The one-sentence summary
We need to create things with a high emotional level and understand the subtleties of human interaction.
WHAT THE BOOK SAYS
- The book is sub-titled Why right-brainers will rule the future
- The age of “left brain” dominance is gone (this is represented by practical and logical practitioners such as lawyers, doctors, accountants and engineers)
- The future belongs to designers, inventors, teachers and storytellers – creative and emphatic “right brain” thinkers
- Abundance, Asia and Automation: there are more people who can do what you do, many come from the East, and if they can’t do it, a machine probably can, so we all need to think harder about what we are offering
- If this applies to you, you need to be High Concept and High Touch – that means creating things with a high emotional level and understanding the subtleties of human interaction
- The six senses that contribute to this are: design (we are all more conscious of it – a combination of utility and significance), story (stories are more evocative than pure facts – context and emotion are crucial), symphony (putting everything together), empathy (understanding someone else’s situation), play (an important component in creativity and relaxation) and meaning (what every human searches for)
WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT
- There are lots of excellent quotes such as:
“The guy who invented the wheel was an idiot. The guy who invented the other three, he was a genius.” Sid Caesar
“The opposite of play isn’t work. It’s depression. To play is to act out and be wilful, exultant and committed as if one is assured of one’s prospects.” Brian Sutton-Smith
- At the end of each section there are a series of exercises and suggestions as to how you can improve your capability in that area
- The whole theme will suit the new breed of non-conformist free thinkers
WHAT YOU HAVE TO WATCH
- Not much. It’s a good read.
- The book is praised by Thomas Friedman (The World Is Flat) and Seth Godin (Purple Cow)