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How Smart People Can Be So Dense, Difficult, and Frustrating

November 15, 2007 by Liz Leave a Comment

Thinking about What I Think About

think_different

It was Valeria who challenged me and Joe who challenged her. The challenge was simple enough. Choose something that I have a negative response to and find a way to give my view a new spin . . . think “different” . . . change the way we’ve thought in the past.

When she put forth the challenge, Valeria said,

I tag Liz Strauss at Successful and Outstanding Blog(gers) — because she can think different.

which added a bit to the mix. My natural inclination to make things interesting was — BAM! — kicked up a notched because of what Valeria said.

For a whole day, I walked around
thinking about what I think about
so that I might think about
how I might think about
what I think about in a new and different way.

Naturally, my worry was that if I start out as someone who thinks differently, would my “think different” response end me up an answer that looks the same as most people already think?

Think about it. The question was mathematical. Does different + different = same?

I’ve resolved the issue, I think.

The Rules of the Challenge

Write a new blog post in which you “think different”. Interpret the challenge phrase the way you want. (Thanks, Joe, for letting me borrow yours.)

  1. State that the post is a part of the Think Different Challenge and include a link and/ or trackback to this post so that readers know the rules of the challenge. Feel free to use the above banner (inspired, of course, by Seth Godin).
  2. Include a link and/or trackback to the blogger who tagged you.
  3. At the end of your post, go ahead and tag some fellow bloggers. Don’t forget to email them to let them know they have been tagged.

People Really Do Think Differently

All of that thinking made me realize that I really had only one think different topic that was truly close to my heart . . . we too often forget that, from the very start, people really do think differently.

Let’s think this through . . .

When we solve a problem, make a plan, or try to teach something, we offer our thinking process using the order and logic we find natural. Listeners who can arrange ideas in the same way track what we’re trying to communicate.

Folks who think the same way as we do are smart, savvy, and quick on the uptake. Now, really, wouldn’t the world be a better place if everyone was as smart as we are?

Truth is, for all practical purposes, most everyone we meet is smart enough. We’re all just smart in different ways. The difference is in how we construct ideas.

Yep, it’s a fact that different brains construct thoughts in different ways.

  • Some folks have to see things; then they can do things; then they can talk about them.
  • Some folks have to see things; then they can talk about things; then they can do them.
  • Some folks have to do things; then they can see things; then they can talk about them.
  • Some folks have to do things; then they can talk about things; then they can see them.
  • Some folks have to talk about things; then they can do things; then they can see them.
  • Some folks have to talk about things; then they can see things; then they can do them.

Agree on the right order and the communication goes smoothly. Choose an order that’s unnatural to the listener and he or she will have trouble following the ideas.
That person will probably not “get” what we’re saying.

That’s when we start to think something like . . . the listener is . . . um, er . . . dense, or inattentive, or just plain difficult. After all, other folks “get it” when we say what we’ve just said. So it must be the listener not the message — right?

I’ve been “dense, inattentive, and just plain difficult.” So have most of my friends. We know because of inane conversations like this.

“I’m not following you. I don’t understand.”

“You can’t be so smart and not understand. You’re just being difficult.”

“Busted! It’s a plot to frustrate us both to no end.”

“Oh. What part don’t you get?”

By the way, I’ve been on both sides of that conversation. I suppose most folks probably have.

Presenting the information in a different way usually works, especially when the listener gets to ask for the data in the order that he or she constructs ideas.

Think “different” about how people think.

People really do think differently.

Don’t you think?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Filed Under: Customer Think, Motivation, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, Customer Think, Joe-Rausch, Think-Different, Valeria-Maltoni

The W-List: Gathering a List of Outstanding Women Bloggers

August 8, 2007 by Liz 118 Comments

Hear the Women

PR PowerWomen-logo

Meet some spectacular women in blogging.

ToddAnd made the Marketing Power150. It was built to offer some organization and respect to the wide world of marketing blogs. The Power 150, based on an algorithm of five ratings, is now a partnership between ToddAnd and AdAge.

Yesterday, Valeria Maltoni at Conversation Agent shared the list of Women’s PR blogs that was originally pulled from Todd’s list by Kami Huyse at Communications Overtones. Valeria points out the focus on and the power of male bloggers in the blogosphere.

The statistic Kami drew out is valid pretty much all over the place. Go to Fast Company Expert blogs where I post every Thursday and count the males and female bloggers — 26 to 6.

Are there truly 5+ to 1 men bloggers to women bloggers? Why should we care?

We should care because women are great at conversation, strategy, and writing. We should care for the same reason that no one should be overlooked.

So Valeria has made a suggestion.

Maybe we can start a W-List to help us all discover great blogs authored by women.

I’ve been exploring these blogs since yesterday. I’m proud to present them. I’m surprised at the one I didn’t know were out there. With that in mind, I’m passing on the entire list with these additions:

  • Ask Dr. Kirk
  • The Artsy Asylum by Susan Reynolds
  • Brain Based Biz by Dr. Robyn McMaster
  • Brain Based Business by Dr. Ellen Weber
  • Build a Solo Practice, LLC by Susan Cartier Liebel
  • Christine Kane by Christine Kane
  • CustServ by Meikah Dalid
  • Creative Curio by Lauren Marie
  • Debbie Millman by Debbie Millman
  • Designers Who Blog by Cat Morley
  • Design Your Writing Life by Lisa Gates
  • Do It Myself Blog by Glenda Watson Hyatt
  • Enter the Laughter by Marti Lawrence
  • Escape Blog by Melissa Petri
  • Essential Keystrokes by Char
  • Every Dot Connects by Connie Reece
  • Fish Creek House by GP
  • Franke James by Franke James
  • Great Presentations Mean Business by Laura Athavale Fitton
  • ifelse by Phu Ly
  • Joyful, Jubilant Learning by Rosa Say
  • Making Life Work for You by April Groves
  • Small Biz Survival by Becky McCray
  • The Kiss Business Too by Karin H.
  • The Parody by Sasha Manuel

The W-List

I’ve incorporated the above blogs in the list.

  • 45 Things by Anita Bruzzese
  • Ask Dr. Kirk
  • The Artsy Asylum by Susan Reynolds
  • Back in Skinny Jeans by Stephanie Quilao
  • BlogWrite for CEOs Debbie Weil
  • Biz Growth News by Krishna De
  • Brain Based Biz by Dr. Robyn McMaster
  • Brain Based Business by Dr. Ellen Weber
  • Brand Sizzle Anne Simons
  • Branding & Marketing Chris Brown
  • Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk
  • Build a Solo Practice, LLC by Susan Cartier Liebel
  • Christine Kane by Christine Kane
  • CK’s Blog CK (Christina Kerley)
  • Communication Overtones Kami Huyse
  • Conscious Business by Anne Libby
  • Conversation Agent Valeria Maltoni
  • Corporate PR Elizabeth Albrycht
  • Customers Rock! Becky Carroll
  • CustServ by Meikah David
  • Creative Curio by Lauren Marie
  • Debbie Millman by Debbie Millman
  • Deborah Schultz by Deborah Schultz
  • Designers Who Blog by Cat Morley
  • Design Your Writing Life by Lisa Gates
  • Diva Marketing Blog Toby Bloomberg
  • Do It Myself Blog by Glenda Watson Hyatt
  • Dooce by Heather B. Armstrong
  • Email Marketing Best Practices Tamara Gielen
  • Enter the Laughter by Marti Lawrence
  • Escape Blog by Melissa Petri
  • Escape from Cubicle Nation by Pamela Slim
  • eSoup by Sharon Sarmiento
  • Essential Keystrokes by Char
  • Every Dot Connects by Connie Reece
  • Fish Creek House by GP
  • Flooring The Consumer CB Whittemore
  • Forrester’s Marketing Blog Shar, Charlene, Chloe, Christine Elana, Laura and Lisa
  • Franke James by Franke James
  • Get Fresh Minds by Katie Konrath
  • Great Presentations Mean Business by Laura Athavale Fitton
  • Hey Marci by Marci Alboher
  • Get Shouty by Katie Chatfield
  • ifelse by Phu Ly
  • Inspired Business Growth by Wendy Piersall
  • J.T. O’Donnell Career Insights by J.T. O’Donnell
  • Joyful, Jubilant Learning by Rosa Say
  • Kinetic Ideas Wendy Maynard
  • Learned on Women by Andrea Learned
  • Lindsey Pollak by Lindsey Pollak
  • Liz Strauss at Successful Blog by Liz Strauss
  • Lorelle on WordPress by Lorelle VanFossen
  • Making Life Work for You by April Groves
  • Manage to Change by Ann Michael
  • Management Craft by Lisa Haneberg
  • Marketing Roadmaps Susan Getgood
  • Moda di Magno by Lori Magno
  • Modite by Rebecca Thorman
  • Narrative Assets by Karen Hegman
  • Presto Vivace Blog Alice Marshall
  • Productivity Goal by Carolyn Manning
  • Small Biz Survival by Becky McCray
  • The Brand Dame by Lyn Chamberlin
  • Spare Change Nedra Kline Weinreich
  • Talk It Up Heidi Miller
  • Tech Kitten by Trisha Miller
  • The Copywriting Maven Roberta Rosenberg
  • The Blog Angel by Claire Raikes
  • The Engaging Brand by Anna Farmery
  • The Floozy Blog by Kate Coote
  • The Kiss Business Too by Karin H.
  • The Origin of Brands Laura Ries
  • The Parody by Sasha Manuel
  • The Podcast Sisters by Krishna De, Anna Farmery and Heather Gorringe
  • Water Cooler Wisdom by Alexandra Levit
  • Wealth Strategy Secrets by Nicola Cairncross
  • What’s Next Blog B L Ochman
  • That’s What She Said by Julie Elgar
  • Ypulse by Anastasia Goodstein

Now the list seems to be filling out nicely. What women bloggers can you add?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Is your business stuck? Check out the Start-up Strategy Package. Work with Liz!!

Filed Under: Marketing /Sales / Social Media, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, Power-Women-of-Marketing, promotion, Valeria-Maltoni, W-List

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