Editorial

 

2005 got off to a glorious start with the third IAL conference held in Atlanta, Georgia. What immediately was apparent was a new energy and purpose in the organization; this is due in large part to the dynamism Gail Heidenhain, our president, has brought to IAL. Along with this came the long overdue decision to hire Roland Boettcher as Association Manager. In addition to his role as webmaster, Roland will be responsible for the day to day operations for IAL and the support of the diverse project teams.

This year finds us brimming over with new projects and plans. One of these is to revive the IAL newsletter so that it becomes a regular feature available to all members to read and download online. My role will be to edit the newsletter, and I am looking forward to hearing from people who would like to contribute in one way or another. Contributions could take the form of major articles on research, personal experiences with Accelerated Learning, or reflection on any area related to AL. We are also interested in media reviews…books, movies or Web sites related to AL. Letters from readers who would like to comment on articles or offer any suggestions are also most welcome.. My personal goal is to make this newsletter a living, interactive tool that will give IAL members a forum for sharing their research and work on the change that Accelerated Learning brings to the workplace, the classroom and day-to-day relationships.

This issue is very exciting because it brings together a gold mine of information that will serve as an introduction to Accelerated Learning for new members as a means of deepening understanding and sharing information among our experts. For many, it will offer the pleasure of finding articles written by old friends and acquaintances from previous IAL conferences.

From Austria comes Pearl Nitsche's inspiring major article on non-verbal communication. This will be especially useful for teachers and trainers who would like to streamline their talking time in the classroom so that they have more time to teach. Non-verbal communication is based on the work of Michael Grinder, who trained Pearl. She now has trained literally thousands of Austrian teachers in the techniques of Accelerated Learning and non-verbal communication.

It was a great pleasure to receive a short article from Peter Kline, author of The Everyday Genius. Peter is a pioneer in Accelerated Learning and his article is his own passionate plea to bring change into the field of education.

IAL is affiliated with RIA in Mexico, where AL practitioners are doing exciting work in corporations and schools. This issue contains an article, written in Spanish, by Roberto Cardenas Enriquez that will be of special interest to our Spanish-speaking members.

In the next issues, we will be also be introducing the leaders of the organization. Bob Beale is a new board member, and it is obvious that he is bringing his own very practical and useful skills to IAL. In this issue we are highlighting him with a profile of his life and a discussion of how he uses Accelerated Learning in his work as a management consultant and trainer.

Bonnie Tsai
(IMAGINE Editor)