Acronyms and Labels

If you've ever spent time with a group of people from the same industry that you’re not a part of, you know how narrow we can all be at times. There are acronyms and terms you have no clue how to decipher. It’s almost as if they are speaking another language, their own language. 

I was consulting a large pharma company and on one of our conference calls, I asked them to translate into English. At first, they were confused, but then they laughed and understood. 

What do You Mean?

We think we’re being clear, but we have to understand that our thoughts may not align with others’ understanding. When we take the time to step back, breathe, and gain more insight into how others are perceiving us, we stand a better chance of understanding each other and at times ourselves. 

Technical speak and industry specifics are often needed, but sometimes boiling things down to the most basic level is the best way to avoid misinterpretation. If we take a moment and suspend our beliefs to check for understanding, conflict can be avoided and teamwork can be improved. 

One idea is to find someone outside our circle to ask their opinion. Their lack of industry knowledge might unlock some questions we hadn't considered. 

It's worth a shot.

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Where It All Starts

We know ideas are the beginning of everything. The keyboard I'm using to write this started with an idea; the laptop I'm using started with an idea; this website started with an idea; the internet started with an idea; you and I deciding to connect though we may not know each other started with an idea.

But what do we do with a hunch?

It's not an idea yet; it's just a feeling or a nudge. It's a pause or a quick wave of inspiration we can't even form into an idea yet. Stephen Johnson explains how ideas are born and executed.


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Non-Verbal Clues

We know ideas are the beginning of everything. The keyboard I'm using to write this started with an idea; the laptop I'm using started with an idea; this website started with an idea; the internet started with an idea; you and I deciding to connect though we don't know each other started with an idea.

But what do we do with a hunch? It's not an idea yet; it's just a feeling or a nudge. It's a pause or a quick wave of inspiration we can't even form into an idea yet.

Stephen Johnson explains how ideas are born and executed.


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You Have Great Ones Everyday

We have them every day; often several times each day. We're faced with a problem, one pops to mind. They are plentiful and everywhere. We are doing something innocuous, and one breaks our consciousness. But what do we do with them?

This video is a few years old and just as valid as the day it was produced. Stephen Johnson discusses how ideas are born, incubated, and ultimately acted upon. He studies how we think about ideas and then actually execute them.

What will you do with your next idea?


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What Do You Do With a Hunch?

This video has been circulating for a while. In fact, it has close to 900,000 views so there is a chance you’ve seen it. If not, it’s worth four minutes of your time.

In this video, Stephen Johnson discusses how ideas are born, incubated and ultimately acted upon. Stephen studies how we think about ideas and then actually execute them.

Talking a Big Game

This is about how we harness those ideas, those hunches, then share them with others and collaborate with their ideas and hunches and things become reality. We can lock ourselves in theory and ideas, we have no shortage of them. But as Seth Godin puts it - is what we need more action, more shipping.

What happens to your great ideas?


Kneale Mann

video credit: stephen johnson

The @Ev olution of Twitter

We know the social web moves at the speed of light but it is interesting to go back almost two years to see how things were, how they have changed and in some cases (and not necessarily in a bad way) stayed the same.

This is Evan Williams at TED in February 2009 being a real, genuine (and nervous) guy talking about the birth, the launch and the evolution of Twitter. He says he always follows the hunch but never assumes where it will go. [video]

Advice we should all heed don't you think?



knealemann | email


video credit: TED