While reading my book about the brain, I came across this quote in the "how the brain hears" section: "Cocktail party: A gathering held to enable forty people to talk about themselves at the same time.  The man who remains after the liquor is gone is the host" (Fred Allen). The quote was in a tip section about how to hear better on your phone when you're in a noisy environment.  The tip: cover the mouthpiece while listening.  The brain can filter out background noise, allowing us to focus on a single voice -- even in a noisy environment.  Not covering the mouthpiece allows background noises and voices to pass through the microphone and return through the ear piece (something called "Full Duplex", where both parties can speak naturally and be heard at the same time).  This makes it more difficult for the brain to distinguish the voice that needs…

From the Seattle Weekly: Lawyer Uses "Starbucks Defense" for Client Who Ran Over Two Washington State Students On Monday, the 31-year-old financial analyst was spotted weaving in highway traffic. He then reportedly steered his Grand Am on to the main drag of the Washington State's campus, where he twice violated the driver-pedestrian code of honor by hitting two Cougar students while they were in the crosswalk. According to police, when they finally caught up to him Noble was rambling and uncooperative. So they had to Tase him. Friends and family say Noble's behavior is totally out of the ordinary. They say he's been stressed, overworked and not sleeping well. Noble's lawyer, however, says on top of being tired his client was also under the influence of a dangerous narcotic: Caffeine. He told a Whitman County judge that Noble's coffee intake was so high he might be suffering from "caffeine psychosis."…

Nelson Searcy is the lead pastor at Journey Church in New York City and was on staff at Saddleback Church.  Here's his take on how to follow up with newcomers to your church. Since we already email and call (and possibly send a form letter to) all of our first time guests, do I really need to write a handwritten note to each of them? YES, YES, YES AND YES! The handwritten note is MORE important and impactful than either the email or the calls. The handwritten note shows that you took some actual time writing out a personalized note, rather than simply plugging their name into a database and pressing “send”. On top of that, the handwritten note is more likely to be opened than a form letter (see my ABC Mail video for more about this). And don’t forget to include a free gift of some sort –…

Scott Ginsberg is most famous for wearing a name tag that reads "Hello, My Name is Scott" around the clock ... and has done so for years.  His blog is a good read.  In a recent blog post, he discussed a few things he has learned from wearing a name tag: 1. Stop proving yourself and start expressing yourself. This is a hard and humbling shift to make in your behavior. Took me about five years. And looking back, I now realize there are a few steps that can be taken by anyone to do so: FIRST: Stop proclaiming and start displaying. Create avenues for others to experience your unique talents. SECOND: Stop demanding your rights and start deploying your gifts. An attitude of entitlement doesn’t look good on anyone. THIRD: Stop trying to be somebody. Befriend who you already are. It’s a lot less work. Ultimately, these practices will…