They’re obvious, but often missed. They’re not glamorous, entertaining, jaw-dropping, or photogenic. But they make a lasting impact, and will only take up about a minute each. The top and the tail. The beginning and the end. These aren’t hard pieces to implement but it’s amazing how often they get…
Browsing Category Education
“You had to be there”
When we’re told a joke or a tale that falls a little flat we may hear a sheepish response along the lines of “well, I guess you had to be there”. The same is true elsewhere of course – gigs, movie premieres and theme parks to name but three. It’s…
Finding mentors & advisors: 1:1 or a roster?
A couple of weeks ago I attended a really interesting seminar at Orbital here in NYC. The hosts Gary and Christina had just finished up teaching their ‘Teach The 1k’ program at the SVA Design School, and this session was for them to share what they taught (and just as…
The key to spreading your ideas
In last week’s episode of his Akimbo podcast, Seth Godin tells a story about blue tit birds. You can listen to it from approx 5 mins in via the player below, but here’s the abridged version. Blue tits can’t drink milk, but they do like cream. Somewhere along the line,…
Workshop Slide Deck (guided): Lifecycles in products, companies, and careers
Introduction This is a workshop session I designed and facilitated in Summer 2018 (annotated and abbreviated version, with some classroom exercises and notes included for other educators to reference). Here’s the Slideshare version, although this annotated one is far better of course 😉 I created this as part of the growth…
Navigating Uncertainty: Climbing the Ladder, Going out to Sea
When we are learning something new there are usually some guardrails in place. We’re learning how to DJ in the safety of our bedroom, not headlining Barclays Center. We’re committing our code into a test environment, not straight into the App Store. Our Spanish conversation practice is with a peer…
It’s hard to tell other people’s stories
You’ve probably heard that person at the bar, telling a story that isn’t theirs. It’s still funny, or touching, or tense, but something doesn’t quite sit right. You can sense it. Telling other peoples’ stories isn’t easy. On the face of it this doesn’t seem especially important. But stories are…
Beyond The Happy Meal: products to transcend generations
Regular readers will know I’m a fan of the author and broadcaster Steven Johnson. I also admit I’m rarely an early adopter (as frustrating as this can sometimes be), and in Johnson’s case I only discovered his work via his TV series How We Got To Now which was broadcast…
Trend Spotting: How to identify what’s coming next
A workshop session I designed and facilitated in Summer 2018 (annotated and abbreviated version, with some classroom exercises and notes included) Yes, it’s that time again – I’m back with another of my annotated slide deck adventures. This time we’re diving into Trends. I created this short session as part of…
Concealing the Clues: Lessons from TV & film writers
The British crime drama series Broadchurch is one of the most critically-acclaimed TV shows of the past 10 years. First arriving on UK screens in 2013, its 3 seasons and 24 episodes focused on the fictional town of Broadchurch and two of its police detectives. Broadchurch is a classic whodunnit…