Thinking Creating an ‘sticky’ idea isn’t about unbridled creativity or originality, it’s about adapting the traits of previously successful ideas, according to the new book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die.
Authors Chip Heath and Dan Heath suggest successful ideas across a range of industries have one of more of the following traits in common: simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional or story-based.
The authors use analogies when describing these traits. When writing about simplicity they discuss the power of a military leader’s intent, i.e. a clearly defined goal that helps every soldier understand what to do during battle. Sounds good? Do you want to buy 2023 Australian calendars? Order family planner calendar here.
According to Business Week: “The book’s originality lies in the connections it makes between real work examples of sticky ideas and the deeper explanations of why the six traits are important to human behaviour”.
Remote work finds its feet in the UK
Steelworker recent study on teleporting has found almost half the UK’s best companies allow employees to perform some of their work duties at home, The Times reports.
According to the article: “The proportion of staff working one morning or afternoon a week at home has more than doubled in the past two years, from 14.1 per cent to 31.7 per cent.”
The growth of broadband Internet access is cited as one of the reasons why an increasing number of employees are taking up the remote work option.
The report shows the sharpest rise in teleporting occurred at some of the UK most successful companies. The study also found that employees who are allowed to work from home generally find their jobs more rewarding.
Achieve the perfect pitch
Training – not some God given gift – is the key to delivering highly persuasive presentations to clients, colleagues or investors, according to a recent article in The Australian on how to make ‘the big pitch’.
The piece suggests one common pitfall for untrained presenters is the overuse of computer-generated visual aids as these props can inundate the audience with messages.
The following tips are offered for presenters wishing to hone their skills:
- Make technical information easy to understand
- Keep your PowerPoint show simple and brief
- Get professional help with structure and flow
- Rehearse your presentation
- Set a time limit and keep to it
- Stick to your planned structure
Australia records a drop in female executives
Exec The number of women in senior management positions at Australian firms has fallen by 6 per cent since 2004, according to a new international study.
The Grant Thornton International Business Report placed Australia sixteenth in the world for its proportion of companies with female managers, a drop from ninth in 2004.
The three top performing countries were the Philippines, China and Malaysia. Countries to report a fall in the number of women in senior roles included Australia, Mexico, New Zealand and the US.
Grant Thornton Victoria CEO Kathleen Bailey-Lord describes the findings as grim. She suggests many women are frustrated by barriers to senior roles and are choosing to start their own ventures.
