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Friday 09-May-08

How to succeed as an academic

I'm currently reading Herbert Simon's 1976 classic 'Persuasion' in which he cynically describes how academics can succeed as much through trickery than deep research.

As in the nature of such lists, it sails close to the bone and there are almost certainly a significant number of academics out there who make good use of these principles. But why? Why do academics work in ways that could bring them into disrepute?

A large portion of the blame must be laid at the doors of the institutions they inhabit. Success for academics is often enshrined in the 'publish or perish' mandate, where the extrinsic motivation of employment and advancement displaces the intrinsic motivation of contributing the the sum of human knowledge. Those who succeed are those who get papers into the refereed journals. More so perhaps even than those who produce sound research that advances human knowledge but takes longer to produce. More also than great lecturers who inspire generations of students.

The same can be said, of course, for people in commercial enterprise, where how they behave is driven more by the way they are rewarded and punished than by any noble or greater purpose.

But then again, for everyone who plays downwards there are people who seek higher things. The question for each of us, perhaps, is which will we choose?

Wednesday 07-May-08

Possibly persuasive emails

Of course, all they want you to do is to keep reading, because the more you read, the more you psychologically invest in them and the more likely you are to follow the very kind and inevitable instructions to give them money.

Your comments

What I find particularly interesting is the way that the so-called "stock scam" e-mails are worded. In this case, the scammer is trying not to make you send them money, but to invest in a weak stock that they happen to have a large investment in already.

These e-mails often deliberately appear to be addressed to somebody else - the victim thinks that they've accidentally received somebody else's mail, and so they're tricked into thinking that they're somehow privy to some very secret information.

-- Scatman Dan

Dave replies:
Aye, Dan, it's a good scammer's ploy to make the person think they've stumbled onto a secret money-making machine. The person then becomes the motivator and the scammer merely a servant. It's amazing how greed leads people to give large amounts of their money to complete strangers.

Friday 02-May-08

Be a shade braver

'Be a shade braver' is a rather neat byline in a recent advert for hair dye. It works well in several ways. The basic message is to dye your hair not with a dramatic change, as many might view hair dying, but just a bit. In this way they are targeting a new market of people who would not normally think about dying their hair.

In recognition of the concern such people might feel, they simultaneously advise courage whilst reassuring the person that only a little courage is needed -- after all, the colour change is only small. The word 'shade' is neatly used with a double entendre such that the byline makes sense as a sentence, yet gets the 'just a bit -- go on!' message over.

I would guess that this will be a successful campaign, which begs the question of how valuable these few words are. I hope the copywriter gets paid a big bonus!!

Wednesday 30-April-08

Preying on sympathy

There was a recent case in the UK of a little girl called Shannon who went missing. Her parents appeared tearfully on TV pleading for her return and a massive police hunt was set in motion. In the end, she was rather strangely found in the base of a bed in an uncle's nearby house. Then there began a whose series of arrests of family members, including her mother and step-father. The bottom line seems to be a money-making scam through a 'Find Shannon' fund, something like the highly-publicised Madeleine McCann affair. How they thought they would get away with it heaven knows. In fact all they did was attract significant police attention which uncovered a series of other misdemeanours.

Like most scammers, they had no concern (or, probably, realisation) for the wider impact of their deception. The scenario of a missing child is similar to a brand in the way it automatically evokes strong sympathy for those involved. When confidence tricksters play on these automatic responses they also weaken them. Next time a child goes missing, the public reaction is likely to be more muted. The attention that could help find the child and support the parents may be replaced with suspicion and cynicism. This is the major damage that Shannon's parents have done.

Sadly also the Madeleine McCann case could also contribute, although I've much sympathy for her beleaguered parents. Mud sticks and the Portugese police's suspicions of parental guilt (which have been taken up by some of the media) will make many wonder -- and the Shannon case will only exacerbate this.

A real danger from all this is that future cases of missing children may start with unnecessary, distracting and distressing attention on parents (and who, fearing this may be damagingly reticent). With cynical or bored public attention, vital clues may also be lost.

Cynicism and suspicion are killers of a caring society. Despite what we have seen, we must take each case on its merits and not pre-judge.

Friday 25-April-08

Planes, teens and matriarchal society

Coming back from a break in Italy recently, we had the misfortune of sharing the flight with the noisy company of about 50 boisterous Italian 15-year-old teenagers. It's an age when the hormones are kicking in, with much posturing and confusion, as the freedom of adulthood beckons yet the comforting irresponsibility of youth lingers. The result is what is generally described as bad behaviour as they do what they like without noticing or caring about the effect on others.

The children in the plane thus shouted, laughed, sang and pushed one another around. Whilst it was no doubt all good clean fun for them, it was a significant disturbance for the rest of the passengers. Their teachers seemed pretty useless as they chatted and generally ignored the noise. The cabin crew were no better and seemed at a loss what to do. Eventually, as I was wondering if I should intervene and whether this would help or make things worse, a British woman picked on the noisiest bunch and gave them what might be called 'a piece of her mind', asking them what their mothers would think of their behaviour and telling them they should be ashamed.

Perhaps surprisingly, this outburst had a very significant effect in quietening them all down. But why? They probably didn't understand much of what she said, but I'm sure they got the idea from her tone and demeanour. Apart from the surprise, an important factor may well be that Italian society has a significant matriarchal slant, where the 'mama' is a respected and often feared figure. And to be told off by your mother in public would be a shocking and humiliating embarrassment.

So the brave and angry lady had the ideal effect, quelling the troublesome teens. As we got off the plane a young Italian couple apologised to me. I smiled and felt sorry for them. It wasn't their fault but they felt a kind of collective Italian responsibility. I also felt more hope that the noisy children would grow up into civilised adults like these.

Wednesday 23-April-08

Marathon madness

Every year, towns and cities around the world hold marathons around the streets, in which ordinary people rub shoulders with international runners and nutters in gorilla suits. Some friends recently joined the 30,000-odd dash in London and, interested in their motivation, I asked them why they did it.

For the real running enthusiasts it's about a bigger challenge, stepping up from local events and solitary training. It lets them benchmark themselves against the professionals as well as other enthusiasts.

For those who normally run shorter distances it is also very much a personal challenge, and proving to themselves that they can 'do it.'

For some, it is about raising money for charity. Borrowing the brand of the London Marathon gives them a lever that can winkle more out of their friends' pockets. This also makes them feel good, of course, which is a deep reason for doing it.

For most, however, it is flirting with fame. Where else can you trot alongside professionals, with waving crowds and TV cameras, feeling like you really matter, like for a moment you are important and part of something momentous? And back home and in the office the fame continues as people admire your grit and determination. 'I ran the marathon' gives serious boasting benefits for many years, which can make a few hours of pain seem worthwhile.

I used to run a bit, but looking at marathons, I am not tempted. You can have your fame. I'll find less tiring ways of feeling good. .

Your Comments

I ended up swimming in the BT Swimathon this year. I used to do it every year, but I hadn't swum at all in many years until this Swimathon, when I stepped in at the last minute to take my sister's place (she was ill). It was a completely exhausting experience, and I'm sure I was far more stubborn with myself than should be considered wise for somebody who has done so little swimming of late. But it's easy to get enthused about something - even something so strenuous - when there's a crowd of people watching, and others participating, and in particular what kept me going was that I would have felt that I was failing my sister if I'd dropped out. And afterwards, I'm glad of the exercise... and a little of the fame, I suppose, too.

-- Dan Q
 

Thursday 17-April-08

Service hazards

Is customer service a good thing? Is it a good idea to say thank you for your custom? Maybe not always so. A florist recently sent a 'thank you for your order' note to a man who ordered a dozen red roses. The problem was what he ordered them for his mistress but the thank-you note was sent to his home where his wife opened and read it -- and realized that the flowers were for someone else. The man is now suing the florist, which is not very nice but perhaps unsurprising given his cheating on his wife -- it seems he was more troubled at being found out than remorseful for his deceptive action.

There's a lesson here around customer service and relationship management which suggests a little more thought about potential damage from well-meaning actions. Even calling to say thank you for your custom may be seen as over-doing it.

Another bugbear I have is customer surveys. Whilst I have great sympathy for their potential value, you are often asked to fill them out in the presence of the person being assessed. This will skew the data enormously as there is significant social pressure not to criticize people when they are there. And even if you do it later, it is still more an assessment of their social skills than the real service you received. In practice, the real benefit of such surveys is to encourage the person being assessed to be nice as they know that if they annoy you then you have a weapon in the feedback form.

And this is just the beginning. People are complex beings who often respond in complex ways. They resist being manipulated and may be contrarian just for spite or will respond in unexpected ways.

The bottom line is a caveat to service providers: when seeking to motivate, think hard about the real effects of what you do.

Friday 11-Apr-08

Growing pains

I wrote last year of troubles with my teenage son and have since had several helpful conversations with others with similar experiences. Parenting problem teens is a trial by fire but although it has been far from plain sailing I know that it could always be worse.

So here's a synopsis of the past year.

After dropping out of school (which was after failing a year and being let back on a promise of knuckling down), he announced he was going to live with a friend in London. I felt we needed to stay in touch so helped him move. I got him a job with a friend in IT, but that lasted a little over a week - he quit after being told off about something ('they're all idiots').

The London stay lasted about a month then he came home again, soon to go and live 'permanently' with a bunch of friends in a faraway town. For several months the only contact was when we phoned and when he deigned to pick up. We were careful here to remain positive and keep calls brief. After living on their charity for a while he fell out with them and left, moving to a series of friends with a similar pattern of dependency until Christmas, when he was on the point of being put out onto the streets.

He asked to come back. We said yes, but with a few conditions, like getting a job (and with the motivation of no internet until he had held one down for a month). He also brought a friend who would otherwise have been homeless. The friend had a transferable job and agreed to a nominal rent (which never got paid). When they fell out, we were left to clear up and lever the friend out.

The biggest frustration for a long time has been that he just takes what he wants and gives pretty much nothing back ('I don't do housework'). He also distorts and uses anything you say against you ('You said you wanted me to be happy'). Our frustration at the selfishness has boiled over now and again but with little effect ('Get off my back!'). Largely, though, we've tried being tolerant and patient. Occasionally we see a gently and funny person peeking through and hope that this is the real person.

Several friends who know the whole story have expressed surprise that we haven't kicked him out, but despite all he has (and has not) said and done, we believe there is a fundamentally good person in there waiting to emerge. I think the biggest issue is that he is terrified of growing up and taking responsibility for his life. Like Peter Pan he has been clinging to the safety of childhood, where somebody else provides and he can play in his make-believe world.

Even as I write this, a new chapter may be beginning. He has got a job as a trainee butcher at Tesco's, the UK's leading grocery superstore where he starts today. He hasn't lasted more than a few days in any job yet, so I'll believe what I see, though I've got my fingers tightly crossed.

Your comments

This is what will happen to your son if you continue to enable him: he will eventually find someone and marry them. Then his wife is straddled with his irresponsibility. She marries him because she feels that she "understands" him and can "help him."

Unfortunately he never takes on the responsibility of becoming a responsible husband, homeowner, or citizen. Every time he is in trouble, his parents bail him out. He steals from his wife's bank account, invites unsavory friends over, has trouble with the law, makes his neighbors angry, and can’t take care of basic day-to-day household chores, starts drinking or abusing drugs. Each time his parents bail him out.

His wife leaves in the hopes that he will "hit bottom" and finally realize what he needs to do to have a happy life. Instead his family bails him out again. The ex-wife is left picking up the pieces of her life.

My ex is the son of a successful doctor. His family always enabled him. Their enabling created a menace on society. Please be tough on him or he will never grow up and he will be lost to you forever.

-- Colleen

Dave replies:
Thanks, Colleen. I do take your advice seriously and empathize with your situation. He has said he will be saving up to go and live with a friend, and we'll encourage (but not finance) that. We've also been very deliberate in giving him little whilst he is here -- he has food and shelter but little else. We will continue to withdraw as needed to ensure he stands on his own feet.

It is sometimes difficult to realize that children and others in my life have free will and free choice. With the free will and free choices come consequences such as being homeless (almost) for your son and feeling the inner turmoil of wanting good things for someone who would rather walk their own path for your son\'s parents.

I continue to receive life lessons in relationships from friends and family members. I hear an internal voice which sometimes say, "You do have a problem!" Sometimes to myself and occasionally out loud, when invited to join in the problem.

In my life with age came increased wisdom and I hope it will work that way for your son as you lovingly do what you are willing to do and set reasonable boundaries for yourself..

Good luck!

-- Gene

Dave replies:
Aye, Gene, likewise I know I cannot live my children's lives for them. I have told them both that I just want them to be independent and happy. At the moment, my son is focusing on 'happy' first. One of the sad lessons of life is that food and shelter come first. 

Not that I have had experience raising a son, but I have put a lot of time in being one.

All I can say is that some children admire their parents to the point that they are intimidated by them. At some point, many sons do not think that they can even converse with their father until they have proven themselves an equal.

Unable to achieve the success of their parent in the field of that parent in the short term, they will try to be quickly successful in an endeavour where the parent has not succeeded.

Daughters (I have siblings) may even be worse. If they cannot impress their father with their own achievements they will find a male friend who either impresses or challenges their parent, whether or not they are indeed their own friend.

It may sound simplistic, but all this commotion may be only a prelude to a dialogue?


-- peter

Dave replies:
Fair comment. There's been limited dialogue, not through lack of effort. He's been closed and I'm cautious about pushing him too hard. I've given an occasional trial stronger prod, but he needs (and wants) to drive his own life. I've a great relationship with my daughter (though there were challenges with her too), which is something of a relief -- when you've problems with a child you start to doubt your parenting abilities.

One part of the psyche tells one, "Spare the rod, spoil the boy". But there is always a danger of building a strong and irrational reactance, which seems to already be a part of the case here.

Tactful handling of persons is your forte, and I can give no advice to you on that count, which you are not already aware of. But at some point, I suppose one has to reflect upon the fact that humans are individual creatures, are free, and when they realise that what they are doing is not what they want to do, they rebel.

I convinced someone very close to me to stop smoking, more than a year ago. But because of a ham-handed and authoritative approach later on, I managed to make her extremely defensive, angry, and inclined to do the very thing I had asked her not to, even though she really didn't feel like she needed to do it anymore, even by her own admission.

I suppose the best sort of change is that which comes from within. Our job is just to help that change come. And sometimes, perhaps, accept that we cannot change things.

-- I Vassarion
 

Dave replies:
Agreed. It's a delicate game and easy to trip even after it seems won. It can be a big problem where they think they know what you are thinking, but are completely wrong.

Wednesday 09-April-08

Words of wisdom

Wisdom is in surprisingly short supply in our modern, mixed-up world, and it seems most in need where it should be found the most: in the governments of great nations and in the governance of powerful companies.

Seeking wisdom is an endless journey. It has been said that the wise person does not think him or herself wise. To do would be to declare the journey done. I don't know if there is even a complete description of wisdom, so I'll take the simple description of 'knowing the right thing to say and do', although 'right' itself is a philosophical labyrinth. Wisdom seems to have a lot to do with people and a lot to do with meaning. I think.

Below are three of the most famous and maybe most wise exhortations for living a good life, joined here in parallel so we can look across and seek perhaps some common and even deeper meaning.

What do you take from this? A few common themes that resonate with me include:

• Be happy in your own skin.
• Do not burden others.
• Have integrity.
• See truth.
• Persist.
• Love.
• Be.

Mmm. Sounds about right.

Your comments

I stumbled upon this...very wise words indeed!

-- April

 I was very happy to find this site. I was researching the word bystander to determine if I wanted to use the word bystander or onlooker in a recent blog post. I found the article on the bystander effect and felt a little better about humanity.

I was recently a first responder to a very bad car accident. I was with my two daughters . I pulled over and immediately ran to the car to assist. I was the only one there for a moment. The car had spun and flipped, but had landed upright. the doors were locked, and I had to get the driver to \"come to\" enough to unlock the door. I had never seen something so terrible. Her head had hit the windshield and she literally looked like Frankenstein. Soon other cars stopped. I was literally jumping up and down, crying for others to help, then began attending to her. I calmed myself enough to keep her calm. I braced her head and neck. I practice Reiki, so I said a quick prayer and let the energy flow. She had broken ribs, broken ankle and a serious head trauma. Not one other person came to help. Not one. I yelled for one to call her husband, and he did. But no one helped me with the difficult stuff.

I couldn't believe it. I really believe in the golden rule. I use it as a guide, and I think the world would be a completely different place if we all took it to heart. So I guess what I experienced was the Bystander Effect.

Thank you for this site. I plan to come here often. Lots of good practical advice. I added it to my list of favorite sites on my blog. kudos!

Gratefully,
Gloria I

Wednesday 02-April-08

Fancy footwork

I recently bought a pair of MBT shoes for walking in London. With a fancy design, including convex soles, they help your posture as you walk and are great for back and knee support. This story is not about the shoes, but when I took the shoes back to the shop as there was a slight discomfort. The manager was horrified to find that I had not been given insoles and offered to give me a full check-out.

I was first asked to step onto electronic sensors, at which a computer screen lit up with a map of the pressure across my feet. The manager mm'd and ah'd and pointed out the uneven profile and started talking about the effects this would have on knees, back and other joints. He made a number of measurements of my feet and tut-tutted at the differences. A.skeletal foot was produced and repeatedly used to show how I was being pulled out of kilter.

But never fear -- there was a solution! Custom-made insoles would, over time, correct the troubles and ward off arthritis and other spectres. It was of course the best thing to do and I'd have to act soon. No price was mentioned, and I was alarmed at talk of 'the right thing' and 'the best approach, really' and asked how much. With further preamble about how wonderful and necessary it all was, he eventually told me the price: €255.

I nearly fell over. £255 for a pair of shoe inserts? Noticing my pallour, he smoothly moved onto a cheaper option - off-the-shelf orthotic inserts, which I could try now. I did and it did feel better, so bought a pair. It seemed like a snip at £55. Even as the guy was taking the money, he was telling me to try these first for a month and then come back for the proper solution.

After I got home and when I was beginning to think that £55 was still very expensive for iinsoles, I looked them up on the web and bought another pair for £25.

Sounds like I was had? Maybe, but there is some mitigation. The insoles from the web are ok, but not as good as the more expensive ones. And the whole walking experience is now much better, with less aches and pains afterwards. But £255 for custom insoles? I think not.

Friday 28-March-08

Management tampering

W. Edwards Deming was the global guru of quality for many years. After the Second world war he was a major teacher and inspiration for Japan's industrial revival and their coveted national prize is named after him. One of his great concerns was the way that managers would reactively change things and in doing so only make things worse. Deming was a statistician and could mathematically prove this.

A simple example is to shoot at a target, aiming for the middle. If the shot goes left, then assume that you are 'pulling left' and so aim more to the right. In fact the real reason may be that you cannot hold the gun still and there will be a natural spread across the target. The shot after the one that went left might naturally have gone right, and adjusting right would make it even more to the right. Making corrections for each shot ihence leads to an *increase in the spread of results, thus making things far worse.

Management tampering acts in the same way. When 'corrections' are instituted without really understanding why things are as they are, then the fix can easily make things worse. A pernicious variant of this is where a fix actually does make things better in the short term but actually makes things worse in the longer term. 'Shifting deckchairs' is another false fix and typically makes things easier in one area simply by shifting the problem elsewhere.

So what should managers do?

The sad answer is that there is no easy solution to hard problems. The best approach is to take the time needed to discover the complex system that is causing the problem and then to attack its root. Managers are busy people, though, and often feel the need to do something quickly, even if it is a short-term fix. Purists generally hate this approach, but it is actually quite practical as long as the manager knows that it is temporary and also instigates further work to ensure an effective and sustainable solution is implemented.

Friday 21-March-08

Do not read this blog

Ok, so why are you reading it then? It's a curious phenomenon but I'd guess more people read this than other blogs, just because of the title.

One reason to read it is that your curiosity was aroused. The 'Pique Technique' deliberately uses this principle, first tweaking interest then giving the real message. Another reason is reactance. When told not to do something our need for a sense of control is assailed and we react against it by proving we are in control by going the other way.

*

You know the way advertisers sometimes put loose flyers into magazines and newspapers such that when you open them they fall out all over the place? Generally this annoys me and I take revenge by gathering them up and putting them in the bin, smug that I have lessened the wasted paper I am carrying.

Recently, however, I actually picked up one of these flyers and read it. On it (both sides, to be sure I'd see it) was the phrase 'DO NOT READ THIS FLYER' in large, pink capital letters on a black background. A high-contrast, unusual combination that grabbed my eye and piqued my interest.

So I picked it up. Above the words in small white text were the words 'Many people would not want you to'. Reacting against those 'many people' I opened the flyer and, having made the investment, read it carefully. It was an appeal from Amnesty International and the 'many people' were dictators, terrorists and so on who would not like me to make a donation to Amnesty. Wonderful stuff. So now if I do not donate, I am in league with a lot of very nasty people. What tremendous persuasive power.

Whilst I was not persuaded further I was very impressed with the package and this blog is the result. Publicity happens in strange ways and who knows, maybe you will read their website and act.

Your comments

Wouldn't the right answer be: by the time we read the title and comprehended its summons it was too late to obey?

-- michael w

Dave replies:
Not sure. Perhaps too late to back out?

Can you quantify the results of your experiment?

-- Dennis

Dave replies:
Good question, as my perception, like one swallow, does not make a summer, although of course I think it certainly brings out the sun ;)

Advertisers who are spending a lot on promotion do often spend reasonable effort in both pre-testing their concepts and assessing the actual return on their ad investment. I wonder what measurement Amnesty made.

Inherent rebellious nature in all of us. Generally people lose interest fairly quickly when it doesn't convey a good message or when it lacks substance.

-- Natasha

Wednesday 19-January-08

Tourist confusion

I work in London and often get stopped by confused tourists, looking for Covent Garden, Parliament or some other landmark. Recently, however, it was me who was confused when a lost-looking laddie in Green Park asked me in the usual stilted-but-credible English, "Excuse me, could you tell me where all the tourist attractions are?"

I paused and went a bit glassy-eyed as I tried to build a quick map with all the attractions. I was so distracted he could have pick-pocketed me in that moment, but thankfully he did not. Instead I turned around and pointed at Buckingham Palace, which was about a hundred yards away.

It's easy to complain about tourists and I certainly mutter when they clog up the pavements and act as if everyone else is invisible, but they contribute a lot to the local economy so I don't bother that much. Indeed, it's a timely reminder to see all that open-mouthed wonder. It's too easy when you work in a marvellous city to become immured to its glories. I also know that tourists pay taxes and that I'm a part of 'Brand London'.

So come on tourists, visit our great city. And come on Londoners, let's see even more of that great British civility and kindness. Together we can make it a nicer place to be.

Friday 14-March-08

Just giving, just getting

I've a couple of friends who are doing sterling stuff in the name of charity. It's an odd sponsorship proposition: 'Give money to charity and I'll put myself through some hardship'. There's an interesting website, JustGiving that helps this process along.

The process by which you get persuaded is interesting too. One friend who had put herself out to help me in the past sent a friendly, but ultimately begging letter asking me to sponsor her. Yes, I must, I thought, then moved on to the next email in the pie. The thought didn't go away, though, sitting guiltily in the back of my mind, so when she sent another friendly letter a few days later, I reacted like a scalded cat, diving for my credit card.

The question then arose about how much to give. Your name goes next to your donation, so there's little chance of a low donation. You could give an anonymous name, but you'd still feel like a rat. When we're not sure what to do we look at what others do, so, in a very British way, I picked a number that seemed reasonably generous without being ostentatious. And so I felt good, which is the real deal here. Give money to charity: feel good in exchange. Fair deal.

The next motivation is that I have now framed myself as a generous chap who helps these sorts of things, so when another friend asks for a similar sponsorship on JustGiving. I happily obliged. Now feeling like a thoroughly nice chap who supports his friends, I continued the Good Work by passing on the link to a network of friends and even put a link to both Hilary's and Andy's pages on my main changingminds.org website.

In studying persuasion, I am my own favourite subject. Rather than stubbornly resist persuasive efforts, I watch with interest how I feel and respond with each technique others used. Of course in the end I do decide if I want to go along or not, but I also sometimes do, especially if I can see a good reason. And I guess that's real persuasion for you..

Your comments

 The only form of charity is the one that springs from our inner need to help others or to share our good fortune with others. It is like a happy man sharing his sense of delight and contentment with others automatically without a plan. Charitable acts that are elicited from us playing upon our sense of guilt for being fortunate do not go a long way. They do end up pooling some money that may be used in a good cause, but this forced charity generally drive people away from it. Therefore, it is imperative that while actuating people on to charitable acts we appeal to their charitable spirit and use images and ideas that reveal the pleasant effects of charity instead of evoking images of disaster and suffering that create a sense of guilt. The suffering imagery is good for the news, but not for real and lasting motivation.

-- Shahzada S

Tuesday 11-March-08

A weekend's entertainment

We've had a few weekends recently where we did relatively little, just chilling out or going for a leisurely meander and coffee in a local town. But not last weekend when it was all go!

My wife is a big Oscar Wilde fan and when I saw that The Importance of Being Earnest was on in London, with Penelope Keith playing Lady Bracknell, I decided it was time for a treat. It's important to keep surprise and delight in your marriage and she was indeed very happy with the evening out. I enjoyed it too, but I enjoyed Eleri enjoying it even more.

Then on Saturday, after Wales won the rugby, we had friends to dinner. I wrote a book on innovation with Graham and he was full of ideas for something else. I'm overloaded with other work at the moment but do watch this space!

On Sunday, we got up for a leisurely day, but then my computer beeped at me, telling me that we had another concert on in London! We wondered whether to give it a miss as Eleri was a feeling a bit tired, but we both really liked Clannad and so we went anyway. I was so glad that we did! We had great seats for a splendid performance of all the old favourites and then some. The icing on the cake was Sephira, a very young band with a couple of sisters on fiddles and a chap on keyboard. Sound dull, maybe, but they were sublime, including a powerful female voice and songs that moved Eleri to tears.

Life's too short and you've sometimes got to pack it all in. I think we succeeded there but will need a bit of a rest next week!

Friday 07-March-08

Magical misdirection

I'm just reading Derren Brown's erudite and entertaining book 'Tricks of the Mind'. Brown is a top-class UK entertainer in a modern wrapping of the 'mentalist' guise, using a tricky blend of illusion and psychology to perform wonderful feats and shows.

One of the basic principles he uses is 'misdirection'. A simple example he uses to show this magical tricks is with the 'coin drop'. The basic trick is to drag a coin off a table and, whilst appearing to take it in your hand, you actually drop it into your lap. With practice, you can make this a smooth motion where the drop cannot be detected. You can then blow on your hand and, hey presto, open it to show the coin has disappeared.

What happens next is that your audience mentally backtracks, looking for a point where the coin could have been removed -- and might easily guess what happened. The principle of misdirection is to give them false information that lets them guess wrongly, for example after 'picking up' the coin you might 'pass' it to the other hand. Now the audience may well think it is in the first hand, and will be further confused when they find it is not -- and failure / confusion is not a great place from which to figure out what really happened.

This principle of false information may be used in other forms of persuasion, for example where a salesperson 'lets' you see a memo about impending price rises.

Brown's methods do not stop at switching hands, for example he suggests really picking up a coin beforehand (to plant a false memory) and 'playing' with the non-existent coin in your hand. By the time he has finished, the coin drop is lost in a welter of other activity and misdirection, and he has transformed a simple trick into an accomplished performance.

Of course in persuasion there are ethical concerns about deception but, as the caveat notes, intent is key and much persuasion is relatively harmless. Also, as with all methods described here, there is as least as much value in being able to spot the misdirections being used by others. So, when others point you in one direction, look at what else they might be doing elsewhere!.

Wednesday 05-March-08

Communities and the magic 150

I went to school back in the days when schools were small. My junior school had about 100 pupils and my secondary school about 250. I knew everyone in the first school and many in the secondary school -- I recognised everyone and knew most by reputation or family. The school seemed big after my first school but I got used to it. I didn't realise it at the time, but I was subject to the Law of 150.

Man is historically a tribal animal. Evolution has taught that living in cohesive groups works better than trying to survive alone. Cities are relatively recent inventions -- village-sized communities are the living groups that we've been used, and it's interesting how, even today, neighbourhoods are often a more important component of our identity.

The magic number for 'large' groups turns out to be 150 people. Larger than this and we find it increasingly difficult to know everyone. Consequently, there is less interpersonal loyalty and less overall cohesiveness. And it all goes back to the size of the villages in which we lived for so long. When people did not travel much, they would be lucky even to meet more than a few hundred in their entire lifetime.

The implications for modern business is to avoid large units, fragmenting primary groups into units around this size. An example from my history is in Hewlett Packard, where divisions would spin off.larger developments into new divisions. It is no surprise that, from the days of the monolithic behemoth, HP was a nimble player who rose to the top of the computer industry..

Your comments

Interesting numbers.

The thing that amazes me are the huge bird colonies. How these creatures distinguish between thousands of their fellow creatures who appear visually identical.

Birds of a feather may well flock together, as long as they don't return to the wrong nest! I once read that domestic chickens could recognize up to 30 of their fellows. Must be a conservative estimate.

I also heard (wish I could remember where) that human beings will meet up to 10,000 people in a lifetime, yet consistently with only consider less than a dozen close friends.

Then there is the "Six Degrees of Separation" effect. That is, how many people you know by "networking" -less than six nodes.

Having grown up in in a region with a small population, then move to a large city one is often asked: ".....oh, you are from -----, do you know so and so?....". I would reply, don't be ridiculous, there are hundreds of thousands of people there! Then it would turn out that I actually knew, or knew of, the person.

I would never admit it though!

Petty or not, it is always a small world.


-- peter
 

Dave replies:

They all look the same to us, but I guess to a seagull, that lass over there is strangely attractive...

We do this with out-groups and stereotypes. Long/short-haired kids these days (let along other ethnic groups) do look rather similar. The thing to remember is that we also look similar to them.

 I believe I'm right in saying that 150 is also the number at which most growing churches get stuck, unless they create other methods (typically small groups) to preserve feelings of community. Ironically, the larger the church the more lonely a visitor feels. Small groups provide the route into deeper relationships.

-- Roger

Wednesday 27-Feb-08

Acting memory

Actors use a process called 'active experiencing' to learn their lines quickly by putting themselves into the role of the person involved. This can also be used in more general learning.

To get into character, the actor will break down the script into a series of logically connected 'beats' or intentions. When performing (rehearsing too), rather than thinking about the lines, they feel for the character's intention and through this let the lines come through spontaneously and naturally. Almost like a spiritual medium, the actor is like vessel and channel for the character and their expression. Michael Caine said of this: 'You must be able to stand there not thinking of that line. You take it off the other actor's face.'

Noice et al. did a study where, participants (ages 65 to 82) spent a four week period learning professional acting techniques, followed by rehearsal and performance. Although the training was not specifically targeted at memory, the participants were found to have significantly higher recall and recognition after the experiment.

It thus seems that memory can be improved just by learning to act. There are several keys to acting-as-learning:

• Get your head into their head. Think as they think. 'Get inside their skin'. Become the person. If you are not learning scripted lines for a play, you can still use this principle by selecting a person who would use what you are remembering, perhaps a lecturer, lawyer, super-salesperson or other.
• Do it physically. Don't just run things through your head or speak the lines. Get up and move about like the other person. Use their gestures. Use their voice tone. Be the other person throughout.
• Repeat until you can flow it naturally.

References

Noice, T. & Noice, H. (1997b). Effort and active experiencing as factors in verbatim recall. Discourse Processes, 23, 51-69

Noice, H., Noice, T., Pasqualina, P., Perrig, W. (1999). Improving memory in older adults by instructing them in professional actors' learning strategies. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 13, 4 , pp.315 - 328

For more, see the ChangingMinds Blog! Archive or the Blogs by subject. To comment on any blog, click on the blog either in the archive or in the column to the right.

Best wishes,

Dave

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May-08

09-May-08: How to succeed as an academic

07-May-08: Possibly persuasive emails

02-May-08: Be a shade braver

30-Apr-08: Preying on sympathy

25-Apr-08: Planes, teens and matriarchal society

23-Apr-08: Marathon madness

17-Apr-08: Service hazards

11-Apr-08: Growing pains

09-Apr-08: Words of wisdom

02-Apr-08: Fancy footwork

28-Mar-08: Management tampering

21-Mar-08: Do not read this blog

19-Mar-08: Tourist confusion

14-Mar-08: Just giving, just getting

11-Mar-08: A weekend's entertainment

07-Mar-08: Magical misdirection

05-Mar-08: Communities and the magic 150

27-Feb-08: Acting memory

15-Feb-08: Buying beds

13-Feb-08: What not to wear

08-Feb-08: Medical priorities

06-Feb-08: Spring and renewal

01-Feb-08: Holiday taxi ads

30-Jan-08: MBWA

25-Jan-08: Coercion, cause and effect

23-Jan-08: Eccentrically light reading

18-Jan-08: Looking for God, extremely

15-Jan-08: Famously fair

11-Jan-08: Retail experiences 2

09-Jan-08: Retail experiences 1

04-Jan-08: Sale talk

02-Jan-08: 2008 and all that brainwashing

25-Dec-07: Christmas nostalgia

18-Dec-07: Intelligence and education

14-Dec-07: Hat trick in Paris

10-Dec-07: The power of love, the punishment of hate

07-Dec-07: Rim lighting and godliness

30-Nov-07: Signage

23-Nov-07: Headline overkill

16-Nov-07: Open all hours

14-Nov-07: Influencing gods

09-Nov-07: Small words, different effect

07-Nov-07: My ideal manager

02-Nov-07: A wow presentation

31-Oct-07: Lonely hearts and house ads

24-Oct-07: Shift happens and minds get changed

19-Oct-07: Word power: England expects and Nelson dies

17-Oct-07: Going back for less

12-Oct-07: Not for sale

10-Oct-07: Marmite: like it or loathe it

05-Oct-07: Who needs a penis?

28-Sep-07: Super-duper nanny

26-Sep-07: Selfish vs. social

21-Sep-07: Persuasion and truth

19-Sep-07: Power, rights and slippery slopes

14-Sep-07: Obsessive Primping Syndrome (OPS)

12-Sep-07: You are what you wear

05-Sep-07: What does it all mean?

31-Aug-07: Why do we worship?

29-Aug-07: The necessity of celebrity

22-Aug-07: Licence fees and criminals

22-Aug-07: Antigrammatical selling

17-Aug-07: Wisdom and war

15-Aug-07: Transformational holidays

25-Jul-07: Holiday reprise

18-Jul-07: Word-Of-Mouth Marketing

16-Jul-07: Pressing reset

13-Jul-07: Anger management

11-Jul-07: Supermarket success

09-Jul-07: Farewell, Joe

06-Jul-07: Wikimania

04-Jul-07: Invisible celebrities

29-Jun-07: The Wrong Trousers and difficult decisions

22-Jun-07: Empty nest and ready to rock!

20-Jun-07: Strange dreams

15-Jun-07: Whittington days

08-Jun-07: Victim thinking

25-May-07: Bad news, good news, weird news

23-May-07: Bottle-opening, fizz-buzz and friends

18-May-07: The mortgage mystery and global sustainability

16-May-07: Absolutely talking

11-May-07: Change, jobs, doctors and resilience

09-May-07: Patterns of abuse

07-May-07: Oh, Aero!

04-May-07: A hard path

02-May-07: Lucifer in prison

27-Apr-07: You could save on the tube

25-Apr-07: Poetic release

23-Apr-07: Net losses

20-Apr-07: Balancing conviction and openness

18-Apr-07: The falsehood of self-image

13-Apr-07: Seven Rules of Religion

11-Apr-07: Traffic lights, badges and romance

06-Apr-07: Elbow negotiations

4-Apr-07: The power of music

30-Mar-07: All change!

23-Mar-07: Child is mother to the man

19-Mar-07: Terminating people

16-Mar-07: Bidding wars

14-Mar-07: Sigh

07-Mar-07: One hit wonder

05-Mar-07: Reality blindness

02-Mar-07: Wrinkle-free adverts

28-Feb-07: Teaching clothes

23-Feb-07: Morals as social division

21-Feb-07: Advice addiction

13-Feb-07: Shake, Rattle and Squeak

09-Feb-07: Chasing the causal chain

05-Feb-07: Teenage trouble

02-Feb-07: MAAP Publishing and Training

31-Jan-07: Toilet innovation

26-Jan-07: A learning environment

22-Jan-07: The language of love, learning and cold calling

19-Jan-07: Standing out and picking up

17-Jan-07: Stopping shoplifting -- nicely

10-Jan-07: Honesty and eyes

08-Jan-07: Susan's mother says

03-Jan-07: The leader-follower dance

01-Jan-07: New year, same old resolutions?

25-Dec-06: A Christmas blog

20-Dec-06: Good day, bad day

18-Dec-06: Six guys and a lot of champagne

15-Dec-06: An unhappy customer

13-Dec-06: Creating ethical organizations

06-Dec-06: Londoners, Pigeons and Adverts

01-Dec-06: Hugging hoodies, political footballs and practical parenting

27-Nov-06: Risky shift, management and outsourcing

24-Nov-06: PEPI'd and pooped!

17-Nov-06: Birthday girl

15-Nov-06: The cost of persuasion

13-Nov-06: Talking to customers

10-Nov-06: Clever daughter, proud Dad

08-Nov-06: Social violence

06-Nov-06: Doorstep religion

03-Nov-06: Halloween and hazard

25-Oct-06: Culture change -- or not

23-Oct-06: Breaking up

18-Oct-06: Brand suicide

16-Oct-06: Music and age

11-Oct-06: Never accept no

09-Oct-06: Select committees

04-Oct-06: Pimps and prostitutes

02-Oct-06: Cryptic conversation

29-Sep-06: Drinking the brand

27-Sep-06: Carousels, crime and cost

22-Sep-06: Management attention

20-Sep-06: Prima donnas, teenagers and transitions

15-Sep-06: Selling shampoo

11-Sep-06: Starting work

06-Sep-06: Job threat

04-Sep-06: Start of term and other beginnings

30-Aug-06: Showbiz and politics

28-Aug-06: Mom'n'Pop service

23-Aug-06: Promotion and leadership

18-Aug-06: Managing managers

14-Aug-06: Holidays and breaking up time

26-Jul-06: Summer holiday, beginner's mind

24-Jul-06: Romance lives

21-Jul-06: 2-3-4 Training

17-Jul-06: A diamond negotiation

14-Jul-06: Learning from Margie

12-Jul-06: Bush, Blair and brand

10-Jul-06: 30 years on

07-Jul-06: 7/7, one year on

05-Jul-06: Avian Flu

03-Jul-06: The power of coffee

28-Jun-06: Abundance, HP and networking

26-Jun-06: Loyalty traps

23-Jun-06: Missing life

19-Jun-06: Breakfast negotiations

14-Jun-06: Ten minutes of fame

12-Jun-06: Meritocratic benefits

07-Jun-06: Demons and superstitions

05-Jun-06: Secret trial

02-Jun-06: Boyfriends and parents

30-May-06: Dogs and termination

26-May-06: Canine persuasion

24-May-06: Trying stuff

19-May-06: Practical jokes, schadenfreude and group membership

17-May-06: Techie again

15-May-06: Seeing the doctor

12-May-06: Conflict resolution and the guy at the top

10-May-06: Exams and anchors

05-May-06: Elegant hotels, celebrities and manners

02-May-06: Getting better seats

28-Apr-06: Idea viruses

26-Apr-06: Ostriches

21-Apr-06: Newspaper communism

19-Apr-06: Going to the theatre

14-Apr-06: Fishes and ponds

12-Apr-06: The talking stick

07-Apr-06: Busking

05-Apr-06: Rock climbing and change

03-Apr-06: The job application dilemma

31-Mar-06: Going to the dentist

29-Mar-06: Inspirational Teaching

27-Mar-06: Bad website design

24-Mar-06: Blue funks and cosmic dust

22-Mar-06: Averting gaze on the train

20-Mar-06: Childhood memories

17-Mar-06: A parent's despair

15-Mar-06: Buying boys' toys

13-Mar-06: Job-hopping and careers

10-Mar-06: Discovering Deming

08-Mar-06: Waiting for the train

06-Mar-06: Roadster heaven

01-Mar-06: Selling chocolate

27-Feb-06: Conforming to stereotype

24-Feb-06: Free beer?

22-Feb-06: Leadership and Integrity in Change

20-Feb-06: Who am I?

17-Feb-06: Rude courage and values

10-Feb-06: Listening to teacher

06-Feb-06: Creaks and cures

01-Feb-06: Funny adverts

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2005

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