Conversation Agent - Valeria Maltoni

How our Brain Gets at Truth and the Role of Ambiguity in Giving us a Free Pass

Much of our modern dialogue about business and many other topics today is based on the dichotomy between science and advocacy. We say evidence, consistency, and proof are important to us, but we also have strongly held beliefs the truth of which ironically prove hard to explore objectively. That's because we're not objective at all. We're built that way, and we hardly ever gather data on ourselves... plus how much is the data gathering process unbiased? We tend to think we're proficient at something even when we aren't. And the “we aren't” is likely closer to the truth. Our ego... Read more →

Getting Past "No"

“Diplomacy is the art of letting someone else have your way.” [Daniele Vare, Italian diplomat] We may not realize it, but to make decisions in our personal and professional lives we often use negotiation techniques. In many of our important decisions — those that have the greatest impact on our performance at work and your satisfaction at home — most of us need to reach out to others and negotiate. Experienced negotiators learn to focus on issues rather than harden on positions, and in so doing they engage in joint problem solving. In Getting to Yes, Roger Fisher and William... Read more →

Using Conversation to Build Relationships, and the Difference Between Conversation and Communication

“The art of conversation is the art of hearing as well as of being heard.” [William Hazlitt] The holidays are always a time charged with emotion. Year-end projects we need to wrap up, the desire and need for a break, and time with the family all contribute to a perfect mix in potentially derailing our experiences vs. expectations. There's a gray zone of uncertainty in there based on collective stress levels. Which is why the best way to come out on the side of enjoyment is to prepare. The best way to take control is not avoidance, but a greater... Read more →

A Reading List for the Holidays

Every week I share what I'm reading in Learning Habit. Subscribing to the free letter is also the only way to receive new articles on Conversation Agent and updates on what I'm working on (coming soon) by email. The only way to receive the email is by subscribing and opting in using the link above or the subscribe box on this site — “never signed up for this” is an impossibility here. It's been a while since the mid summer reading list, so here's a current list to give you ideas to get smarter during the holiday season, start the... Read more →

Designing a Culture to Dissolve Problems

“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.” [Edward Abbey] We're immersed in a culture of more where the loudest conversation on growth is to acquire, accumulate, buy, consume in larger quantities, and get bigger rather than get better — we seem to think there's an infinite number of choices. But more choices don't translate into better outcomes. In fact, the opposite is the case. Greater choice paralyzes us and makes us poor strategists. When we're called to make decisions of consequence, more creates confusion, it buries signal under a mountain of noise, where options... Read more →

Creativity in Business

“Is it a yes, or is it a no? [Michael Ray] When we're stumped or stuck into over-analyzing something, this is what we should ask ourselves, according to Michael Ray, who has taught a Stanford course on Personal Creativity in Business for more than a quarter century. That simple tip of relying on our gut for an answer is one of Ray's many lessons, mostly counter intuitive. They tap into old age principles and wisdom — “if you're in a hurry, slow down,” my mother would says, and it turns out that in our haste to be fast and efficient... Read more →

What Cognitive Computing can Teach us About How we Learn

The need for a more evidence-based approach to complex decisions has catapulted computing beyond the rigid logic tree, which breaks under the strains of high volumes of information. We're now squarely in the world of cognitive computing, heralded by IBM's Watson. We need the power of cognitive computing to put into context the volumes of information we deal with daily in many professions. It's easy to see how doctors and financial analysts benefit from systems that help them derive value by enhancing their expertise, but we could argue that many other fields are increasingly dependent and interdependent on knowing more,... Read more →

Out Beyond Ideas of "Either" and "Or" there is a Middle Ground on Artificial Intelligence. We Should Meet There

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there.” [13th Century Sufi poet] When we were talking about uses of Artificial Intelligence (AI) ten years ago in mainstream conversations we didn't know as much as we do today. But that didn't mean we got it all wrong. Yet it is the degree of wrong that matters when we work with systems — a small tweak in one direction or another can make a big difference. Which is why big ideas and ambitious scenario like Minority Report need tempering with a healthy dose of reality.... Read more →

We Learn by Experimenting at Any Age

Our brains are amazing systems whose inner workings we're only beginning to understand. But the fact that we don't have a flowchart that details exactly how our brain works doesn't prevent us from using it effectively — when we focus on outcomes. The brain is a marvel of engineering with thousands of connections and transmissions happening at any one time. Although our ancestors revered the wisdom that came with age, an open question in modern times is how we can keep our intellectual engine going well past our prime, however we define it. Information designer Tom Wujec says we use... Read more →