Making Your Gray Matter

April 2009

Contents This Month

· “Up Until Now”

· Kobayashi Maru

· Meeting Mapping

· Some Presentation Tips on the Web

· Quotations

· Update Your Email Address

· Refer Madness

“Up Until Now”

Do you have an “Idea Gunslinger” in your office? Someone who is very quick on the draw to shoot holes in your ideas with killing phrases like:

· That’ll never work

· It will be too expensive

· That’s not the way we do things

· That’s not our responsibility

· We’ll never get permission

· I’d agree with you if you were right

Here’s a handy phrase you can use. After they shoot holes in your ideas, simply add the phrase “up until now.” This technique was used by an ex-CEO of Ford Motors.

Kobayashi Maru

Many of you reading this are puzzled by this title. Others of you were original Star Trek fans like me and immediately know what this refers to. The Kobayashi Maru was a training simulation for Star Fleet Academy that was a no-win scenario. This exercise was created to test cadets wanting to captain a ship.

Only once did a cadet pass the test; James Tiberius Kirk. Cadet Kirk failed the test the first two times he took the test. However, he was unwilling to accept a no-win scenario so he found a way to win. He reprogrammed the simulation so that there was a way to win.

In your work group, there may be situations that you seem unable to win. It may be that there isn’t a winning scenario given current assumptions and conditions. What can you and others in your group changed about the current assumptions and conditions to alter the outcome?

Meeting Mapping

Taking Idea Map notes in meetings is a great way to keep your notes organized, even when the meeting isn’t (that describes most meetings!). Taking notes this way does require some practice. Try it first during some less critical meetings before using it in important meetings. Why should you Idea Map your notes versus standard linear notes?

§ Organization. You can keep things organized according to the way you remember things and group discussion items.

§ Attention. Idea Maps use more of your brain (including the part more likely to daydream), so attention and concentration are improved. Colors, spatial placement and relationships, and images/symbols are the bailiwick of the right side of the brain. Words, numbers, lines, and analysis are the purview of the left side of the brain.

§ Memory. The more regions of the brain that are activated, the better our memory is.

§ Compression. Idea Maps use less paper and less space, so there is less to go in a file (or in the trash!). This is especially true after you’ve finished a couple dozen Idea Maps.

§ Fun. The fact is that Idea Mapping is more fun than linear notes. As John F. Kennedy said, “If I’m not having fun, I’m not doing it right.”

Here’s how to do it. Before the meeting starts, draw a central image representing the theme or topic of the meeting. Then add in a couple of main branches with main concepts on them that you know will be discussed. Make sure you leave space to add in other branches as there will always be some digression during the meeting. As people jump around from topic to topic, you will be able to keep the information organized in your Idea Map.

To be able to keep up with the meeting, here are some speed tips. Use a limited number of colors (or just one color and colorize it later - the Ted Turner approach!), and capture words only. You can add in pictures later. You would also be well served to get a large pad of sketch paper for meeting Idea Maps - they will need a little more space than maps you make for personal brainstorming purposes.

Some Presentation Tips on the Web

Last week Michael Hopkin of the Product Management Pulse interviewed me about presentation skills for one of his podcasts. It was a very good discussion and you can listen in. Check out his blog at http://www.productmanagementpulse.com/elevate-your-presentation then click on the podcast for our interview.

Quotations

“Art is either plagiarism or revolution.” – Paul Gauguin (French painter)

“Every child is a genius, but is enslaved by the misconceptions and self-doubt of the adult world, and spends much of his or her time having to unlearn that perspective.” – Buckminster Fuller (American architect, designer, and inventor)

Update Your Email Address

Don’t miss an issue of Making Your Gray Matter. If your email address is going to change, let me know about it.

Refer Madness

If you had a good experience in my workshop/seminar, share it with someone you know. If you provide me with a lead that generates new business for me, I’ll pay you (or your favorite charity) $250 (less if it is less than a full-fee engagement).

If you belong to a professional organization that needs a speaker or If you know any business or non-profit organization (including your own), that could benefit from my workshops, presentations, coaching, or needs a facilitator:

1. Tell your contact about me.

2. Tell me about your contact. Call me at 972-378-0937 or write me at dgunby@mindimensions.com

3. Wait for your check (if I get your contact’s business)

If you would like to be removed from this distribution list reply to this email with “unsubscribe” in the subject line.