Upping your game: Five things IAs need to talk about more

@leegoesplaces · #upyrgame · #ias11

Upping your game: Five Things IAs Need To Talk About More Leanna Gingras - @leegoesplaces #ias11 #upyrgame

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, and die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." - Robert Heinlein


My background My problem Five disciplines that have helped me up my game:

Statistics Business Psychology Narrative fiction Interpersonal relations

What's been helpful for you?

@leegoesplaces · #upyrgame · #ias11 Flickr user donhomer








Why?


Maybe it's just me.


Maybe IAs aren't talking to each other about non-IA topics.


Maybe conferences deliberately keep it simple.


So what should we do?


Here are five disciplines that have helped me up my game as a

practitioner!


#1 STATISTICS I upped my game from generating charts to transforming data and doing analysis.




@leegoesplaces · #upyrgame · #ias11 Original image from http://www.technotraits.com/2008/09/awsome-tips-to-effectively-use-ms-excel-2007/

@leegoesplaces · #upyrgame · #ias11 http://www.activewin.com/reviews/previews/office10/Images/xlgraph.jpg






Up your game! Use statistics make sure that your data is right, and that your data is telling the story you claim it's telling.


#2 BUSINESS SKILLS I upped my game by learning how to make alliances and get things done in a big organization.


My story




@leegoesplaces · #upyrgame · #ias11 Flickr user ctbto




Up your game! Use business savvy to get buy-in early on in the project, anticipate blocks and remove them.


#3 PSYCHOLOGY I upped my game by learning how people think straight from the source: actual psychology studies.





@leegoesplaces · #upyrgame · #ias11 http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20030550-93.html


@leegoesplaces · #upyrgame · #ias11 http://www-psych.stanford.edu/~ajordan/papers/Jordan%20et%20al.%20(2011)%20-%20Misery%20Has%20More%20Company.pdf




Up your game! Use primary-source psychology to learn how to better study humans and design for humans.


#4 NARRATIVE FICTION I upped my game by polishing my writing, plotting, and planning skills.





GRE analytical reasoning scores 2006-2009

Data from ETS (pdf)

@leegoesplaces · #upyrgame · #ias11 Data from ETS (pdf)



@leegoesplaces · #upyrgame · #ias11 Flickr user: Beth77

@leegoesplaces · #upyrgame · #ias11 http://jonny.snsy.de/?p=372


http://sampottsinc.com/ij/

http://sampottsinc.com/ij/



Up your game! Read narrative fiction to learn different ways of communicating ideas effectively.


#5 INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS I upped my game by using trust and respect to build an effective work environment.

@leegoesplaces · #upyrgame · #ias11 http://media.photobucket.com/image/burn%20bridge/constitutionman/DeweyBridgeApr72008.jpg





@leegoesplaces · #upyrgame · #ias11 Flickr user: caveman92223


Up your game! Understanding interpersonal relations and cultivating trust is essential to getting our job done.


1. Statistics 2. Business 3. Psychology 4. Narrative fiction 5. Interpersonal relations



Now share your experiences with me.


Thank you! I hope you all start looking for inspiration everywhere, not just in these 5 fields. Check out my #upyrgame reading list: http://tinyurl.com/upyrgame Leanna Gingras @leegoesplaces http://www.usabilityfail.com

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Upping your game: Five things IAs need to talk about more