“Reach, stare and connect” were the three keys New York Times bestselling author Daniel Coyle emphasized to discovering talent in oneself and in others as he spoke with nearly 400 local educators, parents, community members and UW-Stevens Point students Tuesday, April 29 at the Sentry Theater in Stevens Point. The event was the third of the three-part Point in Common community speaker series. [Photo Gallery]
Coyle, author of “The Talent Code” and “The Little Book of Talent,” challenged the Stevens Point community to seek ways to reach out and struggle when learning and to use these three habits:
- Maximize Reachfulness (Reach)
- Celebrate struggle and repetition
- Use brief, intense game-like sessions
- Be willing to be stupid
- Fill the Windshield (Stare)
- Avoid being Tiger Parents; Start being Johnny Appleseed
- Seek mentors, models and age-mixing
- Encourage stealing
- Take future fieldtrips
- Communicate like a Master Coach (Connect)
- First, Connect
- Praise for effort, not ability
- Use the magical six words: I love to watch you play
As part of his research, Coyle spent two years visiting the world’s greatest talent hotbeds in sports, art, business, and music — tiny but powerful places that consistently produce huge numbers of extraordinary performers.
Prior to Coyle’s presentation, local talent was showcased on the Sentry Theater stage, including Natalie Van Tiem (cello), St. Peter Middle School Destination Imagination (Daniel Mitch, Laura Mitch, MacKenzie Schlagenhaft, Noah LaMaide, Chris Jensen, and Tim Shulfer), Kali Schierl and Nick Buck (weightlifting) and Kolten and Kaide Pope (martial arts) as well as students from the Aber Suzuki Institute.
Point in Common is a community speaker series for parents, teachers, business people and anyone who wants to have a positive influence on students. The intent is to learn from some of the brightest, most innovative educators in the nation and share ideas to raise awareness and engage more people in ways to improve education. Point in Common is sponsored by the Stevens Point Area Public School District, Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools, UW-Stevens Point, Mid-State Technical College Foundation, Sentry Insurance, Okray Family Farms, Phi Delta Kappa and the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin. More information, visit www.pointincommon.org.
More coverage:
- Stevens Point Journal