{"id":443,"date":"2012-06-19T16:11:43","date_gmt":"2012-06-19T23:11:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.janusdialogs.com\/?p=443"},"modified":"2014-03-06T16:47:13","modified_gmt":"2014-03-07T00:47:13","slug":"to-dumb-to-smart-or-just-out-of-alignment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.janusdialogs.com\/?p=443","title":{"rendered":"Too Dumb, too Smart, or Just Out of Alignment?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It would be nice to think that as a species we are forever improving. Stronger, faster, smarter. But what if we aren\u2019t? What if we have passed our evolutionary mental zenith and are now on the down side?<\/p>\n

Matt Ridley explored this for The Wall Street Journal<\/a> concluding:<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/em>\u2019Has brain size stopped increasing?’ For a process that takes millions of years, any answer about a particular instant in time is close to meaningless. Nonetheless, the short answer is probably \u2018yes.\u2019\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis neither worries nor surprises me. We ceased relying upon individual brain power tens of thousands of years ago. Our civilization now gets all its inventive and creative power from the linking of brains into networks. Our future depends on being clever not individually, but collectively.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Immediately concerning is the belief that less clever people will collectively<\/em><\/strong> drive the inventive and creative future of our civilization. This \u201cyes, we are losing money on each item, but we will make up for it in volume\u201d argument is in and of itself proof of our decline.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The SunLight Foundation<\/a> looked at one such collective \u2013 the United States Congress \u2013 and found that based on an analysis of the congressional records, our elected officials now speak almost a full grade level lower<\/a> than just seven years ago.<\/p>\n

The Founding Fathers<\/a> wrote the Constitution<\/em> and Declaration of Independence<\/em> at above a grade 15 level. They were admittedly well educated compared to the average person at the time.<\/p>\n

Today, Congress is speaking at a 10th<\/sup> grade level and the average American reads at between an 8th<\/sup> and 9th<\/sup> grade level. So, are our leaders getting dumber or, as a more pleasant alternate theory, is congress simply communicating more effectively?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Like communicating and listening, teaching and learning are two sides of the same coin. If the level of teaching greatly exceeds the ability or desire to learn, there is likely to be no learning at all. If it falls short of ability or desire, the same outcome occurs.<\/p>\n

Already recognized as one of the more important aspects of any experience marketing, it is more and more important that your content align to your audiences\u2019 needs and desires at the time they are consuming it.<\/em><\/p>\n

How are you ensuring you are not at too high a level for the audience who wants 8th<\/sup> grade simplicity, or too low a level for the audience who wants advanced knowledge? As the caretaker<\/a>, this audience alignment is crucial.<\/p>\n

Knowledge and Intelligence<\/strong><\/p>\n

Education has changed greatly since the birth of the three R\u2019s<\/a> in 1825. In fact, so much so that some have proposed they be changed<\/a> from Reading<\/em> Wr<\/strong>iting<\/em> and Ar<\/strong>ithmetic<\/em> to Relating<\/em>, Representing<\/em>, and Reasoning<\/em>. (No comment on the \u201ctrickery\u201d of the original 3 R\u2019s that has lead a few to believe them to be Reading<\/em>, Riting<\/em>, and Rithmatic<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

Yet more than reflecting a change in education, this proposed change mirrors the distinctions between Knowledge<\/a> and Intelligence<\/a>. The knowledge to read<\/em>, write<\/em>, and calculate\u00a0arithmetic<\/em> is not an alternative to the intelligence to relate<\/em>, represent<\/em>, and reason. <\/em>They are complementary.<\/em><\/p>\n

Knowledge<\/em> has been defined as a familiarity with something, such as facts, information, descriptions, or skills acquired through experience or education.<\/p>\n

Intelligence<\/em> as \u201cabstract thought, understanding, self-awareness, communication, reasoning, learning, having emotional knowledge, retaining, planning, and problem solving\u201d<\/p>\n

Are your content and message the right balance of practical and theory? How are you aligning these to your attendees\u2019 needs and desires?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pull Learning versus Push Teaching<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is always easier to pull a string than to push it. You have more control over direction, speed, and outcome. The same is true of marketing and learning.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Social, technical, economic, and political<\/a> changes are impacting education and bringing new and exciting alternatives to traditional approaches. How, when, and why people learn is changing. There is a shift away from the classroom and campus (read as keynote\/breakouts<\/em> and on-site<\/em>) and towards Pull Learning – accessing knowledge when and how desired by the learner.<\/p>\n