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Fundamentals first before fun!
by Richard L. Weaver II, PhD
For all of my professional life I have
either taught or written about fundamentals, and I have always believed that
the establishment, understanding, and proper use of the fundamentals (of any
sport, subject, or area) is essential to effectiveness. Throughout this
period of time there have been students who do not learn the fundamentals
and attempt to “wing it.” This is not an unusual response when you consider
the pressures students are under.
The responses some students had to learning and using the fundamentals were
not unlike many people in society. They want to win the lottery! They would
rather invest their money (and little time) in shooting for the big, lucky,
immediate payoff in giving a speech rather than investing time in learning
and effectively using the fundamentals which might guarantee them success in
giving a speech. It is, indeed, a fast-food, quick-grab, gut-level approach.
This essay is a justification and rationale for spending the time and energy
necessary (no matter the sport, subject, or area) to learn fundamentals
first before fun.
In his book,
The Art of Learning (Free Press, 2007), Josh Waitzkin, an eight-time
National Chess Champion writes in his introduction, “A chess student must
initially become immersed in the fundamentals in order to have any potential
to reach a high level of skill” (p. xvii). Waitzkin, from his own
experience, talks about the importance of learning the principles even
“integrate more and more principles into a sense of flow” so that
“Eventually the foundation is so deeply internalized that it is no longer
consciously considered, but is lived” (p. xvii).
Just as strong chess players rarely speak of the fundamentals, great
speakers seldom single out and identify all the building blocks of their
mastery. Waitzkin writes that “a great pianist or violinist does not think
about individual notes, but hits them all perfectly in a virtuoso
performance. In fact,” Waitzkin writes, “thinking about a ‘C’ while playing
Beethoven’s 5th Symphony could be a real hitch because the flow might be
lost” (p. svii).
Rae Pica, the author of
A Running Start (Marlowe & Company, 2006), opens her essay entitled,
“Fundamentals First,” by asking three questions, “Would you hand a child
calculus problems once she was able to count to ten? A geometry text when he
began to recognize shapes? War and Peace as soon as she could recite her
ABCs? Of course not!” Pica adds, in the very next paragraph, “Yet all too
many children are enrolled in gymnastics, karate, dance classes, and
organized sports before they’ve mastered such basic movements as bending and
stretching, walking with correct posture, and bouncing and catching a ball.”
Fundamentals first before fun!
Although these two authors make a case for learning the fundamentals first —
and both their cases make good sense — they offer little additional evidence
about the value of learning fundamentals first. When I lectured to students,
I made the case for learning the fundamentals. Here are ten reasons for
fundamentals first before fun.
First, building a solid foundation is an obvious justification. If the base
is strong and solid, whatever follows is likely to be capable, skillful, and
impressive. With a foundation in place, speakers now have a clear base of
operations, starting point, or place from which to begin work.
Second, learning fundamentals opens alternatives and options. Often,
proceeding without the basics leaves people on their own, with only what
they know or have experienced. Knowing fundamentals is like, the more you
know, the more you find out. Using fundamentals increases choices and makes
both success and effectiveness (often, one and the same) more likely.
Third, and closely related to number two, having internalized the
fundamentals, the possibility for creativity grows. Creativity is more
likely stimulated — prompted, encouraged, activated, triggered, nourished,
and inspired — with an increase in the number of stimuli available.
Fourth, learning fundamentals offers strength. If fundamentals are truly
what they are said to be, and if they are understood, internalized, and
used, the results of depending upon them should not just be what can be
expected, but results should be what you cannot anticipate as well. The sum
(final result) becomes greater than the sum of the (basic) parts. Sometimes
results surprise!
Fifth, learning and depending on the fundamentals fulfills expectations. It
is easy to say, “that is precisely what I want to avoid — satisfying
expectations.” Speeches, speakers, and speech occasions are centuries old.
Because of that, listeners know what they want and expect. Not to fulfill or
acknowledge their expectations may be a road to disappointment and defeat.
Sixth, having fundamentals as your base supplies the license, permission, or
authority to act. To teach in a public school in many states requires a
teaching permit; some jobs require a high-school diploma; driving requires a
driver’s license; although there is no entry gate nor authority checking
accomplishments, having the fundamentals is like possessing the credentials
that grant the freedom to act — the freedom to rise above the ordinary!
Seventh, learning the fundamentals gives speakers confidence and security.
Speakers with that base know they are proceeding in a recognized and
acceptable manner. It is an effective “can do” approach that both motivates
and excites.
Eighth, fundamentals offer a base from which experimentation can proceed.
You study form to leave form. It establishes a base for asking questions,
encouraging thought, and prompting a deeper and more comprehensive
understanding.
The ninth reason for learning fundamentals is that it offers a way to
evaluate outcomes and assess results. When you have fundamentals as a base,
you have a structured and systematic way to evaluate strengths and
weaknesses after the fact.
The tenth and final reason for understanding and using fundamentals, is that
it is a way to penetrate and understand greatness.” “Greatness” occurs as a
result of following or deviating from the basics. Only when you understand
those basics, do you have standards by which to gain insight into how you
can, or how others do, achieve “greatness.”
Fundamentals offer a base for enjoyment. Although following basics can be
fun, the freedom that occurs with that foundation in place may be even more
pleasurable for the creativity, imagination, and artistry that is released,
but don’t skip the basics: fundamentals first before fun!
back to page top
> Fundamentals first before fun!
> The fun in FUNdamentals! — How to find the
fun in all FUNctions!
> Healthy Selfishness Contributes to Being
Effective, Efficient, and Productive
> Live life to the fullest!...
The fun in FUNdamentals! — How to find the fun in all FUNctions!
by Richard L. Weaver II, PhD
When James Brown spoke to students,
faculty, and guests at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke for
their Distinguished Speaker Series, he talked about the seven basic
fundamentals that will help you achieve success. James Brown worked for CBS
for 10 years before joining FOX Sports. He has served as commentator for the
NBA finals, for the NCAA basketball tournament, at the Super Bowl, and at
the Winter Olympics.
Six of Brown’s seven fundamentals included good communication skills, dress
and attire, punctuality and promptness, thirst and hunger for knowledge,
interpersonal skills, and overcoming adversity. The seventh and last
fundamental on his list was “having fun,” which he said was one of the most
important. He said that education should be a fun experience because the
more fun it is, the easier the learning experience.
More on the importance of Brown’s seventh fundamental in a moment. The
reason for mentioning it — and the basic reason for this essay — is a
comment that Rae Pica, the author of A Running Start (Marlowe & Company,
2006), left as a post after reading my Saturday essay, “Fundamentals First
Before Fun!” Pica said, “...I want to assure parents, that despite the title
of your post, fundamentals CAN be fun....”
Pica is absolutely correct: “fundamentals CAN be fun.” Not only that,
fundamentals SHOULD BE fun. Without the ingredient of fun, fundamentals are
often monotonous, repetitive, frustrating, and boring. It is precisely
because of these traits that they should be fun. Fun is what can propel us
beyond the monotony, repetition, frustration, and boredom.
Numerous researchers, in a variety of studies, have proven that humor and
play enhance the learning experience.
To the serious assignments in my basic speech-communication course, I added
a number of “fun” exercises and activities. In a related manner, I added
humor to the lectures in the course and even put jokes and witty sayings on
the examinations to try to loosen-up a situation that — because of the
inherent anxiety that normally accompanies having to give public speeches —
can induce greater anxiety, distress, and even dread. Having fun doesn’t
mean being a joker or clown. I wanted to set the proper standard for fun
within a learning environment — giving students the license to learn and
have fun at the same time.
My approach is underlined and supported at a website by, “Team Building,” in
an online article, “The FUNdamentals of Work” (http://www.ideachampions.com/life_play.shtml).
The unidentified writer says, “Humor and play are intimately linked to peak
performance and productivity. High morale and engagement are not just
‘nice-to-have’ in business — they’re essential. That is, if you want a
workforce that is personally accountable for participating at the highest
levels possible.”
How are humor and play introduced into a work or business environment?
According to the “Team Building” website, it is accomplished by using play,
non-competitive games, and improvisational humor. It does not mean learning
to be childlike or acting immature or mindless; business must still be
business.
James Patterson has also noted the importance of fun on his
website. Patterson has sold more than 12 million books in North America
and 130 million worldwide. He wrote Along Came A Spider, novels featuring
Alex Cross, and the Women’s Murder Club and Maximum Ride series. Patterson
writes, “For the first time in my memory, smart people in the book industry
are addressing the fact that it’s not just that young people are reading
less, but that they “appear to be reading less for fun....Of course,” he
writes, “it’s a wisdom good teachers, good parents, and good habit-changers
of all kinds have always known.”
Almost writing as if to make a direct contribution to this essay (if I could
be so lucky!), Patterson says, “The pursuit of happiness is a little harder
for our children to undertake if they don’t see the happiness they can have
in their ‘academic’ pursuits.”
My contention is broader than any of those stated in this essay thus far. My
contention is that fun — and a playful attitude — should be an everyday,
integral part of our lives. In that way, it would be automatically included
in any approach to achieving success. It would be integrated naturally and
comfortably into all learning environments. And, it would be a structural
and basic aspect of all work and business. In that way, it couldn’t be
avoided, and it would be revealed spontaneously, in a relaxed, genuine, and
open manner.
There are advantages to supporting my contention and incorporating humor
into your life. It can help you manage stress, improve creativity, increase
productivity, and balance the seriousness of life and work, writes Ron
Culberson, a former hospice social worker, who runs a website focusing on
humor (http://www.leadinghomecare.com/teleseminars/fun20040916.html).
Culberson, a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), offers a program that
helps people understand the role of humor in life and work by helping them
achieve balance, create a healthier perspective, connect with others, and
make their messages memorable.
In his book, How to be Funny on Purpose (Cybercom, 2005), Edgar E. Willis
writes that being funny “can turn you into a person who is fun to be with,
one who can enliven a workplace or add zest to a social gathering. It can
add sparkle to your teaching and writing, it can make you a more attractive
and effective speaker, it can help you cheer up those who are buffeted by
life” (p. 13).
Jason Moffatt, on his website,
The Fundamentals of Fun and the Art of Playing, writes, “Being a fun and
playful person is beneficial in so many different ways; some are obvious,
while many other reasons are quite subtle. I believe people need comic
relief in life, and any time you can get someone to laugh, you’ve done a
good deed....”
Brown was right when he said humor is an important fundamental for achieving
success, but he could have gone further saying it is important for living
our lives. “The evangelist Billy Graham,” according to Willis, “summed up
what humor can do in these words: ‘Humor helps us to overlook the
unbecoming, understand the unconventional, tolerate the unpleasant, overcome
the unexpected, and outlast the unbearable” (p. 13).
back to page top
> Fundamentals first before fun!
> The fun in FUNdamentals! — How to find the
fun in all FUNctions!
> Healthy Selfishness Contributes to Being
Effective, Efficient, and Productive
> Live life to the fullest!...
Healthy Selfishness Contributes to Being Effective, Efficient, and Productive
by Richard L. Weaver II, PhD
Writing in 1961 for the New York Herald
Tribune, John K. Hutchens said, “A writer and nothing else: a man alone in a
room with the English language...,” and that conveys in 15 words exactly the
selfishness writers must enforce. Writing is a lonely profession; however,
to get that alone-time, writers must resist outside temptations, the lure of
television, the Internet, and other media seductions, and even desires to be
with family and friends. With success in writing, it is a healthy (but
necessary) selfishness.
I never called it “healthy selfishness,” however, until I read Drs. Rachael
and Richard Hellers’ book of the same name. Their subtitle is Getting the
Life You Deserve Without the Guilt (Meredith Books, 2006). They define it as
“a way of thinking and acting in which there is a deep appreciation,
compassion, and concern for yourself — by yourself” (p. 12). They suggest
that it includes a respect for your feelings, trust of your knowledge and
ability, acceptance of your weaknesses and imperfections, an encouragement
of your efforts and struggles, and an offer of unconditional love and
nurturing of the child within (p. 12).
As a writer I have often been asked about the life of solitude that
necessarily accompanies the choice to be a writer. Heller and Heller clarify
the benefits I have experienced. It brings a zest for living that is
astounding, a joy that comes from truly experiencing, and it’s the key that
opens the door to a life of freedom — freedom, they say, “from being ruled
by the opinions and demands of others, as well as freedom from the voices
within your mind” (p. 12).
Let me personalize healthy selfishness. For me, there is both peace and
contentment in living and working with my ideas. Someone recently asked me
if — looking back on it — I felt good about my choice of writing over
teaching. That is, I gave up teaching entirely to be able to write full
time. Peace and contentment arise from being your own boss, making your own
choices and decisions, establishing your own deadlines and time frames, and
using all your own tools and abilities applied to something you love to do.
Such peace and contentment is empowering.
When you are independent and accepting and understanding of your self, you
recognize and capitalize on your capabilities. You open yourself to
criticism; however, you are so appreciative of your self and trusting in
your talents and abilities that you are unconcerned. This opens the doors to
truth and greater understanding.
Healthy selfishness grounds me in the present but allows me to think
realistically of the future as well. While I experience the true pleasure of
creativity and self-expression, I can focus on myself as creator, inventor,
and problem solver. This leads to realistic problem solving and
decision-making and, in that way, forces me to think more deeply, intensely,
and profoundly.
The goal of healthy selfishness is not to ignore all other demands. I want
to acknowledge at the outset of this description that I am indebted to
Heller and Heller for their clear description of what healthy selfishness
looks like. My goal is to obtain a healthy balance. That is, when I come
face-to-face with the needs or wishes of friends or family, the demands of
other writing projects, I attempt to find a creative way to meet the
requirements of others while satisfying my own needs and desires. I don’t
deny myself unless there is a very good reason to do so but, when it is
necessary to put my own needs aside, I will do that without resentment.
Now, when it comes to my physical needs, I must be nurturing, though not to
the extreme. I give myself the rest and nourishment I need, not only to stay
healthy enough to get all the jobs done that I face but, mainly, because it
would not occur to me to not do so. I do not make it a practice to deny
myself unless there is a very good reason for doing so, but I am not a slave
to my moment-to-moment whims, and that’s what’s important. Vacations, other
demands, and the needs of family and friends can intrude, of course, but
only under my watchful, judgmental eye.
What is important in all of this is that I trust my perceptions and
preferences. After making a decision, I dislike going back and forth —
reconsidering my choice. In general, I would rather make a mistake, pick up
the pieces, and learn from it rather than backtrack or sit on a fence,
endlessly debating whether I’ve made the right choice.
There is a risk in all of this. When I do not run to the rescue of family
and friends, or when I do not give them exactly what they want when they
want it, I may get accused of being uncaring or insensitive. Although I
would prefer that they understood my motives and the wisdom of my approach —
and, for the most part, they do — their accusations do not — and cannot —
distress me.
I get pleasure from many things: from something as simple as a tall, cool,
glass of iced coffee with milk when I’m thirsty, to the satisfaction of a
job well done. If situations or people prevent me from completing my work in
the best possible way, I work around them to the extent that I can. I enjoy
honing my skills and becoming better at a task by repeatedly experimenting
with different approaches and shortcuts to getting the job done.
Multitasking can be pleasurable. I find it neither stressful nor
anxiety-producing but rather a challenge that enables me to see competence
in action — which is one of the enriching, enhancing, and encouraging
rewards.
I have long-term goals, and, although I am aware that I may not be able to
complete them all, I feel neither frightened nor self-blaming at the thought
of never getting to do all that I want in life. I have so much; I have had
so much; and I appreciate it all so much!
Healthy selfishness is part of my everyday experience. Either I come by it
naturally or I have learned the hard way that it is a far better way of
living — for myself as well as for others. In either case, I have discovered
that a good balance of healthy selfishness can make my life pleasurable,
productive, and amazingly rewarding.
I have the courage, balance, and self-confidence that many people envy. I
have chosen healthy selfishness as a way of life. Still, in the everyday
world, friends, family, spouses, and children may make me question my right
to healthy selfishness, but I know that for me, it not only works, but it
works extremely well in producing an effective, efficient, and productive
human being.
back to page top
> Fundamentals first before fun!
> The fun in FUNdamentals! — How to find the
fun in all FUNctions!
> Healthy Selfishness Contributes to Being
Effective, Efficient, and Productive
> Live life to the fullest!...
Live life to the fullest!...
by Richard L. Weaver II, PhD
You often hear comments like “Sue has a passion for what she is doing,”
or “Are you passionate about this issue?” And the reason you hear such
responses is because people who pursue their passion in life tend to be
powerful, positive, proactive, and purposeful.
Passion is an intense overpowering emotion. As I began college, mine was to
go into medicine, until I had to take a required speech course. Those in the
pre-med curriculum had no use for, interest in, or identification with this
hurdle we had to jump to complete our coursework.
The assignments, activities, and enthusiasm of a dedicated and committed
speech instructor hit a chord that changed my life. To follow my new
passion—becoming a speech major—required taking more courses, being in
college longer, and making major decisions that would affect the rest of my
life. For me, this was a bold and risky move.
William James said, “Compared to what we ought to be, we are only half
awake. We are making use of only a small part of our physical and mental
resources.” When was the last time you did something bold? When was the last
time you grabbed life by the tail and took a risk? When was the last time
you turned down an opportunity to play it safe?
If you have been lucky enough to follow your true passion—utilizing the
gifts and talents you’ve been given—you know what “being alive” means. Life
is wonderful; life is exciting; and life is bringing rewards and
opportunities you may never have dreamed of.
Making the right choices has valuable and worthwhile benefits. It generates
tireless energy. It keeps you on track. It keeps you moving towards
following your gifts and talents.
Finding your passion makes you look at life differently. There is a love
there that motivates you to do the best you can and to learn as much as
possible about your chosen field.
When you find and follow your passion, too, your life doesn’t seem wasted;
your life has a meaning and purpose; and despite difficulties and
adversities, you are optimistic, and you always know that what you’re doing
is the “right thing.” Your passion comes from within, and you know it’s
right.
How do you find your passion in life? Ask yourself, what’s the ultimate
drive in your life? What do you get excited about? What do you love to talk
about? When you talk about it, do you radiate with enthusiasm? If you were
to announce to the world, “For me, living is . . . ,” with what would you
fill in the blank?
The key ingredient to being passionate about life is—loving what you do.
Just having a goal or a plan is not enough. Academic preparation is not
enough. Prior experience is not enough. Passion and productivity are Siamese
twins in these fast-paced times.
First, decide the kind of person you want to be—and do something today to
make it true. The Air Force core values offer worthwhile standards:
integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all you do.
Everyone can do better in some area of life. Take an inventory of your life
and decide where to make positive changes then live that life.
Second, focus on what you want to give, rather than on what you want to get.
Many people think backwards. They think happiness comes from having things
instead of living a life of significance.
back to page top
> Fundamentals first before fun!
> The fun in FUNdamentals! — How to find the
fun in all FUNctions!
> Healthy Selfishness Contributes to Being
Effective, Efficient, and Productive
> Live life to the fullest!...
