Being Influenced with Jon Levy
Small ideas that challenge the way we see the world
In this issue you will enjoy…
Dubai
Please, don’t network
AI for your zooms
David McRaney will change your mind
A binge-worthy podcast about sedition
Baby names
What’s new right now
Just got back from Dubai and can see why everybody talks about this place. While there, I attended the Time 100 and had the opportunity to speak at the World Government Summit on behalf of Brilliant Minds. If you don't mind a 14 hour +/- flight from the US, it's worth the trip.
Let’s get connected
I think we can agree everybody hates networking. When researchers looked at our association with networking, people felt dirty, like they needed to wash their hands. But when it comes to making friends, we have a positive association. People make friends over common ground, shared interest, activities, culture, friends, religion, etc. Knowing this, my team and I invented what may be the dumbest game ever played: Get to Know You Bingo.
The rules are simple: If any two people in a group of 3-7 have the same answer, you mark the box. Get five in a row and you hit bingo.
Next time you are on zoom, play this game with a group to find all the common ground you share and bond quickly.
Game board and instructions in the game section of my website.
What I’m into right now
nVida released software to make it look like you’re always staring at the camera even when you’re not. This means you can finally get away with answering emails, checking texts, or browsing the web during meetings, and no one will be the wiser. I find it useful when I’m giving talks because I need to make sure that I pay attention to the chat and my slides, and I don’t want it to appear that I’m not engaged with the audience.
However, there are two big problems with this:
It has a clear light-eyed bias, i.e. my brown eyes appear light on camera.
If you squint, suddenly it will draw an eye in really weird ways (see creepy photo below).
Expect the software to evolve; eventually they will render a better version of you, so you can completely pretend to be on camera, even though you’re not there.
What I’m reading right now
How to Change Minds by David McRaney
In an age where everybody seems to disagree, even about the most basic things (like the shape of the planet), how do you actually get people to hear each other? David McRaney searched the world trying to understand what makes people open minded. This beautifully researched and well-written book had me rethink everything I knew about the way I had conversations.
What I’m listening to
Ultra presented by Rachel Maddow
I COULD NOT STOP BINGE LISTENING TO THIS. In this limited podcast series, Rachel Maddow delves into a completely insane and oddly effective attempt by the German Nazi party to support a white supremist coup in the U.S. during WWII. The story begins with a plane crash and the death of a U.S. Senator and continues through investigations, radio preachers, klan members, and Nazi spies. It was so good I was angry I didn’t know the story earlier.
An Invitation to you
Our baby is due in May and we are accepting any and all baby names suggestions! If you suggest a name we didn’t think of already, and name our child that, you will win an invitation to one of my events. Submit a name on this form.