Further to the arguments I proffered in my TED X Melbourne talk and my dangerous idea of the Paradox of Ubiquitous Connectivity.....you may want to read this new book: "The Information Diet" by Clay A Johnson!
Synopsis:
The modern human animal spends upwards of 11 hours out of every 24 in a state of constant consumption. Not eating, but gorging on information ceaselessly spewed from the screens and speakers we hold dear. Just as we have grown morbidly obese on sugar, fat, and flour—so, too, have we become gluttons for texts, instant messages, emails, RSS feeds, downloads, videos, status updates, and tweets.
We're all battling a storm of distractions, buffeted with notifications and tempted by tasty tidbits of information. And just as too much junk food can lead to obesity, too much junk information can lead to cluelessness. The Information Diet shows you how to thrive in this information glut—what to look for, what to avoid, and how to be selective. In the process, author Clay Johnson explains the role information has played throughout history, and why following his prescribed diet is essential for everyone who strives to be smart, productive, and sane.
In The Information Diet, you will:
Discover why eminent scholars are worried about our state of attention and general intelligence
Examine how today’s media—Big Info—give us exactly what we want: content that confirms our beliefs
Learn to take steps to develop data literacy, attention fitness, and a healthy sense of humor
Become engaged in the economics of information by learning how to reward good information providers
Just like a normal, healthy food diet, The Information Diet is not about consuming less—it’s about finding a healthy balance that works for you.
This has been a fantastic week where my personal investment of time and money has led to discovery, co-creating and new relationships, as well as deepening existing friendships, many of whom had their genesis in Twitter, Facebook or Ning community discussions.
I arrived into Washington DC late Saturday 22 Oct after a cramped cold and hungry but fascinating daytime flight from Beijing across Siberia and Alaska ( see pics!). Oddly enough, I had not revisited DC since university days about 3 centuries ago and was thrilled to have an opportunity to visit and connect with other Amplify Festival friends too who are based here.
I was to join John Hagel, Robbie Richmond and Rita King as speakers on a panel led by Stephen Dahlberg on Creative Leadership at the Creativity in Business Conference http://www.creativity-conference.com (#cibc11) organized by the effervescent Michelle James of http://www.creativeemergence.com fame. The above image summarizes that session.
Ever on the hunt for messengers of wisdom to lure back to Australia for Amplify, I scurried from session to session to uncover as much as possible- my only regret being that 4 concurrent streams forced trade-offs and I couldn't experience all. But, in the spirit of trusting that the wisdom of the universe will lead you to what you need, I was delighted to come away with much resonance for existing ideas, and the splendid gift of 3 brand-new Eureka moments, thanks to - a model for the design of work for optimal performance from Carol Sanford, - the concept of a "memory palace" to memorize large amounts of data with as shared by James Jorasch, and - a framework called Polarity Thinking to understand duel tensions that are inherently present in most scenarios, as shared by Cliff Kayser who hosted the post-conference retreat.
This took place at the intimate and spectacular Kayser Ridge- an awesome timber home sleeping 14 in the Shenandoah Mountains of West Virginia. Cliff Kayser, our host and executive coach, Polarity Thinking facilitator, Tao Master, yoga practitioner, artist and poet built this with love and his own two hands. It is a sanctuary for replenishing mind, body and spirit....and I need to add, Cliff is also an amazing cook and host. A truly beautiful human being and the embodiment of what he teaches.
More images of who joined the retreat and brief bios at http://www.kayserridge.com/cliffs-notes/ and more on the Retreat here....highly recommended; http://www.kayserridge.com
Thank you both Michelle James, aka @CreatvEmergence for organizing this wonderful gathering of minds and Cliff for your hospitality! A special thanks also to the wonderful new people I got to meet and make deep connections with; Carol Sanford, Gregg Fraley, Jack Richiutto, George Por, Bruce Waltuck at the retreat, and others at the conference and dinners.
I look forward to keeping in touch and hopefully working with many of you in future.
The nation despairs watching the locking of horns between the Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and the Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott over really important matters of national interest like how to manage the growth of carbon emissions, how to humanely and sensitively deal with the arrival of migrants without visas and refugees, how to navigate the economy at a time of unprecedented chaos in markets.
So, when I watched this clip on a matter of the utmost national importance....
....I was hugely relieved to see, for once, they were unanimous and united on the criticality of CREATIVITY to our future, and the importance of investing in this capability.
How have you nurtured creativity today? Your own? Your childrens? Your colleagues? Please share just one tiny thing....
Me? I wrote someone a thank you card. It was to a temporary PA who helped out while my regular PA was on annual holidays. In the card, I mentioned a few things that I thought was very special- like the way she joined in all the creativity workshops our team organises. For me, it was just a small gesture of appreciation....but her reaction was so huge that I was totally bewildered. With tears in her eyes she came to tell me how much she loved working in my team and if we EVER needed any help, just to say the word. It was then that I recalled how entranced she was when we were acting out stories with crumpled brown paper fashioned into hand puppets and telling stories through the voices of the inner child...and I understood.
Last week Friday, I realised a big moment in my life. It came about so swiftly and required so much effort and preparation that I didnt have much time to reflect on it in the lead-up, and when it was over...I was too depleted for days to switch my brain on again or put pen to paper.
That moment was TED. My first. Not as attendee...as SPEAKER! ( Lol...I am willing to put myself through torture again should anyone think my future ideas worthy of another talk!)
And to be totally honest...it was not quite TED Global, it was TED X Melbourne- an independently organised event licensed by TED. It's like the Teddie Bear version, but it's also the edge of innovation from whence Big Bear TED draws it's next hits, so not exactly a walk in the park! And it's the same sort of crowd...highly intelligent, accomplished change agents, tech savvy, edge-dwelling, hyper-connected, passionate about ideas and with ambition to change the world. As audiences go, I don't think they come any more challenging than that!
The next big hurdle was finding an "IDEA WORTH SPREADING" within the theme of the event: Innovation. Do you know how hard it is to come up with a really NEW idea? Something that is not just an echo chamber? And that you can credibly talk to?
I had my concept very early on, then had to decide how to build it by drawing on tens of millions of accumulated ideas and distilled wisdom since the days humans started fashioning tools and leaving our interpretation of the world on the walls of caves. Then...how to narrow that down! Brevity is a quality I have sought to conquer all my life. Twitter has made an enormous contribution, but I was hugely challenged in picking out what to put in and what to leave out in 18 precious minutes whilst weaving drama and story, tension and resolution, strong beginning and climactic ending, with emotional connection.
I read somewhere that a good speaker on the paid circuit, (ie one who earns a living from conference speaking and does not have another day job on top of it) would spend up to 35 hours to prepare a 1 hour talk.
I would suggest that one can trebble that time for a TED 18 minute talk- especially if it's not something you do day in and day out.
I had about 1 month notice of the invitation, and early on decided that it wasn't enough time to work with slides. Having attended TED Global twice as an audience member, as well as being the curator for AMPLIFY FESTIVAL and a regular at PICNIC, PopTech, Aspen Ideas Festival and the Business Innovation Factory, I have found that slides blur in my mind after a day of talk after talk after talk....so the presentations that demanded that I listen to only the speaker were somehow retained with greater impact.
But another reason for this decision is that I am accutely aware that as a digital immigrant born in 1961, I simply haven't mastered the mouse flick to sell my shtick effortlessly and slick. So I said: pass. More pressure therefore on ME to keep my audience enthralled- and that in the last slot on a Friday afternoon!
Most people who know me would think I am very comfortable with public speaking. I do a lot of it and I have overcome shyness...but this time, I was throwing up for two days- the last time 5 minutes before I went on the stage! Whether it was stress or if I caught the same viral enteritis that brought down my 13 year old daughter's friend who flew to Melbourne with us, I dont know. The poor kid was so ill and feverish that I had to arrange for a chauffeured car to take her to the airport to fly back to her mum as I took off for the Melbourne Convention Centre 30 minutes before my speaking slot. All in a day's work for a working mum!
But it's true what the experts say: "It all comes together when you go live on stage!
When I walked onto that big round red rug and saw the clock ticking....18:00, 17:59, 17:58, 17:57..instead of the choking anxiety that debilitated me moments before, an invisible fairy godmother cloaked me in a beam of light and confidence from who knows where! In practising, I did an early version of the talk to two of my team members, and the only other practise audience I had was my daughter and her sick friend in the hotel room- the rest was me in the bathroom mirror! So I was quite taken aback when the audience actually laughed....I hadn't anticipated that....my kids always say my jokes are "SO LAME"!
I had taken a bit of a risk with a message that was truly heartfelt, but that many of the social media and internet junkies ( of whom I am an honorary member!) could construe as being anti social media or anti-computers. And indeed, some did. But I was relieved when by and large, the feedback I had at the post TED cocktail party and ever since then in a constant stream of tweets, blogposts and LinkedIn requests, that my talk HAD provoked reflection and stimulated people to think more deeply. ( The video is not yet available, and I will insert it when it's up, but my talk was about The Maker Instinct- the relationship of how we learn by making things in a physical sense and how using ALL our senses and intelligences, underpin our ability to create and innovate.)
My final reflection on this experience I could not include in my TED Talk....I needed the reflection time after for its message to crystallise although it did pop into my conscious mind as I was in the process.....and that is:
The "MAKING" of a speech is in itself an enormous act of personal ( and professional) innovation and courage.
It forces you to let go of fear, to find courage, to hold opposable ideas in your mind, to anticipate objections, to think with both reason and emotion, to experiment, to fail, to stand up and try again.
(The proviso is that you do it yourself...don't outsource it! )
And THAT's why I'd jump at another opportunity like this. Speeches are a pain...they take HOURS to prepare, can totally tank if you misread your brief, but you learn so much about how to communicate and engage others in the process.
So here's my next big idea:
I think delivering an 18 minute speech on a big idea or value should be a mandatory hiring test for all people leaders!
( Hint: That may be an idea worth spreading! What do you think? Shall I start working on that in case someone wants to give me another go at this? )
(On 25 Nov I received the video link to YOUTUBE- so now you can see me in my imperfect glory...and you can see I'm actually having fun!)
In preparation for a proposed talk at TED X Melbourne, I have been doing a bit of reading and research on creative emergence, complex systems, interconnectedness, strategic decisions, community, sustainability and change ! Yip, just the sort of stuff that will keep you indoors on a beautiful sunny Spring morning in Sydney, when the rest of your family is frolicking on the beach.
I also found this poem, which I think I may use to illustrate a point about the role of leaders in times of rapidly accelerating change and ambiguity....that sometimes, evil and good present in indistinguishable form- aided by an abundance of information channels, which means anyone can peddle any story, and people don't know who or what to believe.
Take any big and complex issue....or dilemmas if you like, because whichever course of action taken to address these issues, there's a trade-off choice- one bad thing instead of a badder thing, or one bitter pill to swallow for the greater good...Global Climate Change, Carbon Tax, Mining Tax, Coal Seam Gas drilling, Illegal immigration.....a long list of complex interconnected systems and not a lot of consensus between good and evil.
Populist leaders exploit these scenarios for short-term gains by polarising communities and playing fear-mongering cards instead of encouraging enquiry, questioning and debate. A confused electorate can be easily swayed by a simplistic reduction of a complex issue that appears to provide certainty, clarity and convenience that fit with what people want to hear, no matter how ill-informed or cancerous to the greater good.
In Australia we have a famous example of an outspoken politician stating publicly that "Climate Change is crap!", only to be haunted by that statement when the leadership tables were upturned and,in the full glare of the media, he found himself as Leader of the Opposition with a lot of explaining to do for THAT remark. Reducing the complex by oversimplication is a strategy that works well in mobilizing the ignorant (confused, overloaded) masses for a short-term gain, but its a poisoned chalice.
Far harder is it to take time out for questioning, fact-gathering and reflection to understand the complex relationships between things and set a vision for a pathway through a complex issue. It doesn't work well as a slogan or as a 140 character tweet!
In an age of interconnectedness and abundant information, citizens will have to do much more personal homework to inform themselves and to hold decisionmakers accountable for short-term decisions with long term consequences that will prove poisonous to our future, our environment and our economy.
Leaders who face up to tough messages, who understand the interconnectedness of complex systems....they have to be the sensemakers. They have to tell connect the dots for people and paint the pictures of change through their words - through stories that change hearts annd minds- one by one.Truth is the new scarcity. Credibility and integrity too!
As volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity increase, people are looking for leadership that can:
See through the messes and contradictions
See a future that others cannot yet see
Find a viable direction by which to proceed
See hope on the other side of trouble
Inspire with their message, attract followers and build momentum for change
It's not easy, but it matters.
And for the record, I am opposed to Coal Seam Gas Mining because in spite of its apparent good in terms of job creation and clean energy in the form of gas, its the permanent damage to water tables ( see report http://lockthegate.org.au/documents/doc-279-scoping-study -groundwater-impacts-of-csg.pdf) in a land dogged by drought that I cannot get beyond. We have many alternative sources for energy- there is none for water. Not blind opposition to progress, but opposition to BLIND progress.
And I am prepared to speak out. My question to all decision-makers and voters is: How will the future judge you if you don't?
I presented this topic at the IQPC Reputation Management conference in Sydney today, with special reference to the Amplify Festival as a case study that encapsulates much of the established, proven ingredients for cultivating innovation, and demonstrating the impact on reputation. (Drawn on research of MIT Sloan School of business and the Innovators DNA). Regarding the problem with organisational structures and silo thinking that impedes enterprise collaboration in the digital era of abundant information, I referenced the most recent McKinsey Quarterly, Q3, 2011- an article called We are all marketers now, and also interviews with 3 executives leading the adaptation of their businesses to an era of social engagement. I linked that back to the Onnovation Festival and how we use that as a testbed to demonstrate the power of connected platforms and drawing on diversity of talent- including partners, customers....and even competitors!
Here are my slides- it's been fun creating the story for you. Obviously, it works best if I accompany it with story!
I have removed all the embedded video from the slide show and instead will just provide embed links to the ones I used. They are all saved on the YouTube channel of AMPLIFYfestival.
Amplify Festival 2011: What is it? Highights
Yammer- a connective platform for real-time collaboration and serendipidous discovery
Apart for sharing all of the AMPLIFY FESTIVAL content with the Australian public via free live audio feed and published video content, we also created the world's first Smartphone famine to raise awareness of those who are not able to enjoy the connectibity we take for granted. We raised $40 000 after dollar-matching by the AMP Foundation.
And here is the Amplify Effect measurement tool we designed and built. Expressed as a single number, the algorithm behind it counts the physical attendance (captured by RFID swipes), and the online engagement generated. The video explains it! And we are white labelling it for commercial use by conferences and events- all profits will be ploughed back into growing and innovating Amplify! Contact @maverickwoman via Twitter for more information or write to annalie Killian at amplify (at) amp.com.au
If you missed it, I will be talking again on the subject of culture at The Internet Show at the Sydney Convention Centre on 27-28 October. If you're in the USA, I will be speaking at the Business Creativity conference in Washington DC on 23 October. There's a fantastic line-up of speakers- so I am thrilled to be able to participate!
Innovation is my passion and working on culture is my specialty. I am always interested to learn from other people and likewise, happy to share my experiences. We learn most when we have to explain!
“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]
Along with expensive CRM systems, every brand under the sun, including local chicken take-away shop,Pet-products, several coffee shops that I frequent all the way to 4 different airline programmes have been issuing me with loyalty cards....and somehow neither Marketing Departments nor wallet designers give any thought to how customers are meant to carry that many cards with them. Handbags are growing bigger and heavier as we carry more cards, more devices ( yes, no point to the handbag if it can't fit my iPad thanks!) amongst the other stuff that women have to carry around....like the kitchen sink, and everything inbetween on behalf of all other family members.
In a handbag clean-up tonight, I counted 51 of the plastic cards loyalty cards and a further 18 paper cards- and this did NOT include a driver's license, Medicare, Private Health Fund, 2 credit cards and 3 ATM cards. There is no wallet/ purse that can hold all of these AS WELL AS coins and cash.
So, if you're in marketing....I just wanted to let you know....get ahead of the rest and give me a solution I don't have to carry around in my wallet....can't I just wave my mobile phone or something?
