Author: maripat

What we can learn from viral videos

How do you get heard? How do you make sure that what you say has staying power and gets cascaded though out your circle or organization?

I recently watched Kevin Allocca’s TED talk. Kevin is YouTube’s trends watch manager and his talk was an interesting look at what makes a video go viral. He shared that the three key elements that influence whether or not a video goes viral are:

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Putting things in context

One of the biggest stumbling blocks to good communication is the absence of context. Context is defined as a set of facts or circumstances that surround a particular event, situation or communication. At best, that information can help the listener put things in the proper perspective. It can also be a persuasive tool to influence with integrity.

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Coach and Be Coached – opportunities abound

I picked up the latest issue, 10/3/11, of the New Yorker today and read Atul Gawande’s article, Personal Best.

He wrote about the reality that all professionals, regardless of their field, reach a plateau at certain junctures in their career. As a surgeon, he realized, that no one had observed or critiqued one of his surgeries in over seven years. He goes on to share the power and benefits of his experience in getting feedback and perspective from outside eyes and ears.

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