rethink PERFECT

Feedback regarding the http://interactiveminds.com.au event on Wednesday Nov 3 2010

Interactive Minds panel yesterday

I found that the event was very professionally run and Brad Howarth had an excellent presentation however I would have preferred a more interactive event, more of a conversation than being told from the hierarchy how things work. After all, it is the entrepreneur that breaks out of the establishment not maintains it.

Who knows, the next new, new thing could come out of the audience there yesterday, and if I was to put a bet on it I would say that it was more likely to come from them than from the panel of clergy.

If the interactive web is about the community for the community then why not make the event more of a crowd sourcing event and get the collective knowledge.

The example being is that I have been to many seminars and just about every time we, the audience, are told that there will be a “question” time after. I cannot recall ever being told that there will be a “question and comments” time.

Now some might say that this is just semantics but it takes a change of language and also actions to bring the people up and to take the “clergy” down a notch or two, so that we have a community not “them and us” mentality.

Had I been encouraged to make a comment (and time permitting) I would have liked to mention a successful social network campaign that is very topical at the mo-ment. One that is so successful that will probably raise over $30 million in the next month and has now become main stream with about 65% brand recognition. Yes you may have guess it…Movember.

Recognising what is happening around us is part of being able to predict what the future holds. Failing to mention a brilliant social media campaign like that at this event is an indightment on us all and the event I think, especially on Movember 3.

(That is not me by the way)

Well that is what I reckon.

Truce –noun

1. a suspension of hostilities for a specified period of time by mutual agreement of the warring parties; cease-fire; armistice.

2. an agreement or treaty establishing this.

3. a temporary respite, as from trouble or pain.

Even in war it is understood that there are agreed protocols to suspend hostilities.
Can anyone tell me if we have something similar for conversation, discussion and when posing an argument.

What is the process called to suspend discussions?

But even if we did have a "truce" for conversation, to me, this is like saying that it is safe to drive in my car. We may not have any brakes, bald tyres or a very good steering or suspension but
don’t worry we have airbags!

Airbags and a truce in conversation means that we have already gone beyond the point where some damage is being done to the relationship. I know it might be a relief to have an airbag but who exactly wants to use one?

So even if we could find a word for a suspension in conversation I would not be too thrilled to have to use it but still nice to have in emergencies. Better still to have excellent brakes, new tyres and good suspension and steering.

So what are the brakes, tyres, suspension & steering in this metaphor?

Adonis at this stage I am concerned with getting an agreed point of disengagement with whoever I am going to have a discussion with (male or female) from now on (as per my argument).

So, as much as I appreciate your contribution here, it would be remiss of me not to get this agreement before any continued discussion. So any direct feedback on this argument would be even more appreciated, in a effort to find an agreement point i.e. agreed point of disengagement.

This is not so much about women/male relations, but any discussion that I have from now on and how we agree to amicably disengage.

I think that a society that calls itself by its founder’s name is destined for problems and ultimate failure.

This is the Society of EDB. A Society that uses the thinking tools that he discovered over the last 50 years or so. Unfortunately it is not the “Society of Creating Your Own Tools”. I think it is admirable what EDB has achieved with his brand of thinking. And to all the followers of EDB, I think, follow him by using his tools rather than going forth and creating their own tools. I hope someone here can see the merit in what I am saying.

If Edward is promoting free and individual thinking then surely everyone that follows this form of thinking is also going to be a creator of their own individual thinking tools, no? Alas I do not believe that to be the case here.
But I am open to be proven wrong. Perhaps all of the members in this society can point out all of the individual thinking tools that they are responsible for. Shower me in them & please prove me wrong.

I don’t believe that this will happen however. I think that I am a true follower of EDB thinking, in that I have spent the time & protests necessary to at least find something that I consider new and original. (I still think I have a long way to go though)

And if I did ever discover something new & innovative I do not think I would allow a society claiming to follow my ideas to name the society SherlockSociety.com (although it does have a nice ring to it)

I also think that EDB tools all have their limitations and can easily get shorted-out by emotion.
My goal is to create a single tool that can work in both platforms – business & personal. A tool that is robust enough to cope with any emotion. A tool that any individual can pick up and use it instantly with anyone that they came in contact with and can add to it as they go along, without having to read any books. A tool where I can give it away and not make any money from it.

Is this possible? Yes I think so. Am I close to this? I always think I am, but I thought so when I started 25 years ago. I think I am pretty close today but… tomorrow is a new day. Does it matter if I get there? No, because the closer I get the better I feel.

So what benefit to I get out of all this effort? Well by sharing my latest thought I get invaluable feedback necessary to move on. And ultimately I get a set of tools that with some practice may keep me out of the divorce courts. That could also keep me out of a nasty business venture.

So there you go, please feel free to make any comment what-so-ever and do not feel that you can “derail” this conversation. I do believe that my tools that I have developed, so far, can cope with any feedback and if not, it will help me to further develop them, so please, don’t hold back.

Imagine if we all had a single point of agreement. 
Now imagine when/if we hit a point in any conversation where we strongly disagree or it gets heated that we could simply agree to go back to this point and we both then agree to rethink our view point.
Well I think I have found such a point. I call it the Agreement Point.
Could you imagine this point with me?
This would replace the axiom “Let’s agree to disagree”, which closes off difficult disagreements, with something like “Let’s agree to the Agreement Point”, and start again from this point or time to have a break to rethink.

Opponents learn and agree to use Rethink Perfect.
Opponents first find the point where they do agree, by:

• Opponent A states her point and opponent B states that he doesn’t agree.
• Opponent A asks why and if she does not agree with his reasoning says so.
• Opponent B asks why and continue the process until they finally find their Agreement Point.

Both opponents then agree to rethink their arguments starting from this point.
If at any time the conversation becomes heated they refer back to the agreement point.
This process continues slowly, building upon their agreement point.

Things to look out for;

• Complaints: Are a not so sophisticated way to pose an argument.
  Simply thank your opponent and ask them for their argument, encouraging them
  to start more with “From now on….”
• Tone and Volume: Opponents can disagree with the tone and volume used.

A process that may speed up reaching the next agreement is the 6A’s

• Speak with: Appreciation, Acknowledgement, Apology (speech in defence)
• Listen for: Adjustability, Accountability, Acceptability