Contents
- Introduction to the October 2016 Knowledge Letter
- Knowledge principles for government
- Numeracy and literacy are important but what about oracy?
- Gurteen Knowledge Tweets: October 2016
- Upcoming Knowledge Events
- Subscribing and Unsubscribing
- The Gurteen Knowledge Letter
Introduction to the October 2016 Knowledge Letter
The online book I am writing on Conversational Leadership is a cross between a book and a blog - a blook and although far from complete and in a rather rough state is slowly starting to shape up and look and feel more like a book than a blog.
What has amazed me is the power and easy of use of Wordpress (the platform on which it is built). Whenever I have wanted to improve the structure or functionality in someway I have found a plug-in to do it and where I have had to tinker with the code, it is has been a relatively easy, painless experience but then I do have a programming background :-)
Access to most of the content of the blook is blocked for now while it is under development but I have opened up the navigation pages and the posts marked with an *. This should give you a pretty good feel for it, if you just want a quick look.
But if you would like full access then simply register and I will accept you but in return I would ask for some feedback.
This is my way of working out loud and getting some early feedback. Many of the posts you will recognise as more developed versions of items I have blogged about in the past or published in this newsletter - another means of getting feedback.
Knowledge principles for government
It is tremendous to see a resurgence in KM in UK Government in the form of a set of Knowledge Principles.
This set of knowledge principles has been designed by Knowledge and Information Management (KIM) practitioners in government to assist their colleagues in developing strategies and plans to improve how knowledge is shared in their departments.And a recognition that KM is different from IM. I have a lot of my own to say about this.
Knowledge is not information, although information management principles may be applied to captured knowledge. Knowledge capture, however, must not be seen as synonymous with, or a substitute for, a holistic knowledge management programme.
Knowledge is the sum of experience, training, insight and education and is tacit, whereas information is tangible, captured, manipulated in information systems and subject to further interpretation.
This looks like a great step forward but I have a nagging concern. It is one thing for a working group to craft a document defining Knowledge Principles but how many people actually read it and understand it and of those, how many will actively engage with the ideas and put them into action.
I always feel that documents, like this. on their own achieve very little. An additional second step is needed.
What I would like to see now is a series of Knowledge Cafés being run across Government in all sorts of ways to allow people to engage with the principles and bring them to life.
This may be happening but I doubt it, though I'd love to hear that I am wrong :-)
Writing a document is the relatively easy bit, engaging people is the challenge!
Numeracy and literacy are important but what about oracy?
The other morning in the shower, I was reflecting on the UAEs reading initiative.
I could not help but wonder if the ability to hold a good conversation was as important as being able to read well. And so I asked myself the question "Is conversation as important as reading?" or "Is the love of conversation as important as the love of reading?"
Of course, we need both, and in many ways, they are equally important in life but if that is the case why is so much emphasis attached to reading and writing - so-called literacy. In school, once we have learned the four basics of language: listening, speaking, reading, and writing - the educational focus tends to be on reading and writing. In fact, listening and speaking are not really taught in schools they are more absorbed than taught and what teaching does take place is by our parents.
I suspect the focus on literacy, more than anything else, is for the purpose of being examined on what we have been taught. It is far, far easier to test someone's knowledge by getting them to answer written questions or writing an essay than having a conversation about what they know. Being taught to listen and to speak well, in other words, hold a conversation, in its various forms such as discussion, dialogue, and debate don't get much of a look-in. in our exam-obsessed educational systems.
But think about it - in our adult lives which is more important? In the home and in the office which is the more important life skill? The ability to read, the capacity to write or the ability to hold a good conversation? As very young children, when we are learning the basics, doesn't listening and speaking naturally come first? Isn't the ability to hold a good conversation the foundation of literacy? Shouldn't more focus be placed here?
Well, I went to Google and Googled something like "Is conversation more important than reading?". And I discovered something quite fascinating - a new word - oracy - well at least to me and my spell checkers, though if you are in Education you well be familiar with the term.
The concept of ‘oracy' was coined as recently as 1965, by the researcher Andrew Wilkinson to give the subject of ‘speaking and listening' more gravitas. So to numeracy and literacy, we need to add oracy.
- numeracy: the ability to understand and work with numbers.
- literacy: the ability to read and write.
- oracy: the ability to express oneself in and understand spoken language.
Gurteen Knowledge Tweets: October 2016
Here are some of my more popular recent tweets. Take a look, if you are not a Tweeter, you will get a good idea of how I use it by browsing the list of micro-posts.
- Mastering the Art of Collaboration Through Conversation by @elsua http://buff.ly/2e7dKdv
- Talk is the sea upon which all else floats - James Britton, Language and Learning http://buff.ly/2enH3UR
- The perils of abstraction | Johnnie Moore http://johnniemoore.com/the-perils-of-abstraction/
- You are almost definitely not living in reality because your brain doesn't want you to http://buff.ly/2en8rC9
- It's good to talk: Pep Guardiola blocks Wi-Fi at Manchester City training base http://buff.ly/2e37rDp #GurteenTalk
- London hasn't been kind to the man behind the Tube Chat badge http://buff.ly/2daXZSs /oh this is fascinating :-)
- Rowan Atkinson interviewing Elton John http://buff.ly/2drJCIH /absolutely brilliant!
- Esko Kilpi @EskoKilpi and the value of wine and interaction http://buff.ly/2cZrHJI
- Thoreau: Emerson's 1862 essay in The Atlantic eulogizing his late friend. http://buff.ly/2bSaJ9x
- Research shows that humor can help people be more creative in problem solving http://buff.ly/2bkzImc
If you like the Tweets then subscribe to my Tweet stream.
Upcoming Knowledge Events
Here are some of the major KM events taking place around the world in the coming months and ones in which I am actively involved. You will find a full list on my website where you can also subscribe to both regional e-mail alerts and RSS feeds which will keep you informed of new and upcoming events.
How do we become better teachers of our knowledge?
Tue 08 Nov 2016, Farnborough, United Kingdom
KM World 2016
14 - 17 Nov 2016, Washington DC, United States
Cultural and Community Knowledge in Australia
16 - 17 Nov 2016, Melblourne, Australia
Create good conversations with the right tools
Wed 16 Nov 2016, Copenhagen, Denmark
Knowledge Cafe Masterclass - with David Gurteen
Tue 22 Nov 2016, London, United Kingdom
KM Asia 2016
30 Nov - 01 Dec 2016, Hong Kong, China
KM Legal Europe 2017
18 - 19 Jan 2017, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Advancing your OD practice
24 - 25 Jan 2017, Henley on Thames, United Kingdom
IntraTeam Event Copenhagen 2017
28 Feb - 02 Mar 2017, Copenhagen, Denmark
Henley Forum Annual Conference 2017
01 - 02 Mar 2017, Henley on Thames, United Kingdom
The Wheels of Knowledge Management
07 - 09 Mar 2017, Melbourne and Canberra, Australia
9th European Conference on Intellectual Capital
06 - 07 Apr 2017, Lisbon, Portugal
5th International Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship 2017
26 - 27 Apr 2017, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
4th European Conference on Social Media
03 - 04 Jul 2017, Vilnius, Lithuania
Subscribing and Unsubscribing
You may subscribe to this newsletter on my website. Or if you no longer wish to receive this newsletter or if you wish to modify your e-mail address or make other changes to your membership profile then please go to this page on my website.
The Gurteen Knowledge Letter
The Gurteen Knowledge-Letter is a free monthly e-mail based KM newsletter for knowledge workers. Its purpose is to help you better manage your knowledge and to stimulate thought and interest in such subjects as Knowledge Management, Learning, Creativity and the effective use of Internet technology. Archive copies are held on-line where you can register to receive the newsletter.
It is sponsored by the Henley Forum of the Henley Business School, Oxfordshire, England.
You may copy, reprint or forward all or part of this newsletter to friends, colleagues or customers, so long as any use is not for resale or profit and I am attributed. And if you have any queries please contact me.
David GURTEEN
Gurteen Knowledge
Fleet, United Kingdom
