Blog covers creativity imperative talk in Singapore

Lim Kong Weng, an equipment engineer for IBM and Management of Technology grad student at NUS, covers the recent talk in Singapore on "The Creativity Imperative and the Technology Professional of the Future" here.

Creative modelers: 2 techniques from Athens

Module 6 of my course, Creative Modeling for Tech Vision, is available at my site on slideshare.net. I've also provided it in the viewer below.

MTV: 2 Techniques from Athens from David E. Goldberg Transforming Higher Education

Made to stick

A couple of weeks ago, I heard Dan Heath present the title message from his book, co-authored with his brother Chip, Made to Stick. The book talks about sticky or viral messages that inherently get passed from person to person. Starting from urban legends, moving through direct mail and other forms of advertising, and continuing to more serious media and messages, the book lays down a sixfold decomposition of what it means to be sticky:

1. Simplicity
2. Unexpectedness
3. Concreteness
4. Credibility
5. Emotions
6. Stories

Individually, each of these things sounds reasonable, and I know that I use these ideas in my thinking, but the conscious combination of these elements is remarkably powerful.

I had been struggling with the writing of a sales letter before reading the book. After reading the book, I smacked my forehead, rewrote the letter, and it was incredibly more impactful. I don't yet know whether that particular letter worked, but don't stop for coffee, don't take a break, and go buy and read this book. You'll be glad you did.

Learn don't plan

Have been studying Michael Watkins, The First 90 Days. In organizations that are urdergoing realignment--where change is necessary but recognition of the need for it is lacking--a collective learning style of change can achieve better alignment and better awareness of the need for change than a plan-then-implement style of change. This seems especially relevant in most university settings, where the change is resisted organizationally with a vengeance.

Are you a creative tech professional?

My recent lecture at the National University of Singapore, The Creativity Imperative and the Technology Professional of the Future, is on line and can be viewed here. The powerpoints are viewable on slideshare (here) or in the viewer below:

Creativity Imperative Tpotf 10 07 Nus from David E. Goldberg Transforming Higher Education

It's been a while

since I last blogged. I went on vacation, got too relaxed, then the semester hit, and all heck broke loose. Anyway, quite a lot has happened in the intervening time, and I'll try to catch up with some posts over the next week or so.