Terry Phillips, a professional developmental and whole brain coach, together with Patrick, a creative coach, co-developed and conduct these series of workshops called the FUNdaMENTAL Series.
This is a series of high impact, high fun energy, highly interactive and experiential approach to learning and training that is simply effective and impressive. This FUNdaMENTAL approach is based largely on the research work of Ned Herrmann and his Whole Brain Technology.

INTRODUCTION
Learning is most fundamentally, a MENTAL process. The more mentally challenging and stimulating an activity is, the greater the extent of learning. It also holds true that for there to be maximum impartation of knowledge and transfer of skills, every learning experience should be FUN.

These are the two basic philosophies or cornerstones on which the concept of FUNdaMENTAL is based. The idea of FUNdaMENTAL (the "d" stands for "design" and the "a" denotes "application") amplifies the fact that everything should be a matter of fundamentals. That we should always go back to basics in order to have a clear understanding of a particular subject matter. From there we can begin to build success upon success and attain excellence in all our goals.

THE FUNdaMENTAL APPROACH
No, there hasn't been a typo in the spelling of the word FUNdaMENTAL. Rather, it perfectly describesour highly interactive workshops - The FUNdaMENTAL Series - which we, Terry Phillips, a certified Whole Brain Practitioner & Development Coach and Patrick Chan, creator and author of Word Juxtapoz®, started some four years ago. In this series of workshops, we use the concept of Word Juxtapoz® to present learning principles that describe the fundamentals of a given topic in a format that will be loads of FUN and at the same time help you discover and remember a particular MENTAL application.

Word Juxtapoz® is an artform that involves employing words and visual imagery and juxtaposing them to create meaning not plainly apparent. It epitomizes the foundational truth that every new idea is a result of a juxtaposition of two or more previous ideas. Francis A. Cartier best sums this up by saying: "There is only one way in which a person acquires a new idea: by the combination or association of two or more ideas he already has into a new juxtaposition in such a manner as to discover a relationship among them of which he was not previously aware." Furthermore the prerequisite on the part of the user to work through
his or her mental processes in order to decipher the meaning or essence of a typical Word Juxtapoz teaser through the process of discovery means that the learning experience is made more effective, fulfilling, enjoyable and will last longer. This is opposed to the all too common way of learning by rote.

The concept of Word Juxtapoz® challenges mindsets and breaks down boundaries that arrest creativity. It offers new perspectives and alternative paradigms of an issue.

d: design
Science has shown us that you will learn faster and retain more if your educational experience is an enjoyable one. Plus, we know that you are a busy person and don't have time to read a bazillion pages about a given subject matter. So we get to the "heart of a matter" quickly and in a FUN way using the creative medium of Word Juxtapoz®.

a: application
As a child I remember a tiny bottle my Mum used frequently in cooking. It was called Essence Of Vanilla. I was fascinated that the smallest bottle in her cupboard carried such potent smell and flavor. Since then I have come to appreciate the essence of a subject as a highly concentrated presentation of any given substance.

In this series we desire to capture the ESSENCE of a topic and present it to you in a fun format that will help you capture and carry, in your memory, the essence of a carefully chosen range of subject matters.

FUNdaMENTAL aerobix
I'm sure you are familiar with the concept of "right and left brain" differences. The Left Hemisphere controls our analytical, technical, and organizational side that deals with numbers and facts. The Right Hemisphere deals with the emotional, spiritual, artistic
and creative skills.

Ned Herrmann, the former Director of the Management Development Center for General Electric in the USA was the founder of Whole Brain Technology. I had the privilege to be trained by him at his Creative Center in Lake Lure, North Carolina before he passed away in 1999. Ned has proven through his extensive research that there are two additional considerations to be made. Some people are more "thinkers" (cerebral system) while others are more "intuitive" (limbic system). Suddenly we have a model that looks like a pie sliced in four equal slices.

As we interpret Patrick's Word Juxtapoz® whole brain teasers we actually move rapidly from left to right and then right to left - from fact-based logic to the feeling self to a systematic approach and then perhaps to a totally "out-of-the-box" idea. The shift between each of these "quadrants" takes place in just nano-seconds! We describe this phenomenon as FUNdaMENTAL aerobix.

FUNdaMENTAL aerobix compels a reader to utilize his or her whole brain mental skills of processing and analyzing the pieces of information available (generally in the forms of words, letters, numbers, symbols, punctuation marks, and pictures) and collectively make sense of them. What makes this concept of FUNdaMENTAL aerobix so fascinating and mind-blowing is that the message is in fact in the medium of communication itself. The individual has to navigate through the mazes of words and visuals to decipher the hidden meaning.

Specially designed and conceptualized, each of these highly visual FUNdaMENTAL aerobix workouts acts as a catalyst to whole brain creative thinking and serves as a visual reminder or what we call FUNdaMENTAL Memory Marker (FM3) for the learner. These mentally challenging riddles promote the development of a learner's creativity by helping him or her exercise four main thinking skills necessary for fostering creativity. They are:
(1) challenging assumptions;
(2) taking risks;
(3) seizing chances; and
(4) looking at problems from a new perspective.

One can personally experience the essence of these four elements at play by trying any of these mental workouts. However it must be noted that they are by no means mutually exclusive and there is invariably considerable overlap in all of them. Nevertheless, an encounter with any such mind-bending puzzle would foster the development of mental skills in these respects necessary for the creativity process.

The FUNdaMENTAL Block
Speaking of creativity, we want to help you develop your creative thinking skills. They are there. But, for some of us, they are like muscles that atrophy from the lack of use. The adage "Use them or lose them" is true! Some of us are naturally creative and some of us have to make real effort. (Don't call it work; it can and should be FUN.)

You have probably heard someone say, "I have a mental block. I can't think of the answer." We want to introduce you to another block - a positive one - The FUNdaMENTAL Block! Try to imagine a square square block in front of you. On the top of the block is a Word Juxtapoz® visual, the OVERVIEW. Each side of the block is painted a different color - Blue, Green, Red and Yellow.

Each of these colors represents a different perspective:
BLUE represents logic and reason,
GREEN points to structure and control,
RED indicates feelings and emotion, while
YELLOW explodes with imagination and intuition.

On the bottom of the block is a brief statement that reveals what was hidden in the puzzle. It becomes our UNDERSTANDING.

Conceptually, the learning process can either be viewed positively as comprising a series of
FUNdaMENTAL Blocks (FM Blocks) that collectively build understanding or as all too often the case, erroneously perceived to be consisting of MENTAL Blocks that hinder the acquisition of knowledge. The FM Block may be seen as a basic unit of building block in the construction of the understanding of a subject matter. Typically (as shown in the figure) a FM Block consists of a Word Juxtapoz® visual which represents the OVERVIEW of a task or problem. The side on the opposite end of the block depicts the UNDERSTANDING which is actually the solution to the puzzle. A persistent deliberation of the Overview will eventually lead to the Understanding. The remaining four sides represent the four quadrants of thinkging as expounded by Ned Herrmann in his theory of Whole Brain thinking.

FUNdaMENTAL Shift
One important aspect of creativity is to look at old things in a new way. As you begin to apply Whole Brain Technology and view things from different perspectives you may have a shift in your thinking. We don't call that a paradigm shift - we call it a FUNdaMENTAL Shift.

With each Word Juxtapoz® puzzle that Patrick presents we challenge you to use your FUNdaMENTAL Block to discover that understanding. Write down your initial intuitive thought about what the puzzle might represent. Then use the FUNdaMENTAL Block to shift from one perspective to another. Ask yourself questions. To get started, here are some suggestions:
BLUE - What? Ask theoretical questions.
GREEN - How? Examine the structure.
RED - Who? If necessary talk with another person.
YELLOW - Why? Make every effort to discover yourself.

You will find that often all you need to do to find a creative solution to a problem is to see the problem from another perspective. Make A FUNdaMENTAL Shift today!


Terry L. Phillips
Certified Whole Brain Coach

[This is an excerpt from the book FUNdaMENTAL aerobix by Terry Phillips & Patrick Chan]