Scott Young is a lifelong learner and online entrepreneur who runs the business ScottHYoung.com where he tries to answer the question: “What’s the best way to learn?” through free articles, and a series of books and courses. In a world of limitless access to information, it's become possible for all of us to direct our own learning like never before. And Scott is a great example of someone doing this - taking on ambitious ultra learning projects which include: The MIT Challenge, where he success...
Aug 30, 2016•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast While it may be difficult to put your finger on that special something that geniuses like Tolstoy or Shakespeare had, being able to communicate well in writing is a skill that can be learned like any other. If we deconstruct the art of writing, its three main components are research, storytelling and the organisation of ideas. So if you can develop these skills by putting in consistent deliberate practice, you’re going to become a better writer. In this episode I show you how to become a better ...
Aug 23, 2016•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast John-Paul is an entrepreneur and best-selling author with a mission to spread awareness of better communication. A former associate editor at The Financial Times, he has worked with people at the top of government, business and the creative arts, and some of the world's leading companies. Asking questions is an essential skill that few of us ever learn how to do properly - but it's of vital importance in all areas of our life because asking the right question at the right time can make all the d...
Aug 16, 2016•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast There’s a feeling nowadays that reading isn’t as important as it used to be – we have many other ways to get information including television and the internet. While all of these are useful in the right context, they can't replace reading fully. In the US only 40% of people who graduate college ever read a book again. But it’s been well documented that most successful and intelligent people across fields from business, science and the arts are voracious readers. In this episode I show you how to...
Aug 09, 2016•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mads Holmen is the CEO of Bibblio , a platform helping knowledge publishers deliver smarter content recommendation. Bibblio’s clients include the University of Cambridge and Oxford University Press as well as the BBC and YouTube. It's been well documented that the educational system in the West has problems, but if you want to improve a system you need to look at the ways people think and interact with each other before changing the rules - and that's what educational philosophy is all about. Ma...
Aug 02, 2016•1 hr 24 min•Transcript available on Metacast What if one of the most powerful tools for igniting change in the world was something that’s been available to us since childhood? Questioning - deeply, imaginatively and critically – can spark unique insights and unleash our innate creativity. It can help us see the world through fresh eyes and notice things others don’t. And it can inspire us to take focused actions that improve the quality of our lives. Most creative and successful people in all fields from science to business recognise the i...
Jul 26, 2016•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Vincent Dignan is an entrepreneur and growth hacker who helps early-stage companies acquire users. Through his company Magnific he’s driven thousands of followers, conversations, and signups for startups using a combination of social media growth and guerrilla community management tactics. On top of this he’s a great public speaker regularly giving talks around the world on marketing and growth hacking and he recently completed a 45-date speaking tour of the US, speaking in 13 different cities. ...
Jul 19, 2016•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Many people assume that great communicators possess an intrinsic talent – they look at the abilities of Martin Luther King, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and assume that it’s a gift that can't be learned or improved. While I think it may come easier to some people than others, the reality is that almost anyone can become a great communicator with consistent, deliberate practice over a period of time. In fact it’s pretty shocking that communication skills aren’t taught in the vast majority of sch...
Jul 12, 2016•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Will Reynolds and Erin Potter are the founders of the New Work Order, a close-knit network of ambitious people, building careers on their own terms. I met Will at a workshop he was running on entrepreneurship and the vision he’s crafted with Erin to help people take control of their own careers resonated with me as it’s something I’ve been trying to do since graduating from university. The important thing about community is that it allows people to learn from each other and to get a objective vi...
Jul 05, 2016•1 hr 17 min•Transcript available on Metacast There’s something about learning teams that magnifies any achievement we gain in isolation. We’ve all been part of a team, whether at work or in sports or the arts where everything just works – every one’s strengths complement each other and compensate for individual weaknesses to produce amazing results. I've been exploring how we can learn better in teams recently, diving into organisational theory and reflecting on my own experiences at the Hive Global Leaders Program in San Francisco and the...
Jun 28, 2016•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Alex Rawlings is a polyglot and language teacher who runs the blog Rawlangs as well as a series of Polyglot Workshops and Conferences all over the world. In 2012 Alex was named Britain’s most multilingual student after winning a nationwide competition, where he was tested for fluency in eleven languages. One of the most common language learning myths is that you have to live in a country to learn a language. But this simply isn't true if you're approaching the process properly and Alex is proof ...
Jun 21, 2016•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast Olly Richards is a language learning expert and entrepreneur, who speaks 8 languages (including French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese and Cantonese) and runs the blog and podcast I Will Teach You A Language. There are a lot of myths about language learning - and while natural ability and upbringing definitely influence someone's ability, I believe that everyone is capable of learning a foreign language to a good standard. Olly is a perfect example of someone who's developed his ability ...
Jun 07, 2016•2 hr 33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Habits are so important because up to 90 percent of our behaviour is based on them, which means they make up nearly all of what we do on a daily basis. When it comes to learning, we all have good habits and bad habits. And over a longer period of time, these very small behaviours can add up to produce very positive or very negative results. The good news is that all of them are malleable which means we can learn to effectively change bad habits and better ones. And in this episode you’ll learn t...
May 27, 2016•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tom Rogers is an entrepreneur and the Founder of Music Gurus, a platform that provides music courses & training from the world's top musicians. Tom is also a keen musician – he started his own band at school and went on to study at music college before getting an MBA at INSEAD. Many of us wish we could learn a musical instrument but don't know how to start. Without music in our lives, we're not only missing out on one of life's great pleasures but we're also robbing ourselves of the broader unde...
May 17, 2016•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast There is a tradeoff between following multiple interests and focusing on one thing - but the key is to find the right balance in a way that works for you. If your friends and family tell you that you should be focusing more, then you probably fall into the category of someone with multiple interests. If so, I’ve got you covered here with strategies to help you explore these interests, integrate them into your life and focus at the right time. Alternatively, if you’re someone with a tendency to b...
May 10, 2016•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Alexis is a transformative coach who works with TV personalities, CEOs and award winning authors through his coaching business, the Live Life in Full Colour Project. He also has 10 years of experience in the British Army where he worked as a communications specialist and fitness instructor. In this conversation we discuss a range of topics including: - The strategies Alexis used to rapidly pick up skills in the army, including everything from combat training to jumping out of planes - How to lea...
May 03, 2016•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Greta Rossi and Mark Spokes co-founders of Akasha Innovation, a not for profit social enterprise which gives social entrepreneurs the mindsets and skill sets and they need to succeed on their journey as change makers. Greta is a social entrepreneur, transformative coach and the acting CEO of Akasha, while Mark is the academic director of the organisation and designed their learning program using a decade of experience in transformative learning and mentoring in higher education and social enterp...
Apr 26, 2016•1 hr 16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr. Anthony Metivier is the creator of the Magnetic Memory Method - an effective and fun method that helps you remember virtually any kind of information using memory techniques. So many people believe that having a good memory is linked to intelligence or brain structure. But we're all capable of remembering a remarkable amount of information if we use the right techniques. Put simply, your memory is an incredible tool and whatever you're learning, you should learn how to use it. Anthony has be...
Apr 19, 2016•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Anton is an architect turned entrepreneur with a mission to transform the way we live and work. Over the past 10 years he has accelerated a number of social and tech ventures through his consultancy The Exponentials and he is currently a co-founder of the Village 3.0 Movement and Head of Product for TechFarm. In a world of unlimited access to learning resources it's become possible for all of us to structure our own education like never before. But access to information isn't enough - we still n...
Apr 19, 2016•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Josh is a mental and physical health expert with qualifications in hypnotherapy, neurolinguistic programming and mindfulness meditation. He also blogs at the Huffington Post on mental health, entrepreneurship and economics. Josh and I go back to Oxford where he was in the year above me on the same economics course and after bumping into each other a few times since then, we've since become good friends and shared a bunch of fascinating conversations. Learning is a much more holistic process than...
Apr 18, 2016•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode I provide an introduction to MetaLearn, featuring an exploration of the main themes in accelerated learning and skill acquisition as well as some insight into my own personal story. My mission is simple - to empower people to manage their own learning so they can use their knowledge and skills to make an impact on the world around them. In the last 5 years, I’ve done extensive research in the fields of cognitive psychology and educational neuroscience and taken courses in memory ...
Apr 18, 2016•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast