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2nd Drive

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Posted on 9th June 2010 by Jade Handy in Book Review |What I'm Into

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The first time through Drive by Daniel Pink, I loved it.  The 2nd time?  I’m loving it.

When you read this book for the 2nd time, you’ll notice more than you did the first because you’ll have a different perspective since reading the first.  You’ll have met people and talked about things that you relate back to the first read through.  Makes it exciting! again!  (shush. poets license.  shhhht.)

Anyways, what grabbed me the second time through was the paragraph where he talks about heuristics.  That’s creatively looking at things a different way.  Versus an algorithm.  Now, it may seem obvious that we need to look at things a different way in order to solve problems, after all, Albert Einstein taught us “we can’t solve problems at the same level that created them,” or something to that effect.  But, heuristics grabbed me.

This reminded me of positive deviance.  No, it’s not an oxymoron.  Positive deviance is where a group of people within a group of people will go against the grain and do something that disrupts the accepted way of doing things and creates something that actually works.  You’ve heard the saying, “first it’s laughed at, then it’s ridiculed, then it’s violently opposed, then it’s accepted as self-evident,” or something to that effect.  Well, this is like that. 

Next, you have design thinking by Roger Martin of Canada.  I haven’t read , yet (I’m still reading Drive,) but I plan to.  I researched it just for this post.  Someone who will remain nameless @bigwags mentioned it the other morning at #CIB and it got me thinking.  Later, when I was reading Drive for the 2nd time, this all came together. 

The opposable mind from what I understand is holding two opposing thoughts simultaeously.  Sounds far fetched until you have a family.  Actually, sounds a lot like “enantiosis,” a rhetorical figure from way back in the day.  Anyway, the author of the Opposable Mind has done some research on this phenomena.

Here’s something fascinating.  While researching Design Thinking for this post, the Slideshare I read includes Daniel Pink’s take on design thinking!  I guess great minds do think alike.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, “it’s amazing what you can learn when you’re constantly casting a net.”

________________________________

Heuristics are bug-ridden by definition if they didn’t have bugs, then they’d be algorithms.  -unknown

You can’t keep blaming yourself.  Just blame yourself once, and move on.  -Dan Castellaneta

I could neither continue listening nor turn away. -http://rhetoric.byu.edu/figures/E/enantiosis.htm

Photo Credit:  flickr and kevindooley

The Most Important Thing is the Next Thing

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Posted on 2nd March 2010 by Jade Handy in Book Review |Let's Talk About Language |Persuasion |Selling Language

I believe it was John Stossel who once wrote something like this, “The most important thing is the next thing.”  I’m remembering it as something his late father said or something John said in a memoir at the time of his father’s death.  Tragic.  What I am sure of is that it’s a simple truth that plays in the background constantly.  Always be working on something, towards something or through something.  Not you?  Then, consider the alternative!

Maybe it’s just working on your next blog post, working towards finishing a book you’re reading or working through a recent “life event.”  It could be the mountain you’re climbing over, the partner you’re bonding with or the story you’re putting out.  The speech you’re putting together, the next decision you’re putting into play or the unneccessary meeting you’re putting off.

As if you didn’t notice, this article is really about phrasal verbs.  Phrasal verbs are verb + participle combinations (whether intransitive or not) that describe what you’re thinking or doing.  They are micro-metaphors,also. What are yours saying about you?  I have always thought of them as being relevant to a box, e.g. in, on, around, through, but that may not always be the case.

What I’m doing by throwing a bunch of them out  is searching for which phrasal verbs you use to change.  Ultimately, thoughts are all about whether you’re down or you’re up; going in or coming out; buried under or climbing out.  What are you running from or moving to?  I don’t know the psychological principles behind their use, but I do know that they can be limiting or empowering, stagnant or persuasive.  Most importantly, they can be changed, and changing them can lead to change in your life.  Which phrases do you find yourself using now a days?

Phrasal verbs are used in all kinds of persuasion.  Let’s take sales, for example.  “Buying,” in particular.  Top salespeople use the word “buy” at an astounding rate.  Now, they don’t just say, “buy buy buy buy.”  They are more creative about it - are you buying into what I’m saying here?  Abide by, blow by blow account, by a hair’s breadth, by all accounts, by all appearances, by all means, by a mile, by and by, by and large, by any means…  Need I go on?  I’ve heard all of these and more used naturally in normal conversations by salespeople.  I wonder what happens when we are inundated by phrases like this?

And finally, whether you’re feeling up or you’re feeling down, the most important thing is the next thing.  So get going on it!

__________________________

I hope that I may always desire more than I can accomplish.  -Michelangelo

There are two tragedies in life: one is losing one’s heart’s desire, the other is gaining it.  -Friedrich Nietzsche

Books referenced:

NTC’s Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs and other Idiomatic Phrases

NTC’s American Idioms Dictionary

Photo Credit: Picasaweb user nizzlebop

Third Time's a Charm

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Posted on 3rd February 2010 by Jade Handy in Book Review |Coaching |Peak Performance

Ever notice some things come in 3s.  Example, I have a single friend that waits until an attractive female looks at him 3 times before introducing himself quickly, famous deaths ominously come in 3s, there’s the comedy rule of 3. Personally, I write things down as soon as I have 3 creative thoughts/to-dos/mental notes. If I don’t, I forget the 1st two.  So much for 7 plus or minus 2, huh?

Relevant to this blog, whenever a seemingly new concept comes into my attention 3 times, often in 3 different contexts, I quickly blog about it.  Why?  Because everybody has to have a system, write? 

Example.  Today I was eavesdropping into my colleagues’ conversation.  They were discussing the irresponsibility of person A.  Person B stated that irresponsibility should not be rewarded(no new concepts here.)  But, overhearing this, I instantaneously thought of a recent conversation I had with a friend. I blurted out a metaphor that made everyone eavesdropping erupt in laughter.  That’s when I knew I had to blog about it.  This was incident number 3.

This friend and I were discussing relationship issues related to not assisting in behaviors that you don’t support, for whatever reason or intensity.  He summed it up with a metaphor I had never heard, “Don’t feed the monster.”  Don’t feed the monster.  Genius!  We were ROFL. 

Last but not least, the 1st time I really assimilated the principle of rewarding wanted behavior and ignoring bad behavior was in reading Don’t Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor. It’s a classic, already, in my mind.  (The pun is intended)

So, read it, heard it, spoke it, BAM, gotta write about it!Photo Credit: Kaptain Kobold

Eats, Shoots & Leaves

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Posted on 25th January 2009 by Jade Handy in Book Review

As I’m reading the British bestseller Eats, Shoots & Leaves I’m reminded of the powerful effect punctuation has in persuasive communication.  

Punctuation serves us for many reasons.  As pointed out on p. 7 of Eats, Shoots & Leaves: 
“Punctuation has been defined many ways….As we shall see, the practice of “pointing” our writing has always been offered in a spirit of helpfulness, to underline meaning and prevent awkward misunderstandings between writer and reader.”

When you’re persuading someone, you naturally use punctuation to construct your pitch. But, you probably never thought of using it to boost your effectiveness.  When she speaks of meaning and misunderstanding, I think of ambiguity. Especially since, if meaning and misunderstanding are going to be assisted by punctuation, I want to influence the how and what of it.

In Eats, Shoots & Leaves Lynne Truss, also, does a great job of pointing out the proper way of using punctuation, and the pitfalls of not using it correctly in the following age-old example.  But her book doesn’t have the persuasive usage focus and the upside utilization that this blog entry does.

Dear Jack,

I want a man who knows what love is all about.  You are generous, kind, thoughtful.  People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior.  You have ruined me for other men.  I yearn for you.  I have no feelings whatsoever when we’re apart.  I can be forever happy – will you let me be yours?

 

Jill

 

And

Dear Jack,

I want a man who knows what love is.  All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you.  Admit to being useless and inferior.  You have ruined me.  For other men I yearn!  For you I have no feelings whatsoever.  When we’re apart I can be forever happy.  Will you let me be?

Yours,

 

Jill

If you can’t see the difference from a persuasive perspective, try both in your relationship and notice the difference.  If you’re not in a relationship, try punctuating differently! 

OK, back on track. Here’s one example (subtle and admittedly of low impact, as well as vain usage) of how I’ve used it in order to reinforce the feelings I want to embed in my wife:

—–Original Message—– 

Subject

Hi

From

(insert wife’s name)

To

Jade Handy

Sent

Tuesday, April 15, 2008 8:16 AM

  

Just wanted to wish you a happy day.

 

Joke for the day…

Where can you always find wealth, health, and happiness?

 

Answer:

In the dictionary.

 

Have a great day! I love when the sun is shining

 

Love,

(insert wife’s name)

 

—–Reply—– 

Subject

RE: Hi

From

Jade Handy

To

(insert wife’s name)

Sent

Tuesday, April 15, 2008 9:23 AM

 

Cute, (insert wife’s name). Thanks.

 

Love Jade

 

 

Do you see it?  That’s right.  “Love Jade” is neither punctuated nor properly formatted. 
As it should be:

Love,

Jade

But, I don’t play fair!

So, how does this apply to selling verbally?  Well, let’s take a look at the verbal statement ”So, John, how can I help you make the decision to buy something? Today, we have a special on the widget gadget you asked about, previously”  This helps to set the time frame for making the decision to buy something.  “Today” could just as easily apply to the first sentence as it could the second.

Notice, in order to utilize punctuation ambiguity, you often times use a “pivot word”. And, usually, punctuation ambiguity is assisted by having supporting sentences around it as in ”We’re going to start using these techniques.  Now, when you have a need to create urgency, be thinking about how to package your pitch using them.” “Now” could be punctuated into the first sentence instead of the second.  Using ”now” in the first sentence would come across as overbearing.  Leaning it’s usage towards the second gets you the primary gain coming across as normal and the secondary gain of a below the radar suggestion.  I hear this used more often than any other example I can think of.

For examples of punctuation ambiguity in politics, find some McCain-Obama debate transcripts and go through and sort for how they punctuate in order to keep and hold attention and I think you’ll find that they use this extensively whether or not they’re aware of it, so have fun and use these language patterns in your everyday communication.

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