How do you get people to read and understand stuff?

Facilitated by: David Williams

Tuesday 7 September 2010Barton Room, National Archives of Australia

Scope• What is the problem?• How the brain finds stuff• How we comprehend what we read?• Case Study• What are some solutions?

lots of d

iscuss

ion

lots of d

iscuss

ion

sharin

g experie

nces

sharin

g experie

nces

different o

pinions

different o

pinions

What is the Problem?

• How do you get people to read and understand stuff?

• How can we write stuff that people will read?

• How can we locate stuff where people can find it?

How the brain finds stuff

• We have two neural mechanisms for seeing things we might want to pay attention to: – a peripheral scanning system that takes in a

wide field of vision and – a focused (foveal) system that allows us to

drill down to details

How the brain finds stuff• We have neurons that are specialists in different

areas: i.e. picking out colours, shapes and disruptions in patterns

• We use these recruited neuronal swat teams to identify something we're looking for in our "mind's eye" (the visual cortex)

• These swat teams focus our attention on our intended targets by synchronizing their firing patterns which allows them to rise above the noise of the other things fighting for our attention.

How our brain finds Waldo

How our brain scans a website

Information scents

• we use the same strategies we use to find food when we're looking for information

• Just like food, information tends to come in patches online

• We have a mental image of the information (prey) we seek.

• We recruit our swat team of neurons to help us hunt to the part of the page.

Tag Clouds

How our brains Google

• http://outofmygord.com/archive/2010/01/07/How-Our-Brains-Google.aspx

SECI Model

Comprehension

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer are in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe and the biran fguiers it out aynawy.

Comprehension

Reading is: • a complex cognitive process of decoding

symbols• a means of language acquisition, of

communication, and of sharing information and ideas.

• a complex interaction between the text and the reader

• is shaped by the reader’s prior knowledge, experiences, attitude, and language community

• is culturally and socially situated.

ComprehensionReaders • Use a variety of reading strategies • Depend on clues to assist with decoding (to

translate symbols into sounds or visual representations of speech) and comprehension. – Schema (context)– Structure (order/position) – Spatial (shape/pattern/length)– Semantics (meaning)– Syntax (spelling and grammar)

• Integrate the words they have read into their existing framework of knowledge or schema (schemata theory).

Numb3rs

Longford Gas Plant

• Longford is the receiving point for oil and gas from Bass Strait

• Explosion 25 Sept 1998 killed 2 workers• Seriously injured 9 others• Shut down the gas supply to Victoria for 2

weeks• Loss estimated at $1.3 billion• Royal Commission found Esso culpable• Exxon was aware of the potential failure

since 1973

Marketing 101

• What is the behaviour intended?• What is the message to be convened?• What is the context? (culture and subject)• How best to structure and present the

message?• What is the best mode and channel to

deliver the message?

How do you get people to read and understand stuff? (from actkm)

• Highlight important bits Pop quizzes• visual metaphors Nice aesthetics • Publicly name and fire authors of incorrect

information• Have the structures in the document made real

and active • Shorter documents• Less complex organisations• Address grade inflation and the endless whining

about "self-esteem“• Agree and define terms• Emoticons Tags <mandatory>

How do you get people to read and understand stuff? (from group)

• Brief, relevant and accurate title• Ensure accuracy• Logical progression of concepts (strategic to

tactical, generic to specific, simple to complex, then to now)

• Diagrams and graphics• Metaphors and analogies (come up for coffee?)• Provide the information in a suitable context• Appropriate Medium/Channel to set the context• Familiar language

How do you get people to read and understand stuff? (from group)

• Use pictures, logos, diagrams, graphics• Know your audience• Use plain English (or preferred language)• Build a logical structure• Use key points• Answer the audience’s question• Tell a story• Build anticipation• Use a TOC and Index and executive summary

where appropriate

Discussion

References• Gord Hotchkiss http://www.outofmygord.com/• "Where's Waldo?" Martin Hanford• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_(process)• http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/how-does-the-brain-make-sense-out-of-a-jumble-of-words_100158050.html• Dartmouth College (2006, February 16).

Dartmouth Study Finds How The Brain Interprets The Intent Of Others. ScienceDaily.