

Opposing views – Roundtable 12

Better brainwave speeds – Roundtable 13

Cartoon characters, real brain parts – Roundtable 14

Habits or hormones – Roundtable 15

Sleep as friend or foe – Roundtable 16

Five essentials for growth – Roundtable 17

Memory helps – Roundtable 18

Pathways to change – Roundtable 19

Our brain on ethics – Roundtable 20

Rewire brains – Roundtable 21

Copycat brains – Roundtable 22

Meta -message toxins – Roundtable 23

Bully-proof a brain – Roundtable 24

Mistakes as stepping stones – Roundtable 25

Flee toxic chemicals – Roundtable 26

Tone tools for leaders – Roundtable 27

Brains on sarcasm or humor – Roundtable 28

Trust building with oxytocin – Roundtable 29

Transfer by doing – Roundtable 30

Creativity risk or regret – Roundtable 31

Curiosity reboots brains – Roundtable 32

Diversity and brainpower – Roundtable 33

Reduce stress – Roundtable 34

Drugs past brokenness – Roundtable 35

Overcome DNA – Roundtable 36

Cortisol chemical dangers – Roundtable 37

Lead change past sexism – Roundtable 38

Smart skills – Roundtable 39

Innovative mindset – Roundtable 40

Run from lectures – Roundtable 41

Multiple intelligences – Roundtable 42

Cynicism and our brains – Roundtable 43

Fear or freedom – Roundtable 44

Hope as lived experience – Roundtable 45

Talents as intelligences – Roundtable 46

Novelty for discovery – Roundtable 47

Avoid meta messages – Roundtable 48

Run from ruts – Roundtable 49

Left or right brain – Roundtable 50

Integration and our brains – Roundtable 51

Humor or cynicism – Roundtable 52

Verbal or linguistic IQ – Roundtable 53

Dendrite nerve cells – Roundtable 54

Limbic system – Roundtable 55

Mental molecules of happiness – Roundtable 56

Social networks – Roundtable 57

Two footed questions – Roundtable 58

Lonely yet not alone – Roundtable 59

How are you smart? Roundtable 60

**These practices embody namungo traits we can activate**

Brain-friendly tools offer practical adjustments with research proven results. See the Mita research behind the learner and leader 5-step model below at the Mita Manifesto site.

Now let’s apply the model above to roundtable one on the topic of beliefs for change, as one illustration of how all five phases of the model form active components of the change or growth we lead.

**Start with these few brain facts in tasks suggested**

**Each of the 5 phases above are required to get visible growth**

BAS in the Move phase above refers to our basal ganglia that stores all habits (good and bad), and reuses these daily unless they are replaced. CORT refers to our cortisol that raises and is sustain by dangerous stress levels. SERO refers to serotonin that offers and sustains wellbeing as the brain’s aha chemicals. These roundtables show what BAS, CORT, and SERO do on a daily basis, as well as how our choices impact their influence.

Consider this first roundtable next that draws on diverse beliefs other than faith or grace related.

What would Mita’s five brain based phases look like then?

Question: What one belief helps you most when challenges arise?

Target: 1). share beliefs that support participants when challenged 2). identify new neural discoveries with practical application possibilities

Expect: new discoveries related to participant beliefs and related brain based tasks to put that belief into practice

Move: newly discovered brain facts into action so these connect to the challenges raised and the beliefs articulated.

Reflect: What new practice you use in the coming week to concretely and tangibly illustrate your stated belief in action and will address the challenge you raised?

Let’s say a participant of any career believes that talk does not equate learning. That person may answer the first question by suggesting that information be distributed to participants, who apply that information actively as a learning approach. The overall goal of this roundtable is to support all participants as we connect best beliefs to observable practices and then prepare to test our brain based tasks in the coming week.

The TpT resource below brings tips together for roundtables you may facilitate on any of the above topics.

Created by Ellen Weber, Brain Based Tasks for Growth Mindset