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magzoso-tech · 4 years

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The Top TED Talks of 2019 and What You Can Learn From Them

December 25, 2019 11 min read

“Ideas worth spreading.”

That’s TED’s tagline, and the organization — originally launched as a convergence of the technology, entertainment and design industries — has done its best to stick to that mission since 1984. Talks cover everything from how to recover from activism burnout to quantum computing explained in 10 minutes. Every second, 17 people watch a TED Talk, on average, and the organization’s videos have garnered well over one-billion views.

If you’re looking for a spark of inspiration, here are six of the most compelling talks of 2019 so far, with key takeaways.

3 Psychological Tricks to Help You Save Money (Wendy De La Rosa)

There’s a reason saving more money ranks in the top five New Year’s resolutions each January: We all want to do it, but it’s easier said — or written down on a resolution list — than done. Behavioral scientist Wendy De La Rosa aims to change that in her TED Talk, teaching three psychological strategies for overcoming our propensity to spend-not-save.

One preliminary thing to keep in mind: “It’s not about how smart you are or how much willpower you have,” said De La Rosa. Instead, she said, it’s about the environment in which you think about saving. Exhibit A: In one of De La Rosa’s studies, subjects who were shown their income on a weekly basis were able to budget better than people who were shown their monthly income total, she said.

As for the three tricks? Number one is to “harness the power of precommitment,” said De La Rosa. We tend to see two versions of ourselves, our past selves and our future selves, and our future selves are perfect; they’ll have the motivation to wake up earlier, exercise more, save money and more. But we often forget, said De La Rosa, that the future self is the exact same person as the present self. We can use this potential shortcoming to our advantage by forcing ourselves to make saving decisions in advance through an app or automatic account deposits. In another of De La Rosa’s studies, one group of subjects received the following text in February: “If you get a tax refund, what percentage would you like to save?” The average answer: 27 percent. But when another group of subjects was asked — just after receiving their refund — how much they’d like to save, they chose an average 17 percent.

De La Rosa’s other strategies: Use transition moments to your advantage — New Year’s, birthdays, a job change, a move — and get a handle on small but frequent purchases (for most people, eating out is at the top of that list).

Why Working From Home Is Good for Business (Matt Mullenweg)

Matt Mullenweg’s employees live all over the world, from California to New Zealand. He’s the cofounder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic, which has a 100 percent distributed workforce of close to 800 employees. Why? In his TED Talk, Mullenweg said he believes that “talent and intelligence are equally distributed throughout the world, but opportunity is not,” and that the most diverse perspectives inherently come from people living and working in countries different from your own.

“In Silicon Valley, you have the big tech companies fishing from essentially the same small pond or bay,” said Mullenweg. “By making the company distributed, we can fish from the entire ocean.” A distributed workforce also offers unprecedented flexibility for employees: They can choose the food they eat at their office, noise level, temperature and more.

If you’re looking to skew your own office towards a distributed workforce, the first step is to document everything and leave a trail of your thought process in making different decisions, said Mullenweg. It’s not just efficient for people in different time zones; it’s also helpful for any company over time as people leave and join up.

Mullenweg sees the future of work as being completely decentralized. “I think that companies will evolve to be ‘distributed first,’ or that they’ll be replaced by those that are,” he said.

How to Make Applying for Jobs Less Painful (Priyanka Jain)

If the idea of sending in a resume and cover letter makes you inwardly (or outwardly) groan, you’re not alone. According to a January TED Talk, about 75 percent of people who applied to jobs using various methods in the past year said they never heard anything back from the employer, and 46 percent of people get fired or quit within the first year of starting their jobs.

“For the first time in history, we have more open jobs than unemployed people — and to me, that screams that we have a problem,” said Priyanka Jain, who’s featured in the TED Talk and is the head of product at Pymetrics, a company pairing neuroscience with recruiting.

Jain believes that a single piece of paper is the heart of the problem. Resumes can showcase someone’s past achievements, she argues, but they fall short when it comes to someone’s potential — especially in a quickly changing economy, where jobs of the future may require skills no one has yet.

As for the solution? Jain said multi-measure tests, powered by AI algorithms, can help potential employers gauge your memory strengths, levels of attentiveness and other traits. The key, she said, is to make them scalable (which, of course, is what her company Pymetrics aims to do). During her presentation, Jain showcases a brief example of a multi-measure test, in which viewers are asked to clap when a circle turns red and refrain when it turns green. Your results could inform potential employers of your strengths and weaknesses — e.g., if you clap late after the red circle appears but correctly never clap on green, you likely score high in attentiveness and restraint, similar to successful project managers and accountants. If you clap immediately upon seeing a red circle but sometimes incorrectly clap on green, you may skew towards impulsivity and creativity like some top-performing salespeople.

The caveat: If companies like Pymetrics use current industry top performers and their traits to train algorithms, that could lead to bias against women and minorities. It’s vital for diverse teams of people to monitor and review these tools before they’re rolled out on any large scale.

8 Lessons on Building a Company People Enjoy Working for (Patty McCord)

Patty McCord always wanted to be an HR professional, to speak the language of management — but after her decades-long career in HR, including a 14-year stint as Netflix’s chief talent officer, she’s learned none of the HR jargon really matters and that many companies treat their employees like children. “In fact, I’ve learned ‘best practices’ usually means copying what everyone else does,” said McCord in her TED Talk.

The job of management isn’t to control people; it’s to build great teams. The metric we should be using is customer happiness, said McCord, not arbitrary metrics like whether someone came to work on time or how many vacation days they used. Everyone in the company should understand the business, how it makes money and what success looks like there. And encourage your employees to get excited about change, said McCord: “Beware of the smoke of nostalgia.”

Everyone in your company should be able to handle the truth, said McCord, and if you find it difficult to give employees feedback, it’s likely because you don’t practice enough. “What else do you do in your whole life that you’re really good at that you only do once a year?” she said. “Here’s what I’ve found: Humans can hear anything if it’s true.” Make it a priority to tell people the honest truth about what they’re doing right and what they’re doing wrong — while they’re doing it.

One more thing to keep in mind: Careers are journeys, and it’s rare for someone to want to work towards the same goal for their entire lives. “What if we created companies that were great places to be from,” said McCord, “and everyone who leaves you becomes a great ambassador for not only your product, but who you are and how you operate?”

How to Lead a Conversation Between People Who Disagree (Eve Pearlman)

We’re living in the Information Age, but some feel it’s never been harder to find the truth. Political divides grow deeper, technology seems to create more rifts than it mends and, from sea to shining sea, it’s growing increasingly more difficult for people to talk to each other in a calm, respectful, open way.

Journalist Eve Pearlman wanted to change that, so she spearheaded Spaceship Media, a company prioritizing “dialogue journalism” — journalism-supported open discussions between people who disagree — and explained it in her TED Talk. After the 2016 election, she brought together 25 Clinton supporters from California and 25 Trump supporters from Alabama to talk about hot-button issues. The first question: What do you think the other side thinks of you? After getting those stereotypes out of the way, participants discussed guns, immigration, race and education. “What we found, remarkably, is that real dialogue is, in fact, possible — and that when given a chance and structure around doing so… many of our fellow citizens are eager to engage,” said Pearlman.

Our current state of discord doesn’t benefit anyone, said Pearlman, and people often appreciate the chance to engage curiously, openly and respectfully. They want “a chance to put down their arms.” Many of Spaceship Media’s Facebook groups have spun off into member-run groups, individual friendship and, most of all, real human connection across difference.

“We do our work in direct challenge to the political climate in our country right now, and we do it knowing that it is difficult, challenging work to hold and support people in opposing backgrounds in conversation,” said Pearlman. “We do it knowing democracy depends on our ability to address our shared problems together.”

How to Spot a Pyramid Scheme (Stacie Bosley)

In 2004, a new company called Vemma Nutrition started offering anyone, regardless of education or experience, the opportunity to earn part-time income for full-time work. The only requirements to get started: Spend $500 to $600 on a product kit and recruit two more members to do the same, explains economist Stacie Bosley in her TED Talk. By 2013, Vemma Nutrition had expanded globally and brought in $200 million per year. But it turned out that most members earned less than their initial deposit, and Vemma was charged with operating a pyramid scheme.

So how do you identify — and avoid — a pyramid scheme? The primary red flag: A founder solicits an initial group of people to buy into the company and recruit other members, with the promise they’ll earn a commission for each new person who joins or invests. The founder also takes a share. The catch: “As a pyramid scheme grows, it becomes increasingly difficult for new recruits to make money,” said Bosley. For example, the founder recruits an initial group of six, who then recruit six people each (adding up to 36), who then, in turn, each recruit six others: a total of 216. By the twelfth recruiting round, the 2.1 billion new members would be tasked with recruiting over 13 billion others — more than the world population — in order to turn a profit, said Bosley. In this example, over 80 percent of the scheme’s newest participants lose everything they paid in.

As for the difference between pyramid schemes and “legitimate” multi-level marketing (MLM) opportunities? Bosley said it’s a question of whether members primarily earn compensation from selling a product or service or from recruiting new members. If you’re considering taking on a new opportunity, keep an eye out for red flags, as many pyramid schemes disguise themselves as legal MLMs.

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fitono · 6 years

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Personal Training as a Second Career

Seven years ago, I was a million miles away from the fitness industry.

Although I was an athlete (albeit a very mediocre one) for most of my childhood, I always struggled with food and was teased for being chubby. Sports helped keep me in check, but when I quit athletics halfway through high school, my uncontrollable eating habits and lack of activity led to rapid weight gain. By August of 2011, I was more than 60 pounds overweight and struggling with that reality: Severe body image issues, crippling lack of self confidence, and emerging health problems all came home to roost for me. Everything I heard about being overweight was horribly, seriously true.

My professional trajectory was also headed in a very different direction. At age five, I started taking piano lessons at a local music store. By 13, I decided I wanted to pursue a career as a professional trombone player (I doubt this is a common thought in the head of many teenagers, but there you go). But I was good enough to hit the road.

This path took me around the country for music festivals and competitions, and ultimately led me to Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. I worked as a private instructor and played numerous professional gigs around Omaha, Chicago, and San Francisco. My last full-time job before leaving the music world was performing educational concerts as a contractor for the San Francisco Symphony.

Big Jump, No Parachute

Just before my sophomore year of college, my doctor gave me some horrifying news during a routine well visit: I was prediabetic. Wait, what? I was waaay too young to be sick. This was a huge wake-up call and marked the beginning of a six-month-long journey to lose 70 pounds and change everything about my life. The funny thing? I ended up changing a lot more than I’d planned.

As I lost weight, I began to voraciously consume books, articles, and videos about exercise and nutrition. Just as I became incredibly passionate about music years ago, I developed an unquenchable curiosity for all things health and fitness.

My mom suggested — since I was studying so much anyway — that I get a personal training certification. At least then I could have a part-time job to support me when music gigs were scarce. After I became a certified trainer, I started working part-time with clients on my own and eventually in a commercial gym. Although I was still pursuing music, I was spending more and more of my time in the gym.

READ ALSO: “What Opera Singing Taught Me About Personal Training”

It was a scary decision to finally pull the plug on my music career and jump into full-time training. In a word, I was terrified. I knew I didn’t want to be a musician anymore, and I knew I loved working in the gym. But that was as far as I could get. I struggled to build my business and all I could ask myself was, “How am I going to make a living doing this full-time?”

Well, at first, I couldn’t. The first year of full-time training was brutal, and I considered throwing in the towel numerous times due to the steep learning curve. My savings dwindled. I felt like I was so far behind coworkers who had been pursuing careers in fitness since their college days.

One day, I’d had enough of the frustration and fear and anger. I sat down and thought long and hard about whether I was going to stick with training. Could I do it? Did I have the guts? Did I have the passion? I thought about what I saw when I watched my coworkers in the game. I decided, yes, I could do this. I followed my passion and trusted I would be able to learn the skills I needed to build a legit career. But I had work to do and that was up to me.

This simple mindset shift was a game-changer. It motivated me to develop my training skills on a deeper level. Slowly but surely, my business grew. My clients were getting better results, sticking around longer, and referring their friends. Finally, things were good.

How did I make it all go? It boiled down to doing three things with consistency and patience:

1. I Prioritized Learning

Unlike many of my fitness industry peers, I had no formal training in exercise science before I got my initial personal training certification. I didn’t take any science classes in college. I also had zero business, sales, or marketing skills.

My initial education came from reading articles by people like Nia Shanks, Mike Robertson, Dave Tate, Jim Wendler, Eric Cressey, and Dan John. This information, combined with my personal training certification, helped me train myself and others at a basic level. But it was hardly a comprehensive education. The more I learned, the more I became self-conscious about all the things I didn’t know or understand. I knew I had a lot of ground to make up compared to others who studied exercise-related topics in school.

The solution was to expand my studies:

* I picked up additional certifications in areas that interested me and were relevant for my clientele (such as Precision Nutrition and the Online Trainer Academy).

* I studied biomechanics, programming, coaching/communicating, and more.

(READ ALSO: “Three Ways to Write Better Training Programs”)

* I purchased courses, products, and services from fitness industry leaders.

* I invested in my own online coach.

* I expanded my network by attending live events and joining Strength Faction.

* Whenever possible, I asked questions of the more experienced trainers at my gym. This was especially important during my first year of full-time training when I was struggling to figure out how to sell my services.

* Finally, I sought information from leaders in other related fields like sales and marketing, psychology, and personal development.

Although I’ve only been doing this for five years and still have lots to learn, I now feel much more confident about safely and effectively helping my clients.

2. I Put Myself in Front of People Every Day

For me, the scariest part of becoming a trainer was figuring out how to work with people. I’d never been good at putting myself out there and dealing with rejection when I was a musician. Now I had to do both regularly to experience success. I was also nervous about working with clients because I felt unqualified. Well, I did it anyway. Forcing myself to do this was one of my best decisions early on.

My first “real” job was training my Northwestern classmates in a campus gym. This was low-risk for all involved; I charged very little and worked with my friends. This invaluable real-life training experience gave me the confidence to override my imposter syndrome. Being able to say I had experience selling my services and working with clients also made me more hirable when applying for jobs.

After six months of working independently, I moved to California and got my first gig at a commercial gym. I’ve been working at commercial gyms ever since.

Some in the fitness industry look down on these types of jobs, but they can be incredibly valuable for younger trainers or anyone new to the industry. I worked with a wide range of clients with different needs and goals. This helped me hone my programming and communication skills and taught me something huge: which kinds of clients I loved working with, and which I could do without.

READ ALSO: “What I Learned from 15,000 Training Sessions in a Commercial Gym”

I also had several mentors on the training staff who taught me the ins and outs of sales and marketing. Without their help and my willingness to get better at dealing with rejection, I never would have been able to build a profitable business.

Three years in, I launched my online training business. Online training carries a host of new challenges. You need to have a solid grasp of programming and be a great communicator, and I don’t think I would have been an effective online coach if I had started right away. I needed time working with many different types of people face-to-face to learn what works.

3. I Leveraged my Past Experiences

Entering the fitness industry from an unrelated career can make you feel like you’re at a huge disadvantage. But what have you experienced outside of the fitness industry that can make you a better trainer? It turns out I had two big ones:

I had issues with overeating and self-esteem.

I lost 70 pounds, remaking myself in the process.

That experience helped me understand my clients. But more important, it helped them relate to me.

Many trainers are athletes their whole lives and have always been in great shape. Some clients find this intimidating and struggle to relate: How can this person understand how I feel about my weight and how I look and feel? My own weight loss story became an instant point of connection for my clients who see themselves in my struggles. I can also better understand where my clients are coming from and coach them effectively.

Now, this isn’t to say people who have always been in great shape aren’t good coaches. It just means that your personal struggles should not be viewed as a weakness. Anything that helps you relate to your clients on a true, human level will only make you a better trainer.

READ ALSO: “Stop Training Your Clients Like CrossFitters, Bodybuilders, or Powerlifters”

Transformation Is the Best of Us

Looking back, it’s funny how my journey from overweight musician to personal trainer mirrors so many aspects of the fitness journey our clients are after. The goal is to become something very different than what we were on day one. On one side of the transformation, it’s all about doubt, and fear, and self-reflection. On the other, it’s about desire, and persistence, and a willingness to reveal and attack your shortcomings.

Choosing a side was simple, but not easy. And to this day, very much worth it.

The post Personal Training as a Second Career appeared first on The PTDC.

Personal Training as a Second Career published first on https://medium.com/@MyDietArea

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gabriellakirtonblog · 6 years

Text

Personal Training as a Second Career

Seven years ago, I was a million miles away from the fitness industry.

Big Jump, No Parachute

READ ALSO: “What Opera Singing Taught Me About Personal Training”

How did I make it all go? It boiled down to doing three things with consistency and patience:

1. I Prioritized Learning

The solution was to expand my studies:

* I picked up additional certifications in areas that interested me and were relevant for my clientele (such as Precision Nutrition and the Online Trainer Academy).

* I studied biomechanics, programming, coaching/communicating, and more.

(READ ALSO: “Three Ways to Write Better Training Programs”)

* I purchased courses, products, and services from fitness industry leaders.

* I invested in my own online coach.

* I expanded my network by attending live events and joining Strength Faction.

* Finally, I sought information from leaders in other related fields like sales and marketing, psychology, and personal development.

Although I’ve only been doing this for five years and still have lots to learn, I now feel much more confident about safely and effectively helping my clients.

2. I Put Myself in Front of People Every Day

After six months of working independently, I moved to California and got my first gig at a commercial gym. I’ve been working at commercial gyms ever since.

READ ALSO: “What I Learned from 15,000 Training Sessions in a Commercial Gym”

3. I Leveraged my Past Experiences

I had issues with overeating and self-esteem.

I lost 70 pounds, remaking myself in the process.

That experience helped me understand my clients. But more important, it helped them relate to me.

READ ALSO: “Stop Training Your Clients Like CrossFitters, Bodybuilders, or Powerlifters”

Transformation Is the Best of Us

Choosing a side was simple, but not easy. And to this day, very much worth it.

The post Personal Training as a Second Career appeared first on The PTDC.

Personal Training as a Second Career published first on https://onezeroonesarms.tumblr.com/

0 notes

fitono · 6 years

Text

Personal Training as a Second Career

Seven years ago, I was a million miles away from the fitness industry.

Big Jump, No Parachute

READ ALSO: “What Opera Singing Taught Me About Personal Training”

How did I make it all go? It boiled down to doing three things with consistency and patience:

1. I Prioritized Learning

The solution was to expand my studies:

* I picked up additional certifications in areas that interested me and were relevant for my clientele (such as Precision Nutrition and the Online Trainer Academy).

* I studied biomechanics, programming, coaching/communicating, and more.

(READ ALSO: “Three Ways to Write Better Training Programs”)

* I purchased courses, products, and services from fitness industry leaders.

* I invested in my own online coach.

* I expanded my network by attending live events and joining Strength Faction.

* Finally, I sought information from leaders in other related fields like sales and marketing, psychology, and personal development.

Although I’ve only been doing this for five years and still have lots to learn, I now feel much more confident about safely and effectively helping my clients.

2. I Put Myself in Front of People Every Day

After six months of working independently, I moved to California and got my first gig at a commercial gym. I’ve been working at commercial gyms ever since.

READ ALSO: “What I Learned from 15,000 Training Sessions in a Commercial Gym”

3. I Leveraged my Past Experiences

I had issues with overeating and self-esteem.

I lost 70 pounds, remaking myself in the process.

That experience helped me understand my clients. But more important, it helped them relate to me.

READ ALSO: “Stop Training Your Clients Like CrossFitters, Bodybuilders, or Powerlifters”

Transformation Is the Best of Us

Choosing a side was simple, but not easy. And to this day, very much worth it.

The post Personal Training as a Second Career appeared first on The PTDC.

Personal Training as a Second Career published first on https://medium.com/@MyDietArea

0 notes