Gurteen Knowledge Letter
Issue 280 – October 2023
Many of you, I am sure, will have heard the sad news of the death of Larry Prusak, one of the founders of the field of knowledge management.
Although I did not know Larry well, I recall meeting him many times at various KM conferences, the first being an ECKM conference in Limerick, Ireland, in 2005 and at KM Russia in Moscow in 2014. He had a massive impact on my thinking about KM.
If you are unfamiliar with his work, here is a short video of Patrick Lambe interviewing him and Dave Snowden on Is Knowledge Management Dead? in Kuala Lumpur in 2008.
At 16:00, Patrick asks if codification is useful, and Larry replies, “Generally, it’s a waste of time; I think people should talk to people.” I realize now the influence he must have had on me.
Stan Garfield has collected some of the many tributes to him.
Contents
- The Shaky Ground Beneath Our Beliefs
Questioning our beliefs - Certified Knowledge Specialist in Conversational Leadership
Online class in partnership with KMI - KM Institute - Chatbots as an aid to critical thinking
Reasoning and decision-making - World Values Day
19th October 2023 - Do you know what oracy is?
Oracy is the ability to speak persuasively - World Values Day Intergenerational Knowledge Cafés
12th and 19th October 2023 - Hacking at the Branches of Evil
Henry David Thoreau - Help Keep My Work Alive
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The Shaky Ground Beneath Our Beliefs
Questioning our beliefs
In a post for my blook on Conversational Leadership, I explore how our deeply held beliefs rest on remarkably flimsy foundations. Though we argue vociferously over our ideas, we mostly do not understand how they formed and how to question them.
I make the point that our confidence in our beliefs is incredible, considering how little we actually know, especially on complex social issues.
I discuss how we are polarized across political and other divides and that to heal these rifts, we need to rethink how we form beliefs and be more open to revising them through conversation.
I suggest we start by assuming others act in good faith and try to understand how they think. We should also be more tolerant of radical ideas different from our own.
I then outline several preconditions for having difficult conversations across divides. These include being open to questioning our beliefs, ceasing to see others as enemies, trusting each other, showing mutual respect, following conversation guidelines, and learning skills for dialogue.
I end by noting that people are often more interested in getting others to rethink their beliefs than doing so themselves. Yet progress requires we all reflect on how we came to believe what we believe.
Learn more by reading my entire post.
What do you think? Are you willing to question your most cherished beliefs? How might we foster more rational, nuanced discussions despite our biases? I welcome your thoughts.
Certified Knowledge Specialist in Conversational Leadership
Online class in partnership with KMI - KM Institute
John Hovell, Donita Volkwijn, Saule Menane, and I will be running another online Certified Knowledge Specialist in Conversational Leadership class in partnership with the KM Insitute (KMI) from October 30th to November 3rd, 2023.
The workshop is an excellent opportunity to learn how to practice Conversational Leadership. You can find more information and register here.
Chatbots as an aid to critical thinking
Reasoning and decision-making
From a Knowledge Management perspective, many view chatbots as glorified search engines — tools to look up facts or provide straightforward answers. However, chatbots have the capacity for more conversational interactions to aid complex reasoning and decision-making.
In my blook, I am developing a chapter on AI and KM. It is still a work in progress with restricted access. Please register to continue reading if you wish to view the posts marked **. A key post covers using chatbots to aid critical thinking.
World Values Day
19th October 2023
Don’t forget World Values Day on 19th October. Values are what matter most to us. They motivate and guide us. They are the passion in our hearts, the reason we do what we do.
In a world that can feel increasingly divided, values help unite us. They are the glue holding together our communities and broader society.
World Values Day is an annual campaign to increase the awareness and practice of values worldwide. This year’s campaign theme is Values Bring Us Together.
Do you know what oracy is?
Oracy is the ability to speak persuasively
I attended a Henley Forum meeting last week where, among other things, we briefly discussed why Knowledge Management had not been more widely adopted.
One of the issues raised was that KMers have perhaps not been effective at presenting the case for KM. During the discussion, I asked if anyone was familiar with oracy and was surprised that only one or two people were. This made me realize that oracy is still not a widely known or understood concept.
I had hoped that after Keir Starmer committed to oracy classes for children, if the UK Labour Party wins the next election, many more people would be familiar with it.
Improving our ability to influence others begins with mastering oracy. My blook post on oracy includes inspiring videos of children engaging in meaningful dialogue and public speaking - skills far beyond their years
World Values Day Intergenerational Knowledge Cafés
12th and 19th October 2023
Our two World Values Day Intergenerational Knowledge Cafés are coming up soon, one on October 12 and the second on October 19.
In the Cafés, we are bringing elders and 'youngers' together in Knowledge Café format to discuss their desired future world.
You can register for either date if you are an elder (age 60 or over). We are also still looking for schools to participate in future Cafés.
You can learn more about the Intergenerational Knowledge Café here.
Hacking at the Branches of Evil
Henry David Thoreau
I love the work of Henry David Thoreau, particularly his book Walden. When, in the early 90s, I lived in Carlisle, Massachusetts, a few miles up the road from Concord, I often visited Walden Pond. It was and still is one of my favorite places in the world, and I took my wife there to share it with her when we visited New England in 2019. It hadn't changed much in 30 years.
I can't really explain it, but the idyllic setting of the Pond connects me with Thoreau and his thinking.
In the first chapter of Walden, he states that thousands are hacking at the branches of evil, but only one is striking at the root. If you are familiar with this quote and have ever wondered what Thoreau meant, look at this post on Quora by Adam Warburton that sums it up nicely.
There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root, and it may be that he who bestows the largest amount of time and money on the needy is doing the most by his mode of life to produce that misery which he strives in vain to relieve.
Help Keep My Work Alive
For almost 25 years, I’ve been sharing the Gurteen Knowledge Letter each month, and many of you have been reading it for five years or more. My Knowledge Café also reached a milestone, celebrating its 20th anniversary in September 2022.
If my work has made a difference to you, I’d be grateful if you could consider supporting it. A small monthly donation or any one-off contribution would greatly help cover some of my website hosting costs.
Thank you to the 50+ patrons who already support me – your generosity means a lot.
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Gurteen Knowledge Letter
The Gurteen Knowledge Letter is a free monthly email newsletter designed to inspire thinking around Conversational Leadership and Knowledge Management. You can explore the archive of past issues here.
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David Gurteen
Gurteen Knowledge
Fleet, United Kingdom
