Winter Gems

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Embrace the last season of the year with my Winter Gems, tailored for quiet and thoughtful any professionals seeking quiet, depth, beauty and inspiration.

Suggested finest albums to listen to while reading this article:

Banshee by Kendra Morris

Rêverie by Les Imprimés.

Stepping Back 

2024 was quiet hectic for my teaching and hosting activities. Fortunately I reflected on my professional and personal experiences one post at a time when time permits:

In Defrag I reflect on the value of defragmenting and unifying our artefacts, our writings and ourselves in a fragmented world.

In Futures Thinking [oldie] I spotted other perspectives and principles of foresight to develop the fundamentals of this discipline.

In Knowledge and Machines Docks I share deep thoughts, curations, observations, experiences and two cents on how we are in the docks of knowledge and machines.

In Spring gems, Summer gems, August gems, Fall gems, I share my observations, musings and curations. One season at a time.

Before the smooth transition between the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025 I revisit the crumbles of likes, notes, content amplification, stuff I let go of on the media tools I use and in my archives. Best wishes for the upcoming new year.

Seeking Quiet

I read Susan Cain’s Substack/LinkedIn posts.

I discovered her work through her book Quiet.

About a month ago I ordered the Quiet Life Journal for later reflection.

“Hello, everyone,

I’m very excited to announce that I’ve created a Quiet Life Journal, for all of you seekers of quiet, depth, and beauty.

In this year-long journal, you’ll find 52 “prompts” — one for each week of the year — to help you add more poetry, ideas, and inspiration to your Quiet Life. (You can start at any time – it doesn’t have to be on Jan 1.)” — Susan Cain

a book with a pink band quiet journal susan cain

Source: https://thequietlife.net/p/the-quiet-life-journal

It reminds me of Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights Journal, which I bought a while ago. I also need to go back to it to reflect on my recent professional and life experiences.

I can’t wait to get my Quiet Journal from the post office.

“Of all the ways you could be spending your precious time and attention, it is very unlikely that you are currently spending it in the optimal way. The only path I know for figuring out a better way to spend your life is to sit and think. 

You simply have to carve out some time to think carefully about what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and what you’re really trying to achieve. Nobody stumbles into a well lived life. It has to be cultivated. Reflection and review are critical.” — James Clear

Perusing Books

In my spare time, here are the two books I have read in the last twelve months.

Tous Pédagogues ! 

A l’aube de nouveaux horizons

Mesmerizing Exhibits

During the Winter festive season I enjoyed two exhibitions very much:

The Flowers of Yves Saint Laurent

“Yves Saint Laurent shared this admiration for nature with many artists and writers, in particular with one of his favorite authors, Marcel Proust, as he revealed in the magazine L’Egoïste in 1987*. A Proustian universe appears in the designer’s interiors as well as during his runway shows. The writer would describe women as flowers, whereas the couturier would pay homage to them by covering them with blossoms.

Over thirty garments and drawings seen in the exhibition highlight this symbiosis between nature, literature and the work of Yves Saint Laurent.”

Gold Ming

“The choice of motif was also of decisive importance. In addition to being insignia, they were believed to bring wealth, happiness, health and longevity to the wearer. Flowers and birds were traditionally associated with the seasons and brought good fortune. The prunus evoked the beauty of winter, the peony abundance and spring, the lotus purity and summer, and the chrysanthemum integrity and autumn.”

Acknowledging People

I am grateful for…

My apprentices, past and present, for their kind words and feedback on how I teach, host and support them collectively and individually.

“All learning is interdependent.

I personally feel that all learning is interdependent and it is the reality of the world we live in. Since knowledge is limitless, we cannot depend on one thing or one person to get access to knowledge. We create knowledge within and outside, individually and collectively. Interdependence enables this co-creation. I constantly depend on myself, others and the environment (conditions) for my learning. Since learning involves developing new meanings or new relations with knowledge, process or people, it cannot be an independent activity. Interdependence is key for me and it is not just about people. Yes, interdependence is about engaging with each other, but it is also about engaging with the self through reflection and by interacting with the environment and the conditions of learning.

Interdependence is about equality.

I believe that each learner is a teacher. As we mature as learners and as teachers, we become more open to this idea of give and take and are willing to be more interdependent. Also, content complexity and interdependence are directly proportional. To learn complex content, I crave and need engagement with others. I believe others have something that I can learn from. Interdependence brings everyone to the same table.

Self-directed learning is more about autonomy and less about independence.” — Taruna Goël

Resonating louder as I keep learning and teaching over the years.

I am grateful for…

Clients.

“How can we inspire ourselves and others to keep edging towards personal evolution, collective progress, and the salvation of souls?” — Meredith Lewis

I am grateful for…

Partner: Supro. For the terrific and so responsive continuous support over the years. Uplifting and classy.

I am grateful for…

Fellow teachers and workshop hosts who I get to know and work with one lunch, coffee, meeting and community quarterly gathering at a time.

“You are not alone.

The world is falling apart in so many ways.

But this is making more people realize that networks of care are possible, local, and essential now.

Find them. Help them learn, and learn with them.” — @[email protected]

I am grateful for…

Learning partners and pen pals with whom I interact, reflect and continue to learn on social media: LinkedIn, Mastodon, Substack.

“Networking takes time, energy and resources even if, like me, you barely interact with those you choose to asynchronously connect with. You still need to sift the wheat from the chaff to get to the connections that work for you. The moment you do, however, you will have unlocked one more of your hidden superpowers.” — David Amerland

Riding Life & Flows

“Life has so many destinations.
They are not ends.
The journey continues.
We have yet to learn to love the journey.” — @ShaunCoffee

a comic strip of a man riding a bicycle grant snider

Source: Grant Snider https://substack.com/@incidentalcomics/note/c-77300051?

Weaving

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Fall Gems

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Long time no write. Since going back to school last September, I’ve been involved in designing learner experiences and teaching for two schools. Starting the third year of teaching with one school. Starting courses and workshops with another school.

This means that my mind is constantly reflecting on my experiences, deep thoughts over the past few months. As there are about two months left before the end of this year, it’s time to reflect on what has been in my mind, my heart, my trials and tribulations and observations so far.

To do this, I revisit the crumbles of likes, notes, content amplification, stuff I let go of on the media tools I use and in my archives.

Refining My Social Strategy

This visual on expanding the reach of your ideas by Tanmay Vora on Becky Robinson’s book entitled “Reach: Create the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause” caught my attention.

After more than 10 years of engagement via the Blue Bird aka Twitter, I left the media tool at the end of October this year. I see my three main tools for continuing learning and sensemaking these days as the following: my blog, podcasts and books, offline and online communities of practice.

As for “having a home base. Share on your own platform, own your data, use the social tools as outputs for sharing and conversation” as shared by Tanmay Vora, I am thinking about this following my conversation with Robin Good on Substack.

What are your long-term strategies for publishing and owning your work?

How would the legacy and positive impact of your work continue after you are gone?

In terms of sharing, I’m still on LinkedIn, Mastodon, Substack, Slack, Microsoft Teams and another live chat tools to share knowledge, questions, experiences and tools with my colleagues, network and weak ties.

I still struggle to share with discernment in each of these digital tools. Face-to-face engagement is still my main way of doing so these days.

As I started the new month, I thought about discerning who I connect with and following on LinkedIn and on other media tools to keep learning, discussing, and exploring together. As I wrote in this oldie on motion.

Trying Minds

It feels like having a beginner’s mind. As two fellow seekers from the Perpetual Beta Coffee Club commented on Substack:

“Beginner’s Mind is a striking “mindset” that we should all aim for. Thank you Rotana for this reminder.” ~ Jane McConnell

 

“I think often that it is not just a beginners mind but a child’s mind also. Children are always experimenting and trying new ways of doing things be it outside or in the house or even on their Nintendos et al. They are not encumbered by the sense of the fear of failure or looking bad in front of their peers. We develop those periscopes later in life and are constantly scanning the horizon of how this will look to others. A powerful question could be “How would I do this if I knew I couldn’t fail?” ~ Andrew Trickett

Two wheels of pedagogical activities in French were shared by the networks of my fellow teachers on LinkedIn.

The Activity Wheel to stimulate student participation

a colorful wheel with text and cards wheel pedagogical activities

Source: https://idip.unistra.fr/la-roue-des-activites-pedagogiques/#

The Open Serious Game

a yellow circle with black text open serious games

Source: https://openseriousgames.org/liste-des-openseriousgame/

How do you nurture the beginner’s mind and the child’s mind when it comes to teaching and learning with your colleagues, networks and communities in the workplace?

Finding Pockets of Silence

As one continues to learn and navigate knowledge flows, individually and collectively, what about finding pockets of silence to reflect and digest knowledge, insights and experiences?

“Go slowly. Amidst the chaos, find small pockets of silence. Find compassion. Allow the healing. And most of all… Be kind. There’s no human being on earth who couldn’t use just a little bit more of the healing salve of kindness.” Naomi Holdt, Psychologist via @FionaGrayPhD

I have written before about the futures of third places. For me, libraries are among those places where you can find pockets of silence, as well as the forest, as we have entered the autumn season.

“In a world as noisy as ours, we need the quiet space of libraries for solace and safety. They are community hubs that serve whoever walks through the door but they also foster hope – in the power of words and in the people who write and read them.” ~ Jodi Wilson via Meredith Lewis

What are your pockets of silence these days as you dive into the streams of media tools, RSS feeds, video streams and conversational chatbots, if you use them?

Quiet by Susan Cain has resurfaced in conversations I had with one of my cohorts of students and as I noticed this post from Meredith Lewis:

“As an introvert I spend time with myself, constantly reconnecting with my personal values and priorities. As an introvert I find the space to reflect, analyse, and strategize.

There is nothing timid, silly, or weak about the quietness of the introvert. It is not an effacing of assertiveness; it’s a gathering of strength.”

Resonating.

How do you break the silence before engaging in any conversation while being present?

Seasonal Gems

This year I have been publishing these three posts one season at a time, which you might enjoy:

Spring Gems

I review what caught my attention in May and June 2024 on media tools and in my personal archives. Here are the insights.

Summer Gems

As I did for my Spring Gems I review what caught my attention in July 2024 on media tools and in my personal archives.

August Gems

I continue to share my summer gems with August gems. Enjoy.

Stay tuned for my Winter Gems.

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Knowledge & Machines Docks

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Knowledge & Machines Docks

This summer, I shared a few gems that I have enjoyed on my travels.

One of the experiences that strikes many chords is the exhibition entitled in French ‘IA : Double Je’ (translated: AI : Double I or Me?) at the Quai des Savoirs in Toulouse, France.

quai des savoirs expo ia double jeu 1 scaled

Exhibit IA Double Je at Quai des savoirs, Toulouse, France.

The exhibition has five theme modules: Introduction to AI, Data and Learning, Imaginary AI, Social/Environmental Impact, Human-Machine Interaction. The interactive and artistic installations for experimenting with testimonies from AI experts and debates on ethical issues.

I appreciate the multidisciplinary approach: science, art, philosophy, sociology, climate change and technology. Read more in the press kit (in French). By the way, there are a number of podcast episodes in French to listen to if you are curious about AI.

“🌞 It’s summer! Why not put our #podcast Detour vers le futur in your ears on the beach, in the mountains or in the countryside? Throughout this 4th season, Laurent Chicoineau and Marina Leonard have been talking to some fascinating scientists on the subject of artificial intelligence. Along with the rest of the team, they’ve put together a little best-of of around twenty minutes, to make you want to listen to everything else!” ― Quai des Savoirs

This exhibition allows me to experience, learn and reflect on why, how and where GenAI is embedded in life and work.

Let me share deep thoughts, curations, observations, experiences and two cents on how we are in the docks of knowledge and machines.

I have often found art and technology exhibitions to be an immersive experience, as I shared with my immersive art experience in Bordeaux. It is also a way to reflect and recalibrate on the discipline and practices we have with tools to work and learn continuously, on our own and collectively.

Interactions & Trust with Conversational Machines

“I love seeing Jane’s list every year! Curious how AI will change this list year after year as the tech matures and evolves 👀” ― Koreen Pagano

In her analysis of the top tools for learning 2024 Jane Hart wrote:

“There were 1,599 votes in the 18th annual tools survey from which the Top 100 Tools for Learning 2024 was generated. By Category presents the tools on the list in 4 key areas. Here are 5 observations on this year’s list

1 – AI has taken off 

Last year, ChatGPT jumped on the list in 4th place; and this year it has moved up to 2nd place – just behind the leader (YouTube).  The highest new entry this year is another AI chat bot, Microsoft’s Copilot  (in at #20) and there are 3 more AI chatbots new on the list: Perplexity (in at #47), Claude (in at #5)  and Google’s Gemini (in at #53). Of the 6 new tools on the list this year – 5 are AI tools.  This includes Clixie.ai (in at #96) to create interactive videos.”

How do you use GenAI tools, especially chatbots these days to work and learn? What is your relationship with conversational machines?

“When we talk to conversational machines, treating them with respect is part of our self-care as humans.” ― Sherry Turkle

Exhibit IA Double Je at Quai des Savoirs, Toulouse, France
Exhibit IA Double Je at Quai des Savoirs, Toulouse, France
Exhibit IA Double Je at Quai des Savoirs, Toulouse, France
Exhibit IA Double Je at Quai des Savoirs, Toulouse, France
Exhibit IA Double Je at Quai des Savoirs, Toulouse, France
Exhibit IA Double Je at Quai des Savoirs, Toulouse, France

Our interactions with conversational machines also involve trustworthiness.

In the description of the podcast episode, “Communication is competitive advantage with Jennifer Sertl” and hosted by the Institute of Internal Communication CEO, Jennifer Sproul, leadership communication expert Dominic Walters, and future of work expert Cathryn Barnard, here are some takeaways:

“Authentic leadership involves understanding one’s essence and values.

Soulful communication is essential in the workplace.

AI cannot replace the need for trust and human connection.

Language and conversation have the power to shift perspectives and shape leadership.

Creating a safe space for leaders to practice and learn is crucial. Authentic leadership requires curiosity, vulnerability, and the ability to listen and learn.

Leaders need to trust themselves and create environments where others can trust themselves as well.

The traditional MBA model and hierarchical structures may not be sustainable in the changing landscape of work.

Internal communicators play a crucial role in understanding the business model, using language effectively, and humanising the audience.

Effective leadership communication is about building community, asking great questions, and being true to oneself.”

What is left for humans if AI cannot replace the need for trust and human connection?

a black and white text on a black background

Quiz on an interactive screen in the exhibit IA Double Je at Quai des savoirs, Toulouse, France.

Human Uniqueness & Machine Support

“In short, we need to apply AI to work and then to people, and not the other way round.” – Bertrand Duperrin

Let’s go back to the use of GenAI tools. In Jane Hart’s Top Tools for Learning 2024, the most well-known and used GenAI tools in the GenAI tools universe appeared. From ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity to Gemini. Just the tip of the iceberg.

Have you heard of the GenAI Prism?

a colorful circular chart with many different colored text

Source: https://briansolis.com/2023/12/introducing-the-genai-prism-infographic-a-framework-for-colalborating-with-generative-ai/

Brian Solis explains:

“The GenAI Prism organizes the landscape of generative AI companies that automate and augment how people create and work in their personal and professional lives.

More than a visualization of the most popular generative AI logos, the GenAI Prism offers a mental model to mindfully and intentionally approach prompts toward more intentional outcomes and insights.

The GenAI Prism is a reference guide that to prompt human creativity and imagination to collaborate with AI toward more thoughtful, effective, and extraordinary outcomes. 

GenAI isn’t here to do the work of people or replace them, but instead it serves as a creative partner to augment human output. It enhances, accelerates, and boosts the work we do today while also allowing us to perform and create outputs we couldn’t do before.”

Did I read augment the output?

In an oldie, I pondered how machines might or might not augment human impact, if we stay curious. I noticed:

Do the usages of machines…

… do good in our world or for-profit only?

… help us to be a better version of ourselves?

… enable us to develop my human skills?

… contribute to reinventing ourselves and our organizations?

… foster the development of new experiences and our portfolio?

… challenge the status quo instead of reinventing the wheel?

… help us see the big picture with fresh eyes?

… understand the complexity of a group, a movement of people or a city like Vienna?

Are the futures here, but not evenly distributed? What is left for human beings to contribute and stand out with our human touch?

In her post “Work Fingerprints: The Human Touch in an AI World“, Taruna Goël wrote:

“I’d like to believe that my work fingerprint is unique to me or at least is distinctive enough that it reflects a certain way of thinking, problem-solving and decision-making. So, I want to do everything to preserve it and nurture it – now more than ever – and especially while augmenting my intelligence with AI tools. I want to retain and preserve the human touch in an AI world.“

Work fingerprints makes me think of what Nilofer Merchant calls ‘onlyness’.

“The first step to unlocking talent in the #SocialEra is celebrating something I’ve termed onlyness.

Onlyness is that thing that only that one individual can bring to a situation. It includes the journey and passions of each human. Onlyness is fundamentally about honoring each person: first as we view ourselves and second as we are valued. Each of us is standing in a spot that no one else occupies. That unique point of view is born of our accumulated experience, perspective, and vision.

Some of those experiences are not as “perfect” as we might want, but even those experiences are a source for what you create.

For example, the person whose younger sibling has a disease might grow up to work in medicine to find the cure. The person who is obsessed with beautiful details might end up caring about industrial design and reinvent how we all use technology.

The person who has grown up under oppression might end up advocating for freedom of speech and thus advance the condition of his country. This individual onlyness is the fuel of vast creativity, innovations, and adaptability.”

What does your onlyness look like?

How do we individually and collectively scope and activate it to thrive in the networked age?

Have you heard of Nilofer Merchant’s Onlyness Canvas and the Business Model You?

These tools can be helpful to recalibrate and identify what our strengths and raison d’être are to contribute and make a positive impact in your industry and the world. I see them as tools to do homework and deep work on ourselves to find and refine the true north, core approach, skill set, mindset and toolset to go deep in a fragmented world.

What capabilities do we need to develop and activate in the GenAI era?

Assistive Technology & Future Skills

GenAI tools can be seen and used as a personalised toolkit to assist and support the specialisation of human work. Not as a replacement.

When we use a conversational chatbot like ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude or Perplexity to find inspiration, generate ideas and scenarios – in short, to stimulate creativity and drastically improve our productivity – we must not forget that we still need to think critically and have the vividness of human experience on the ground – be it remote, in person or both. Especially when we are in distributed teams and communities.

“I am glad to see this type of AI used as assistive technology, especially helping marginalized communities. I also am a bit more optimistic that this technology will be mostly on our devices and not using massive energy-consuming data centres.” ― Harold Jarche

How we use and integrate GenAI tools smoothly into our daily work and learning practices and flows – as we do with M365 and Google Workspace, or any open source productivity toolset – will help free up time and space to add value in unique ways – whether it’s content, a programme, an approach or a strategy that needs to be rethought at the end of the day. Like any prototype. It is important to get out of the building or conversational machine boxes to find out if things work or not.

If GenAI tools are more like assistants to help us reflect, evolve and refine our work and learning over time, they could not yet help us become more aware of our authenticity, neo-generalism and specialism. The stories we tell and share that resonate with our teams, network and communities still depend on us, not the algorithms.

“Narrative work is far more than words alone and far more than the probabilistic techniques of algorithms.” ― David Snowden HT @dangerousmeredith

AI Literacy & Critical Thinking

How do we develop AI literacy in our life and work?

I listened to the podcast episode: ELC 082: A Blueprint for AI Literacy in Learning and Development’s Conversation with Stella Lee and Connie Malamed.

Here are podcast’s notes:

The framework consists of seven key areas: AI fundamentals, data fluency, critical thinking/fact-checking, diverse AI use cases, ethics, AI pedagogy, and future of work. The framework is meant to be flexible and adaptable to different contexts and individual needs.

AI literacy involves not only knowledge and skills, but also the right mindset to engage with AI technologies.

Two particularly important areas for L&D professionals are AI pedagogy and AI ethics. And also for all learning innovators, educators, teachers, futurists, work futures designers and community builders, methinks.

There are three levels of competence in AI pedagogy:

Introductory Level

  • Understand the various AI tools available for learning
  • Recognize the current landscape of AI tools for education/L&D
  • Identify both benefits and limitations of these tools

Intermediate Level

  • Test and pilot one or two AI tools
  • Develop evaluation metrics to assess AI tools’ effectiveness
  • Collect stakeholder input when evaluating tools
  • Recognize assumptions made about learning processes and theories

Advanced Level

  • Identify new, transformative use cases for AI in L&D
  • Formulate guiding questions for others to use in evaluating AI tools
  • Contribute to furthering the field and deepening collective understanding

How do you detect the crap in the GenAI era?

Educational technologist Kathy Schrock writes:

“With the new web focus on AI, it is even more important that students need to know how to judge the information they are presented with.

Below, I have included downloadable versions of my guides to help students internalize how best to do this.” 

Stella Lee also shares an AI Information Credibility Checklist to assess the trustworthiness of AI-generated content.

As I refine my personal knowledge mastery to stay relevant and fresh, I am exploring why and how we can become AI literate and think critically as we learn and apply what we can test and learn.

Like new media literacy in the early days of the internet, GenAI literacy seems to be gaining traction and usefulness in getting things done. Does it apply to value creation?

All the major MOOC platforms provide the basics of what AI is and how to use AI tools. From pathways to specific courses. To name a few:

TL:DR. Too long; didn’t do the course or curriculum?!

How about starting with this crystal clear short video brought by Common Craft?

Large Language Models (LLMs) Explained by Common Craft – 2’35

And this another by Common Craft’s video on critical thinking?

What effort, time, space, mindset, skills and tools do you use to think critically and deeply, and do?

It all starts with asking big questions.

Why? What assumptions? Are we sure? as shown in this video.

In a workshop on creativity and innovative project management that I host for cohorts of apprentices, I also nudge them to use the 4Ds or the double diamond of the creative process to challenge their clients’ pain points and their initial idea.

double diamond design thinking creative process creativity

Source: The Double Diamond by the Design Council is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

How can we embrace messiness and complexity?

Here are actionable insights from fellow workplace learning professionals:

⚡Unpopular opinion, perhaps: Speaking to a friend today about #AI, and I realized that “Messiness” is an inherent part of the process of creating using AI. One must engage with complexities, tackle inherent biases, and navigate through the frequently changing AI-based tools.

It’s an exciting journey that needs an optimistic and hopeful attitude. The messiness of making with AI brings richness and depth to the learning experiences. It aids in critical analysis and invites us to tackle challenges with a positive spirit. Let’s embrace the ‘mess’ as a part of the process for the abundance of learning it offers.” ― Garima Gupta

 

“The biggest AI mistake I see is writing poor prompts. The next biggest mistake? Treating it like a magic wand instead of a power tool. Here are 5 ways to work better with AI (beyond writing better prompts):” ― Srividya Kumar

In Jane Hart’s Top Tools for Learning 2024, there are a few uses of workplace learning professionals that caught my eyes.

Perplexity

“I use Perplexity to research topics for more in-depth information than ChatGPT.” 

“AI-powered answer engine; essential with source citation” 

ChatGPT

“used for analyzing and finding gaps in ideas, processes, content. Also used for chain prompting and creating hands-off assessments with rubrics that give feedback to students.” 

Copilot

“Microsoft Copilot enhances my productivity by integrating seamlessly with my workflow and providing helpful suggestions.”

Gemini

“integrated in our workflow”

Claude

“for ideation, outlining, and revision” 

By the way, do you know and use the GenAI chatbot from Duckduck Go for anonymous access to popular AI models, including GPT-4o mini, Claude 3 and the open-source models Llama 3.1 and Mixtral?

Happy Fall

As we have entered the autumn season, I wish you again what I share in this oldie:

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” ― Albert Camus

 

“Fall has always been my favourite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” ― Lauren DeStefano, Wither

Susan Cain, author of the book Quiet, shares:

“Autumn is my season, dear; it is, after all, the season of the soul.” ― Virginia Woolf

“Is this your season, too?” 

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August Gems

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I continue to share my summer gems with August gems. Enjoy.

Insightful Reminders

“Expression” and “impression”. Your writing and your media needs to be an expression of your thoughts and impressions of the world. That’s what the people who are open to reading and watching new things want from their media.” — Baldur Bjarnason

 

“There are certain tasks where technology can be a lever to help us be more productive. And there are other tasks that beg to receive the attention of human thought and emotional energy. Our task is to figure out which is which:

Students shouldn’t focus on learning how to be productive with technology; they need to learn how to think about how they use it.“

“(…) Blogging is expressing your impression. It’s deriving action from thought. Regardless of how much the AI sphere may not be giving thought to its actions, continued blogging in the face of that reality is deliberate action with thought — something only us humans can do. Blog. Blog against the dying of the light.” — Jim Nielsen

 

“To paraphrase Bacon – Knowledge only be of good use unless like dung it is widely spread.” — Andrew Trickett

 

“I think awe is born of attentiveness or awareness. Not just to those big moments or magnificent views, but of the humble, dailyness of our daily lives.” — Begin in Wonder

 

“It can’t be about how fast or efficient we are, or the volume of work we get through in a week but how much true value or impact we create over time.” — Rachel Botsman

 

“How to make learning come alive? Learn, share, apply.” — Jane McConnell

Immersive Artful Experiences

Mesmerizing. Watch this immersive experience on sports at the Korean Cultural Institute in Paris, France.

This month I also travelled to Bordeaux, France. I particularly enjoyed wandering in the Bassin des Lumières, an impressive former submarine base that was built by the Germans during the Second World War. As described on the website:

“Culturespaces is bringing the base back to life by creating the largest French digital art centre holding major immersive exhibitions.”

I had a similar immersive artistic experience years ago when I was thinking about the futures of the workplace.

In the artful and historical city of Bordeaux, it was also fascinating to see and feel the works of famous artists on large walls and in the water. From Vermeer to Van Gogh. From Mondrian. Here are some photos I took.

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a room with lights and a reflection of a mirror
a room with many lights
a room with many squares and a reflection of a mirror
a room with a mural of a man and woman
a large room with a large mural of people

Another artistic place I enjoyed discovering was La Méca.

“On the banks of the River Garonne, culture and architecture come together in spectacular fashion. La MÉCA (Maison de l’Économie Créative et de la Culture en Aquitaine) is Bordeaux’s monumental culture hub that hosts contemporary art exhibitions, cinema, and performances year-round. Nearly a thousand pixel-windows from Reynaers Aluminium perforate La MÉCA’s façade, contributing to the building’s distinctive design.

Sharp lines, plus distorted perspectives and vanishing points: MÉCA is impressive from afar and up-close. Its 37-metre-high arch rests on two concrete piers, connected across their two upper levels by a steel-framed bridge. Yet it is the pixelated façade that grasps your attention, thanks to the innovative design from the minds of Freaks Architecture and Danish architect Bjarke Ingels. This interplay of clever solutions results in a dynamic image of the public building, from whichever angle you approach it.” — Freaks Architecture BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group)

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a building with a large mirror statue
a large white building with a large square structure
a building with a person walking down the stairs

Epic Paris 2024 Olympic Games

“The Olympics aren’t just about who’s the fastest or the strongest – they’re about the best of human nature shining through in moments of extreme pressure.” — William J. Ryan

The opening ceremony caught my attention, especially with this moment with a featuring and cover of two French artists:

“Another emotional moment at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Friday on the Seine. Embarked on a flamboyant raft, Juliette Armanet, accompanied by Sofiane Pamart on piano, performed John Lennon’s “Imagine”. A hymn to peace, a fundamental value supported by the Olympic spirit, in the Parisian night.”

I was unable to watch the Closing Ceremony from the beginning as I was travelling on the same day. Luckily I caught up with the replay. Once again, it was a featuring between three artists that made me enjoy this event:

“Invited by Phoenix and Kavinsky, the Belgian singer, Angèle, performs Nightcall” with them on stage”

More surprising. The appearance of the Khmer rapper, VannDa, with Phoenix for ten seconds. Little known in France, he is famous in Cambodia.

“At the time of the global pandemic, the rapper released Time to Rise, which racked up 123 million views on YouTube. The track blends his two languages, traditional music and modern rap. This track catapulted him onto the international scene.

The artist performed it on Sunday evening on the stage of the Stade de France, wearing traditional dress. “He is the redefinition of Cambodian music”, according to the organisers of the closing ceremony.” – Le Figaro

You may enjoy his hit: Time to Rise.

What happened between the opening and closing ceremonies?

A universe in ten seconds

”One of the things I enjoy most in watching almost any sport is the moment before the moment: two boxers, each attempting to get the other to break their stare as a referee rattles through rules and instructions; a basketball player opening a palm and dressing it with white powder before clapping two hands together, sending up small smoke signals as a team gathers at center court. Sprinters have these instances, too—say, jumping up and down or pacing before settling into their blocks. But then they have this: the silence that exists while waiting for the gun to fire. 

The young runner, as a poet would, told me, “It’s like waiting on a universe to be built, and then you go.” I found his description to be fascinating. A universe that, depending on what happens beyond the echo of the gun, either crumbles one step at a time, or expands until it belongs to you and no one else.” – Hanif Abdurraqib

What could be included in the next Olympic Games?

“Olympic Cooking (Top Chef meets Eurovision meets March Madness!)

Relay teams with 4 competitors of different ages (under age 20, age 20-39, age 40-60, 60+) to bust stereotypes about older athletes.

Allowing every citizen of the world to participate and represent their home country in an online competition.

You can read the full column here.” – Daniel Pink

August Music Playlist

Barack Obama shared his Summer playlists of books and music.

“With summer winding down, I wanted to share some songs that I’ve been listening to lately – and it wouldn’t be my playlist if it didn’t include an eclectic mix. I hope you find something new to listen to!”

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Back in the day. I enjoy listening again: Common – The People.

What are yours?

Here is my 2024 Summer playlist. Enjoy.

The Earth’s Inner Core Reversal & Ours

Melting ice caps slow Earth’s spin, lengthening days at ‘unprecedented’ rate

“Knowing the exact orientation of Earth at any given moment is crucial when attempting to communicate with a spaceship, such as the Voyager probes that are now well beyond our solar system, where even a slight deviation of a centimeter can end up being kilometers off by the time it reaches its destination.”

The Earth’s Inner Core Reversal

“According to recent research published in Nature Geoscience, Earth’s inner core may have temporarily paused its rotation and begun reversing direction relative to the planet’s surface.”

This made me resurface this quote in my oldie on staying fresh:

“In times of change, learners inherit the Earth while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” — Eric Hoffer

This month has been particularly hot in France, with heatwaves. What are the implications for the planet?

Scientists have expressed concern about the potential impact of such heatwaves, which could become more frequent and severe, further destabilising the Antarctic ice sheets and contributing to global sea level rise. As reported in this Guardian article.

Mars Exploration

“I think that we should go to Mars not because it’s an easy escape, but because we have grown up and we’re using it as a training ground for a much more adult civilisation to take its first steps towards becoming interplanetary, and later on, interstellar. But we should also use all that technology to look back at the Earth.

Projecting ourselves into space is challenging our brains to find solutions that we would not otherwise be seeking on our planet.” — Nathalie Cabrol, director of SETI and author of The Secret Life of the Universe

Read my notes on Cabrol’s latest book.

Posters: Visions of the Future

JPL’s Exoplanet Travel Bureau presents: Visions of the Future.

“Imagination is our window into the future. At NASA/JPL we strive to be bold in advancing the edge of possibility so that someday, with the help of new generations of innovators and explorers, these visions of the future can become a reality. As you look through these images of imaginative travel destinations, remember that you can be an architect of the future.”

My favourite poster is below.

“A global ocean of lava under sparkling, silicate skies reflecting the lava below: what better choice for an extreme vacation? Planet Janssen, or 55 Cancri e, orbits a star called Copernicus only 41 light years away.

The molten surface is completely uninhabitable, but you’ll ride safely above, taking in breathtaking views: the burning horizon, Janssen’s sister planet Galileo hanging in a dark sky, and curtains of glowing particles as you glide across the terminator to Janssen’s dark side. Book your travel now to the hottest vacation spot in the galaxy, 55 Cancri e.”

What is your favourite?

Pacing Myself before Back-To-School

I listened to this podcast episode about recalibrating and adjusting our inner pace as the holidays come to an end and back to school approaches.

“Yesterday, we juggled our working hours with the hours we had left for our loved ones, an activity or two, and the constraints of everyday life. The next day, time is different. Holidays destabilise our clock and force us to think differently about our rhythm.”

As a learner experience designer and teacher, I am preparing for back-to-school with new cohorts and different subjects. This post by Taruna Goel made me reflect on the pedagogies I use to design learner experiences and teach.

“What instructional models have you found particularly effective in your practice? How have you personalized these models to enhance engagement, learning, and transfer?”

Perhaps a mixture of ADDIE, 70 20 10 principles and human centred design. As shared in this oldie on propelling learner experiences.

I am also working on the workbooks of this book ‘Tous pédagogues’ to continuously improve my pedagogy and teaching practice.

Another post reminds me what this is all about:

“Curiosity is the source of wisdom and wonder. Fred Rogers once said in an interview, “Our society is much more interested in information than wonder, in noise rather than silence… And I feel that we need a lot more wonder and a lot more silence in our lives” I want to make space for both within my classroom.”

There is also this quote at the top of the post:

“Always be on the look out for the presence of wonder.” — E.B. White

This makes me resurface this oldie about wandering with creative generalists, which also begins with this quote. I wrote:

ABC of the Creative Generalist

Addicted to learning: keep learning at any age.

Balance for extensive research + sharing your cross-pollination of ideas/sense-making. It is your contribution to the world.

C for seeing the periphery, scanning the horizon, seeing beyond, sharing insights and seeing who else sees what you see.

Use your diverse skills for collaboration, cooperation, and co-creation.

If I had to refresh this post a bit, it would be: ABC of the neo-generalist:

Addicted to learning.

Balance for research and continuous learning powered by GenAI and PKMastery. Extracting and sharing the crème de la crème.

C for seeing the periphery, scanning the horizon, seeing beyond and the dimensions. Share insights and visions.

Use your skills, toolsets and mindsets to collaborate, co-create, cooperate and keep learning.

Happy Summertime

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Summer Gems

Summer Gems.

“All human wisdom is contained in these two words – Wait and Hope” ― Alexandre Dumas, Le Comte de Monte-Christo

 

“We’re looking at a new world. New worlds are always hard on old ideas.” ― Ancient Shores, Jack McDevitt via Jane McConnell

As I did for my Spring Gems I review what caught my attention in July 2024 on media tools and in my personal archives. Here are the insights.

With(out) Generative AI

“Ever wonder where we’re heading as a society in the era of hashtag#ai? Have you recently enjoyed that wave of relief when a human responds to your help request? #aiisameansnotthegoal” ― Michael Running Wolf

 

“Linas Beliunas & will.i.am: “It’s sad that we’re going to live in a world … where machines will be more articulate, capable of analytical, critical thinking, banter ability, contextual, deep understanding, while we (humans) have resorted to short tweets, emojis, memes, and stickers to communicate”.

“Sometimes on the way to your dreams, you get lost and find a better one!” via Trish Wilson

 

“What do you get when you combine brainstorming with roleplays?” ― ModelThinkers

Rolestorming

“Actionable Takeaways
  • Generate ideas by shifting perspectives. 

Ask what would <another person> think/ say/ suggest / do in this situation? Use Rolestorming as a group ideation technique or to reframe a problem for yourself. Use the table above as a starting point and quickly define the person’s worldview and unique perspective before applying it to your current problem. 

  • Challenge your view and shift your habits with Rolestorming. 

Beyond innovation, consider how you can challenge and shift your self-identity by asking ‘What would a x person do in this situation?’ Where x might be a person who is healthy, funny, creative, ethical, empathetic, or any attribute you want to improve in yourself. Acting from that place will build up your evidence that you are ‘that sort of person’ and allow identity-based habits to take root.”

Hosting Nudges

“I was speaking at a conference today and one of the facilitators did such a beautiful ice breaker exercise I wanted to share it with you:
* How did you get your name? (First, middle, last)
* What’s the story behind it?” ― Rachel Botsman

 

“(…) knowing how to create meaning with and for your people is a gift. And it’s learnable. And it’s free.

No matter your age or budget, go have some fun.” ― Priya Parker

 

“It’s so easy to feel like you’ve missed the chance to connect with someone once a certain amount of time has passed, but the reality is that as long as you’re still receptive, that window has not closed!” ― Claire O’Brien

 

“How do you improve independent and collective thinking?” 

“(…) Diverge, converge, diverge, converge.

You walk away to come back together to ignite something with energy.“

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Source: https://substack.com/@rachelbotsman/note/c-61502390?r=1dkqpl

Effortless & Fulfilling Way of Living

“Trying Not to Try” by Edward Slingerland. Insights from Perplexity via Daniel Durrant.

“Major Takeaways and Lessons

  1. Indirect Pursuit of Goals: Slingerland emphasizes that many goals, such as happiness and success, are best achieved indirectly. Trying too hard can lead to counterproductive outcomes, while a more relaxed approach can yield better results.
  2. Integration of Philosophies: The book suggests that both Daoist and Confucian strategies can be integrated to achieve wu-wei. While Daoism provides a more passive approach, Confucianism offers a structured path to internalize virtuous behavior.
  3. Modern Relevance: Slingerland connects ancient wisdom with modern cognitive science, showing how wu-wei aligns with contemporary understandings of the brain and behavior. He argues that spontaneous generosity and authentic behavior are governed by automatic mental processes, which can be cultivated.”

 

Relevance in Contemporary Context

In today’s fast-paced and achievement-oriented society, the ideas presented in Trying Not to Try are particularly relevant. The book offers a counter-narrative to the pervasive culture of constant striving and self-improvement. By advocating for a more relaxed and indirect approach to achieving goals, Slingerland provides a refreshing perspective that can help individuals find balance and authenticity in their lives.

In conclusion, Trying Not to Try by Edward Slingerland is a thought-provoking exploration of how ancient Chinese wisdom and modern science converge to reveal the power of spontaneity. The book’s insights into wu-wei offer valuable lessons for anyone seeking a more effortless and fulfilling way of living.

 

“As marine biologist Wallace Nichols wrote in Blue Mind, water tends to induce “a mildly meditative state characterized by calm, peacefulness, unity, and a sense of general happiness and satisfaction with life in the moment.” via Adam Grant

Creativity & Agency

“In other words, creativity has a lot to do with agency. Of being asked to make choices that enable the making of creative work and which affect its quality. Choices that affect, too, your experience of this: can you learn from your process? Can you sustain effort? Can you take joy from it, deriving inspiration and momentum that can help you move onto future projects?

This experience of being creative is inflected by agency – how much you have and over what areas of your life. When it comes to choosing how you spend your time alone, how much of your ‘own’ time do you possess? Are you in a position to dictate or negotiate many or some of the day-job conditions that will inform the way in which you live for this time?

What agency can you exercise in the way you respond to whatever conditions with which you are contending? Are you abundantly resourced or bedevilled with hard decisions over how to stretch a tight budget? What obligations do you owe to dependents, partners, bosses, colleagues, comrades, friends, or family?” ― Meredith Lewis

 

“Have the temerity to experiment with what your nascent creative practice might look like. Prize temerity over success.” ― Meredith Lewis

Imaginize World

From Jane McConnell a fellow seeker and member of the Perpetual Beta Coffee Club, hosted by Harold Jarche:

“I just reviewed the first months results from my imaginize.world podcast. I did a pdf of the homepage, that leads you to person pages with links to videos, audio files and transcripts. Substack wont let me post it, so head over to my own website and grab your copy. imaginize.world

Click on the titles in the pdf and move straight to the guest page. Enjoy – and let me know your thoughts? Any ideas for imaginize.world?

I have saved my copy to reflect on when time permits.

“With every future we wish to create, we must first learn to imagine it.” ― Chen Quifan via Jane McConnell

Along with my summer reading list, I now have a listening list for this Summer and beyond: the Imaginize World podcast hosted by Jane.

Continuous Learning

“The leader’s central task is to design environments that promote knowledge creation, continuous learning, and innovation.

It’s an atmosphere of guided autonomy.” ― Ed Morrison

 

“70:20:10 is a reference framework and not an implementation model.

70:20:10 simply points out that most learning occurs as part of working and sharing with others (the ’70’ and ’20’ parts) and the model helps organisations design solutions that exploit learning from working and learning with others.” ― Charles Jennings

As I prepare for the return of new courses and workshops in September, two actionable insights are great reminders:

“I strive to connect with students on an individual level and try to find the words and motivation that will unlock something for them. I am always learning from them too, and I look forward to this class every year with both anticipation and fear!” ― Mary Dunleavy via Barbara Shirvis

 

“How do you make the shift from learning designer to learning/[learner] experience designer?” ― Srividya Kumar

Short answer: using Human-Centered Design.

Happy Summertime

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Spring Gems

Spring Gems.

“On building & maintaining a knowledge garden: “Gardens require work, but it’s work that gives you life.”
— @jarango” via @marshallk

I review what caught my attention in May and June 2024 on media tools and in my personal archives. Here are the insights.

On Identities

“I don’t know what kind of career I want to forge for myself. But I want it to be one where I love the work that I’ve done. And I like to think that I have good instincts.” — Anya Taylor-Joy

 

“I don’t really feel like I belong anywhere, which makes me belong everywhere.” — Anya Taylor-Joy

George Miller‘s latest movie, Furiosa, was such a treat to see in the cinema.

“How right it is to love flowers and the greenery of pines and ivy and hawthorn hedges; they have been with us from the very beginning.” – Vincent Van Gogh via Meredith Lewis

 

“i do not know what it is about you that closes and opens; only something in me understands the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses.” – e.e. cummings from ‘somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond via Meredith Lewis

 

“I like to bundle SWOT analyses into my PESTLEs. There’s always possibilities we can’t predict. Good ol VUCA!” – @ddrrnt

On Focus

“Planning, daydreaming, predicting, worrying, reflecting, or anticipating add up to time we spend thinking about what isn’t going on around us.

Contemplating or re-experiencing events that have happened in the past = retrospection.

Thinking about what might happen in the future = prospection.

The part I find interesting is that animals can mull over events they’ve experienced before. But only humans can think about the possible consequences of future events they’ve never experienced by stimulating the future in our minds. We are unique voyagers through time.” – Rachel Botsman

 

“The volume of our communication, and our unfettered access to information and other people, have made it more difficult than ever to focus. Despite this reality, there is another truth: Opportunities to focus are still all around us. But we must recognize them and believe that the benefit of focus, for yourself and the people you lead, is worth making it a priority in your life. In other words, before you can lead others, the first person you must lead is yourself.” – Mike Erwin

 

“Through books I was introduced to the world of Hayek, Machiavelli , Locke, Adam Smith, Hobbes and Rousseau as well as that of Tolkien and the beauty of ideas and language.

I will keep my hardcopy of books and make sure that my grandson can always read them so that the ideas contained therein are not ‘updated’ to reflect the mores of the time

I will always use it to ride that magic carpet over the seas to Cathay or into the vast reaches of space, armed with a notebook a comfy chair and a good cup of freshly brewed coffee.” – Andrew Trickett

I went back this spring and rediscovered Strasbourg, France’s first UNESCO World Book Capital, with great pleasure. You can listen to this podcast in French. Here is an excerpt:

“Reading is an indulgence that helps us grow”.

On Engagement

“Implicit in the language of engagement are the following behaviors:
Noticing
Validating
Supporting
Assuming Commitment
Seeking Understanding
Supporting
Promoting
Inviting
Empowering” – Rachel Happe

 

“Ecosystems emerge from platforms that provide safe spaces for collaborations to form. While we cannot manage ecosystems, we can manage the rules, activities, & participants on the platform. Japanese scholars Nonaka and Konno call these safe spaces “Ba”. – Ed Morrison

 

“To break free from analysis paralysis, it’s crucial to take the action step to move to “What will we do?” – Jane Rogan

What are you up to?

How and why to make a /now page on your site to work and learn out loud.

“Creativity: having the courage to finish. “Do the best work you can, forgive yourself for not doing what you wanted to do, and show your work.” – Meredith Lewis

 

“According to this paper #Serendipity is not merely about chance but is deeply intertwined with the proactive elements of triggering, connection, follow-up, and the capacity to perceive and capitalize on unexpected opportunities.” https://asistdl.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/asi.23273” – @ddrrnt

 

“(…) Twitter used to be the most wonderful platform for serendipity: Those gloriously off-piste encounters that lead to connections with people or events or ideas or content from all over the world that I doubt I would have found without social media, and especially Twitter.” – Meredith Lewis

 

“As Google+ was shattered end-user behavior, in general, changed across social media networks. Much of this change was sometime coming. The closure of Google+ didn’t materially affect it but it catalyzed some of it accelerating the process as rivals sprung up and decentralized networks started getting the upper hand (which has led to the rise of the fediverse).” – David Amerland

What is the Fediverse? It is explained by Common Craft in this video.

“A recent study on the customer (and fan) psychology associated with parasocial relationships highlights why social media is as necessary as it is tricky and why trust that’s so hard to build is also so easy to lose.” – David Amerland

On Super Skills

“Soft skills are the way for us to future-proof [/now-proof] ourselves & our workforce and drive sustainable success in the age of AI. Because our edge will always be human.” – Taruna Goel

 

“(…) “HCD is an umbrella term that covers the likes of design thinking (DT), User Experience design (UXD), customer experience design (CXD), and Learning Experience Design (LXD). They’re all variations of a theme, and that theme is that everyone provides a service to someone.”

“(…) In the age of AI, human centered design is a super skill because it puts people first. It ensures the numbers that the software crunches will provide intelligence to inform a decision that your customer needs to make. It ensures the process that the agent automates will service a need that your customer has. As the popular saying goes, it ensures your plane lands at the right airport. In this way, HCD is a soft skill that complements and galvanizes your suite of hard skills. It’s a super skill that not only empowers you among the robots. It also empowers you among your fellow humans with whom you compete for jobs, bonuses, and promotions.” – Ryan Tracey

I have completed the Human Centered Design Crash Course hosted by Ryan Tracey. Here is my review:

This is an excellent, clear, actionable and straightforward course. Each theme is well woven and provides a trigger to be ready before moving on to the next step.

I enjoyed walking through this learner experience and found it beneficial in strengthening my innovation muscles and being more consistent when it comes to figure out and level up fellow newbie innovators.

Happy Summertime

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Futures Thinking

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Futures Thinking Caught my Attention

“As we see the future, so we act; as we act we become.” — Barbara Marx Hubbard via Gerd Leonhard

Learning, Community Management, Personal Knowledge Mastery, and Futures Thinking.

I explore and am passionate about those disciplines.

I think my curiosity for futures thinking started when I was followed by Gerd Leonhard (@gleonhard) on Twitter.

By the way here is below Gerd’s podcast episode how he started to become a futurist.

Then I started diving into the blog posts on foresight by Venessa Miemis, especially this one: Essential Skills for 21st Century Survival: Part 4: Foresight.

Essentially, foresight the ability to see “the long view;” to look at information from the past and present, extract the patterns and lessons, and use them to inform decision-making in order to impact the direction things go into the future.

There are a range of tools for foresight, the most common being: environmental scanning, trend analysis, brainstorming, modeling, gaming, visioning, and scenario development. 

Scanning was already covered earlier in this series, so here is a brief overview of the others.”

Let’s discover other perspectives and principles of foresight to develop the fundamentals of this discipline.

Futures Thinking Fundamentals

How about the principles for thinking like a futurist? Marina Gorbis, Executive Director of the Institute for the Future, introduced them in a blog post.

“In my twenty years at the Institute, I’ve developed five core principles for futures thinking:

  1. Forget about predictions.

  2. Focus on signals.

  3. Look back to see forward.

  4. Uncover patterns.

  5. Create a community.“

She concludes her article with those thoughts:

“At its best, futures thinking is not about predicting the future; rather, it is about engaging people in thinking deeply about complex issues, imagining new possibilities, connecting signals into larger patterns, connecting the past with the present and the future, and making better choices today.

Futures thinking skills are essential for everyone to learn in order to better navigate their own lives and to make better decisions in the face of so many transformations in our basic technologies and organizational structures.

The more you practice futures thinking, the better you get.”

But how can we start to look at the world differently?

Futures Thinking with Fresh Eyes

“To look at the world differently is already to change the world.” — Werner Heinsenberg, physicist and inventor of quantum mechanics

Does foresight start with seeing the world through fresh eyes?

Here is a summary and sketchnote by Tanmay Vora of the article on this subject.

 

75 fresheyes 1

 

How can we go deep into futures thinking practices?

Futures Thinking – IFTF Specialisations & Community of Practice

Here are a few recommended ways I use and suggest:

Ready, Set, Future! Introduction to Futures Thinking.

Life After COVID-19: Get Ready for our Post-Pandemic Future.

Futures Thinking Specializations.

Urgent Optimists Community

I was awarded a yearly scholarship and got an invitation from IFTF to join the Urgent Optimists Global Community of practice hosted by Jane McGonigal, research director at IFTF. I was one of the founding members of the Urgent Optimists Community.

“Urgent Optimists is Institute for the Future’s first individual membership program.

We’re bringing together people who want to feel authentically hopeful about the future, and who are working to create positive transformation in society and in their own lives.”

Consider joining us to develop imagination, courage and deep collaboration skills.

Take a listen.

Your turn. How are you developing your futures thinking to stay relevant and ahead of the game?

Futures Thinking & Future Skills

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Defrag

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I reflect on the value of defragmenting and unifying our artefacts, our writings and ourselves in a fragmented world. Read on more in this post.

Defragmenting our Arfefacts

For past Winter holidays, I grabbed the Greenlights Journal by Matthew McConaughey. As he introduces:

“Greenlights: Your Journal, Your Journey is a guided companion to the memoir Greenlights, filled with prompts, pithy quotes, adages, outlaw wisdom, and advice on how to live with greater satisfaction.”

Sometimes it is not so easy to map our thoughts when we face the challenges of fragmented writing.

With personal knowledge mastery’s activities and tools I use, I don’t just write on one platform, but on many ones. From Slack to IM messaging tools. From my blog to a book. From Google Workspace to M365 documents and Clickup documents. Less and less on email. #NoEmail

Lately I have also been sharing a few thoughts on Mastodon and LinkedIn, one conversation at a time.

My crumbling of writings through blogging, microblogging, asynchronous and live chat is fragmented. I wonder.

How can I unify and streamline these streams of writing into one river of writing?

Grant Snider’s comic strip is full of stellar insights. Enjoy it.

“To sketch what you observe is to change the tempo of your observation. It necessarily slows your sensemaking down, and sharpens what you see.” – Fiona Tribe

Rewind: The Learning Journey sketchnoted by Klara Loots and moi.

“Slowing down is important for deep observation and learning.” – Dibyendu De

Defragmenting our Writings

The other thing I notice is that my writing time is still an unplanned activity.

I don’t do it consistently. I’m aware of it.

“I thought of myself as like the jazz musician: someone who practices and practices and practices in order to be able to invent and to make his art look effortless and graceful.

I was always conscious of the constructed aspect of the writing process, and that art appears natural and elegant only as a result of constant practice and awareness of its formal structures.” – Toni Morrison

How do things work for me?

If I notice something, I might think about it. Do some research or not at all.

Then I would make a draft and sleep on it for a while. When I come back to it, I will refine the post before sharing it with my network on social or in person and through the online communities I engage with.

But it all starts with why I am writing.

“We write to taste life twice, in the moment & in retrospect.” – Anais Nin

We write to reflect and to practice.

I have a blogroll to engage with and read deep thoughts, shared experience, reflection and musings from bloggers around the world.

Being aware of ourselves. Noticing ourselves and trying to unify ourselves could begin by blogging on our own blog. But the challenge is to unify or defragment ourselves in a fragmented world. As I noticed in this old post:

In a fragmented world, we need to go deep; as Nilofer Merchant said:

“It’s a fragmented world. And it’s only becoming more so. It used to be that when people wrote, they wrote more deeply. In the early days of the web (pre-twitter), I remember hand picking the few voices I would listen to and then putting them into my RSS feeder and checking for their essays.

Essays, not tweets, were the way we shared what we were thinking. But as “content” has become more important to maintain a standing online, more and more people are entering into the fray. More and more people who may not even have a point of view to advocate but just want to participate in the conversation. ” —  Nilofer Merchant

How can we go deep and defragment ourselves in a fragmented world?

Writing online is different from writing in other analog ways.

“Writing on the Web is a technology we are just starting to learn to use. While writing for the Web can be seen as formally and functionally close to writing for print, such a perspective deprives it of the opportunities hypermedia environments and its texts open for us to connect, understand and know more.

To write well on the Web, we need to be aware of the metamorphoses of text on the Web [link to a transcribed talk with Cruce Saunders: The Semantic Web and Linked Data with Teodora Petkova] and the world behind our looped writer’s and reader’s eye.” — Teodora Petkova

Defragmenting Ourselves

Like this post you are reading, I wrote a first draft a while ago. Then I slept on it until I got my blogging mojo back. Because I read a good recent post by Meredith:

“That put me in mind of this quote that I found somewhere on my internet travels:

“Each person is to build his or her soul by bringing the widely scattered elements of experience into a unified whole.” – Ilia Delio

How do we unify those widely scattered elements of experience? We all have our own way of coming at that challenge, and, for me, I always turn to creativity and the arts” – Meredith Lewis

I carry on the conversation on Mastadon with Meredith on the topic of unifying/defragmenting ourselves.

@dangerousmeredith A fine piece, Meredith. You made me think. My pen pal, Daniel Durrant wrote in a conversation in 2015 this:

“A network of fragile fragmented selves gains from disorder and evolves as we become aware of their failures.”

Your latest and his thoughts made me mull over.

How can we defragment our fragmented selves in a fragmented world?

As Daniel wasn’t on Mastodon for this conversation, we’ll continue it with Meredith on Twitter. Especially as I revisited this oldie “A Networked Community of Fragmented ‘Selves” by Dibyendu De, which is fully of nudges to ponder:

“What happens if the ‘selves’ weren’t aware of each other?

What happens if the selves simply knew each other well enough to form a community of strongly networked selves that help each other grow?

What happens if a person tries to create or design synergy between different selves?

How does one become a better spectator and player in the networked community of human society that constantly interacts with nature – both within and without?“

March is a very special month for me. Every year a cascade of deep thoughts, events and movements happen at the same time. As I have blogged:

March. Is it the month when I am in motion, exploring, activating, rewinding my journey, updating my toolkit, staying curious, colliding, asking myself why, innovating, developing new capabilities and mindset, and embracing the unknown.

Keep it real.

Happy Spring.

Defragmenting with the Tapestry Book

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Summer Explorations

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Did you have a pleasant summer? Do you enjoy Fall ?

Please find below my summer explorations: exhibitions and cities. Enjoy.

Le Havre & Exhibits

Le Havre in September 2019

Source: By Martin Falbisoner – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82036024

I previously visited Le Havre and fell in love with this Normandy seaside town once again this summer. Take a look at this Les Ambassadeurs’ city exploration. I’m particularly fond of the architectural style and flair by French architect Auguste Perret, who has left his imprint not just on Le Havre, but also on Paris and Amiens. It exudes charm, refreshment, modernity, class and boasts impressive architecture.

The present displays, ‘Un été au Havre‘ in certain artistic locations both inside and outside the buildings, are splendid and captivating regardless of whether it is sunny or rainy.

Were you aware of this?

“Paris, Rouen, Le Havre, une seule et même ville dont la Seine est la grande rue.” – Napoléon Bonaparte, premier Consul. Le Havre, le 8 novembre 1802.

Translated:

“Paris, Rouen, Le Havre, a single city with the river la Seine as its main street.” – Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul. Le Havre, 8 November 1802.

Dublin, Howth, Malahide

In the ‘Amateur Traveler’ podcast, Chris Christensen and his guest discuss about travelling to Dublin, Ireland.

According to them, Dublin acts as the gateway to the rest of Ireland and is renowned for its welcoming atmosphere.It is also a compact city which allows tourists to easily visit all the prominent and lesser-known sites in just three days.

This is what I experienced during the transition from Summer to Autumn in three cities. The highlights of my trip included listening to traditional Irish music at O’Donoghue’s in Dublin, wandering through the medieval castle and gardens of Malahide, which is a fortress spread over 105 hectares of parkland, adorned with antiques, paintings and a fairy trail, and exploring Howth. See below a photo of the stunning landscape I photographed while hiking on a sunny and gusty morning.

learner experience propelling expérience apprenante propulser sea ireland howth

Exhibit Busan, the world at your fingertips, the Korean Cultural Center, Paris

I continue to develop my curiosity for Asia through my intrigue with Busan, the Korean city, and and its culture, which I explored through an exhibit I attended in Paris.

“The exhibition you’re going to see will help you explore various aspects of this southern city, which is less known than the influential Seoul, but just as appealing and vibrant. Discover the locals who, despite the twists in history, have managed to keep their bubbling optimism alive. The Korean Cultural Centre invites you to ride the wave and delve into a culture that has been greatly influenced by foreign elements.

Divided into two main sections, this exhibition gives a broad overview of what has made and represents Busan. Firstly, a first section presents its history and identity. Then, a second chapter takes over by revealing an exciting cultural part.”

Nantes & Third place

hangar a bananes 4

Source: https://www.iledenantes.com/operations/hangar-a-bananes/

I am fascinated by the futures of workplace and third places that supercharge work and collective learning. During this summer, I had the pleasure of discovering and relishing such a third place in Nantes, France.

“The Hangar à bananes, an old port wasteland located on the western tip of the Isle of Nantes, has become one of the most iconic entertainment venues in Nantes since 2007. Over the years, bars, restaurants, a nightclub, an art gallery (the Hab Galerie), and a theatre have been established there.”

Exhibit Le Paris de Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923), Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine, Paris

I thoroughly enjoy the architectural exhibition that showcases the works of Gustave Eiffel. The exhibition is brimming with intricate details and highlights his remarkable accomplishments, which have left an enduring legacy in France.

“To mark the centenary of the death of the “iron magician”, the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine is unveiling another facet of the genius’s career.

He is known the world over for his famous 300-metre-high “Iron Lady”. But who knows about his department stores, his synagogue, his church or his secondary school? The Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine, located in the Palais de Chaillot, is revealing a completely different facet of the illustrious architect’s career with its exhibition The Paris of Gustave Eiffel. To mark the centenary of the death of Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923), the builder’s sometimes overlooked achievements in Paris are presented. Behind six of them, only the most initiated know the imprint of the genius.” – translated from the article from Le Figaro

Your turn. What do you explore over this Summer?

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Hosting a Soft Skills Workshop

On 21st October 2022, I hosted a three-hour in-person workshop with a local French partner in Le Grand Paris, France. It was fun, energizing and insightful. Discover my debriefing below.

Participants of the Soft Skills Workshop

Thirteen French solopreneurs from diverse sectors who activate and propel their soft skills.

As a workshop host, I invited the cohort:

  • To discuss the need for soft skills development over a monthly offline community chat.
  • To share knowledge and encourage conversations between participants on this topic.

Active Pedagogy

As a proponent of social learning, learning by moving, doing and reflecting, I turned the room into three or four pods of tables and chairs before the participants entered the room. To do so, I arrived twenty minutes before the kick-off of the workshop and got some help from the staff of my workshop’s partner. I intended to nudge the participants upon their arrival to go to a pod and later to be in a group of three or four.

This set the right conditions for forming a peer learning circle with listening, caring, sharing knowledge and reflection. As a host, my role was to suggest assigning roles (master of inclusion, master of time, master of production). Turning solopreneurs who barely know each other into teams of possible collaborators and fellow active learners.

Hosting the Soft Skills Workshop

Debriefing the Soft Skills Workshop

To Monitor

The roundtable was longer than expected: 20 minutes instead of 10. Leaving the floor to each participant to introduce themselves take time while being the time master as a host.

Leaving more time and space per team to get to know each other and collaborate on a precise and expected deliverable: the top skills and ways to activate and develop them as solopreneurs.

Welcoming, onboarding and offboarding the workshop participants with a few introductory words, smiles, tea and coffee. This is how, as I host, I show I care.

Setting up the workshop room with four pods of tables and chairs before the arrival of participants is physical and takes time. Next time, perhaps, invite the participants to do so, as well as a first collective effort.

After the workshop, the follow-up communication between moi and the local partner was ok. The participants got an actionable version of the deck I used to animate, and a few connected and carried on the conversation via Linkedin.

Matters Raised

The projection of the deck on the wall was too small sometimes to read the sources and small typography I added from my research and curation on soft skills and future skills.

No wifi in the room. Only smartphone connection. I did not need to use the Internet to host this workshop. The participants use their mobile to pull links and get inspiration on this topic per team. Fine.

Go Further: Future Skills²

You may enjoy the below oldies on soft skills and future skills.

Potential and Conversational

Strengths Building

Future Skills

Latest research from the World Economic Forum: Future of jobs 2023: These are the most in-demand skills now – and beyond

What are your top five future skills?


What resources do you use to activate them?

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