Ten Meters of Thinking: The ABC of Communication – Paul Hughes at TEDxInnsbruck

Through his '10 meters of thinking' Paul Hughes unrolls stories that create organizational change. This change is an ongoing path where he uses design & branding to pave the way and offer signposts for the journey, which he coaches participants to walk with practical steps.

Success

is not a point.

Success

is a path.

I'm Irish,

and in the Celtic symbolism

there are many symbols
that refer to a journey and a path.

One of them looks like this.

It says unity.

Everything is connected.

And it says eternity.

That no matter where you begin
you'll always comeback to the same place.

Today I'd like to talk to you
about a path,

and some of the qualities along that path.

And I'm going to do this
across ten meters of paper,

which I call ten meters of thinking.

Now, before you go
into a deeper state of learning,

I'd like to tell you little bit
about Irish logic.

Irish logic:

This here as you can clearly see
is Patrick Murphy.

Patrick Murphy on Monday night,

went out and had ten whiskeys and a cola.

Now on Tuesday morning,
he woke up with a terrible hangover.

So, on Tuesday night
he had ten whiskeys and a Cola.

Wednesday morning,
he wakes up with a terrible hangover.

So when Wednesday night he goes out
and has ten Bacardies and a Cola.

Thursday morning waking up
with a terrible hangover,

he says, "That's it. No more Cola for me."

(Laughter)

Absolutely correct.

Clearly, it's Cola that is the problem.

It's completely logical.

In fact you would have to say
you need to be illogical to be Irish.

(Laughter)

Now, this of course is where

unfortunately many businesses are today.

We have to look beyond the obvious
to find the root cause.

And what I'm interested in
is how science and other disciplines

has done so.

For example,

this here as you can clearly see
is a butterfly.

And what science traditionally has done,

is that it has captured the butterfly,
killed it, lots of blood,

(Laughter)

and has put the analysis
in a static state.

Instead what science now is doing,

is it's looking at the butterfly,
as you can clearly see that's a butterfly.

It's now looking at the butterfly

in its environment within the context.

This is now called dynamic knowledge.

Dynamic knowledge,
because science now realizes

that when we have Carbon,

when we have Hydrogen,

and when we have Oxygen

and we add these together,

something unique is created.

What is created here

is something that is not in Carbon,
Hydrogen or Oxygen.

It only is created
with the synergy of these.

And this is sugar.

Yet there's no sugar in Carbon,
Hydrogen or Oxygen.

A sweet spot is created
through the synergies.

This as we all know means

that 1+1=?

Scientists in the room?

1+1=...

11.

Obviously.

The individuals working in unity,
unity in diversity,

we're still individuals keeping diversity,

creating expediential value.

1+1 no longer
is synergistically meaning 2,

1+1 now, in today's world, means 11.

What this means is
that when we have communities,

communities that are connected
and operating together in synergy,

something new is going on,
there's a new meaning.

This community comes
from the Maori culture in New Zealand.

The Maori culture in New Zealand,

every period of time marks that period
with the building of the boat.

Everybody in the village is responsible
in the activity of building the boat.

Including the oldest person
in the village,

whose task is to build the fire
in the center of the village,

sit by that fire and remember
why they're building the boat.

We need to ask ourselves why?

Particularly,
because I believe that our "Why?"

has been transported
from within the walls of our society

to a zone that is unknown.

To a zone that now causes us
to step beyond this

into a new trash old.

A new trash old that has new rules,
new regulations, new opportunities.

It is a new adventure.

However I'm here to tell you good news.

Good news that the new rules
are actually very old rules.

When we communicate,

we should not do this,

we should do this.

When we communicate,

it should be based in truth.

When we act,
it needs to be based upon justice.

Justice and truth
becomes the new operating principles.

Old principles in a new world.

Now, what you will realize is,

those great mathematicians
in the audience will realize of course.

When you add this to this,

we get this.

This is the distinguishing factor today.

This is now the difference
that will make the difference.

We have individuals

competing with different organizations.

This organization will fly this kite.

This organization will fly this kite.

All competing.

We however will fly this kite.

Old rules.

Us, someone else.

Do onto others
as you would see done onto yourself.

The golden rule.

It amazes me
how many business books these days

spent 300 pages telling us this.

Now, what's interesting about this,

is that I believe,

it is the quality of our relationships now
that we need to focus on.

It is the quality of our relationships
that is going to define what we deliver.

This is now what we focus on.

And very quickly
I want to offer you a very simple model,

a model that I use in branding.

And it's a model that you can use
for brands businesses or being.

And it looks like this.

This here is an organization.

And this here is somebody else.

You could call it a customer.

The organization and the customer.

Now what happens is,

the organization
first of all takes an action

towards the customer.

The action results in a belief

in the mind of the customer.

What the organization then does,
is it communicates.

If the action
is not in parallel with the communication,

then we have a negative belief.

In other words if we do something
and say something else,

we don't believe.

If however these are in parallel,

we have a positive belief.

Again, there're many management books
that spend 300 pages telling us this.

The interesting thing about this
is the simplicity.

The simplicity of the A, B, C.

A comes first.

We do not communicate first,
we act first.

Now, we've already learnt that new rules

means that our action needs to be just.

Our communication needs to be truthful.

And I can guarantee
if our actions are just,

our communication truthful,

then we will form.

This is the goal of every organization.

ABC action orientated.

Now, for you advanced listeners.

You know who you are?

For you advanced listeners,

of course it's not just an ABC,
perhaps there's a D.

Because, it shouldn't be
one-way communication,

it should actually be two-way
communication as we all know.

And this then opens up into dialogue.

This however is not achievable
unless we have this,

unless we have trust.

Do not think that you can do this,

we first need to form trust.

Action, ladies and gentlemen,
this is all about action.

And the action is actually
based on learning.

Learning by doing.

We act and we're learning from that.

Let's talk about learning.

This here is my dog in Ireland
that I was growing up with,

as you can see.

And this here is the car
that he was very fond of chasing

along the street that we were living in.

Until one day he was hit by a car.

Now, we went to the doctor to do that,

and surprisingly he was actually,

recovered very quickly with one
of this things around his neck.

His bark got louder.

And when we took this off him,
and he was let out again onto the street,

he learnt never to chase cars again
on that street.

Instead, he chased them on this street.

(Laughter)

Learning requires reflection,

and reflection has to happen
at a mature level.

And one of the things
that can help with reflection,

is when we consider

that the context gives meaning.

This sequence makes sense.

It's clearly making sense.

This is now different.

The context gives the meaning.

In order to rich a more mature reflection
we need to step into a wider context.

And just so that we understand
where we are today,

we need to go back to Darwin,

who talks about the survival
of the fittest.

Where one is against the other.

It is locked in,
it is the competition based model.

Unfortunately too much of our activities
are based on this.

Darwin however only ever spoke
about the survival of the fittest,

within a greater context of cooperation.

Our competition based model is excellent

once operating
within a larger context of cooperation.

And the first step
that we can take towards this,

is to involve others.

To consult with others in our activities.

To consult with others
over what's important.

So, to bring this back again
to a very simple set of basis,

when we're doing
the ABC's of communication,

it is all about starting with action.

We learn from our doing.

Remembering our dog,
it needs to be based on reflection.

Our actions then we need to reflect upon.

And to have a wider more mature context,

we need to involve others
by consulting with them.

This is a model of reflection.
Learning by doing.

And this is a model with the consultation
of a rich understanding.

This means very simply,

that when we want
to move from A to B,

any point on time,

we move in A ARC.

We act, we reflect and we consult.

With this realization
that we're involved with others.

That we want to be part of others.

That in fact we're interdependent.

It means that we as independent parts

need to become interdependent parts
of an organic whole.

This becomes our operating mantra.

This is where we're moving to.

And what this means is,
that as I rerolled,

you can put this content
in its most valuable place for you.

As I reroll, we can look
and consider how learning by doing

through a process of acting,
reflecting and consulting

creates an emergent value.

It creates a richer meaning.

It means
that when we're operating and reflecting,

it means that it based upon actions.

Actions within a greater context

that's creating a richer meaning.

To do so means that the relationships
we're working with are more rich.

It means that we're focusing
on creating richer relationships.

And it means
that what was a very .. timeless quality,

now becomes a timely manifestation.

Our truth plus justice creates trust.

That is the difference
that will now make the difference.

It will help us navigates
beyond the walls of our current society.

It will help us remember
a different "Why?".

It will help us act in a greater sense
of unity and diversity,

that will create expediential value.

All of which
reminds us of the journey that we're on.

A path where our actions,

our beliefs,

and our communication

become key components along a path.

A path which we operate in ARCs.

We act, we reflect, we consult.

A path of ARCs.

And to go beyond the culture of context
means that at the heart of this,

our actions are just.

Our beliefs are based on trust.

And our communication is based on truth.

Which I'll guarantee

will create a compiling why

and remind us that success is not a point,

success is a path.

Thank you very much.

(Applause)