FUN.Basel Vol XII

Looking back to the evening of 24. May 2018 – here is what we learned from our speakers:

Antonio Bene

Antonio shared a very personal story of how to breaking away from family patterns was essential for him to break the situation he was in and has shaped him as the person he is today.

For me, martial art activates power, passion and courage for achieving my goals!

The combination of martial arts exercises and systemic constellation techniques are important elements in his work as an Inspirational Coach & Trainer for personality development.

If you want to meet Antonio as a teacher of Samurai, start here www.samurai-basel.ch

www.beneantonio.com

 

Lilian Njoki

Lilian has told us her story, actually many stories about ventures she started, business she ran and the many situation where she missed essential clues that would have required a different decision. What always worked for her is being a trainer, a sport coach and a role model for others working on her program every day. You can not actually stop her, she will come again and again.

Whatever you do – do not dare to give up!

Lilian loves to speak on stage, furthermore she is a meditation teacher and events manager with customers such as the Roger Federer Foundation for Africa. She is the CEO of African Expo Switzerland, and founder of Tell Your Story.

www.tellyourstory.ch

 

Josh Levent

Josh shared his story about the time when he found out that he lacks compassion working with other people. Because of this he lost his dream job. Since then, emotional intelligence became one of his strength and this is the message he shares with everyone:

Emotional Intelligence is key!

He did share much more than that with us, check out the Facebook Live stream

www.joshlevent.com

 

Thanks to our Fan crowd.
See you again soon …

The Organiser

Jutta Jerlich
​www.fuckupnights.com/basel

 

LINKS

FUN BASEL Vol XII Speakers 24.5.2018

Photos at our Facebook Page

Read about previous @FUN_Basel evenings

Launchlabs Basel

#FUN.Basel @FUN_Basel #fuckupnightsbasel

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Technology, women and age

My sixty eight years old mother (if you read my last post you’d know we don’t hide our age) is so hook in technology she always wants to know about the latest thing, even if she is going to use it or not. She wants to know how it works and what it is used for.

She graduated as a Chemistry Engineer and worked in the field for some years after graduation, but somehow ten years later she chose Human Resources or it chose her. At that point she was a worker and became the boss of the HR department at the Food Industry Company for the country.

It was there when I saw her passion for new things, read all the company’s  laws to help her co-workers and subordinates. She spent nights working trying to solve every problem she could.

Technology wasn’t that advanced at the time but she always managed to get a new vision on how to do things a better way, less hassle and more time used helping than filling up paperwork.

That`s when computers were introduced to her and a whole new world opened in front of her. She could fill up forms, keep important information in the hard drive, memory sticks and so on, without the need to spend hours writing it up. If my mind doesn’t betray me she was in her late forties and she never once said “I can’t do it” or “it’s too hard for me”. It was like the mere idea of having something new to manage her work, she had to conquer it.

And that’s how I carry my life, I don’t care about my age to accomplish or learn new things. I left my job at thirty seven to start a new career and a Master. I don’t think about how old I feel, look or I actually am, I just think of doing and learning something new and fulfilling my passion.

I was in a meeting a few months back and I was introducing new ideas, not that I’m actually an eager user of that program I was talking about but I know it works in specific situations and when you want to reach a determined audience. My idea fell flat which is totally ok with me. But the excuse I got was –

“I don’t know how to use that, I’m from another generation.”

Immediately I thought of my mom. How she never, ever complaint about her age and still doesn’t.

If there is a new technology, a new idea, a new way of doing things today at her sixty eight years old she still wants to learn about it. And here I have this woman (late forties maybe fifties) in front of me telling me she doesn’t want to get involve in something new because it’s not her generation.

It’s ok to let young people do their thing, but at what point we have to stop our mind, or desire, our passion to allow the new generation to shine?

• Can’t we all survive in this world together?
• Can’t we all learn from each other?
• Can’t we all just live until the last minute without the need to feel or being told how old we are?

Point

Recoding Habits

Speaker Update and Event Tip for people in Basel

Feeling strong: Jutta & Mahima

A quite daunting task – recoding habits you want to get rid of.

I read lots of different articles about changing and forming new habits. The science of how our brain works helps to understand this topic.

One of the rules stated is that you need at least 21 days of doing something to form a new habit that overwrites the old one.

Well, it is a very long time to get over 21 days. If you have ever tried to do this, you will know how hard it is.

Taking up this topic is #Fun.Basel speaker Mahima. She is in Villa Crescenda tomorrow night on Dec 6, 2016 on her late night special from 20:00 to 22:00 speaking about “Recoding Negative Habits”.

JOIN US – with this link you will get one of the last open seats.

Looking forward to meet Mahima tomorrow – being around her always brings light and answers question, even when I did not consciously have any.

It is a coincidence to write this on a 5th of Dec = KRAMPUS   with the event coming up on 6th of Dec = NICHOLAS.

An Austro-Bavarian Alpine tradition: Krampus punishes children who have misbehaved on the 5th of December and Saint Nicholas rewards the well-behaved with gifts on the 6th of December.

Inspirational regards

Jutta

 

LINKS

6.12.2016
Recoding Negative Habits
20:00 to 22:00
Villa Crescenda, Basel

www.themahimamindset.com
www.lovesilence.com

Krampus and Saint Nicholas

Creativity Engineering: Ambitious Start

Actually a very Ambitious Start

This photo is dedicated to Group 14 which is investigating Life on Mars – Let us know if you want to join this experiment!

 

Happy to welcome all participants who pitched their ideas and founded 27 teams around creative projects and ideas they were carrying in their hearts and minds.

The team casting was a marathon!

I especially want to thank the teams that have a higher number than 15. You have real stamina and stayed until the end. THANK YOU!

Welcome back to G22 Rent-an-App – happy to see that you can take the time now to work on this great concept.

G01 Communication Net
G02 Viso
G03 Chair Gadget
G04 No Name
G05 Misquito Laser
G06 Fridge Controller
G07 Cook Together App
G08 Autonomous Car-Sharing
G09 Hearing Aid
G10 DroneZone
G11 UmSha
G12 Technical Circus
G13 Future Shopping
G14 Life on Mars
G15 Foldable Balkony
G16 Power Highway
G17 Future House
G18 Labtastic
G19 Smart Parking
G20 FreeSpace
G21 Life Detector
G22 Rent-an-App
G23 Section Control
G24 RoboGuide
G25 LockLight
G26 Food Preservation
G27 Car-Sharing App

Special THANKS to my mother for being my strong pillar in registering all teams correctly

 

LINKS

Read more about Creativity Engineering

www.techimpuls.net

A dangerous journey

… that could kill the racist in all of us …

Every time I watch this video that came my way through my social media channels – I get chills. For some reason I have to watch it again and again.

I decided that I want to share this video with my course group from the

INNES Summer School
Intercultural Competence and Effective Professional Communication in Globalized Societies

and we watched this video together on the day we spoke about conflicts, their cause and how to manage them.

• We think that everyone should watch this … .
• We fully agree with the girl saying that this should be compulsory for everyone – we all want to do this DNA test.
• Lets share this with everyone we know and change our way to look at the world.

Thanks to the creators of this initiative – join the movement!

HOW?

We only have one world, but it’s divided. We tend to think that there are more things dividing us than uniting us – Lets open our world

A dangerous journey that could kill the racist in us

 

Would you ever …

Guest Author: Liz McCreary

… stand in front of an audience and speak about your biggest professional blunders for seven minutes?

Me neither! Lucky for us, fearless professionals Marne Platt, Alexander Ramseier, and Martin Daubney agreed to confide in us the unique challenges they faced on their journeys to success, much to our enjoyment at Basel’s second FuckUp Night event that took place on July 7th 2016.

Whereas a quick glance at anyone’s LinkedIn account will show a succession of shining feats and accomplishments, the beauty of FuckUp Nights lies in the frank discussion of mishaps and blunders that, until now, were taboo to openly discuss for fear of discrediting one’s professional talents and skills.

Thanks to the courage of individuals such as our guests speakers, FUN.Basel allows us the opportunity to erase the taboo of admitting imperfections and to simultaneously share how missteps are valuable learning experiences that contribute to one’s success.

I had the pleasure of chatting with the first speaker, New York native MARNE PLATT, before the event began, and I listened in awe as she casually mentioned her sudden career change from the veterinary field to the business sector, the myriad countries she has worked in, and the fact that she is currently promoting her book. While our light-hearted chat broached several topics, her speech centered on two conflicting yet fundamental internal voices that guided her during her corporate career: the “Superwoman” and the “Nemesis”. She shared with us the consequences of only listening to one of those voices and the importance of balancing the attention we give each one.

In vein with the night’s themes of encouragement and guidance, she has written and published her book Living Singlish: Your Life, Your Way in which she “walks young women through the process of self-discovery and empowerment she went through on her own journey”. She is also the founder of Fundamental Capabilities, an organization that offers workshops and mentoring, using the phrase “Straight Talk for Women” as its header.

If you met ALEXANDER RAMSEIER at a party and asked him about his professional background, you’d be equally impressed. His LinkedIn profile boasts his English, Portuguese, German and French skills, complementing a varied professional background in Accounting, IT and Sales. However, during Alexander’s speech at FUN.Basel, we were privy to the struggles and setbacks he experienced “behind the scenes” so to speak, and how those challenges were in fact valuable learning experiences that only made him stronger.

Above all, he emphasized how those missteps were necessary to his current success: “nothing was ever really a failure; it was trial and error.” His advice to us was to not fear failure as failure is inevitable, even after success, but rather to “fail fast, fail often, learn quickly.” Martin set out to start his own business and is now the CEO and founder of Futurebuilt since 2014, whose goals include “advising clients on strategic business development, alliance management, service practice and process optimization”.

Upon reading the book Strength Finder, our third speaker MARTIN DAUBNEY discovered communication was his strength, and so he set upon turning communications into a career in the corporate world. Despite the stability of a managerial position at a billion-dollar corporation, Martin sensed he wasn’t happy with the direction his professional life was going, and he set upon forging a new path using his communications strengths and experience to start his own company and become partner at another.

The path, however, wasn’t without its own challenges and surprises, but Martin not once considered going back in the face of adversity. Now, he is co-founder of Inspire Coaching GmbH, a coaching company that also offers workshops as well as NLP training, and is senior partner at CommsQuest, an organization that provides diverse services such as strategy development and narrative creation, among others. When an attendee asked him what helped him through the tough times, he answered that he simply took a deep breath and told himself, “It will be okay”.

Take-aways from last Thursday’s Fuck Up Night in Basel:

• Listen to your inner motivator as well as your inner critique
• Fail fast, fail often, learn quickly
• Focus, focus, focus

In a world where putting your best face forward is king, there’s nothing like the rare transparency of successful professionals openly sharing the less glamourous side of success.

PWG-Basel would like to thank the speakers for sharing their stories and their time with us, and most importantly for having the courage to be vulnerable.

We salute you!

LINKS

More articles about FUN.Basel

Meet the FUN.Basel Team

INNES Summer School 2016

… started on 11.7.2016 in Vienna.

I started the journey into Intercultural Competence and Effective Professional Communication in Globalized Societies with a group of students from Morocco, Singapore, Thailand, Hungary and Nepal.

We are speaking about communication, culture and how communication changes when using of technology. Experimenting with online collaboration and meeting tools will be part of our agenda. I am also looking forward to a fruitful discussion with invited experts introducing themselves and their experiences in our context.

After this 2 weeks of working together, we will not only have found new friends from different background, but opened the door into how effective communication in our personal and professional lives looks like for a personal perspective.

Follow

Innes Vienna Summer School 2016 on Facebook

Innes Vienna on Facebook

LINKS

Innes Vienna

Innes Vienna Summer Schools

A phenomenal opening

A huge thanks to our speakers at @FUN_Basel Vol I

I organized uncountable events, workshops, lectures and conferences from 15 – 20 to more than 500 participants. It is always crucial to design the benefit for your audience and make sure that you deliver it for each and every one of them.

For me the most important element is if you are able to create an environment of trust where people can share their thoughts and experiences, allowing to multiply your engagement through the community that is formed by having been at the same event.

I am so happy that we succeeded – it was a very powerful evening – the first #FuckUpNight‬ in #‎Basel‬ – the personal sharing was just phenomenal …

Thanks for a very special evening to all the almost 60 people who made it through the rain on Thursday and attended.

Your energy and thoughts made the evening such a powerful experience.

Thanks to our brave premiere speakers – here is the ONE LEARNING to take from our evening together:

 

Miao Gerhard
Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist
Founder & CEO www.mgcce.com, www.love-on-road.com
Co-founder & Managing Director www.shang-dao.com
President www.toastmasters-basel.ch
www.professionalspeakersacademy.com

Upgrade your boat

Your skills and competencies are what you bring along on the boat you sail through life. The strength of your boat determines if and how you can survive a storm.

Erstmals in Basel

Tabu Thema oder Fakten

Auf Seite 2 der Basler Zeitung schreibt Christoph Hirter am Donnerstag, 12.5.2016, fast eine ganze Seite über die FuckUpNights, eine Veranstaltungsreihe, die 2012 in Mexico geboren wurde.

Auf den FuckUp Nights – kurz FUN – in Basel geht es um Unternehmungen, Projekte und Initiativen, die schief gelaufen sind. Es gehört dazu. Fehler, Änderungen, Stop Orders … sie gehören zu jedem Entwicklungsprozess.

Warum?

Besuch beim “Cirque Noël”

CIRQUE NOEL 6.Jänner 2016

Jedes Jahr unternehme ich mit meinen Großnichten und Großneffen in den Weihnachtsferien etwas Gemeinsames. Sie kommen dann aus verschiedenen Himmelsrichtungen zum vereinbarten Treffpunkt – diesmal die Landeshauptstadt Graz – mit dem Zug, was allein schon was Besonderes ist. Wir beginnen mit einem Essen beim McDonald’s – ein Vergnügen für die “Kinder” im Alter von 6 bis 15 Jahren – eine Herausforderung für mich.

Dieses Jahr habe ich den Cirque Noël unter der Regie von Adrian Schvarzstein ausgewählt, ein “Ein Zirkus-Theater Stück” wie er es selbst nennt.

Eine zauberhafte Geschichte mit so vielen Eindrücken, dass man sie zweimal sehen sollte, um ja nichts verpasst zu haben.

Nina, 14 Jahre alt und unsere Fotografin hat stimmungsvolle Bilder gemacht, die ich hier einfüge. Saskia, 11 Jahre alt und Moritz, 8 Jahre alt haben ihre Eindrücke sogar niedergeschrieben!

… mit Ihren eigenen Worten:

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Am 6.1.2016 sind wir mit dem Zug nach Graz gefahren. Als erster sind wir zum McDonald’s gegangen um Mittag zu essen. Es waren drei Erwachsene und zehn Kinder.
Nach dem McDonald’s sind wir zum Zirkus Cirque Noël spaziert. In diesem Zirkus gibt es keine Tiere. Die Zirkuscrew bestand aus Musikern, Schauspielern, Akrobaten und Artisten. Die Vorstellung war spannend und lustig zugleich. Am Ende des Stückes durften einige von uns auf die Bühne.
Es war wie jedes Jahr ein ganz toller Ausflug.”

Saskia, 11 Jahre

“Am Anfang war ein nackerter Mann, der Cello gespielt hat. Wie er gegangen ist haben alle seinen Popo gesehen.
Es war so schön, dass ich auf der Bühne hab helfen dürfen. Ich hab mit Adrian an einem Seil gezogen und künstlicher Plastikschnee ist auf die Bühne gefallen. Dann hab ich noch mit einer Frau getanzt, dafür hat mir Adrian seine Kappe auf den Kopf gesetzt. Saskia und Chloe haben dann auch mitgemacht.
Am Schluss haben wir uns mit allen Künstlern verbeugt.”

Moritz, 8 Jahre

 

LINKS

Cirque Noël

 

Hard choices

It is interesting … some topics I stumble across again and again at different points in time – this probably means that I have not yet digested it or taken a stand on it for myself.

I think that some things just take times to evolve and grow and digest … in this hectic times we rarely have this time though. I need to have the time or more so take the time, there is no choice – because it is not in my control how long it takes me – my body, mind and spirit –  to go through it.

I finally understood that I need to be patient with myself if I want to evolve, grow and develop into the me that I have in mind.

The topic of hard choices is in the center of my thought – again – here is how Ruth Chang’s talk caught and fired my thoughts:

Hard choices are hard because the alternatives are not equally good – one is not better than the other.

She clearly explains why: there are two worlds we all move around in.

A comparison of alternatives is usually based on numbers and logic – with scientific quantities.

In the world of values, quantification is not done by numbers.

We need to introduce new ways of measuring …  Ruth proposes: … “that the alternatives are “on a par.”

When alternatives are on a par, it may matter very much which you choose, but one alternative isn’t better than the other. Rather, the alternatives are in the same neighborhood of value, in the same league of value, while at the same time being very different in kind of value. That’s why the choice is hard.”

There is no best alternative.

Knowing this alone makes the choice somehow easier, because you can not be wrong.

Are you are someone who fears to be wrong? You can not be wrong.

“Understanding hard choices in this way uncovers something about ourselves we didn’t know. Each of us has the power to create reasons.”

What reasons for choosing one or the other alternative do you make?

Or are you one of the people who don’t exercise their normative powers in hard choices? Are you a drifter?

“Drifters allow the world to write the story of their lives. They let mechanisms of reward and punishment — pats on the head, fear, the easiness of an option — to determine what they do.”

I choose to not be a drifter.

LINKS

Ruth Chang on how to make hard choices

3 timeless rules for making tough decisions
Actually time does play a role

From my favorite read Effortless Decision-Making

From the world of Numbers A former CIA executives advice on how to make hard decisions
Easy to spot that this is not the way 🙂

How Richard Branson makes decisions
A mix of both worlds

„In bester Gesellschaft“

Das wunderbare Projekt der Allgäupflege, bei dem Senioren in Filmstars verwandelt werden

"Oh, Herr Hessel! Sie sehen aber schick aus!", schwärmt eine junge Schwester. 
"I don't know", sagt er in Magnum-Manier und mustert sein neues Ich noch einmal schmunzelnd im Spiegel.

Für Innovationen und unkonventionelle Ideen aufgeschlossen zu sein, ist Teil der Strategie und Ziel jeder Organisation. Dieses Ziel aber auch wirklich umsetzen zu können, ist äußerst selten.

Umso mehr freut es mich, Ihnen genauso ein Beispiel – das Kalenderprojekt der AllgäuPflege vorstellen zu können:

„In bester Gesellschaft“ ist ein Kalenderprojekt der Allgäu Pflege Oberallgäu; es lichtet die Bewohner der Seniorenheime in Hollywood-Atmosphäre ab. 15 Männer und Frauen zwischen 71 und 91 Jahren haben dabei mitgemacht. Die Senioren sind überrascht und können es selbst gar nicht glauben, als sie die ersten Fotos in Händen hielten. Und schon gar nicht deren Familien.

Ich kann gar nicht aufhören, die Presseartikel und Fernsehberichte der einzelnen Lebensgeschichten der Stars zu lesen.

Das Leben eines jeden Menschen ist einzigartig, jede Geschichte besonders.

Das besondere an diesem Projekt, dass es in erster Linie um die Menschen geht: die Ideenbringer, die Zauberer der Umsetzung, die Stars mit Ihren Wünschen und Lebensgeschichten.

Es geht um das Zuhören, das Miteinander, die Beziehungen, das Mitfühlen und das gemeinsame Nachdenken über Lebensqualität in jedem Alter.

Seit Jan 2015 liefen die Vorbereitungen: Drehorte, Kostüme und Requisiten, alles musste organisiert werden. Im September soll der Kalender 2016 “In bester Gesellschaft” zu kaufen sein.

Die Verwandlung in eine Marilyn Monroe mit 87 Jahren ist zauberhaft !!! Großartig !!!

Initiatorin: Verena Fedtke, AllgäuPflege gGmbH

Zauberer der Umsetzung: Fotographin Susanne Mölle und Maskenbildner Toni Leypoldt

LINKS

Kalender 2016 “In bester Gesellschaft” kaufen

Medienecho www.allgaeupflege.de

www.allgaeupflege.de

www.tonileypoldt.de

Villa Gloss auf Facebook

www.susannemoelle.de

Es entsteht …

Der Toni –  er ist ein Verwandlungskünstler. Nein, eigentlich ist er das nicht.

Toni kann einfach sehen und meisterhaft rausholen, was in uns steckt – wie ein Bildhauer, der aus einem Block Natur eine Skulptur befreit.

“Frau Müller, 86 Jahre, ist die nächste Bewohnerin aus einem Altenheim die heute in einen Filmstar verwandelt wird.
Und wir konnten es beide kaum erwarten zum Set zu kommen als ich fertig war. Auf jeden Fall hab ich gleich mal zwei Schnappschüsse gemacht!! Also – Vorhang auf für den nächsten Star im Kalender – Audrey Hepburn!”

Toni Leypoldt

Auf der Suche nach dem Klitzern in den Augen …
​”Wenn sie sich strahlend im Spiegel ansehen, ist das das Größte”

Es entsteht …

… das wunderbare Projekt der Allgäupflege, in dem Senioren in Filmstars verwandelt werden.

Wirklich berührend!

LINKS

www.tonileypoldt.de

Villa Gloss auf Facebook

Creativity Engineering Summer School

starts on Monday, 7.7.2014.

Welcome to Vienna to all the participants currently travelling to Vienna or already arrived in Vienna.

Please get your login to TUWEL from your email and enter the online course space for orientation and course materials.

Check out the Step-by-Step Guide for how to do this.

Since we are a team of three experts who will be leading you through the idea development process from different viewpoints, ther will be several rounds of introduction and presentations of yourself and your ideas.

Lets start with a digital WARM UP INTRODUCTION

What country in the world best fits your personality

We are very much looking forward to meeting you, getting to know you in person and hear about your ideas.

Do you have an idea yet?

More about Innes Vienna and the Creativity Engineering Summer University

Warum Japan irgendwann den Anschluss verliert…

This is a post in German I published in different blog on May 2nd, 2011. It was written out of frustration about the boredom I experienced during my studies in Japan. Please note that this is a generalisation of the situation and I am aware that there are schools in Japan, which have an excellent education system. I just want to post it here as a start for a discussion about education in Japan.

Wenn ich an Vorlesungen an Deutschland denke, bin ich wahrscheinlich sehr verwöhnt, denn wir sind immer kleine Gruppen, der Dozent kennt meist unseren Namen und wir müssen – ganz wie in der Schule – uns melden und beteiligen. Aber selbst bei meinem Besuch an größeren Unis mit mehr als 100 Studenten in einem Raum, kann ich immer noch mit Gewissheit sagen, dass die Aufmerksamkeit der Studenten um ein Vielfaches höher ist als in Japan.

Ich traute mich nicht schlafende Studenten zu fotographieren …

Dienstags, 10:40 Uhr – “Leadership & Negotiations” im zweitgrößten Vorlesungssaal des Wirtschaftsgebäudes mit rund 40 Drittsemestlern und einem motivierten Professor. Und trotzdem sind die ersten drei Reihen konsequent frei und schlafende Studenten an der Tagesordnung. Liegt es am langweiligen Unterricht? Kann es jedenfalls nicht sein, denn Okumura-sensei erklärt gut, macht Übersichten, die verständlich sind, bringt lauter interessante Beispiele und nimmt Bezug auf aktuelle Geschehnisse. Und trotzdem schreiben alle Studenten nur das mindeste mit und sitzen eher gelangweilt da – obwohl offiziell nicht mal Anwesenheitspflicht ist.

Ich finde das schade, denn eigentlich sollte doch die Universtität der Ort sein, wo man genau das lernt, was einen interessiert, nicht wahr? Aber scheinbar nicht hier, denn wie so oft spielt hier nicht nur die Einzelleistung eine Rolle, sondern auch der Name der Uni. Der öffnet einem dann schließlich den Weg ins Berufsleben und bist du einmal drin in der Maschinerie, ist es schwer herauszukommen. Letztendlich ist es in den meisten Fällen egal, was du studierst, solange du den Namen der Uni hast – bestes Beispiel, vier Leute auf meiner Arbeit im Hotel haben Jura studiert! Wenn ich höre, wie im International Center der Universität beraten wird, dass maximal drei Monate Austausch geraten wird, weil man sonst Zeit verliert, dann finde ich das schade. Hier wird eher darauf geachtet, dass man gleichzeitig mit allen im gleichen Alter den Abschluss macht. Kein Wunder, dass so nicht wirklich Motivation aufkommt, wenn man alles nach Plan macht und trotzdem einen Job bekommt. Das Bestreben wie in Deutschland der Selbstverwirklichung ist hier nicht so stark ausgeprägt. Und somit fehlt die bei uns oft geforderte Auslandserfahrung oder selbst das Bestreben ins Ausland zu gehen, denn Japan ist ja schön. Und warum sollte man es denn verlassen, wenn auch innerlands alles vorhanden ist?

Noch viel erstaunlicher, es gibt im Unterricht keine Fragen! Man schreibt eben nur das mit, was auch angeschrieben wird, denn genau das wird auch wieder abgeprüft. Bis jetzt hatte ich nur sehr wenig selbstständiges Erarbeiten von Lösungen. Und man fällt ja auch unangenehm auf und stört den Lehrer. Was allerdings mal ganz interessant wäre, denn andererseits sind die Dozenten absolut ungebildet in Pädagogik. So manche Typen, die da vorne stehen, haben noch nie eine Masse unterhalten müssen, bzw. Wissen an den Mann gebracht. Monotone 90 Minuten ohne Unterbrechung! Aber in den Seminaren, d.h. kleine Gruppen geleitet von einem Dozenten, wo man sich einmal pro Woche zu einem bestimmten Thema austauscht, wird trotzdem nicht mehr geredet und eigentlich wäre ja das die beste Möglichkeit, um so richtig herzhaft zu diskutieren, oder?

Diese Kultur wie Deutsche sie haben, sich auszutauschen, Standpunkte zu vergleichen, ist hier absolut unterentwickelt. Japaner legen Wert auf die Harmonie und Unstimmigkeiten würden das trüben und somit hat der Dozent recht, denn wie könnte man dem Dozenten widerspechen? Das entschuldigt aber nicht die mangelhafte Präsentationsfähigkeit! Also, drei in Kleinstschrift vollgeschriebene Blätter, die einfach heruntergelesen werden, wäre bei uns in der achten Klasse schon durchfallreif gewesen. Handout, übersichtliches Erklären, Fragestellung, bitte! Aber wenn sowas auch nicht verbessert wird, wie soll es dann weitergehen?

Was kommt dann am Ende heraus? Studenten, die keinerlei Präsentations- und Diskussionsfähigkeit besitzen und die nun erstmal drei Monate in der Firma lernen, wie man sich zu verhalten hat und wie alles gemacht wird, also eigentlich das, was ich erwarte, dass man es in der Universität lernt. Geht man dann überhaupt zur Universität, um zu lernen? Nein, Frauen können sich ja einen Mann angeln! 😀
Und das bestätigt mich letztendlich in meiner Theorie, dass Japan eine breite Masse hat, die einfach nur mitschwimmt und die wirklich innovativen Sachen von Leuten kommen, die da herausfallen (s. Visual Key, etc.). Und solange kein Bestreben besteht sich großartig mit dem Ausland auszutauschen und Vergleiche zu ziehen, wird hier alles fröhlich in der Blubberblase so weitergehen, bis sie platzt.

Genug Dampf abgelassen, Uni macht ja trotzdem Spaß. Aber als eine der wenigen Ausländer im Unterricht einen einfachen Sachverhalt zu erklären, während sich keiner von den Japanischen Studenten meldet, ist schon verstörend.

17. May in Oslo

From my dear Friends Marc & Ragni and their newsletter about their activities with friends & family – shortened though.

My title:
We all have our heritage but how we design the here and now is up to us.

Thanks for sharing this with me.

HISTORY

200 years ago in 1814, the Norwegian people drafted their current constitution. It allowed them a regime of relative autonomy from the Swedes, a preamble to the total independence they could not yet afford but finally obtained 91 years later (1905) when they fetched the first king of the current dynasty, a Dane who married an English woman.*

* It took their recent riches of North Sea oil to elevate them from their status of country bumpkins in the eyes of their Swedish neighbors headed by French-born Napoleon relative Bernadotte, renamed Karl Johann, as well as the Danes who ruled Norway for over 400 years.

BEFORE THE PARADE

One of 117 schools marching to Karl Johanns Gate parade, from 3 directions.
It’s mid-morning and they’ve been up early to march in their neighborhood.
A family unit. Mother and daughter have the same folkloric dress.
The men, if not dressed in traditional costume (bunade), wear a ribbon at the lapel.
Joyfully waving a flag is the rule.

The crowd was extraordinary, on account of:
– the day fell on a Saturday,
– the 200th anniversary,
– perfect weather.

THE PARADE
The parade is primarily in the main street leading to the king’s castle where the king and his family will stand in the balcony for the 3.5 hours of its duration. The street is named after Karl Johann, the Swedish king who strongly opposed and delayed the independence of Norway, How tolerant for the Norwegians to not have renamed the street !… As soon as Morocco became independent from the French in 1956, almost all the streets, and some cities, instantly lost their French name.
The parade is opened by a military squad, the Royal Guard.

According to a friend, it’s second only to Russians, in terms of marching with acrobatics with their weapons. Each of the 117 schools marches to the same line-up:
– First, the placard identifying the school:
– Then comes the dozen or so large flags:
– Then, often comes the band, sometimes with baton-twirling majorettes:

You can tell the high school senior by their black cap.

– Elementary school kids, ushered by adults, close the march:

We even get to cheer the adult children and grand-children of the friend who hosted us:
10-year old Martin is first of a kind, playing the electronic guitar,
on a leash to his father Halvor carrying the guitar battery and speaker…
40-year old Helge returns our cheers.
He’s months into a new start-up venture.
The handicapped share in the party atmosphere.

THE “BUNAD” Folkloric Dress

Each county has its own design with possible tweaks within a county.
Ragni did not bring her bunad because its bulky and heavy. Back as 1982 she started embroidering one for our daughter Anne. A friend helped her finish the embroidery and the piece is now being expertly assembled, a major task which requires experienced hands.

   

A white bunad is a rarity.

 

Continued in the next message:
– The high percentage of immigrants,
– The crowd milling around after the parade.

BRINGING THE IMMIGRANTS INTO THE FAMILY
It’s impressive to see so many immigrants in the parade, a testimony of Norwegian tolerance and forsight. They come from Pakistan, Somalia, Ethiopia, among others.

In our local small town library, French books are only available on a rotation basis; yet there is a section aimed at a bunch of Ethiopians temporarily camped nearby for orientation. Mind you this is no ordinary refugee camp but a posh mountain resort hotel gone bankrupt. These dark skinned Africans must nevertheless feel pretty isolated and out-of-their element in the montainous countryside, not to mentin the rigor of the climate (not only the cold but also the darkness of Winter).

 

POST-PARADE MILLING AROUND

Cars were banned from the whole downtown area. It took our host 1h30minn to exit their parking, and they even paid $50 for the privilege.
Cost of living is very high in Norway. How about $6 for a single avocado ?!… We brought our own from California, apples and nuts too !….

By means of cell phone we manage to meet friends, in spite of the crowd

Years ago, as part of the AFS high school student exchange, the Teljes (pronounced “Tel-yeh”) hosted the daughter of Palo Alto friends, for one year in a Norwegian mountain town near our cabin.

The dagger is part of a man’s uniform.  These lovelies enjoy an enviable status in Norway.
A minimum 40% of corporation board seats is reserved for them.
The current Prime Minister is a woman.
A representative of the Lapp people, an ethnic group of reindeer-herding nomads in the artic North. They enjoy official autonomy and maintain their own language.

We once knew one in California who addressed me as “De Gaulle” and derided the Norwegians as “lazy” !…

Marc Pasturel

Sharing ideas is not easy

CONVERSATIONS

Exchange of thought with a Creativity Engineering Summer School participant at the Vienna University of Technology

Participant from China:

I think it’s something about personal style. Everyone has different talking and thinking style. There is nothing wrong, but you may be uncomfortable when you feel that someone says almost everything against you.
But at last we reached the common point by fully communication.
I just don’t like that, when I raise a creative idea, someone always put the black hat and try to deny it. If I can choose, I would like to work with someone who is more positive and optimistic.

Course coach:

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I can fully understand what you mean.
I also prefer to work with positive people rather than people who are negative and try to stop everything new from happening.
I have similar experiences in some of my projects as you.

Then I received the recommendation to see negative comments as a constructive input improving my idea.
Usually negative comments are not negative comment against you as a person.
To understand this it is always recommended to look at the cultural setting a discussion happens in:
In Western culture a discussion is focused on the idea and not the person. They comment on your idea. Actually it is quite good if an idea is commented a lot, in a positive or negative way. It means that it created thought in other people.

If this is different in your own culture, it would be worth trying to convince yourself that a negative comment for an idea you raised is not about you but only about the idea. Then you don’t feel hurt and you can argue easily for your idea and proof that the comment raised is not applicable or taken into account.

I hope that my explanation was understandable and meaningful to you. Let me know if you have questions or more thoughts about this.

Thanks again – it is nice to share experiences and thoughts.

The 3 Costs of Multitasking

Does this happen to you?
It certainly does to me. What do you do to prevent yourself from doing so?
I started to limit the time I allow for going off-track and depending on the task I work at, I do not allow myself to get off-track at all.

This is true some days, other days not at all.
Now I am trying to understand the why behind this.
It would be great to hear about your findings.

I am not a leader

CONVERSATIONS

Email Conversation from the Creativity Engineering Course at the Vienna University of Technology during the idea and team finding phase

Emma	Dear Jutta, I have an idea. I actually have two ideas. After I broke my knee and my doctor said, it will be a long time to heal… I imagined that there is a possibility, that it can never happen. At that moment I realized, that I wanted to do many things, but just postponed them like running a marathon, jumps with turns (I am an ice skater), etc… . I started thinking about “our” goals, which are mostly unrealized.I would like to design a concept of a social network.The main idea of the network would be a list of goals … (student continues to describe the idea in much detail) …. BUT there are two problems:1) I am not a leader, I am not able to get people interested. I can speak perfectly 3 languages, but English is not my strong side. 2) I don’t have time for the implementation. I saw a nice sentence once. I cannot find it now. I don’t know from whom it was. … The sentence was: “We think we will do everything in the future that may not come to pass. We have to do things as long as we have opportunities”. Thank you for your attention, Emma
Jutta	Dear Emma, thanks for sharing your ideas. I have to tell you that there is research that says the real leaders are people who say that they are not leaders :-)I think you should share your idea and see if others want to join in. A semester is much to short for implementing something like this but it is long enough to start thinking about it and maybe shape it into something that will become implementable later. Last semester I was lucky to have met such a group. They are now in the process of writing a business plan and starting as a company to implement their idea. Things become possible – there just needs to be a start at some point. The best point for starting is always now. As you have said it so clearly yourself. I do know how hard this is. Especially when there are always so many other things that have to be accomplished and done at the same time. See you tomorrow, best regards Jutta
Emma	Dear Jutta, Thank You very much!I will share my idea right now! 🙂 Best regards, Emma

Knowledge disappears

as soon as you have acquired it.

Have you noticed this as well?

It starts out with you wanting to learn something which may seem like a long way to go and a huge task. Depending on what you have in mind, it may really take quite a long time.

After you are done, finished the exam, start practicing and using the knowledge in your daily life and work, it seems effortless to you since you know what you are doing.

The knowledge became part of you and seemingly disappeared. You do not notice any more that you have the abilities you have. This can become an obstacle when you need to “sell” yourself, your expertise and knowledge, for example when job searching, or trying to move up in a company.

Then the ability of being able to look at yourself from a little distance would come in handy. Self reflection is a skill by itself, needs some practice and at best, support from another person.

When we think one step ahead: how about if we would like to help others gain knowledge, teach and mentor people to learn.

This looks like an even bigger challenge as behavioral economist Dan Ariely confirms: Ask Ariely: Do Professors Have to Be Boring?

Why? I think the reasons lies in the fact that the learning path of everyone is different as we are all unique individuals and go different ways to reach our goals.

A good teacher leads the way for you to find your own learning path.

LINKS
Why is communication the key?