A few weeks ago, I asked a question in a blog post that related to training from the book Made to Stick…go back and read it first if you don’t remember…
…Here is the correct answer…
The event stimulation group did better in every way. They were the people who visualized how the events unfolded. Simulating how the event unfolded is more helpful that simulating future outcomes. They were more likely to have taken specific actions to solve their problems. Thet were more likely to have sought advice and support. They were more likely to report that they had grown.
That’s kind of counterintuitive to the current run of gurus that urge people to visualize success.
Why does it work? We can’t imagine events without evoking modules of brain that are used for real physical activity. Thinking about throwing a ball stimulates the very same parts of the brain that are stimulated by the actual activity.
This could play an important role in how we train. Mentally stimulating an event helps plan, anticipate and avoid mistakes. It can also help build skills. Sitting still imagining the performance of a task successful from start to finish improves performance significantly. It is two thirds as good as actually physically practicing the activity.
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