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Resources Newsletters April 2010
Resources Newsletters April 2010 Herrmann's Headlines April 2010 |
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New Zealand Edition - April 2010Highlights this month:
New Interpretation Handbook
They will learn more about themselves and gain new insights into their interactions with others. Key features of Understanding the Herrmann Whole Brain® Model - the new handbook for interpreting your profile:
Anyone who has a profile can refresh their understanding of their thinking preferences and the impact these have by ordering this new handbook today.
To take advantage of this special offer, please choose one of the following
Email
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with the option you have chosen, your full name and your physical address. Once we have received your order, we will contact you with payment options. If you require any further information, please email us your questions. We can also provide a REFRESHER 2 hour workshop to Teams/Groups. This special offer is valid until 31 May 2010 What we like this monthWe’ve hunted out some cool websites that will appeal to people who like thinking about thinking.
New faces – more new thinkingMegan Twist Megan joins the Herrmann New Zealand team in the role of Communications and Customer Services. She has an industry background in health, HR, recruitment and the not-for-profit sectors. Megan recently completed a journalism qualification and is looking forward to applying her communications and writing skills on behalf of Herrmann New Zealand. She is intensely interested in the mysterious workings of the brain and, as a recent student, fascinated by how our thinking preferences impact the way we learn. In her spare time she enjoys freelance features writing and is a voracious reader of all types of books. Andrea Matthews Andrea Matthews joins Herrmann as Business Development and Key Account Manager. Previously she held business development and key account management positions in the outsourced contact centre and telecommunications sectors. Born in India, of Anglo Indian descent, Andrea moved to New Zealand with her family in 1996 after completing her schooling in the Middle East. She believes her unique upbringing has taught her to value diversity in life. She is passionate about people and hopes to use her skills and experience to facilitate greater understanding of the application of Whole Brain thinking in the work place. When not working, Andrea enjoys spending time with her little girl and fishing or exploring New Zealand’s beautiful beaches and scenery. Brain Food – New Research from McKinsey into Behavioural Strategy
In the latest McKinsey Quarterly is a paper, "The case for behavioural strategy" which notes that very few corporate strategists making important decisions consciously take cognitive biases into account. That’s because while finance and marketing executives can use psychology to make the most of the biases residing in others, in strategic decision makers there is a need to recognise their own biases.
Finally it suggests four steps to adopting behavioural strategy
"The Case for Behavioural Strategy," McKinsey Quarterly, March 2010 If you’re interested in reading more about behavioural economics see the story later in this newsletter. The write stuffPoor writing has a lot to answer for. It can confuse and mislead people, anger and alienate them. It can complicate simple matters or leave people feeling rejected, insulted or even threatened. Even a library notice can do it, and few documents infuriate readers as reliably as letters from over-zealous public officials or tone deaf direct marketers. Yet, if we were to speak with the writers of those documents we might find them pleasant, well-meaning, polite and even helpful. That’s because when we speak our words carry only part of the message – about 7 percent according to some studies. The remainder is carried through non-verbals and tone of voice. But our writing gets no such support: we have to rely on words alone. That’s tough on writers. And, as organisations rely on the written word to communicate, it’s tough on organisations. And, of course, it’s tough on the readers. The point is, writing does not have to be so poor. You can write better. It does not require you to go back to school to re-learn its fundamental principles or to practice for years to refine your skills. Whole Brain thinking, coupled with a few simple tips on good writing, can help most people rapidly improve their writing so that it (a) conveys its messages simply and clearly and (b) sounds as if it was by written by a thinking, feeling human being. The Herrmann Whole Brain writing programme, "ThinkAbout Writing," is designed to do just that. It starts with the simple premise: The brain can either write or edit – it cannot do both at the same time. It cannot do both simultaneously. Once you have grasped that principle it becomes possible to capture ideas more effectively and write more fluently. Everything speeds up. You use the Whole Brain Model™ to plan written communication and recognise the effect that your own thinking – and writing – style has for your reader. It will change forever the effectiveness of your writing because it helps you think about why you are writing something in the first place. It helps you plan what you are going to say. It helps you discover the power of structure in your writing. And it shows how to analyse what you have written to ensure that you are clearly saying exactly what you wanted to say. Ever wanted to write better? With "ThinkAbout Writing," you can write better right now. Botica Butler Raudon – public relations as strategic storytellingEveryone loves stories. They work for kids. They work in politics, religion, sport and business. And all for the same reason: they capture our interest, help keep us clearly focused, and end with certainty and a sense of completeness. They are humankind’s way of understanding how events take place in time. Botica Butler Raudon is a public relations company that works from straightforward premise that at the heart of all great communication you’ll always find a compelling story. Their approach to clients is simply this: let us help you identify your stories and articulate them effectively in a clear and authentic voice. Founder, Allan Botica, explains how they work: "When we start work with a client we identify the story and look at how it will develop. What do people know? What have they heard recently? What will they hear next? What do we want them to understand? That quickly gets us to the heart of the matter and allows us to develop an overarching story."
But it’s not all questions. "This narrative approach gives us a rich set of tools for bridging between past events, the present situation and a range of possible futures," he says. "When you want to introduce new technologies and ground breaking categories to the market, a story-based approach is highly effective because it is based on articulating unidentified problems and needs and then presenting ways to resolve them," says Botica. "That, in essence, is a story." Narrative structure also helps in promoting an organisation’s achievements, creating a compelling event or addressing a difficult issue with sensitivity and tact. "When a crisis threatens an organisation’s reputation we can offer a powerful set of tools to help answer difficult questions and create space so that events can move towards a resolution." Botica Butler Raudon has also used narrative effectively when working alongside lawyers in litigation, helping brokers and analysts to raise capital or communicate with investors, or engaging with government on a matter that impacts an organisation. And the approach really comes into its own when dealing with transformation: the major organisational upheavals that follow mergers and acquisitions, or those that occur when business leaders look to restructure their organisations or revitalise their cultures. Allan Botica has worked with Herrmann over a number of years. "We understand the Whole Brain approach and we recognise how people respond to stories in different ways. Whether you want advice on communicating with your clients or assistance to help them achieve a major transformation, we have ideas that can help." This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it +64 21 400 500 Fresh thinking– behavioural economicsIn a similar vein to the research from McKinsey, there’s some interesting thinking from the New Economics Foundation (http://www.neweconomics.org/) about behavioural economics. They ask, "What would economic theory look like if we took human behaviour as our starting point? Neoclassical economists have long assumed that human beings make rational choices in their own interest. Behavioural economics undercuts these assumptions to reveal how we really are.
Maybe they could use a little Whole Brain thinking? Upcoming EventsCome-on-Back – Herrmann Certified Practitioners Professional Development Day The final Come-on-Back professional development day will be held on Tuesday 11th May 2010. As part of Herrmann Certified Practitioners’ ongoing professional development, it is a requirement that you attend one Come on Back session every two years in order to maintain your certification. The purpose of these Come-on-Back days is to update Certified Practitioners on the latest Herrmann developments and maintain consistently high standards across our network. The May session will feature:
• Ann Herrmann giving a HBDI feedback (DVD)
Time: 9.00am – 3.00pm Herrmann Whole Brain Certification
The next public certification workshop for 2010 will take place in August. Register your interest by emailing
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. For the full list of Herrmann Certification dates please visit the Events Calendar on our website. |
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