Talent Code Summary

In his book ​The Talent Code​, Daniel Coyle seeks to address the myth of talent. He bases

his claims on a neurological phenomena called myelin. Myelin acts as an electrical insulator for

the nerve fibers, essentially applying electrical resistance within the nerves, allowing enhanced

signal conduction and increasing the speed at which the signal can travel. Myelin can affect both

physical and mental performance, and Coyle asserts that anyone can build myelin through

intentional, correct practice.

The first step in Coyle’s plan is deep practice: struggling in a targeted way and operating

at the edges of one’s ability. Not only does deep practice allow one to use their time more

efficiently, the self-monitoring and fixing of mistakes produces a lasting result. Coyle’s first

example to illustrate deep practice is Edwin Link’s aviation trainer, advertised to teach a pilot

how to fly blind in half the time of regular training. Amazingly, his trainer was a success,

instrumental in the training of pilots for World War II. Coyle credits the success of Link’s

apparatus to its ability to allow pilots deep practice. In Link’s machine, a pilot could perform

maneuvers over and over, committing errors and learning from them. The machine slowly builds

myelin in pilots, optimizing the circuits within their nerves, allowing for more fluent movements

and thoughts.

Along with Brazilian soccer players, Florence’s crafting guilds, and Meadowmount, one

of the most striking examples that Coyle names is the Bronte sisters. While they had been hailed

literary, creative genius’, Coyle points out that they had written a great deal in their youth,

averaging almost 120 pages of mediocre, practice writings per month. In this way, the Brontes
completed deep practice, indeed Emily Bronte’s ​Wuthering Heights​ contains traces of the little

books she wrote (or rather deep practiced) in her youth.

In what Coyle calls the “holy-shit effect”, during which seemingly average people use

deep practice to acquire a new, impressive skill, there are basic rules. Firstly, break the activity

into chunks, linking them into progressively larger sections. This repetition should be done

slowly to ensure a higher degree of precision and to work the perception of the skill’s blueprints.

Secondly, repeat it at the sweet spot. Coyle stresses the importance of repetition, but in order for

it to truly be deep practice, one must practice at the edge of their ability. If the practice is too

hard, the body cannot adapt, too easy and the skill won’t improve.

The second large step in ​The Talent Code​ is, what Coyle calls, the ignition. Generally,

the ignition refers to the passion that one has for a specific activity. Coyle states that passion

directly correlates to energy, which in turn fuels deep practice. While it seems hard to measure,

Coyle had a simply anecdote to show the power of commitment. In the late 1990s, Gary

McPherson sought to figure out a way to predict a child’s success (or failure) in music. He

simply asked each student how long they thought they were going to play the instrument before

their first lesson. Surprisingly enough, even a child’s first concept of how long they were going

to play the instrument had a compounding effect on practice time and eventual performance

level.

While no one can say for sure what influences the subconscious goals of a child (whether

they think they will play the instrument for a couple years or their whole life), Coyle believes

that a metaphorical switch can be flipped. For him, the answer lies in a specific association

between identity and group. Something made the child believe that a specific skill is worth
acquiring. Coyle also discusses several primal cues that can activate the ignition: the desire to

keep up, the circumstances in which the student starts, breakthrough performances, desire for

success, and words. Words are the most powerful cue for Coyle because they directly alter a

child’s motivation. The correct kind of praise, stressing work over the results, has a profound

impact on a child’s desire to problem-solve and improve.

Coyle’s final section stresses the importance of a great teacher, however a great teacher is

not always what you would expect. Coyle seemed particularly enamored with Hans Jensen, who

he saw adapt to the specific needs of each student. Great teachers lie on a spectrum, some fuel

deep practice with a strict regimen and pure information, while others utilize the ignition with

warm emotional triggers.