Garr Reynolds's Blog, page 3

Perfectly imperfect & the art of making a connection

To be human is to be imperfect. Yes, we expect absolute perfection and precision when it comes to things like airplanes, automobiles, or the engineering behind the bridge we drive across everyday. And people naturally assume that the products they purchase will perform to at least the standard advertised. But with aspects of life that require a degree of human expressiveness, absolute perfection is not only impossible to produce, it usually would not lead to better results even if it were. Consider a musical performance, a form of human expression that has much in common with interpersonal communication, including presentation and public speaking. Today computers can generate music that sounds virtually indistinguishable from music created by actual musicians. Yet in study after study, when people are asked to choose between two versions of a song, they almost always choose the version played by human beings. But why? A 2013 New Yorker Magazine article exploring the mysteries of sound and music addresses this question. In this article, Adam Gopnik reports on the work of Daniel Levitin who found that people prefer listening to the sound of a human playing a musical piece—even though the human-created version had tiny errors—over that of a computer perfectly playing the same piece.

The New Yorker piece says that Daniel Levitin measures the imperfections by looking at Vibrato (not landing perfectly on the note) and Rubato (not keeping perfectly on the beat).

"Expressiveness is error. Just as, at a subliminal level, Choueiri could make music come alive in space by introducing tiny errors into the amplitude and timing of the XTC wave, Levitin could show that what really moves us in music is the vital sign of a human hand, in all its unsteady and broken grace. (Too much imperfection and it sounds like a madman playing; too little, and it sounds like a robot.) Ella singing Gershwin matters because Ella knows when to make the words warble, and Ellis Larkins knows when to make the keyboard sigh. The art is the perfected imperfection."

Perfect imperfections
We can see the attraction humans have to "expressiveness as error" in many art forms. In his classic work The Book of Tea, Kakuzo Okakura discusses the affinity that the Tea masters had for asymmetry and irregularity as reflections of the natural world. Naturalness is essential, and imperfections are seen as important aspects of the natural world. Soetsu Yanagi, in his 1972 book The Unknown Craftsman: A Japanese Insight into Beauty, says the Tea masters found depth in the irregular and imperfect. But again, why? Yanagi suggests that the answer is related to the idea of freedom.

"Why should one reject the perfect in favour of the imperfect? The precise and the perfect carries no overtones, admits no freedom; the perfect is static and regulated, cold, and hard. We in our own human imperfections are repelled by the perfect, since everything is apparent from the start and there is no suggestion for the infinite. Beauty must have some room, must be associated with freedom. Freedom, indeed, is beauty. The love of the irregular is a sign of the basic quest for freedom."

The aim is neither to be perfect nor imperfect
In the realm of art, such as the art of Tea, beauty is not to be found in the perfect or the imperfect, Yanagi says. Instead beauty can be found "...where such distinctions have ceased to exist, where the imperfect is identified with the perfect. If we apply this to the art of a presentation we can say that an authentic, engaging delivery is one which is perfectly imperfect.

In a sense, people are not attracted to the music because it’s perfect, their attracted to it because it’s not. People are attracted to you not because you are perfect, but because you are not.

Dave Grohl's 2012 Grammy acceptance speech
Dave Grohl often speaks on the power of the imperfect human element in good music. His words ring true for musical performance, and they apply to other arts such as public speaking and presentation.

“To me this award means a lot because it shows that the human element of music is what’s important. Singing into a microphone and learning to play an instrument and learning to do your craft, that’s the most important thing for people to do… It’s not about being perfect, it’s not about sounding absolutely correct, it’s not about what goes on in a computer. It’s about what goes on in here [your heart] and what goes on in here [your head]." (Emphasis mine.)

Later Dave Grohl clarified things in a press release. He is not anti-digital, he says.

"The simple act of creating music is a beautiful gift that ALL human beings are blessed with. And the diversity of one musician’s personality to the next is what makes music so exciting and…..human. That’s exactly what I was referring to. The human element. That thing that happens when a song speeds up slightly, or a vocal goes a little sharp. That thing that makes people sound like PEOPLE. Somewhere along the line those things became 'bad' things, and with the great advances in digital recording technology over the years they became easily 'fixed.' The end result? I my humble opinion…..a lot of music that sounds perfect, but lacks personality. The one thing that makes music so exciting in the first place." (Emphasis mine.)

 "Sounds perfect, but lacks personality." This I think is what Soetsu Yanagi was referring to when discussing art. That "perfect sound" seems cold, hard, and impersonal. There is no room to move in the perfect, there is no freedom. I do not know exactly what it is that is attractive in the irregular or the imperfect but it may have something to do with our natural attraction to freedom. "Freedom, indeed, is beauty," Yanagi said.

All this talk of imperfection is not to suggest that you wing it or that you take a cavalier approach to presentation delivery. Yes, we prepare well and we aim for perfection as best we can in the moment, knowing full well that real perfection is not attainable. But if we strive for that which we may call perfect, we may just be able to achieve excellence. Salvador Dalí apparently said "Don't be afraid of perfection. You'll never attain it.” We will not attain it, but by aspiring toward it we may just attain a level of excellence that is a worthy contribution to the audience before us. And knowing that perfection is not actually possible helps us to relax a bit, which in fact helps us to be in the moment and that much closer to something approaching "perfection."

On making mistakes
Usually when we talk of imperfections, naturalness, and engagement we are talking about tiny errors, imperfections that may not even be noticed by the audience. But sometimes bigger errors, when dealt with honestly and with good humor, can bring you closer to an audience as well. In the video clip below you can see the great Sir Paul McCartney forget chords at the beginning of a song he's played thousands of times before. I loved his way of dealing with it. When it's live, stuff happens. That's life. Relax, you are only human. If Sir Paul can make mistakes, you can too. Besides, people do not want your perfection, they yearn to see your humanity.



Interesting Reads
You will find that the lessons in these books go far beyond art and beauty.

      

Another fantastic read is  Brene Brown's The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. See her TED talk here. It's wonderful.

Presentation Zen workshops in Washington DC, March 21-22

Ideas on Stage will hold more Presentation Zen Experience seminars, beginning in Washington DC, March 21-22. The first seminar was held last October in Paris and it was a big success. Participants loved it; the feedback was fantastic. The facilitator for these seminars is once again the incomparable Phil Waknell, co-founder of Ideas on Stage, the premier presentation design and training company in Europe. I will not attend these workshops personally, but the content is all designed by me in cooperation with Phil and his team of storytellers and designers at Ideas on Stage.

I have been impressed by the team at Ideas on Stage over the years and they do a great job facilitating the seminar. The content will cover (1) Preparation techniques of a live talk, (2) How to design simple and effective visuals, and (3) Tips and tricks for delivering your talk in a way that is natural yet dynamic.


Phil Waknell facilitating the Presentation Zen Experience seminar in Paris.

 
Participants work on developing their presentations in analog style first.

The great thing about seminars like this is not just the content that you get, but it’s also about the relationships that you make while there for the day (or two). The seminar is interactive and there are opportunities to get to know the other participants who are coming from all over the world. Get more details and register here. If you know of someone who could use some presentation training, please pass this information along.

Future Presentation Zen seminars by Ideas on Stage

• Washington DC: March 21-22
• Paris: April 14-15
• Barcelona: June 9-10
• Germany: July (city, dates tba)
• New York: September (dates tba)
• Paris: October/November (dates tba)
• London: December (dates tba)

Learn more about this cool seminar on the Ideas on Stage site.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Where ever you may be in the world, I wish you very happy Christmas and wonderful, peaceful, inspiring year ahead. This two-minute advert for John Lewis is an evocative message and an important reminder. I love it. Perhaps you will too.

 

Metaphor
Interestingly, many people look at a story like this and all that they can see is the impossibility of a man living on the moon with out oxygen (not to mention the ability to see such detail on the Earth with a simple telescope). But this story is, of course, metaphoric. Someone may feel deeply alone, isolated, cut-off from the world as if they were living alone on the moon. Indeed, there are millions of people who surely feel as lonely as the man pictured here.

The emotional touch points in the short story are many including loneliness, separation, compassion, kindness, hope. The theme — that is, the key message — is a reminder that each of us can make a difference in the lives of another. Even a very small gesture of kindness and compassion can make a world of difference for someone. The message is spelled out explicitly at the end: “Show someone they’re loved this Christmas.” But it was not necessary. The tagline was redundant. The message was clear. Slow down, reach out, and share an act of kindness with a fellow human being. That person may be a loved one, an old friend, or a complete stranger.  

The imagery is evocative. No one can look at an image like this and not feel for this man. We’ve all felt abandoned, lonely, or lost at one time or another. Maybe even now. We also see ourselves in him. “Will I too be alone in my old age?” we ask ourselves.

Yes, it's just a TV commercial so it’s easy to be cynical and see this as manipulative or even cliche, but I think it’s a lovely little piece of art. A simple Christmas message.

A metaphor can reveal a powerful and evocative truth. Literal interpretations of a metaphor kill the message and replace it with something far less illuminating.

Have a remarkable and illuminating 2016...and beyond.

Presentation Zen seminar in Paris October 5. Don't miss it!

My friends at Ideas on Stage will hold the first ever Presentation Zen Experience seminar in Paris on October 5, 2015. The facilitator for the seminar is the incomparable Phil Waknell, co-founder of Ideas on Stage, the premier presentation design and training company in Europe, based in Paris. I will not be in Paris personally, but the content is all designed by me in cooperation with Phil and his team of storytellers and designers.

This is the first time that a Presentation Zen seminar has been conducted publicly without me being the facilitator, but I have been impressed by the team at Ideas on Stage over the years and I have no doubt that it will be an awesome day. The content will cover (1) Preparation techniques of a live talk, (2) How to design simple and effective visuals, and (3) Tips and tricks for delivering your talk in a way that is natural yet dynamic.

The great thing about seminars like this is not just the content that you get, but it’s also about the relationships that you make while there for the day. The seminar is interactive and there are opportunities to get to know the other participants who are coming from all over Europe (and usually outside of Europe as well).



The Bedford Hotel is beautiful and in an amazing location in the center of Paris. The seminar room is gorgeous. We’ve limited the number of participants to around 25 to ensure a more hands-on, intimate atmosphere. Past Presentation Zen seminars in Paris have sold out quickly. The price for the all-day training is €800 (plus VAT), but you can get it for only €500 (plus VAT) if you book before Sept 5. Register here. If you would like your company to pay, please send an email to info@presentationzen.eu and they will make arrangements for you.

Learn more about this cool seminar on the Ideas on Stage site.

Hans Rosling: Upgrading our worldview via data visualization

Data and information are not inherently boring. The key is to select the appropriate (and accurate) data to support your message. Yet, it also matters how you bring the data alive, giving it context and meaning. One of the masters of displaying data in live talks is Swedish medical doctor and researcher, Hans Rosling, whom I've talked about often on this site and in my books (we were both keynoters at Tableau 2014 in Seattle as well; he's a wonderful man). His latest short presentation was posted this week and it's a great reminder of how to present a visualization in a simple, clear, and engaging way. Back in the US, a certain presidential candidate made quite a ruckus when he said some inflammatory things that, to put it mildly, may not be an accurate representation regarding the economic and social vitality of the country of Mexico. Given the media fracas, Dr. Rosling must have thought this was as good a time as any to shine a little data-visualization light on just how much Mexico has changed over the last couple of generations. For many, the change may be surprising.



Take your time, set up the visualization
Dr. Rosling consistently does something that few presenters ever do. That is, he takes the time to set-up for his audience the display of his data before revealing the actual visualization to them. Most people show everything all at once—without ever pointing out what we should look for or explaining the variables—and rush to their conclusion about what they say the data shows without us ever getting a chance to really see it with our own eyes. Note, however, here how Dr. Rosling introduces the problem and what he'll be measuring. One way he often compares the progress of countries is by measuring the change over time of the variables life expectancy (in years) and family size (number of babies per woman). He explains the horizontal and vertical axes. He then explains the starting point and gives context, pointing out the dramatic difference between the US and Mexico in 1968. Then he says, "now, I'll show you what has happened." Dr. Rosling recommends explaining the meaning of movement as it is happening (see more tips by Hans Rosling here.)

These are not the only variables one could use, of course, but it gives us one window into a problem. A single chart or visualization will not tell the whole story, but even this one measure gives us an illuminating glimpse

• Gapminder.org
• Rosling mixing analog & digital techniques

Contribution: the key to authenticity, engagement, & meaning

When I wrote the first edition of Presentation Zen back in 2007, I said that presentations are better when they are prepared and delivered in the spirit of truly wanting to make a difference and a belief in the power of sharing ideas. The secret to this spirit or approach is contribution. This is a key part of Presentation Zen. It's not about showing off. It's not about impressing. It's not about winning (or losing). I quoted the incredible Benjamin Zander who said this when speaking to a group of remarkably talented young musicians:

“This is the moment — this is the most important moment right now. Which is: We are about contribution. That’s what our job is. It’s not about impressing people. It’s not about getting the next job. It’s about contributing something.”      

                                                            — Benjamin Zander

Contribution is key. This is what I always say. I harp on it constantly. It's the fundamental element to effective communication, collaboration, and learning. We would not have come as far as we have as a species if every time we learned something new we kept it to ourselves. Collective learning is what we are all about. When we inquire, explore, and discover, we want to share it. If not with the world, then at least with our in-group. When you share it—that is, when you explain what you learned through narrative—you reinforce your own understanding. When you share it you understand it even more deeply than before. But contribution is more than that, it just may be the secret to living a meaningful life as well.

It's a simple idea. Contribution is voluntary. It's not something that can be forced. Contribution is not about being a hero or becoming famous or receiving awards or impressing others. The world is filled with people who have ticked every one of those boxes but still feels empty. On the other hand, doing something that matters and allows us to make a small contribution day in and day out will give us meaning. It could be as simple as a sincere compliment that makes someone's day. Or working hard on a project that benefits the team. Or a student completing a presentation that actually engaged the audience and taught them something important. 

Being a contributor...more important than being a hero
I began thinking about this again after I stumbled upon a wonderful 60 Minutes (Australia) interview with Robert Plant. The reporter asked the legendary rock star if his aim was to become famous back in the day. Plant replied that it was not really about wanting to become famous. "I don't think fame was the term for it," Plant said. "We were part of a huge youth movement that was going to change the world."

"So it was the right time for LED Zeppelin," the reporter asked.

"It was the right time for us all," Plant said.

And this is the line that resonates the most. This is the takeaway line:

"Being a contributor in any form was way more important than being a hero."                                 
                                        — Robert Plant

It does not matter what your job is or what your dreams are. It matters not if your goals are big or small. It does not matter if you are the best at what you do or are just starting out. In the moment it only matters that you are fully present and sharing, or teaching, or collaborating in the spirit of contribution. This is the key to making a difference, no matter how small, day in and day out. Sure, the world still needs heroes. But every day when we get out of bed in the morning and face the challenges ahead, it may just be more important, as Plant says, that we be a contributor in any form rather than be a hero.

When a bar chart can be misleading

Just because a chart is correct, it does not mean it's not misleading. Here's an example: Back in the USA, on March 12, US Senator Ted Cruz and NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden went head to head at a hearing on the President’s FY2016 budget request arguing as to what they thought NASA’s priorities are today. Sen. Cruz is known to be a climate-change skeptic and has often said that NASA should focus on space exploration and leave earth science to other agencies. Although Cruz and Bolden disagreed strongly, reports are that the hour-long meeting was nonetheless cordial. The interesting part of the hearing for me was the ridiculous bit of chartsmanship that Sen. Cruz employed to kick off the meeting. A few minutes into the hearing, Sen. Cruz had an aid lumber over to the poster stand to display the large printed poster board pictured below.


Chart displayed at the hearing on the President’s FY2016 budget request on March 12, 2015. Typically, bars are arranged in ascending or descending order, but here it seems they were trying to contrast Earth Science vs. Exploration & Space Operations. Note the Earth clip art added to emphasize the answer to their own question.

As Sen. Cruz looks at the chart he says, "In my judgement [this chart] does not represent a fair or appropriate allocation of resources. That it is shifting resources away from the core function of NASA to other functions." Later the senator says, "the chart does not suggest that the investment of budgetary resources is going where it should." The implication is that money previously used for space exploration has been reallocated to earth science. It seems that senator Cruz feels this chart is the smoking gun to support his idea that NASA has lost its way by focusing on earth science rather than remaining focused on space exploration. (Watch a 9-min clip from the beginning of the hearing.)

You can fool some of the people...
A lot of people may find this kind of data display convincing today. In fact, you could imagine a newspaper headline which read "NASA Shifts Priorities from Space Exploration to Earth Science" accompanied by this kind of chart. At first glance, the visual of a dramatic increase in earth science allocations while showing a decrease for space exploration may feel like it supports the Senator's claim. This kind of chart may work in a TV infomercial or a cable news talk show where viewers do not pay close attention and are easily fooled by fast-pitched unfounded claims and spurious relationships, but in a setting like this, the chart was utterly unconvincing, especially to the retired United States Marine Corps Major General, and former NASA astronaut Administrator Bolden. (Update, apparently you can fool some of the people.)

The figures in the chart are correct, but they're terribly misleading. The two major problems with the chart are that (1) showing only percentage increases over the last seven years says nothing about the actual dollar amount being allocated to each category nor its relative percentage to the entire NASA budget. (2) Even if we were to agree that percentage increases or decreases of allocations necessarily translated into relative importance or priorities, we do not know what was even included for the the category of Space Exploration. Depending on what you include, you could actually show that there was a percentage increase for space exploration. More importantly, since 2009, the Space Shuttle program retired. The Space Shuttle was obviously expensive so if you remove it—sometime after 2011—then that would surely impact the budget for exploration. Also, allocations for earth science research were cut significantly during the previous US administration, so an increase since 2009 would not be surprising. Yet, as a percentage of the entire NASA budget, the earth science allocation in 2016 is actually less than in the year 2000. This also does not support the idea of a “disproportionate increase” in earth science.

Additionally, Bolden stated that NASA was intentionally aiming to reduce the cost of space exploration. But a slight reduction—even if it were true—would not mean space exploration was any less of a priority or that funds were being diverted from exploration to earth science, something Sen Cruz was implying that the chart showed. After vigorously defending the earth science programs, Administrator Bolden said this:

"You asked me about your chart. There's a lot of chartsmanship [in that chart]. I'm not sure what you include in Exploration, so by my statements I was not acknowledging that I agree with the numbers in the chart. I don't want anyone to say that I accept the numbers on the chart."

Another way to look at it
Although Sen. Cruz's chart was not incorrect, it was still be terribly misleading. So using the same categories that Sen. Cruz used in his chart, which does not include all of the budget request categories, I made two versions of a similar bar chart. But by focusing on the actual numbers requested, this slide suggests a different story and supports the idea that NASA's budget is focused on exploration and space operations.


Instead of a poster board on an easel, why not equip the hearing room with large digital displays where data can be accessed and easily displayed. In this case, the NASA Administrator could have shown his own charts to show a clearer picture.


This shows that Exploration & Space Operations is by far the biggest category. Two colors for the bars were chosen directly from the photo of Jupiter which was taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. The photo and Cassini being examples of exploration or "focused outward."


In this example of the same chart the bars are arrange horizontally. The colors were taken directly from the NASA logo. The emphasis is on Exploration & Space Operations, and the red color—and the much greater length—make the top bar pop.


Does not get much simpler than this. Even though funding for Earth Science is crucial, this chart suggests it hardly holds a "disproportionate" slice of the NASA budget pie. An even better graph would be of a line chart that showed the 10.5% of 2016 is actually down from around 12.4% in 2000.

• Five simple rules for making awesome bar charts.

Scientifically Proven Ways to Persuade & Influence Others

A good book I often recommend is: Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive by Dr. Robert B. Cialdini et al. I first read the book when it came out in 2008. The book is designed for professionals who are interested in becoming better at understanding how to persuade or influence others. The book may also help you understand why you decide to do the things you do. Even if you are a researcher or teacher or a medical doctor, and so on, and not a business person, it's still important to understand how people are (or can be) influenced and persuaded by your words and behaviors. Each chapter focuses on a single question and is no more than 3-5 pages long. If you want to go deeper you can checkout the sources for each chapter in the Notes section.

"Yes!" is not a textbook, and it may not go deep enough for some, but for extremely busy professionals, this is a useful book with many clear, quick lessons that will get you thinking.


Above: The book on my desk. Each chapter focuses on a question such as what common mistake causes messages to self-destruct, how sticky notes can make your messages stick, etc. Checkout the table of contents here to see all 50 chapters at a glance.

If you want a little more depth, I suggest Cialdini's other huge bestsellers Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion and Influence: Science and Practice. These books have sold in the millions by now. Some people may be skeptical about the ethics of trying to persuade and influence others, but remember, it's not just about marketers trying to influence someone to buy something they do not need with money they do not have. Persuasion can be used for good just as it can be used for ignoble reasons. For example, a medical doctor often needs to be effective at persuading patients to comply with her recommendations. Facts, data, and argument are usually not enough to influence a change in behavior.

If you do not have enough time to read the Influence books yet, the 12-minute video below will give you a good idea as to the key findings in Cialdini's research. The video presentation covers the six universal principles of persuasion which are scientifically proven, according to the author, to make you more effective at influence and persuasion. (Watch below or on YouTube.)



Principles of Persuasion at a glance
In an ideal world people would use reliable information and sound logic to guide their thinking and decision making, but the reality is people use shortcuts or "rules of thumb" to make decisions. The six shortcuts below, according to the author, are universal rules of thumbs that guide human behavior. The key is to understand these shortcuts and use them in an ethical manner to persuade others. There are many examples in the books, but in the video they can only give one or two. Here are the six principles in brief.

(1) Reciprocity. The obligation to give back when you have previously received. The key takeaway: Be the first to give and make it personal and unexpected.

(2) Scarcity. People want more of those things which are perceived to be rare or in short supply. It's not enough to tell people about the benefits they will gain, you must also tell them what they stand to lose or miss out on if they do not adopt your idea (or buy your product, or choose your school, etc.).

(3) Authority. People will follow the lead of credible, knowledgeable experts. In the presentation space, it's highly desirable to have someone give a short and concise introduction of yourself which highlights why you are an expert worth listening to.

(4) Consistency. Asking for small commitments that can easily be made. Then going back and asking for larger commitments later. Sometimes this is called "getting a lot by first asking for a little." People want to be consistent, according to the principle, so if they said yes to you previously they are more likely to do it again.

(5) Liking. People prefer to say yes to the people they like. There are three factors in determining whether we like someone (a presenter on stage, for example). We tend to like people (1) who are similar to us, (2) who pay us compliments, and (3) who cooperate with us. For presenters it's important to really know your audience so that you can touch immediately on something shared and personal with the audience.

(6) Consensus. People often look to the actions of others to determine their own. So rather than simply hitting people over the head with your logic and data trying to persuade them to accept your idea, you can also elaborate on all the other people who have already accepted your proposal.

• www.influenceatwork.com

In Memory of The Sushi Maestro, Shuichi Inoue

Shuichi Inoue, the "Sushi Maestro," gave a beautiful, heartfelt presentation at TEDxKyoto last year about his passion and dream to spread the innovative approach of his art to the world. Yesterday, tragically, Shuichi's life was cut short by a careless driver on a Japanese freeway. All of us in the TEDxKyoto community are in a state of shock right now. Both Shuichi and I presented in the same session at TEDxKyoto last Fall. I met him in the green room back stage. He was gracious, humble, and all smiles. Shuichi was the nicest guy you could ever meet. I can't believe he's gone. 

I'm sorry that I have no elegant words to describe Shuichi or the pain that we all feel today. All I can do is share one of his last recorded moments below. I hope the whole world can see his TEDxKyoto talk. Please watch the video below. English subtitles are available (thanks to the TEDxKyoto team), so please click the CC button if they do not display automatically.



Japanese culture is deep and wide with many lessons for us all, and Shu was on a mission to share it with a creative spirit and an open, humble heart. The last part of his TEDxKyoto talk above touches on his dream and his optimistic approach to the future. These words are hard to hear today. Our hearts are terribly heavy, but I hope that if you have any interest in Japanese culture and the art of sushi that you'll pass Shu's TEDxKyoto video on to others and share his work and his innovative spirit. Here's a bit of his talk:

"I want to continue on a journey to share Japanese culture to the world through sushi and also hope to use what I have learnt from being exposed to other cultures in evolving sushi further. Sushi has infinite possibilities. With the ingredients that will bring out these possibilities, with Japanese traditions, and other cultures of the world, I will continue my adventure. I hope to shed light on these hidden values, mold them into shape, and deliver them to you. People have yet to realize the possibilities and attractiveness hidden in sushi. It's not only about consuming fresh fish, but being able to experience the crystalization of painstakingly acquired skills and art in one single moment. This moment, I believe, is the greatest luxury one can experience and is essentially, the aesthetics of sushi. I'm lucky to have been born in a well off country like Japan and I'm truly happy I am able to be a sushi chef. I have embarked on a journey to continue to fuse diverse things, challenge Japan and the world, and I hope to continue to shed light on hidden possibilities, shape them, and deliver them to people all over the world."

Here's the video from his website which was shown in the presentation.



Our hearts are with you and your family, Shuichi.

• Sushi Maestro web site.

 

The Key to story structure in two words: Therefore & But

There are a ton of storytelling-related books and websites in the cosmos. And there is no shortage of people giving story advice and tips. Much of the advice is helpful, but the enormous volume of information related to writing or telling better stories can be overwhelming. Therefore, when someone credible comes along who offers free, insanely simple yet effective advice for improving one's story, he will find a very large audience indeed. This is exactly what happened just a few years ago, all quite by accident it would seem.

In 2011 Comedy Central began shooting a documentary about the process behind the creation of a typical South Park episode. The short film—"Six Days to Air: The Making of South Park"— focuses on the co-creators and lead writers for the show, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, as they and their team brainstorm ideas, write, rewrite, record dialog, and finally animate one entire show in just six days. The documentary begins as Matt and Trey return from New York City where their first Broadway musical, The Book of Mormon, had just opened to rave reviews. Now back in Colorado, they find themselves with no ideas for the next episode of South Park and with the pressure of producing a show that will air in less than a week. This, they say, is all quite normal for them. The process is intense and the pressure is palpable, but without the crazy deadline, says Trey Parker, the episodes would never get finished. At first, Matt and Trey and a few other writers and producers sit in a room with a large whiteboard and bounce ideas around. Often Usually the ideas are absurd, but if it makes others in the room laugh, then they may be on to something. "For every good idea we get, there are a hundred not so good ones," Matt Stone says. (You can find the Six Days to Air documentary as an extra on the complete 15th Season of South Park DVD.)

Therefore & But
The entire documentary is insightful, but there is one 45-second bit that popped out to anyone who is interested in writing or telling stories. When talking about the frantic rewriting process of their script, Trey reveals his simple rule for rewriting and improving the story. "I call it the rule of replacing ands with either buts or therefores." Trey says that a common trap a lot of writers fall into is describing actions and events in a typical "this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened...." This kind of X and then Y and then Z progression—similar to creating a list of things—is not engaging. This approach to writing (or speaking) is dull and does not generate momentum, let alone sustain it. Therefore, Trey says, "whenever I can go back in the writing and change that to "this happened, therefore this happens. But this happens..." In other words, says, Trey, "Whenever you can replace your 'ands' with 'buts' and 'therefores,' it makes for better writing."

Later that year in 2011, Trey and Matt surprised a “Storytelling Strategies” class at NYU as part of a mtvU series and offered up story advice, once again explaining the "Replacing ands with therefores and buts" story structure tip. Watch the 6-min clip below.

Get More: www.mtvu.com

Here's the transcript from the key part of the video above where Trey Parker explains their simple but oh so effective rewriting tip.

"Each individual scene has to work as a funny sketch. You don’t want to have one scene and go ‘well, what was the point of that scene?’ So we found out this rule that maybe you guys have all heard before, but it took us a long time to learn it. But we can take these beats, which are basically the beats of your outline. And if the words ‘and then’ belong between those beats… you’re f****d. Basically. You got something pretty boring. What should happen between every beat that you’ve written down is either the word 'Therefore' or 'but,' right? So what I’m saying is that you come up with an idea and it’s like ‘okay, this happens’ and then ‘THIS happens.’ No no no. It should be ‘this happens’ and THEREFORE ‘this happens.’ BUT ‘this happens’ THEREFORE ‘this happens.’ … And sometimes we will literally write it out to make sure we’re doing it. We’ll have our beats and we’ll say okay ‘this happens’ but ‘then this happens’ and that affects this and that does to that and that’s why you get a show that feels okay." 

But, there's more...
Right, I'm sure you've got it, but here's one more explanation of the Trey Parker story tip. Below is a wonderful video essay by Tony Zhou where he explains how important Buts and Therefores are in creating a tight, well structured story. As Tony says, as much as possible, we want to avoid the dreaded "and then, and then, and then..." Tony also touches on Alfred Hitchcock's story structure technique called "Meanwhile, back at the ranch." This is where you have two (or more) things going in parallel. When you reach the peak of one then you can move to the other. You see this in films a lot. Tony Zhou is a remarkable video essayist. Checkout all of his video essays. He's a great teacher.


F for Fake (1973) - How to Structure a Video Essay from Tony Zhou on Vimeo.

I first came across this therefore/but story structure tip in a great screenwriting book called Screenwriting 101 by Film Crit Hulk! This is one of the freshest screenwriting books I have ever read (and there are a gazillion screenwriting books). In the book, Hulk talks for a couple of pages about the Trey Parker and Matt Stone simple tip of changing ands to therefores and buts. After reading this I went out and purchased the South Park season 15 DVD just so I could get the documentaries which are included as extras. It was worth it.

Remember, there are no panaceas, but looking again at your writing—or your presentation structure—and going back and changing your 'and then' to a 'but' or 'therefore' can make a huge difference as you continue to tighten your story, giving it tension and momentum.