FC2Video

In reading "Driven" and "Made to Stick" I stumbled across an incredibly interesting idea. It's called Information Gap Theory. Dr. George Lowenstien wrote a paper about it in 1994 and it works like this: when we come across something new that is not explained by our previous knowledge or experiences, an information gap is formed. If you are a designer, creator or communicator, understanding how to use this gap will have great rewards. Before I tell you how to put it to use, let's explore the gap with a story. Let's say you're a pentagon, and your entire world, all your of your previous experiences, everything you know, everything you think about, is pentagons. Then one day you come across a hexagon. A hexagon is not very different from anything you've previously experienced, so a small gap in your information is formed. This gap is easily rectified by explaining the hexagon as a pentagon with six sides. You quickly close the information gap and move on. Next you come across a polygon. This polygon is ...

Transcript Most people believe that the inherent need to satisfy immediate gratification stems from greed, a lack of self control, or the ability to sacrifice a smaller short term gain for a greater long term gain. While I agree, I also think that some of our short sighted decisions stem from the natural way we compare alternatives in the decision making process. In fact I think the real cause of immediate gratification can be found in this picture from Dan Ariely's "Predictably Irrational". Which of the darker dots is larger? In this illusion it looks as though the dot on the left is larger. If we do a quick measure, we can easily see that the dots are in fact the same size. Even with this newly minted knowledge if we loose the ruler, our eyes go back to seeing the dot on the left as being larger. The problem is relativity. As Ariely states, "our natural tendency is to compare things that are easily comparable-- and avoid comparing things are not easily compared." So how does this apply to ...

Transcript: In our last post we promised a follow up for making your contribution social media ready. We have a few basic principles that if followed can help your content avoid being ignored and capture the attention of your second and third circles. The first of these principles is to lead with passion. Find something you are passionate about and pursue it. We see so many people using social media just for the sake of using the technology or for shameless self promotion. If you aren't passionate about your work it will show in the quality. . If you want your contribution to capture attention, put your heart and time into it, there are no shortcuts.   The next principle is possibly the most important. Find a niche, become the expert, and dominate that niche. Stop trying to contribute content, products, or services that attempt to meet everyones needs while sacrificing what makes you unique. We see so many round pegs trying to fit in triangle, star, and square, holes instead of embracing the fact ...

Social media and networking have fooled a lot of people and companies into thinking they are rockstars. Unfortunately the ease of access and near zero cost of distribution has created an internet that sounds a lot like this. (bad music playing) The abundance of fake rockstars has created an audience that is willing to be your friend, but not willing to listen to what you have to say, buy your product, or help you get a job. Unfortunately most people and businesses using social media and networking are following the funnel rule: Cram more people into your brand funnel, and maybe you can trick a few into listening to what you have to say. The problem with cramming is that it is costly both in time and brand credibility, and cramming is the most inefficient and absolute worst way to go about being a rockstar. If you really to be a rockstar, you have to understand one thing, and on thing only: contribution. Your power and influence are directly proportional to the amount you or your business contribute ...

This mondaydots post models Don Sull's active inertia.

This is a "how-to" video that explains the basic workflow of the mondaydots process.

This dot model explains the classic trade-off triangle in public policy decision making. With California on the brink of a budget crisis, I thought it appropriate to discuss how to cut in times financial dismay.

This video models the debate over whether the U.S. should pull out of the Iraq war.

This is the original mondaydots model built for a friend of mine that used to teach at Harvard Business School. It explains how General Petraeus was able to pull off a dramatic change in the military mindset in the war in Iraq.

This is the presentation I give on the Student Generated Content Education Model.

This is my explanation for why I use dots in my presentations and why the mondaydots blog exists.

This mondaydots model explains how why most organizations miss their goals and how to use s.m.a.r.t. goal setting to create a nimble, fast moving team.