The Science & Art of (Ethical?) Persuasion

We are all enjoying reading “YES! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion” by leading academics Goldstein and Cialdini with Martin making it pacy and very readable. Even Bea (8) snaffled it to swot up, priding herself on the ability to convince her parents of just about anything.

What I’m liking about the book, other than the credibility of its empirically based contents, is its ethics.

Reviews say “earnest and honest… Jedi-like… perfectly pitched for smart business people…charmingly practical.”

I’ll be quoting from it often.

“Constructive tools that help build authentic [there's that word again] relationships with others, highlight the genuine strengths of one’s message, initiative or product, and ultimately create outcomes that are in the best interests of all parties.

“When these tools are instead used unethically as weapons, however – for example, by dishonestly or artificially importing the principles of social influence into situations in which they don’t naturally exist – the short-term gains will almost invariably be followed by long-term losses… the long-term reputational consequences are dire when such dishonesty is eventually discovered.”

In a post-Cluetrain world where the blogosphere and online consumer ’sharing’ can bring down the biggest or the smallest bullshit artistes, the time has never been more ripe for telling it straight – and well.

The Science of Persuasion is a great read to help you do so. I am not surprised it made it into Britain’s most prestigious award for science writing from the Royal Society.

Let’s hope Bea wields her new-found knowledge with kindness and wisdom! Let’s hope we all do… with carrots not sticks.

COMPETITION FOR NODESTONE READERS

Examples please people… let’s start adding up the real-life situations of positive persuasion, and the costs of unethical propaganda… A copy of Naked Conversations by Scoble and Israel or Yes! for the best entries (with links to case studies ideally) in the comments section.

Social Media for the Third Sector

Gra Sutherland and I ran a session at the Shine Unconference for social entrepreneurs yesterday in London. What was billed as Authenticity in the Online World became Social Media/Web 2.0 for the Third Sector on Day Three, as the event unfolded and our awareness of what might be most useful came into focus.

Given it was one of the last sessions on a sunny Sunday afternoon, after nearly three days of the great shiny “happening”, we were delighted by the number, passion and knowledge of the people in the room.

Many were there to start scratching the surface of this new paradigm, this new way of making things happen in the world, others had already begun to engage more deeply and several were card carrying members of the converted and critically aware. Perhaps half were actively making part or most of their income directly through engagement with the social media space, which might explain the vested heat in the room. All were passionately involved in the debate that unfolded, whether they were talking or listening.

Questions People Asked

Initial questions asked included:

Why bother? Is it worth the 3rd sector getting into social media (back question here is about what is relevant to 3rd sector)

What is the current diversity of the internet? Who’s online.

Data on growth of social media for various groups, 3rd world, stakeholders of 3rd sector

What about reputation issues. How can we put stuff out there without losing our rights, our control of our message?

How do we build trust in each other online?

What are the sensible things to do in social media? How to start, put a toe in the water etc?

Why is there so much pressure to get onto facebook etc?

What will be left when the social media hype is over?

How can you make introductions safely online. How to replace the 20 min face to face ‘intuitive trust’?

Essence & Consensus

The key points we wanted to get across follow. Consensus was not sought, but to a large extent was experienced.

1. Web 2.0 / social media is a new paradigm emerging, not another internet fad or buzz word. It is changing the way we do things – potentially for the better. The pace of change is speeding up. New ways of collaborating, new economic models, new ways of building engagement and participation (think: fundraising, recruitment, contracts), new ways of communicating.

2. There are challenges and opportunities. It’s not utopia (yet). There are significant gains to be made, with wisdom and caution. Some often overlooked opportunities are for individual and group learning, collaboration and innovation. But it can be as simple as building dialogue tools into your website and partcipating in key online conversations that matter to you.

3. There is essential learning and initial or further exploration to be done by third sector people – leaders, communications/ fundraising people, HR and others. Case studies and other elements in a body of knowledge are already emerging to help in this (see UK Catalyst Awards for example). Professionals from a range of backgrounds are emerging to help.

4. The tools will keep changing but the key conceptual space is already starting to become clear (see We Think and CommonCraft for simple animated examples). Learning needs to focus on concepts first, tools second. This knowledge can be learnt and experienced without undue risk or brain drain, but a commitment is required to build capacity and embed the knowledge in specific contexts. There are no magic bullets or one size fits all.

5. Authenticity has never been more important.

6. Experimenting with tools like blogging, forums, flickr, facebook, YouTube, MySpace twitter, discussion lists etc is essential. You need to get your hands in there having real life experiences to get a feel for things. That doesn’t mean you have to be on facebook nor reveal all, anywhere at anytime.

7. We can now more easily be thinking and connecting with words, images, music, videos, photos, animation. It’s good to explore when and how to use a range of media to communicate. Different tools are more or less supportive of different media.

8. It can all be very confusing and time consuming! Even for seasoned specialists.

9. Small steps might be all it takes. One step at a time. As long as the path is clear.

10. Social media should work in support of, not as a substitute for, face-to-face, “real world” interaction.

We are well aware real consensus cannot be achieved in such a short time, nor was this an intended outcome of the session. To ensure your views at this point become clearer to yourself and others, participate in the ongoing debate.

Who Was There

Some of the people and organisations represented in the discussion included the very knowledgeable Dave Dawes (Foundation of Nursing Leadership), David Wilcox (Social Reporter. Much involved with building up social media around the Shine event and very active in this space. Do check out his blog and coverage of the event), Angela Walker (Neru – Brand & Marketing), Parag Shah (Art Switch), Alison Coward (social entrepreneur), David Floyd (Social Spider), Chris Prior (Franklin Waugh), Eszter Kun (social entrepreneur), Ben Matthews (Bright One Communications),

In the true spirit of the unconference and web 2.0, we collaborated with whoever turned up, rather than delivering a one-way, “we have the knowledge, sit there and eat it” presentation. Which of course can be very useful and inspiring to receive. But not empowering, nor making the most of the opportunity rare “face time” offers for deeper human interaction.

Social Media for the Third Sector Video

We see our job as offering time and cost effective training and ongoing support to help the Third Sector find out what is really worth knowing and doing within their own context.

To find out more about the approach we are offering in our next learning programme in Social Media for the Third Sector, view this short interview David Wilcox invited me to do.

At the end?

We were all intent on making sure the Third Sector (social enterprise, charities, non-profits) are not left behind in gaining this knowledge, if it can be used in meaningful ways that lead to genuine social impacts. No-one’s in it just to get “friends” in facebook or waste their time, to be sure.

How will we create these impacts? Well, we might need to dip a toe or two in the water. Maybe even plunge in at some point.

Let’s continue the conversation…

…in our social network to explore these ideas further… If your questions need expanding or clarifying, if you want answers or to help others find them, get in there. All with an interest are welcome. There are already many posts and discussions in the Ning that start to cover some of the question above.

Never joined one before? No time like now to experiment… You can watch for a while, explore when you are ready.

Social Media – A Learning Journey

By Michael Leunig

Suggestion 1: Think of your blog and other social media in this way.

Suggestion 2: Always relate things back to the real world, meeting yourself and others face to face.

Authenticity Online at Shine this Sunday

Some tickets are still available for the Shine Unconference for social entrepreneurs this weekend in London. Having just heard I will be running a session on Sunday, seems a good idea to let people know about it.

Do come in and contribute to the discussion if you are there, take home some new insights, find a path on which to travel. Rather an expansive and wonderful topic. Many of us touch on these core issues and opportunities – or are hit over the head with them. Now here is a chance to go deeper.

Tickets are still available and start from just £20 per day. There is much to be learnt and passionate, happening people to meet.

Authenticity in the New Online World

* Who: Libby Davy
* When: 2:00pm – 3:00pm SUNDAY
* Where: Classroom

Description

How to be yourself and make your social media become a path for learning and becoming – for personal, team and enterprise expression.

To show your facebook page or not? How to be real without looking like a prat.

How to use your blog as a magnificant learning tool, that helps you find and travel your path, plus connects you with likeminded people along the way.

Authenticity Quotes – which resonate with you?

Truth, authenticity, integrity. Big stuff. But where would we be without it? Which one’s resonate most with you? Any more to add?

“No one man can, for any considerable time, wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which is the true one.”
- Hawthorne

“Our view of reality is like a chart of the sea – the truer it is, the less likely we will become lost.”
- Al Watts

“If any man seeks for greatness, let him forget greatness and ask for truth, and he will find both.”
- Horace Mann

“Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but usually manages to pick himself up, walk over or around it, and carry on.”
- Winston Churchill

“Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway.”
- Mother Theresa

“No legacy is so rich as honesty.”
- Shakespeare

“If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.”
- Mark Twain

“The men who succeed best at public life are those who take the risk of standing by their own convictions.
- James A. Garfield

“To find yourself, think for yourself.”
- Socrates

“How desperately difficult it is to be honest with oneself. It is much easier to be honest with other people.”
- Edward F. Benson

“There is no wisdom save in truth.”
- Martin Luther

“What is true is invisible to the eye. It is only with the heart that one can see clearly.”
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.”
- Albert Schweitzer

“Only in quiet waters things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world.”
- Everett W. Lord

“Nothing more completely baffles one who is full of tricks and duplicity than straightforward and simple integrity in another.”
- Colton

“The sincere alone can recognize sincerity.”
- Carlyle

“Just be what you are and speak from your guts and heart – it’s all a man has.”
- Hubert Humphrey

“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
- William Shakespeare in Hamlet

“How shall we learn to know ourselves? By reflection? Never; but only through action. Strive to do thy duty; then shalt thou know what is in thee.”
- Goethe

“All worthwhile men have good thoughts, good ideas and good intentions – but precious few of them ever translate those into action.”
- John Hancock Field

“Best keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you see the world.” – George Bernard Shaw

“Like an ability or a muscle, hearing your inner wisdom is strengthened by doing it.”
- Robbie Glass

From http://www.integro-inc.com/authenticity_quotes.htm

Free School Joins Dots

Really enjoyed (as you can see) experiencing Free School this week. Congratulations to Seb Mary and all from School of Everything for making it happen. Some fine folk took a short course in Advanced Raving & Merriment to be sure. We also learnt and taught some very tangible things about…

• Public relations and marketing (thanks Heleana)
• Social media, authenticity and learning
• Taking egalitarian education to the streets.. cafes.. anywhere, anytime.

Find out more here.

Better still, try getting along to the next one.

Editing the self

Just out of interest.. I added the bunny ears around “thought leader” in between sending the last post out as an email to some current students, and putting it up publically.

Why do that? Why tell you I did it?

I was editing myself. I was thinking carefully about how I wanted to communicate. I was listening to myself. I was learning, as I am right now in this moment, very very deeply.

In the first version I was uncomfortable with calling myself a thought leader due to the perhaps pompous nature of appointing yourself as that, yet is has some meaning. But I knew I was in a more closed conversation with people that had intimate, direct experience of any credentials I might have in that way.

I was uncomfortable with the use of it for two reasons. One – it makes me sound like a tosser to include myself in that category. Two – in context, it was ironic due to the inherent hierarchy implied. My authentic self sees everyone as potentially thought leaders, and that’s a part of the potential blogging offers. That’s the deepest part of the conceptual space we are developing here. Lead your own thinking. Listen to yourself first.

In the second version -  I used the bunny ears for “thought leader” to suggest the questionable use of the expression, as if I was quoting some else in using it. Which I was. Earlier I spent some time (on an off day when I should be in bed recovering from a cold) looking at some of the world’s top, self appointed “thought leaders” who might want me to join them at the top.

I guess I’m not quite ready to go there.  I think the view and sense of interconnection is better from the earth, not up on the mountain looking down. I hate heirarchies.

There. Lesson to self finished. If anyone else gets anything from it, that’s a total bonus.

Free E-Book on the Essence of Authentic Blogging

Here’s a living document I prepared for our first three groups of budding bloggers. I feel a collaborative book coming on.

Not sure I see myself in the same light as the company I am keeping in this collection, but some wonderful people to be gaining inspiration from all the same. David Bohm, Carl Rogers, Carl Jung, Natalie Goldberg, Julia Cameron, The Cluetrain folk, Scoble, Meerman Scott (in some order of importance).

We see this as essential reading for anyone on a quest for personal and professional growth through blogging, but it is a very first draft. Stay tuned for more…

Have a read and let me know which quotes resonate most for you…

FREE E-BOOK on the Essence of Authentic Blogging
More posts on writing to help get your words flowing…

Increasing traffic to your blog

Many thanks to Garth Spiers for this reference. Garth is a vital participant in our Tuesday night blogging group and a wonderful man (and management consultant/coach) besides.

Blog TrafficKing

I’m not sure about this approach to blogging, and perhaps the name says it all.

Makes me think about the movement of evil substances or innocent victims around the world, or is that just me?

But there are some useful tips and tricks that Yaro Starak has to offer, some of which will be covered in our beginners course but others will be more relevant to advanced bloggers.

Let’s have some discussion about it. My feeling is there will be as much here about what not to do as what we could be doing with our Authentic Blogging practice.

I guess it’s a case of how you want to live your life and make a living, and what’s authentic for you.

If it smells like another “Get Rich Quick” scheme, then it probably is. Our approach with Authentic Blogging is not such an egocentric one, but why throw the baby out with the bathwater. Have a look for yourself.

Gra, would you like to kick off the discussion?