Can computer games help us make better decisions in life?

Supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), a team at Queen’s University Belfast is exploring whether people can be trained to make better decisions by improving their ability to recognize and make allowances for their subjective opinions and biases. This interdisciplinary project harnesses leading-edge expertise in mathematics, statistics, critical thinking, knowledge management and educational psychology. The team has developed a prototype that could be built on by commercial games manufacturers and turned into an e-learning or training tool for professionals and for the general public. Here is how the researchers describe the “World of Uncertainty” game:

“The game uses multiple choice questions on a variety of subjects. However this is not just an ordinary quiz. Its main purpose is to improve and calibrate players’ certainty and sense of probabilities rather than subject knowledge. Thus the topic of the quiz or difficulty level became irrelevant so long as the player enjoys the quiz and is motivated to achieve higher score. On answering each question, the player has to indicate his/her confidence as accurately as possible using interactive slider. As a player adjusts the slider, corresponding payoffs for correct and incorrect outcomes will be shown. This payoff function designed to encourage the honest and accurate confidence judgment. In addition to immediate feedback, players can access results of all completed quizzes and calibration charts from personal profiles. Detailed feedback helps to correct over/under confidence in quantifying internal probabilities.”

Over 500 members of the general public, as well as many students from Queen’s and Dundalk Institute of Technology, have already tried out the prototype. The prototype game allows you to increase your accuracy in answering questions and train to quantify your confidence. It is available for anyone to try out at http://quiz.worldofuncertainty.org/.

By Anastasia Pryanikova| 2011-01-20T18:37:02+00:00 January 20th, 2011|Learning, Peak Performance, Perception|0 Comments

Video Review Series, Part 3: Leveraging Social Media for Crisis Communication

How hard could it be to undo bad publicity?

In one of the questionnaires relayed to 160 Israeli directors as part of the study conducted by the Faculty of Management at the Tel Aviv University, the participants were asked to recall information on Israeli companies that was reported in the press. The research revealed that the directors tended to remember the negative news published in the media regarding these companies, but that it was harder for them to think of positive news about the same enterprises. In addition, bad news traveled fast. The number of people who received word of a negative report in the media was almost five times greater than that of people who were informed of positive reports.

People remember bad news published in the media more easily. This may be an example of the brain’s negativity bias. Events that trigger negative emotions increase activity in the emotion-processing areas of the brain, such as the orbitofrontal cortex and the amygdala. These emotionally charged memories are preserved in greater detail than happy or more neutral memories, but they may also be subject to distortion. This mechanism for the preservation of bad memories may have evolved to protect us against future negative events.

While we may not want to deliver bad news, it’s worthwhile to remember that people would rather know the worst than fear the worst. Daniel Gilbert, who is professor of psychology at Harvard University and the author of “Stumbling on Happiness,” writes:

“Consider an experiment by researchers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands who gave subjects a series of 20 electric shocks. Some subjects knew they would receive an intense shock on every trial. Others knew they would receive 17 mild shocks and 3 intense shocks, but they didn’t know on which of the 20 trials the intense shocks would come. The results showed that subjects who thought there was a small chance of receiving an intense shock were more afraid — they sweated more profusely, their hearts beat faster — than subjects who knew for sure that they’d receive an intense shock.

“That’s because people feel worse when something bad might occur than when something bad will occur.”

The following case studies of the “Year 2010 in Review” series show how companies and organizations can harness the power of social media to deal with bad news and counteract bad publicity.

The first example comes from Visit Florida tourism organization that proactively used social media in the aftermath of the Gulf oil spill to provide real-time information about the state of Florida beaches. Its website http://www.visitflorida.com/floridalive aggregated updates from local twitter feeds, webcams, photo reports to tell the eyewitness story of what hundreds of miles of Florida coastline looked like. This is its commercial that invited people to visit the Florida Live website for the current updates.

The second case study is Destination Hotels & Resort’s Wild Dunes property in Charleston, S.C., which faced serious problems with beach erosion in 2008 and saved its peak season with a social media campaign. Through optimized press releases, YouTube videos by the golf pro, photos, and a dialogue about Isle of Palms on TripAdvisort, the campaign strengthened relationships with customers and brought more business despite a serious image problem. You can now read about the beach nourishment project and see the before and after images of the beach in the photo gallery and more photos and videos on the Wild Dunes Resort Facebook page.

Here are a few take-aways on social media and crisis communication:

Don’t hide from the bad news. Use social media as a platform to engage the public and reduce the uncertainty.
Anticipate the questions and concerns of the public and address them in your social media campaign.
Gather as much information as possible to better understand the situation and don’t be afraid to enlist the help of others.
Be prepared to respond to questions and deal with strong reactions.
Stay flexible and adjust your course as needed. Consider “what if” scenarios and develop contingency plans.
Update the public on the efforts to solve the problem and turn your challenges into opportunities to strengthen the relationships with your customers and reinforce the values of your brand.

How would you leverage social media for crisis communication?

Video Review Series, Part 2: The Effective Video Apology “DOs” and “DON’Ts”

Video Review Series, Part 4: Humor in Conflict Is No Laughing Matter

By Anastasia Pryanikova| 2011-02-25T23:40:45+00:00 January 18th, 2011|Communication, Conflict Management|1 Comment

Book Review: “Welcome to My World” by Johnny Weir

I enjoy reading memoirs – uniquely personal experiences with universal truths. I especially looked forward to the recently published autobiography “Welcome to My World” by Johnny Weir, a world-famous figure-skater, three times U.S. National Champion and twice Olympian. I won’t pretend to be unbiased. I am a fan of his masterful skating. I have always been amazed at his capacity to push the boundaries of his sport and bring people from different countries and cultures together in appreciation for what he is and what he brings to the skating world. I longed for a quiet weekend when I would snuggle with the book and make my world stop while I was in his world. Johnny Weir’s autobiography promised much needed food for the mind, heart and soul (and a big plus, for a change, it didn’t include the word “brain” or “neuro” in the title like all of my recent reads). I am happy to say, it didn’t disappoint.

Known for his honest, direct, and witty way of delivering messages, Johnny Weir stayed true to his style in his quarter-life memoir, as he likes to call it. He is a skillful storyteller. His keen eye for detail and visual effects that so many of his fans appreciate in his skating programs translated into the vivid and lively language of the book. You don’t just read about Johnny Weir’s life, you actually see it unfolding in front of your eyes as if on a movie screen. Like his skates on the ice, everything moves fast in a delightful swirl of dialogue, characters, and places. The book is another proof that whatever it is Johnny Weir decides to go after, he goes full force, lighting the path with sparkly rhinestones.

We witness his quick transformation from a quiet and focused child with an active imagination and wise outlook on life to an awe-inspiring skater and artist. He took his first steps on ice not on a suburban skating rink but on the ice-covered cornfield patch behind his house in a small place of Quarryville, Pennsylvania, after his parents gave him a pair of used black leather skates as a gift. “I definitely caught the skating bug that winter afternoon,” he writes. “The feeling of speeding from one place to another so quickly was amazing.” Yet, his future at the time appeared to be in horseback riding – he was close to making the national team. Competitive and determined even as a kid, when his trainer suggested he should work on his posture, he went home and sat “perfectly straight for two hours” until his back was shaking. Then, amidst his equestrian training, he took a group skating lesson – another gift from his parents – and to the instructor’s surprise, he landed an axel, a jump that usually takes someone two years to learn. The decision had to be made, and an eleven-year old Johnny chose to become an Olympian in figure skating.

I don’t know how many parents would be ready to move multiple times and endure all kinds of financial and emotional pressures to give their son an opportunity to pursue an Olympic dream, but Johnny’s parents did just that and continued to provide love and support through all of the tribulations of his athletic career. And those were many. “Everything changed as I climbed the ranks of competitive skating,” he writes. “My body, my technique, my ability, my emotions, my surroundings, all in turmoil and flux.” From his rapid rise to the Olympic level, Johnny Weir emerges as a person who is not afraid to accept, love and nurture the opposites in himself, which makes him an outspoken contrarian, adored by his numerous global fans, but also distrusted by the skating establishment. A tender-hearted fighter, a disciplined artist, an ornery gentleman, a witty intellectual, an athletic fashionista, a quiet entertainer, one thing we know for sure, he is never boring. Neither are his costumes: “Much like A-List actresses who won’t hit the red carpet unless they’re dripping in five million dollars’ worth of diamonds, I can’t skate unless I feel beautiful.”

He aims for perfection in everything he does – from his sport to his wardrobe and the lines of the carpet at his home, perhaps, reinforcing the structure he needs to anchor his exuberant creative expression. But while perfection is his goal, he never pretends to be perfect. He is brutally honest in this “feel-free-to-hate-my-guts” kind of way when he talks about his own lapses of judgment, like faking injuries and withdrawing from competitions. But you can’t be mad at him for long because he doesn’t give himself a break and certainly doesn’t expect it from others: “My stupidity and hubris had landed me in skating purgatory, cast our from the mainstream and any kind of official track. I knew I earned my karma and deserved everything that was happening, but that didn’t make it any easier to deal with.”

Every setback and disappointment, however, becomes a learning opportunity and a springboard to propel himself forward. He may be known as a “swan” for his signature 2006 Olympic short program, but he is also a “phoenix” when it comes to his signature life programming. The phoenix is a symbol of renewal. The mythical bird is a fire spirit with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet (not unlike the colors of the book cover). According to ancient mythology, it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites, and a new, young phoenix arises from the ashes. From each career dip, Johnny Weir appears better and stronger: “…nothing matters but the moment. Whatever happens at an event, good or bad, dissipates when you train on a clean slate of ice.”

The book is an emotional rollercoaster that will make you laugh, cry, sigh and cheer as Johnny Weir takes you into his world of competitions, travel, fashion, and romance. The issue of Johnny Weir’s ‘coming out’ in the book has been much discussed in the media recently although as he and many others see it, he has never been ‘in’. He was six when he realized there was something different about him while watching Richard Gere in Pretty Woman: “Seeing Julia Roberts get swept off her feet by her rich and handsome client, I wanted to be her so badly because he did something special to me. Kissing seemed like a weird think to do, but I knew if I were going to do it, it would be with Richard Gere.” When he turned eighteen, he told his mother he was gay: “Suddenly it felt like I was sitting in the room with a stranger, and this was my mom, my best friend. The energy around us dropped as she started to cry.” He continues, “I fell sorry for my mom and wanted her to know that everything was going to be all right.” She replied, “I don’t really care, Johnny, as long as I know that you are going to be happy.” His love story is sweet, lyrical, poignant, and humorous at the same time. It will resonate with anyone who has a heart and a body. His experience is personal and unique, but the truths behind it are universal.

Johnny Weir lives a passionate life. His passion for his sport gave him the dream, the purpose, and the strength to pursue his goals despite obstacles and disappointments and remain true to himself. The book reflects his complex and multifaceted personality that bursts through whatever boxes anybody tries to put him in. His story inspires us to find our own passions and strengths within and challenges us to rise above our labels.

By Anastasia Pryanikova| 2011-01-18T17:22:22+00:00 January 11th, 2011|Books|0 Comments

Video Review Series, Part 2: The Effective Video Apology “DOs” and “DON’Ts”

“The only way to put out a social media fire is with social media water,” says Ramon DeLeon, managing partner of several Chicago-area Domino’s Pizzas stores, and he should know, as his video apology campaign back in 2009 was hailed as a big success by social media gurus. My 2010 video apology review wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t mention this benchmark case first. It all started when Amy Korin decided to order a Domino’s pizza. After waiting for over an hour for her pizza to be delivered, she discovered that the pizza wasn’t what she ordered. When she complained about it on Twitter, Ramon DeLeon took notice. He contacted her immediately, informing her that the new pizza was on its way and promising to make up for the mistake. And make up is what he did. The following morning Amy Korin received his tweet with a link to his personal YouTube apology to her. Duly impressed, she forwarded the link to a few people. And before anybody could say “pizza,” the video started spreading around the Internet and quickly became hotter than a wood-burning pizza oven. Many good things happened to Ramon DeLeon’s business since then. And here’s Ramon DeLeon’s famous apology video:

Ramon DeLeon knows not only how to make pizzas, but also how to turn lemons into lemonade. He understands that social media presents a great platform to transform a problem into something positive if it is done right. By turning one unhappy customer into a loyal customer via a social media conversation, he was able to build relationships with many more potential customers who witnessed that conversation. But it all began with a human connection and an honest desire to make it right. Here’s how Ramon DeLeon explains the appeal of social media during an interview at SXSW 2010.

We have seen many public video apologies since then. Some of them were successful, others – not so much. Apology is an intricate interaction, and unfortunately, our own brains can make things more difficult. In her book, A Mind of Its Own: How Your Brain Distorts and Deceives, Cordelia Fine describes our brains’ propensity to justify our own bad behavior as a mistake, unavoidable or beyond our control. However, we are quick to assume bad intentions in others when they act badly. In addition, apologies directly bear on our sense of fairness and social standing. The perception of fairness and improved status are rewards to the brain, which is sensitive to how we are treated and viewed by others. Unfair treatment is a threat to the brain that triggers a stress response and often a strong emotional reaction.

The 2010 video apology examples below all involve someone apologizing on behalf of a corporation. This presents a unique challenge in itself. Social media apology is different from a corporate press release. When people want to assign blame or litigate, they will chose a corporate entity. When they feel frustrated, angry, disrespected and want to yell at someone, they will choose a person. To release an emotional burden, we need a human connection. Corporate entities don’t feel, people do. Businesses struggle with this conundrum in social media: how can a large corporation appear human?

For years, lawyers have advised businesses not to apologize because it could be treated as an admission of the liability in a courtroom. There is growing empirical evidence, however, that challenges this notion. A recent study[PDF] suggests that apologies can help opponents reach legal settlements, especially in employment disputes, because they give the wronged party a sense of justice and satisfaction, resulting in faster settlements and lower demands for damages. The nature of the apology makes a difference. Apologies that accepted responsibility were the most effective in the experiment because participants reported that they gained respect for their counterparts. Emotions play a big role when people decide what course of action they should take against the wrong-doer.

So, what makes an apology effective in re-establishing the sense of fairness, goodwill and respect? Here are some apology “DOs”:

Be sincere;
Show humility;
Show remorse;
Acknowledge the damage done and the pain caused;
Accept responsibility;
Provide an explanation if you have one;
Commit to a course of action that remedies the problem and prevents it from happening again;
Ask for cooperation and, if appropriate, enlist help in remedying the situation;
Keep your promises and do what you said you would do.

And the apology “DON’Ts”:

Don’t lie;
Don’t shift the blame;
Don’t say you are sorry when you are really not;
Don’t make excuses or justify your actions;
Don’t detract attention from real issues;
Don’t say one thing and do the opposite;
Don’t count on or demand forgiveness.

As you watch these video apologies, which do you feel were successful and why? Which ones failed and why? What else do we need to know about the art and science of effective apology?

1. BP’s CEO Tony Hayward issues a formal apology to address the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico:

Earlier, Tony Hayward told Britain’s newspaper The Guardian: “The Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean. The amount of volume of oil and dispersant we are putting into it is tiny in relation to the total water volume.”

2. Lexus General Manager Mark Templin’s delivers his video message regarding the voluntary recall of the 2010 GX 460:

3. Toyota Motor Sales President & COO Jim Lentz tells customers about the company’s solution to fix the sticking pedal situation in recalled Toyota vehicles.

Video Review Series, Part 3: Leveraging Social Media for Crisis Communication

Video Review Series, Part 4: Humor in Conflict Is No Laughing Matter

Year 2010 in Review Series: What can these 8 videos teach us about the social brain, conflict management and social media?

By Anastasia Pryanikova| 2011-02-25T23:39:51+00:00 January 8th, 2011|Communication, Conflict Management|2 Comments