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Applying Magic To The Mind
SEPTEMBER 10, 2012 |
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Dear <<First Name *>>,
What a time we have been having these last few weeks!
From fellow citizens being terrorised with SMSs to leave their jobs and adopted places of stay, to newer and ever-increasing heights of corruption in Government, not to forget people being blocked on Twitter for their anti-government stand and cartoonists being arrested for inking our depressing reality!
Yet, somewhere deep inside we all are hopeful, and confident that this too shall bide over; that we shall overcome all troubles together - as one country and one people. We will win over this challenge, as we have won over many such in the past, and together take our India to greater heights.
Topics of Update
Over the last two months, I have been working on newer topics and acts, honing some of my skills, esp. hypnosis - to venture into newer territories of persuasive communication and influence.
In this issue, I share with you an article I wrote about the Magic of Science and how the two are closely interlinked not just in history, but with each advancement. I also connect you to a report of a opening keynote I presented on the importance of usability and user research to achieving good design.
Also mentioned in this newsletter are my experiences of being a part of a premier marketing seminar in Delhi and a call to action to join and support the efforts of a wonderful NGO to change the future of this country via its children.
Coming Up Next
Over the last few days, I have been obsessed with one of the instances of colossal wastage of paper in our country: the itinerary/e-ticket printout that all of us are mandated to carry along to enter the airport. This printout has a total life of two minutes; its only utility being the CISF personnel at the airport gate peering at it intently along with our identity proof, before letting us inside.
Surely there are easier and prudent ways of handling this, to prevent tens of thousands of paper sheets being wasted per day in each of our airports? Even the Indian Railways and Karnataka state transport buses have better and up-to-date methodologies to handle electronic tickets.
I am currently working on a larger article highlighting the plausible options and workable solutions to sort this needless print. I hope to post a plan of action on my blog in the next couple of days, and hope you will join in to influence this small but important change.
I am sure you too have views and thoughts on this topic. Please do send them over so that I can include your suggestions in the write-up.
As always, I keenly look forward to hearing from you.
In thoughts,
Nakul Shenoy
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Exploring the Science of Magic
Continuing my series of articles for Popular Science India, I wrote about the unique relationship between Science and Magic. The article throws light on how the fields continue to inspire, learn and contribute to each other, and as a bonus teaches an interesting magic effect.
Drop over to the Popular Science website to read Magic Realism: The Science of Mind Bending, and let me know your thoughts on my write-up. |
User Research and Good Design
At the recently convened Web Apps Conference. in Bangalore I was invited to present the opening keynote as the co-founder of Peepal Design. Highlighting that designers are never the real users, I spoke about the various aspects of usability research and their importance to achieve effective design.
Hop over to the Silicon India website to read their detailed report on my talk: Web Design in a Nut Shell. |
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Influencing Futurist CMOs
A few days back, I had the occasion to be part of yet another premier marketing conference organised by Jessie Paul's Paul Writer. The Futurist CMO 2012 held in Delhi saw top marketing professionals and CMOs from all over India hobnobbing and featured a series of top notch sessions on the latest trends and future of marketing.
My talk on 'Reading Minds' was taken to the logical next step by Gayathri Swahar of Nielsen Neuro Research in her session on 'Consumer Minds'. A report can be found at Paul Writer's Facebook page. |
Dream A Dream: Be A Mentor
The first time I met Vishal Talreja was on a cab drive from Delhi to BITS Pilani, when we were both travelling to speak at TEDxPilani. Vishal is an Ashoka Fellow and the inspirational founder of Dream A Dream, an NGO that empowers vulnerable children to overcome hurdles and achieve their dreams.
Here is a new video: Be A Mentor at Dream A Dream - that inspires us to be a contributor in the change that this wonderful movement is bringing. I highly recommend that you watch the video and Join The Crusade - for as I said on Twitter: This is for real. |
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Book Recommendation
A few months back, I came across a book that teaches the concepts of persuasion in the most fun-filled yet effective way.
Jim Randell's The Skinny on the Art of Persuasion: How to Move Minds is a 170-page book filled entirely with stick-figure drawings, and serves as a simple but practical guide to learn the skills of persuasion. Almost a crash course to be a Nakul Shenoy, this!
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More News and Updates
My most memorable sessions in this period included a guest lecture to advocates and students at Vaikunta Baliga College of Law, Udupi and a fun story-telling with magic session for Pratham Books at Bangalore on the occasion of the International Literacy Day.
Best of all, my first book, Smart Course in Magic is now complete and will see publication soon. |
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