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Focus of Attention?
Posted by Joseph Riggio on Wednesday, August 16, 2006The first step in “owning our lives” may be taking back control of our minds - and that would mean controlling what we allow to get in there in the firstplace.
Ah ... California ...
It appears that Israel and Hezbollah have arrived at a (very) tentative peace in Lebanon. It seems to me that this news would be at the top of the headlines for days - but that just ain't the way it goes. I got up today and received a copy of the San Francisco Chronicle and the cover story is "Far Out" - all about whether astronomers will name three more planets in the solar system or not. In the meantime those who are paying attention to what happened and continues to happen in the Mid-East are arguing about Who Won The War.
What does it take to focus our attention? If we pay attention to the headlines it would seem not much. In fact the mass media pros seem able to lead our attention around like they would a bull with a ring in it's nose. What has happened as a result includes the diminution of our attention span. Rather than increasing the average adult's attention span begins to decrease after the age of twenty or so - when neurologically it should be increasing at least until age thirty five or forty!
What the heck are we allowing to happen to us?!!?!?!??!
We have allowed ourselves to be lulled into a comfortable sleep of thirty-second sound bites and PowerPoint(tm) presentations of pretty graphs and charts that say nothing - at the cost of maintaining our own ability to think and form opinions or holding our own centers as we act in the world.
Most of the clients I've worked with - both individuals and multi-national corps - seem to want the same thing - to be able to fix their own destiny, while balancing their values and actions as they direct themselves forward from what they have become to what they are becoming. Now to some of you who haven't worked with as many entrepreneurs, business owners and senior executives as I have this may sound pretty 'high-falutin'" - yet I assure you that my experience has been that most of my clients, including those who are running global corporations, are most interested in balancing their values and their actions in regard to what they are creating both for themselves and in the world around them.
Yet when we read the "News" we are led to believe that anyone who believes in UGH! ... "Capitalism" must be lower than pond scum in terms of their humanity. Reading the headlines it would seem that only the only thing that drives these folks would be "the Unholy Pursuit of Profit". However, what I've found instead refutes that in virtually every way - although I am not denying that it happens, I am saying that the individuals I have met and worked with are profoundly concerned about doing good in and for their communities and in many cases the world-at-large as they pursue their business outcomes.
Yet they are thwarted by a number of things that are present in the contexts where they have to operate, including:
The list could go on ... yet this posting began from a premise about our role in directing our lives - and the impact of allowing ourselves to be lulled into a comfortable if false sleep fostered by sound-bites, graphs and charts looking like complete disclosure. One of my favorite academics (YES I have "favorite academics!) has been Edward Tufte, a professor of visual communications at Yale University (now retired from teaching I believe). He rails against PowerPoint thinking ... and I agree with him completely in regard to how it corrupts.
"Imagine a widely used and expensive prescription drug that promised to make us beautiful but didn't. Instead the drug had frequent, serious side effects: It induced stupidity, turned everyone into bores, wasted time, and degraded the quality and credibility of communication. These side effects would rightly lead to a worldwide product recall. Yet slideware -computer programs for presentations -is everywhere: in corporate America, in government bureaucracies, even in our schools.
Slideware may help speakers outline their talks, but convenience for the speaker can be punishing to both content and audience. The standard PowerPoint presentation elevates format over content, betraying an attitude of commercialism that turns everything into a sales pitch.
Wired Magazine Issue 11.09 | September 2003 - PowerPoint Is Evil- Power Corrupts. PowerPoint Corrupts Absolutely. By Edward Tufte
Read the full article in Wired Magazine - "PowerPoint Is Evil", then order The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint his full essay on PowerPoint thinking from his website, he charges seven bucks for it and it's worth at least fifty in my opinion! In fact buy it in bulk and send copies to everyone you know - this will do more in the fight against "global warming" than buying a hybrid car any day! (And, before you ask, no I do not get a commission from Professor Tufte, nor am I an "affliate" on his website - although I would be if he had them!)
My point for today - Take Back Your Mind and Your Life - and begin by learning how to run not only your brain, but what you put into it ... that's got to be at least as important as what you in your gas tank ... or not.
Joseph Riggio, Ph.D.
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(3) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
A tool (powerpoint in this case) is never evil… or good, for that matter. The mind or skill of the user makes it one or the other. A tool never stays popular unless it caters to real needs. That’s why books still exist, though some hundreds of years ago they were burnt in medieval village squares. To criticise is easy. To offer a better solution, is more challenging!
In my experience, managers today need to make decisions taking into account 50 times more information and data versus the past. Their thinking, decision making and projecting is infinitely more complex, intricate and creative today, versus any other time in history. To imply that powerpoint (a tool for economy, in my opinion) is turning corporate minds into simpletons is a huge misjudgement.
Agnes
Agnes
Ahhh… I hear the voice of a PowerPoint user (groupie?).
My first comment would be to ask, have you read the article in Wired Magazine, “PowerPoint Is Evil”? My next would be to ask, have you read Professor Tufte’s essay, The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint? If not I most strongly suggest that you do - if you do not have a copy of Professor Tufte’s essay yet, or have not ordered one for yourself let me know and I will be most happy to send you a copy myself - I think it will be that important for you to read it and absorb what he has to say about the the cognitive style (i.e.: the “thinking” style) that products like PowerPoint encourage.
Now that I’ve offered those comments - what Professor Tufte gets on about has to do most with the idea of the way PowerPoint encourages managers to think about what they are presenting and the information they are conveying. The main issue he presents refers to the lack of information in favor of style - i.e.: a style vs. substance arguement. He also speaks to the lack of information typically present in such presentations - and the illusion (my word, not his) that the presentation conveys complete information, not simply an almost random overview of a topic.
Again, I agree with him - despite his inflammatory language. I also understand that in a sea of superlatives sometimes one must shout to be heard above the cacaphony of the crashing waves of disinformation. I think you will actually find you also agree with much that Professor Tufte has to say when you’ve read his material - I find him quite a brilliant mind, and someone who has thought through his argument in fullness.
Finally, I also agree with you, “a tool ... is never evil ... The mind or skill of the user makes it one or the other.” However, in this case - the case Professor Tufte quite elegantly presents - the argument goes to this intention, both of the maker and the typical users. He even points to the way people are trained to use the tool and how that corrupts clear and complete thinking.
I have now said more than enough - and will let Professor Tufte’s work do the rest of the speaking for him. What I will add of my own again references my main point - keeping to keeping the “Main Thing” the “Main Thing” - for me this has to do with our willingness and commitment to wake up and be present, then to act in line with our new found awareness. Take back your mind and you’ve begun to take back your life ... .
Joseph Riggio, Ph.D.
Ah, Joseph… it is great fun to disagree with you. And in this case I disagree vehemently.
Of course I read Professor Tufte’s article, and since you challenge me I will take his points here one by one!
First of all: powerpoint is a synthetic tool, it is not an analytical tool and should not be judged as such. A synthetic tool becomes necessary in the evolving work environments: where the pace is ever faster, there is information overload, and there is demand for more agility, swiftness, ability to sort through multidimensional information, otherwise companies loose their competitive advantage. If people are using the tool well or not does not have to do with the tool itself but with the ability to of its users to do constructive and pointed synthesis. Something not taught in schools, unfortunately!
Prof Tufte states:
Powerpoint slideware uses only a limited vocabulary (40 words per presentation)
This is very true. As I stated in my previous response, it is a tool for economy, it is a summary, synthetic utility. But I am telling you that people who use powerpoint use language more and better than ever before. They exchange far more in the written word, in sentences, in e mails and word documents than ever in history. They read more, they blog more (like you do), they go to trainings more, and their cognitive style is more sophisticated than ever before.
We have to realize that times are changing. The written word does not have one format any more. It comes in very variable formats (text, SMS, mails and yes, slides), each one unique and valuable for its unique and distinct purpose. And none can replace the other, none is better or worse than the other. You can’t wish to use language in just one format.
We are lucky, papyri and tombstones are not the only media where we can write, anymore
Prof Tufte states: Powerpoint encourages a simplistic thinking style
As I said before: managers today have to rely on 50 times more information and data to arrive to decisions. Their cognitive style is more acute than ever. They have to spot opportunities and threats by reading the “signs of the times”, that is, data and statistics, which change rapidly from day to day, in ever faster evolving environments. The trained eye thirsts for lean information, in a day’s work typically loaded with an amazing amount of info, numbers, stats that needs processing. Whether they do a good job on their ppt slides is another issue.
Prof Tufte states: charts do not do justice to information. They simplify it, they downgrade the content to low quality. Yet, powerpoint does not simplify, as such. It synthesizes. It is the nature of the tool. Whether the content, the charts and graphs are skewed or of low quality or misdirected, well, I am telling you that the trained eye will immediately spot a “bad” chart or a misinforming graph, and I promise you, the trained eye will not blame Powerpoint but its user instead! Prof Tufte shows to examples of graphs in his article: a good and a bad one. In my book he presents an “untreated” slide and a bad slide. If I show what he calls a “good” slide to my client he will say “why do you show me raw data, why did you not interpret this data for me, my job is to make decisions, your job is to analyze, so I make good decisions”.
He states: Powerpoint promotes sequential thinking.
I simply disagree: It is not sequential thinking. It is lean text, which thru powerpoint acquires “body language”. Powerpoint gives the dexterous user the ability to attach emphases, markings, anchors to the written text, with unprecedented richness.
Contrary to what Prof Tufte states, I perceive that if you provide your viewer with a plethora of information without such markings, the client will react to it as “untreated info” and will start immediately to delete, in order to make his life easier. Remember, he has to take more decisions in one day, than ever before, he has little time available and he has to move fast, on many fronts. Unless of course it is his job to analyze… in which case he studies charts, and stats, not powerpoint slides
When Prof Tufte talks about style at the expense of content. this is actually bad use of the medium rather than the medium being “bad"(!)
Guilty 
, I am a groupie… I will tell you why…
I started writing documents in word processors for my clients, many years ago. I prepared 100+ page documents in word processors, and finally, my clients either read the 3 page Executive Summary only, or found it too much to read the report and called/visited me: can you please explain the main points?
Eventually I switched to More (in a McIntosh) and sighed happily. With the fast pace of the business world today, Powerpoint does wonders for the P/L (profit and loss) of my business. That is, today I can prepare a research document in ppt in about one third of the time, providing enough clarity so as not to get any calls/visits asking “please explain” (and I get enough free time to write this comment, which exceeds 40 words), and ppt also gives me enough utilities and extras to create impact… enough impact to persuade that “donkeys fly”. Professor Tufte did say that Powerpoint can be manipulative. I agree. And I have no problem. As long as I provide high quality service, with integrity, to my clients.
One final word on this interesting and fascinating subject. We need to be able to read the signs of the times, to have open eyes, to be ready to ride the wave of change… because the world is moving fast forward. Human beings are creatures of habit (myself included, of course). We easily buy new gadgets but we do not easily reshape our thinking.
The prophets and the sirens are singing an age old song: the new things that are coming are evil!
Internet is alienating people
Computers make people forget how to write, they only punch
Electronic games turn kids’ minds to water
Powerpoint …..
The truth is: I have had some amazing, vibrating relationships due to Internet. I keep up with my Brazilian cousins (yes, I have Brazilian cousins) through internet
Computers make people more creative than ever before, and they write … only in new ways now. Electronic games: the overdose (as in anything) is negative, but the truth of the matter is that these games are shaping a visual culture, and a young generation of visually astute individuals, with synapses that run like hell (and burn like hell, too). This is reality. Good or bad? Irrelevant. It is what we make of it.
Anyway, I totally agree with the meaning of your comments and with your adage: “to wake up and be present and act in line with our new found awareness”
Agnes
