Learn More Now: 10 Simple Steps to Learning Better, Smarter, and Faster [Paperback]

Marcia Conner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 11, 2004

"Leaders at all levels will benefit from Marcia Conner's amazing book of strategies, exercises, and stories to maximize learning. This book is a must for your reading list this year."--Ken Blanchard, Chief Spiritual Officer, Ken Blanchard Companies

"A road map to reawakening the natural process of integrating learning into our daily lives."--Kathy O'Driscoll, Human Resources Director, Microsoft

"Finally a publication that genuinely respects learner diversity as much as it offers tangible ideas for dealing with it....Marcia L. Conner is a true learning champion."--Gunnar Bruckner, former Chief Learning Officer, United Nations Development Programme

We're all born with a vast capacity to explore and learn. Unfortunately, many of us never discover what we're truly capable of. What if you could reclaim your birthright and tap into your full potential for learning? Imagine how much you could accomplish--how much you could become. Here's your chance to find out. Through her innovative learning programs, Marcia Conner has helped thousands of people unleash the power of their intuition to rediscover the joy of learning and to expand their personal and professional productivity. In Learn More Now, she distills her renowned learning solutions into an easy-to-use ten-step program that will help you:
* Learn better, smarter, and faster
* Identify your learning style and your motivational style
* Synthesize your experiences, perspectives, thoughts, and actions
* Develop new pathways in your brain to increase your opportunities
* Absorb facts on the fly and overcome information overload
* Optimize your environment for concentrating and learning


Packed with fun, easy-to-do action steps and exercises, Learn More Now will help you discover how to be more focused and aware, work in step with your natural rhythms, be improvisational in your approach, and transform your life into a learning adventure.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

“Leaders at all levels will benefit from Marcia Conner’s amazing book of strategies, exercises, and stories to maximize learning. This book is a must for your reading list this year.”—Ken Blanchard, Chief Spiritual Officer, Ken Blanchard Companies

“A road map to reawakening the natural process of integrating learning into our daily lives.”—Kathy O’Driscoll, Human Resources Director, Microsoft

“Finally a publication that genuinely respects learner diversity as much as it offers tangible ideas for dealing with it….Marcia L. Conner is a true learning champion.”—Gunnar Brückner, former Chief Learning Officer, United Nations Development Programme

We’re all born with a vast capacity to explore and learn. Unfortunately, many of us never discover what we’re truly capable of. What if you could reclaim your birthright and tap into your full potential for learning? Imagine how much you could accomplish—how much you could become. Here’s your chance to find out. Through her innovative learning programs, Marcia Conner has helped thousands of people unleash the power of their intuition to rediscover the joy of learning and to expand their personal and professional productivity. In Learn More Now, she distills her renowned learning solutions into an easy-to-use ten-step program that will help you:

• Learn better, smarter, and faster
• Identify your learning style and your motivational style
• Synthesize your experiences, perspectives, thoughts, and actions
• Develop new pathways in your brain to increase your opportunities
• Absorb facts on the fly and overcome information overload
• Optimize your environment for concentrating and learning

Packed with fun, easy-to-do action steps and exercises, Learn More Now will help you discover how to be more focused and aware, work in step with your natural rhythms, be improvisational in your approach, and transform your life into a learning adventure.

About the Author

MARCIA L. CONNER is Managing Director of Ageless Learner and an advisor to schools, corporations, associations, and busy people throughout the world. She was a Senior Manager at Microsoft, where she developed groundbreaking training practices, and was the Information Futurist at PeopleSoft, where she led programs for individual and organizational effectiveness.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (February 11, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471273902
• ISBN-13: 978-0471273905
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #173,734 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm an author, thought-leader, and industry analyst specializing in corporate collaboration, enterprise technology, and learning. I'm a fellow at the Darden School of Business, founder of the popular Twitter chat #lrnchat, and write the Fast Company column "Learn at All Levels."

My latest book, The New Social Learning: Transforming Organizations Through Social Media, co-authored with Tony Bingham, will be out August 2010. It addresses the challenges organizations face today, such as a widely dispersed employees and striking differences in work styles, particularly across generations. With case studies from Deloitte, IBM, Mayo Clinic, TELUS, Chevron, and even the CIA, it shows how social media can transform the workplace by harnessing the brainpower and experiences of colleagues working across the globe as easily as if they were side by side.

A 20-year veteran of the enterprise market, I was Information Futurist and Vice President of Education Services for PeopleSoft, Senior Manager of Worldwide Training at Microsoft, Editor in Chief of Learning in the New Economy magazine, and a Fellow of the Society for New Communications Research.

My unique perspective comes as a result of leading large organizations, developing leading-edge products and strategies, working with Fortune 100 brands, and working firsthand with social tools for longer than most people have even had email addresses.

I have lived and worked on three continents, and currently live on a 50-acre homestead in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley with my husband Karl and son Clarke.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars More is Less., April 28, 2004

By 

Gaetan Lion - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Learn More Now: 10 Simple Steps to Learning Better, Smarter, and Faster (Paperback)

This book is superficial and is more about enumerating countless dimensions vaguely associated with training than learning itself. The author mentions six different dimensions related to learning. Only one of them is meaningful: Learning Style [Visual, Audio, Kinesthetic]. The five others are trivial. However, by throwing so many dimensions at you that are not so relevant, she dilutes her message immensely. These six different dimensions actually result in 432 possible styles of learning. This is just absurd, and renders her whole learning framework unusable. She gets through this maze by only touching the surface of each dimension, and never addressing a specific learning type across more than one dimension at a time. For instance, using her language how would a Goal-oriented, Visual, Global, Space-Oriented, Small Group, Think to Talk learning style person best learn. How would such a specific learner best take notes, prepare for a test, learn a new discipline. You will never know because this is one of the 432 learning types you can come up with. She will just share vague recommendations about how a Visual learner learns, or a Goal-oriented learner learns. So, you get these disconnected and superficial pieces of information. And, it is up to you to connect the dots. Good luck.

The author gets wrong the one single relevant learning dimension she mentions. She subdivides Learning Style along three sensory subgroups, when it should be four. Kinesthetic and Tactile are two different subgroups. Also, the test she gives in the book is way too short, and vague to give an accurate assessment of your own Learning Style.

Occasionally, her writing style is really boring. In one chapter, she emphasizes the learning power of practicing. She then lists about 10 insights on the subject. But, they were all saying exactly the same thing that practice takes time and is important.

Fortunately, there is a much better book on this subject: "How to Learn Anything Quickly" by Ricki Linksman. This book is everything the other book is not. It is relevant, and effective. It tests your learning style along two effective axes: Learning Style (Visual, Audio, Kinesthetic, and Tactile), and Brain Dominance (Left-brain, Right-brain). Thus, the author's framework includes a very manageable eight different specific learning style. The author devotes an entire chapter on each of these styles. By reading the one relevant to you [i.e. Visual Left-Brain], you will learn a lot about how to better absorb information, acquire knowledge and expertise in any field, get ready for a test. The author gets into practical details such as what style of note-taking will work best for you, or what kind of writing or project outline will help you out. In other words, this book really teaches you how to learn; unlike "Learn More Now."

If you want to study this subject further, I recommend all the excellent books by Howard Gardner, and Tony Buzan. Gardner is the developer of the Multiple Intelligence Theory. Buzan is the inventor of the Mind Mapping technique, a really amazing and fun learning tool. Michael Gelb has also written excellent books on this subject, including "How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci."

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Lacking, October 9, 2010

By 

Forced To Read This - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learn More Now: 10 Simple Steps to Learning Better, Smarter, and Faster (Paperback)

I am currently reading this book because it is required reading in a required class at AMU. I have found that it lacks any real content. Someone looking for assistance learning would be better served elsewhere. If you are one of those sorry saps forced to read this at AMU then know that I am sorry and I know your pain.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Pointless, October 31, 2010

By 

Tamara T. Campbell (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Learn More Now: 10 Simple Steps to Learning Better, Smarter, and Faster (Paperback)

This book told me nothing I couldn't find on the simplest FaceBook Application quiz. Completely pointless and a little painful.