Brilliance by Design

Praise

“This is the book I have been waiting half my life for. Now millions of leaders, educators, coaches, therapists—all of us in the business of growing people—have an opportunity to read and apply it. It’s that essential, that important.”
—Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Business Administration, University of Southern California, and author of Still Surprised

“Vicki Halsey is Blanchard’s master learning conductor. This book is a treasure for all of us who want to ‘borrow’ Vicki’s thirty years of innovative design and delivery experience!”
—Ken and Margie Blanchard, bestselling authors and cofounders, The Ken Blanchard Companies

“Vicki’s Brilliance Learning System plays a fundamental role in the creation of all our training. Her ENGAGE Model has enabled us to revolutionize the learner’s experience.”
—Marcus Buckingham, New York Times bestselling author of Go Put Your Strengths to Work and CEO, TMBC

“Brilliance by Design is a contagious and disruptive book. Vicki’s deeply personal, passionate, and reality-based approach, complemented by emerging neurosciences, calls for a radical departure from traditional learning methods. It is an inspiration.”  
—Bruce H. Price, MD, Chief, Department of Neurology, McLean Hospital, and Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School

“Fresh, engaging, and spirited…connects us all to our innate brilliance and shows us how to bring out the best in ourselves and in others.” 
—Lisa Dokos, Director, Leadership and Organization Development, GlaxoSmithKline

“You will never teach the same way again!”
—Keith Ferrazzi, CEO, Ferrazzi Greenlight, and author of Who’s Got Your Back and Never Eat Alone

“Start a learning and performance revolution. Teach, learn, and lead so people release their brilliance with Vicki’s models, stories, and insights.” 
—Marshall Goldsmith, world-renowned executive coach and author of the New York Times bestsellers Mojo and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There

“Dr. Halsey reminds us that what is learned is more important than what is taught and that learning takes place in the heart and mind of the student, not the teacher.”
—Sheldon Harris, former President, Cold Stone Creamery

"This powerful book reminds us that every business, political, or nonprofit leader is a teacher while providing the necessary tools to unleash brilliance in way that excites, inspires, and empowers our people. Brilliance by Design could truly be the difference between success and failure. “
—Betsy Myers, former Executive Director, Harvard Kennedy School Center for Public Leadership

“This is not a book about just training or teaching. It’s about touching lives, creating lasting confidence, and igniting people’s innate curiosity. If you are an educator, a consultant, a counselor, or a parent, or if you simply care about the personal and professional development of another, this is a must-read.”
—Christopher Granger, Senior Vice President, Team Marketing and Business Operations, National Basketball Association

“Teach anyone anything with Vicki’s Brilliance Learning System. I LUV it!”
—Colleen Barrett, President Emeritus, Southwest Airlines, and coauthor of Lead with LUV

“No fluff, no fantasy! If you want to expand your influence as a leader, learn from a rock star in the training community how to ENGAGE people. Vicki Halsey delivers a powerful model that works. That’s why companies from all over the world are using her approach. If your desire is to increase your ROI on training and creating a culture where learning changes lives, Brilliance by Design is your blueprint.”
—Kevin and Jackie Freiberg, coauthors of Nuts! and Boom!

“This book, filled with aha moments, is impossible to put down.” 
-—Jan Baldwin, Co-CEO, Nth Generation Computing

“I’ve had the good fortune to experience Vicki’s Brilliance Learning System directly, and I have brought it to WD-40 Company. When given a window into their own brilliance, your people will develop faster, learn more, and innovate at the highest level.”
—Garry Ridge, President and CEO, WD-40 Company, and coauthor of Helping People Win at Work

“Vicki leads us to the summit of true enlightenment and expertly shows us how to uncork the brilliance that lies in every person.”
—Simon T. Bailey, author of Release Your Brilliance

“Brilliantly written, easily understood, and a model for life-changing impact. Vicki’s work with us at the San Diego Padres Guest Service Training to a staff of 2,000 employees and follow-up implementation evolved into one of the most talked-about fan experiences anywhere in the world.”
—Richard L. Andersen, CFE, President and CEO, Northlands

“Brilliance by Design presents a proven and powerful educational design strategy. The concepts are simple and the rewards are infinite.”
—Jim Irvine, Manager, Talent Management and Organizational Learning, Nissan North America

“This book will inspire every educator to engage every learner.”
—Marc Muchnick, author of No More Regrets!

“Unmatched in the arena of adult learning, Brilliance by Design is the culmination of best practices in one easy, juicy, digestible resource. Like Vicki herself, this book is a gift.”
—Victoria Cabot, Director of Field Operations, Vistage International

“This book should be required reading for all school administrators and teachers! Vicki blows traditional teaching methods out of the water by exposing a new generation of educational strategies that focus on delivery to ensure content mastery.”
—Melissa Holdaway, CEO and President, Arizona Charter Academy

“If every instructional designer, trainer, and teacher followed Vicki’s principles, we’d all be leading richer lives filled with many more brilliant moments of our own.”
—Steve Farber, author of The Radical Leap and Greater Than Yourself

“Vicki’s ‘secret sauce’ is in how her ENGAGE process validates the uniqueness of each participant, liberating people to discover their native brilliance and to help others do the same.”
—Larry Ackerman, author of Identity Is Destiny and The Identity Code

“A must-have for leaders, teachers, and learning departments committed to bringing out the best in people development, learning transfer, and application.”  
—Bill Dickinson, Vice President for Sales Training and Development, CareFusion

“Whether you are a university professor, kindergarten teacher, motivational speaker, or corporate trainer, the multidimensional ENGAGE Model provides powerful insights on how to craft meaningful and life-changing learning experiences.”
—R. Joseph Childs, DBA, Dean, College of Business and Legal Studies, Southeastern University

“Vicki’s passion is clear and contagious—the opening chapters read like a wonderful manifesto for the power of learning.” 
—Kevin Eikenberry, author of Remarkable Leadership

“To see Vicki facilitate a workshop is to see a master in her element—it’s a thing of high energy, optimism, and possibilities. I witnessed the transformative effect her approach had on participants at Save the Children. One of her simple truths, ‘The one who is doing the talking is doing the learning,’ is a brilliant and real contribution to the learning industry.”
—Justin Birtwell, Director, Global Workforce Learning and Development, Save the Children

“It’s not only being an expert in what you teach but also understanding the impact of how you teach that can help you change the lives of those you serve. Brilliant, engaging, and powerful.”
—Peter Winick, CEO, Thoughtleadershipleverage.com

“Fractal in nature, comprehensive in content, and truly brilliant in design!”
—Shutopa Das, Learning and Performance Coach, Welk Resorts

“Vicki’s zest for teaching and bringing out the brilliance in others is absolutely addictive. I know I will have to read this book at least twice and maybe three times to make sure I’ve dog-eared all the right pages and captured everything I can out of it.”  
—Brian Hennessy, Learning and Organizational Development Consultant, Sentry Insurance

“As an academic scientist, I know that making discoveries requires that I bring out the brilliance in my students. This book will help me to more effectively teach and lead, whether in one-on-one situations or in large lecture halls.”
—Sandra L. Schmid, Professor and Chair, Department of Cell Biology, The Scripps Research Institute

“Amazing, useful, and so needed—this is the book the training world has been waiting for! Vicki’s passion for creating supremely effective training comes through in every word.”
—Mike Song, CEO, getcontrol.net, and coauthor of The Hamster Revolution

“When embraced, the concepts, models, and tools in this book will create a learning environment that will serve employees, drive change, and improve results in any organization.”
—Terry McCune, President, K-Tube Corporation

“Vicki’s book puts theory into practice and is the most important book you will read as a teacher and learner—period!”
—Bob Lorber, coauthor of Who Are You? What Do You Want? and Putting The One Minute Manager to Work

“How many boring lectures have we all attended, pretending to watch the speaker but completely tuned out? This never has to happen again. Astutely written, insightful, and utterly practical, Brilliance by Design reveals the secrets to optimizing adult learning processes. Vicki writes using the very principles she is explaining. Once I began reading, I couldn’t put it down.”
—Jesse Stoner, coauthor of Full Steam Ahead!

“At Grand Canyon University, students rave about Vicki’s sessions. In this book she translates and explains what she does, making it accessible to all who teach.”
—Taylor Carr, former Director, Ken Blanchard Executive MBA Program, Grand Canyon University

“Brilliance by Design is a must for anyone who is responsible for helping others excel and can be used to impact small groups or hundreds of participants.” 
—Mike Nation, Senior Vice President, Colorado State Bank and Trust

“Despite my numerous years of teaching, I find that Dr. Halsey’s book brings a fresh perspective to my craft and a renewed enthusiasm to my students.”
—Lisa Smedley, biology teacher, Rancho Bernardo High School

“This book has enabled me to foster and develop a culture of learning within my organization. The brilliance is in the design.”
—Jeff Lindeman, SPHR, MSEL, Director of Human Resources, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority

“I was able to employ immediately many of the strategies in my sessions. This book will definitely be my primary training guide.”
—Michael L. Jury, Training and Development Specialist, General Dynamics NASSCO

“Having had the privilege of learning from Vicki in the classroom, I am excited to bring her formula for successful teaching to our agency. Brilliant!”
—Robert Finn, MBA, Chief of Police, City of Southlake, Texas

“This book will maximize your training investment!”
—Marty Draude, Director, Learning and Development, Avnet, Inc.

“Vicki’s models are powerful and can be useful tools to anchor and shape your total experience of life.”
—Novalena J. Betancourt, author of The Total Female Package

“As a result of reading Brilliance by Design, I improved my ability to learn, teach, and lead in the workplace. Most importantly, I was able to transfer the lessons enforced in the text to improve my role as parent to my two pre-adolescent children.”
—Curtis F. Manriquez, President, CFM Real Estate Services, Inc.

“Brilliance by Design is about knowing my own brilliance and caring for myself so that I can bring out the brilliance in others. Vicki lives what she has written.”
—Kevin Bullard, board member, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro

“The nuggets from this book have caused me to see my unique opportunity to be brilliant, and its truths have caused me to see this in others.”
—David Burk, Ken Blanchard Executive MBA Program, Cohort 7, Grand Canyon University