I know, I know, book reviews are so seventh grade. But I am making a conscious effort not only to read more, but also to actively engage with the media I consume. So, I thought writing down a few tid bits about each of the books I conquer might help me stay accountable and promote some great popular science literature that I think everyone should get around!
Down with the details:
Title: If I understood you, would I have this look on my face? My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating
Author: Alan Alda
Theme: Science Communication
Target audience: Good for everyone, Great for scientists
Overall thoughts:
- A vibrant and engaging read that was over in a flash – but not before challenging my view of what it means to tell a story and the importance of communication in everything we do (not just science!)
- Alda imparts many gems of wisdom of value for anyone who wants to communicate better – whether you are a scientist sharing your latest research or a partner trying to find a deeper connection with a loved one. In fact, one of the common threads Alda weaves is that in order to engage in effective communication, you must find common ground with your audience. Effective communication is a team effort.
- These insights were borne from years of comedic brilliance coupled with dedicated cultivation of the scientific literature investigating method, efficiency and effectiveness of communication. Far from being dry, the narrative glistens with Alda’s characteristic warmth and conversational style making for a truly pleasurable read.
- Some of my favourite tips and tricks were “The three rules of three”. To paraphrase:
- When talking to an audience, try to make no more than three points – any more than this are unlikely to stick.
- Try to explain difficult ideas in three different ways – provide your audience with the means to triangulate their way to an understanding, where they can use the conceptual description that most resonates with them
- Find a subtle way to make your ‘take-home message’ three times – like a callback in comedy, use this to prompt retention and tie your story together
- Overall, this was a fantastic new addition to my fledgeling extracurricular reading activities, and one I cannot recommend enough.
Some of the best bits:*
… pretty much everybody misunderstands everybody else. Maybe not all the time, and not totally, but just enough to mess everything up.
The person who’s communicating something is responsible for how well the other person follows
– pg 30
… real conversation can’t happen if listening is just my waiting for you to finish talking
– pg 10
Would IQ be the most important factor, or was there some other deciding factor for a team’s success? … average intelligence of a group could not significantly predict the groups performance. – pg 56
– pg 58
Women’s social skills lead in part to better decision making overall and … gender diversity in particular facilitates creatvity
– pg 58
… assuming students are totally responsible for their own motivation … can lead researchers to blame group members for their lack of motivation.
– pg 59
Collaborators in a lab can listen to one another’s ideas, no matter how odd they are, and add constructively to them. … There is a lot of blocking that takes place in science, but Yes And frees ideas to grow
– pg 62
[When communicating] knowing what they are ready to hear is critical, and coming in too early or too late [in the story] can be confusing– pg 64
While leadership is important, just as important is how leadership is communicated
– pg 68
Good communication with the person you’re closest to may be the hardest challenge of them all
– pg 77
I value the opinions of people I disagree with. It’s the yin and yang of understanding.
– pg 111
The stereotypical view of empathy is that it makes you soft. On the contrary, when you have to be tough, empathy can be a useful tool.
– pg 125
The reader expects thoughts to be laid out in a certain order, and that effects how the reader reacts.
– pg 135
A couple of emotional words can often turn a recital of the facts into something more engaging that will stick in the mind
– pg 151
Emotion is not a broad-brush amplifier of all things … It doesn’t simply turn up the volume knob. The kind of emotion matters.
– pg 157
Our lives are filled with stories, and yet when we want to communicate something important to us we often forget there’s a story behind it
– pg 163
The trouble with a lecture is that it answers questions that haven’t been asked
– pg 169
In an experiment, you don’t always figure out in the end what you had hoped to figure out. In an experiment, in life, and in a good story, obstacles get in the way
– pg 173
At first it seems nonsensical that knowledge could be a burden, even a curse. The problem, of course, is not in the knowledge itself. The problem is when you can’t imagine what it’s like not to have that knowledge.
– pg 190
Try again. Fail again. Fail better. Those words rest on my desk and remind me almost every day that the ashes of failure can be a place of despair or they can be where the pheonix comes from.
– pg 194
*Please note these are direct quotes from the reviewed material and do not represent independently conceived ideas.
Handy links:
Have you read any of Alan Alda’s work, or have another science-adjacent book you can recommend? Find me on twitter or head over to the contact page to tell me more!
Image credits: cover photo here
