Gurteen Knowledge Letter
Issue 283 – January 2024
I hope you have had a peaceful and relaxing Christmas with your families.
As we enter 2024, I have a call to action.
The Enlightenment era of the 17th and 18th centuries revolutionized the world through the power of conversation. The coffeehouses of London served as hubs where lively debates took place, challenging established norms. Salons in Paris, spearheaded by influential women, also served as important centers of intellectual discourse amongst luminaries like Voltaire and Diderot, informing Enlightenment values of reason and progress.
These dialogues were instrumental in democratizing knowledge, shifting focus from tradition to reason and empirical evidence, thus making information accessible beyond the elite. This led to monumental shifts, influencing revolutions and the birth of modern democracies.
In today’s increasingly divided world, engaging in meaningful dialogue is more crucial than ever. Such conversations bridge divides, foster understanding, and drive collective action toward global challenges like climate change, political and military conflict, and technological disruption.
This new era of Enlightenment requires us to embrace empathy, open-mindedness, and a willingness to question our beliefs. By reviving the Enlightenment’s spirit of inquiry and dialogue, we can address the complexities of our world and co-create a better future.
This is a call to reignite the transformative power of conversation, not just to understand the world better but to actively improve it. Get in touch if you would like to explore how to get involved.
Contents
- Knowledge Café Events Early 2024
Events coming up in January and February 2024 - Remember Cognitive Surplus?
Tapping into our collective potential - Conversational Huddles
How huddles can energize and align teams - Finding the Truth in a Post-truth World
Why we don’t really care about truth - From Knowledge to Agency
Knowledge is not power, agency is power - The Biochemistry of Conversation
Hormones and possibly pheromones influence our social interactions - Help Keep My Work Alive
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- Gurteen Knowledge Letter
Knowledge Café Events Early 2024
Events coming up in January and February 2024
I'm hosting or co-hosting four events in January and February that I think you may be interested in:
Washington DC, Knowledge Café, Zoom: Thursday, January 18th, 16:00 to 17:30 GMT How does AI impact our practice of Conversational Leadership?
Gurteen Conversational Leadership Café, Zoom: Thursday, February 1st, 16:00 to 18:00 GMT What are we prepared to take responsibility for?
Gurteen Knowledge Café Workshop, Zoom: Thursday, February 15th, 2024, 15:00 to 19:00 GMT How to design and host a Gurteen Knowledge Café
If you live in or around London, I will be hosting an in-person Knowledge Café on the evening of February 7th at Regent's University. This will be the first face-to-face London Knowledge Café since 2020, so I hope you can join. What are the strongest motives for creative endeavour in your life?
If you would like to receive updates about my upcoming events, you can sign up for notifications here.
Remember Cognitive Surplus?
Tapping into our collective potential
Over a decade ago, Clay Shirky introduced the concept of Cognitive Surplus — harnessing our collective free time and creativity for collaborative efforts that benefit society. He argued that social media could channel our unused mental resources toward meaningful projects.
The promise still outweighs the reality. But the core idea remains valid. Our online energy could be directed toward causes greater than ourselves.
I've put together a post in my blook revisiting the potential of cognitive surplus. Take a look and reflect on how you could contribute your skills and passions at no cost other than time.
Small individual efforts can add up to make a real difference. By recognizing the power of collective action, we can help make Clay's inspiring vision a reality.
Conversational Huddles
How huddles can energize and align teams
In my blook on Conversational Leadership, I discuss how huddles can energize and align teams.
Huddles are short, casual meetings where employees come together to exchange ideas, solve problems, and stay on the same page. These brief gatherings promote participation, stronger relationships, and higher morale.
Learn how to run effective huddles that boost productivity and collaboration: The Power of Huddles.
Finding the Truth in a Post-truth World
Why we don’t really care about truth
In today's world of misinformation and conspiracy theories, it can be hard to know who and what to trust. But as Joseph Shieber argues in this fascinating article, our ability to determine the truth may be more limited than we think.
He suggests that rather than having an innate lie detector, we accept or reject statements based on practical goals, not facts. Our primary aim in conversation is self-presentation, not uncovering the truth.
Rather than carefully weighing evidence, we latch onto ideas reinforcing preconceived notions or social belonging.
It's a thought-provoking article that will make you think critically about our relationship with the truth. How can we become more vigilant, careful consumers of information? The path forward is unclear, but awareness of our biases is essential.
From Knowledge to Agency
Knowledge is not power, agency is power
In the Knowledge Management world, we talk about knowledge and capabilities but rarely about agency. I think it's time we moved from "knowledge to agency" and "capabilities to agency".
People can have all the knowledge needed to do something and may be capable of doing it, but they may not have the power to make it happen because they lack agency.
Let's focus more on agency.
The Biochemistry of Conversation
Hormones and possibly pheromones influence our social interactions
Our conversations involve more than meets the eye. Underneath the surface lies a complex biochemical signaling system, where hormones like oxytocin and cortisol shape how we communicate.
I've long been fascinated by the science behind interpersonal communication, and I have put together an introduction to how chemical messengers like hormones and possibly pheromones impact our conversations, connections, and relationships.
It's just a primer on the topic — I plan to delve deeper. If you're curious to learn more about the unspoken biological factors that influence our interactions, check out this post in my blook: Conversational Chemistry.
Let me know if you find this intersection of biology and communication as fascinating as I do!
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
