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Looking out the window
Churches and trainsThey all look the same to me nowThey shoot you some placeWhile we ache to come home somehow – Gregory Alan Isakov, Amsterdam Linford of Over the Rhine said, “Letters are good for discussing the weather. Almost anything that can be glimpsed out a window fits well into a letter.” I think this…
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Speaking in Your Underpants
If you’ve ever asked for advice on how to overcome pre-speech nerves, no doubt you’ve heard the sage advice: “Just imagine your audience is wearing nothing but underwear.” Helpful advice? Maybe for some. What’s interesting to me though, is how this advice masks what’s really going on when you step on the stage. When you…
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David Kelley on Creative Confidence
Is creativity a gift or a skill? Are we born creative (or not), or is creativity a muscle that can be exercised and developed? David Kelley, founder of IDEO, which has developed things like the first computer mouse, believes that we’re all creative, but that often our creativity gets stifled along the way. He has…
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What Do You See?
You know all about optical illusions in colour if you’ve ever tried to pick a paint colour for your house. Or if you’ve had an argument about whether your shirt is black or blue or purple. In his TED talk, Beau Lotto shows us some fascinating optical illusions that reveal just how much what we…
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Say it With Symbols, O}
I was checking out some spoken word poetry this morning and came across this short poem, the one Helvetica Man wishes he’d been a part of…
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iPads, Autism, and the Story You’ll Tell
The other day I watched two brilliant stories. They contrast the amazing diversity of stories being told these days, and got me really excited for the opportunities we all have to tell stories of our own. The first is a short TED talk by Joe Sabia. With faster iPad fingers than you’ll ever see on…
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The Art of Asking Amazing Questions
I’m terrible at asking questions. Even when it comes to talking with people that I admire or want to understand more, I find it difficult to ask questions that unlock people. But I was inspired to ask great questions by Marc Prachter’s 2008 TED talk. Prachter shares about a series of interviews, or “living portraits”…
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Flow
I just finished reading Dan Pink’s Drive, in which Pink explains why traditional carrot-and-stick motivators are out-dated and need to be replaced by the intrinsic motivators of Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose. (For the abbreviated version of the book, watch Pink’s TED talk, which I’ve mentioned before). One thing I learned was the importance of experiencing…
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The Magic of Spoken Word
Nine years ago I stood up in front of 50 Chilean and realized that I had something to say. For the first time I felt like myself in front of a group, without shaky knees, and realized that I could make a connection with people, make them laugh (at my own expense, maybe), feel and…