May 17, 2010New Communication Dynamics @Smartmemes: SpeakStrong e.g. admins change office power memes while negotiating workload

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If you don’t like the story behind what people say and the words they speak, change it. But how do you do that? Well, smartmeme.org is all about how to construct powerful stories to change the way people think.

What’s a meme? Well, a ‘ meme (rhymes with dream) is a contagious information pattern, an idea that has taken on a life of its own. Memes are self-replicating cultural units such as ideas (“Fair Trade”), rituals (shaking hands), and symbols (the Nike swoosh or the peace sign) that spread virally from person to person.”

Rebecca Soinit says, “memes go to the heart of the problem-how we imagine the world, how language and belief shape possibility, and enlarge those possibilities by reframing and rethinking.”

It’s all about uncovering underlying assumptions, clarifying what we really believe, and presenting the new belief in a compelling way.

For example, at SpeakStrong, we challenge the old style leadership model of authoritarian power.We’re not the first to note how that dynamic is changing, but I continually respond to communication questions in ways that challenge that meme. I root out the underlying rankist philosophy of the questioner or their perceived nemesis, and respond in a way that creates an image of synocratic communication. I demonstrate that by sharing stories where the assistant communicated successfully from the synocratic perspective. For example, many admins believe they don’t have power. I share stories where the hero assumes what he or she wants matters and the manager responds. Here’s one.