People consider the Apple Store experience the gold standard–or at least the brushed aluminum standard–of electronics retail. Companies from AT&T to Microsoft have tried to replicate the Apple Store experience, then refused to admit that they were trying to replicate the Apple Store experience. The backbone of the store is the Genius Bar, where Apple fans seek repairs, warranty replacements, and the wise counsel of the local council of Geniuses. What goes into the formation of a Genius? Gizmodo got hold of an Apple Store training workbook, and decided to tell the world.

The subject of most lessons? Managing people, not necessarily diagnosing iPhones. “The manual could easily serve as the Humanity 101 textbook for a robot university,” writes Sam Biddle. Only robots don’t need to be taught how to spread “Gadget Joy” to humans.

Like all training manuals, this material is probably read once and largely forgotten, but says a lot about how Geniuses and sales staff are to manage the expectations of customers: allowing them to feel empowered, but guiding their expectations.

How To Be a Genius: This Is Apple’s Secret Employee Training Manual [Apple]

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