Posts tagged questions

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Dreams of DiCaprio, guns, bombs and cash

Jul 29th

Posted by Judy in Posts

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Do you ever dream about guns, bombs, car chases and things that go bang?

My head was bubbling with questions after watching the new Leonardo DiCaprio film Inception last night, and to be honest, that one was top of the list. I don’t think I’ve ever dreamt that kind of dream. Have you?

There’s a relationship between that scrap of wondering and the big, more important question that followed it: “What is the real commercial value of 1. being able to read someone’s mind and 2. implanting a compelling suggestion there?”

The “commercial value” question matters to me because that’s what I do. I can and do read minds.

I can implant suggestions, too (in fact, I’m doing it right now).

And yet somehow, I’m not being approached to do it by the kind of millionaires who would hire Leo and his gang – and who would incidentally buy an airline to facilitate the job

I do think what I do has solid commercial value.

For example, if you can read someone’s mind, if you can discover their deepest desires and More >

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What happened to the parrot?

Feb 13th

Posted by Judy in Clean Language

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A former mentor of mine, my old journalism lecturer Gerry Kreibich, has been writing his memoirs online.

One of his posts includes an excellent reminder of the need to stay “Clean” when interviewing – that is, to avoid guesses, presuppositions and speculations, to ask simple, open questions in a logical sequence – and how difficult many people find this apparently simple task.

Describing trainees’ performance in a mock interview with a man whose house has durned down, he writes: “I have heard inventive reporters come up with every possible speculation as to what he did when he woke up – Did you phone the fire brigade? . . . Did you knot sheets together? . . . Did you think you were perhaps dreaming? . . . Did you bang on the wall to alert the neighbours?  Some, making the story up as they go along, have asked, Was there a ladder in the room, y’know, from decorating, that you used for your escape?  And then, clearly with decorating still in mind – Was there anything particularly inflammable in the house, like cans of paint, that you were frightened might make it worse? A simple ‘What did you do then?’ would have sufficed More >

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Do consulting skills really matter in IT?

Jan 27th

Posted by Judy in Listening

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Effective consulting skills are in real demand across the IT sector. In a series of meetings I’ve had with IT directors recently, it’s become increasingly clear to me that the successful 2010 “geek” is increasingly aware of the need to deliver real business value by solving “people problems” as well as technical challenges, and is repositioning himself accordingly.

Managers and recruiters are increasingly seeking evidence that applicants can: • Communicate effectively, orally and in writing • Work effectively with groups and teams • Collaborate to solve problems and develop solutions • Ask questions that go beyond the obvious • Take a broad business perspective • Build and manage relationships with clients, users, and colleagues.

As Eric Lundquist wrote in eWeek, introducing research into the top skills IT managers look for in new hires: “Turns out the hours you spent becoming an AJAX expert don’t count for nearly as much as being able to show you have a sense of ethics, can communicate in person instead of on Twitter, and can work with a group of people.”

So, how to improve your consulting skills? Particularly in the IT sector, it seems to be assumed that you’ll just pick them up along the way, and More >

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