Speaking
I’ve been giving lectures for ten years, so I know something about combining entertainment with information delivery. I’m cranky but entertainingly so; while it’s entirely likely I’ll make fun of you, self-awareness is the single most important lesson people are failing to learn these days.
Oh, and if you’re a media person and want an honest and independent opinion on education? Just go ahead and ask.
College Preparedness
In faculty lounges everywhere, professors lament that fact that high school no longer prepares students for college — and given the current state of education, there’s no way that high school skills transfer to a college environment. Find out why, what college is really like, and what you can do about it.
Post-College Preparedness
Most of my students had no idea what to expect from the real world. Allow me to clarify.
Education as Leadership
In this hands-on workshop, I will attempt to dissuade you from thinking of teachers as babysitters, parents, or Robin Williams and focus instead on what a good teacher can (and cannot) be reasonably expected to accomplish, how best to measure learning, and why putting students in charge of their own education is exactly wrong.
Making Humor Work for You
Whether you’re a manager, employee, or aspiring writer, it helps to know a little about the mechanics of funny. Learn the difference between making a hostile remark and a constructive joke, the reason we laugh, and a practical way to think about offense versus humor.
Love, Plato, and What Not To Wear
Two thousand years ago, Plato was already worrying about how to tell the difference between love, lust, and lust for shoes. You might want to listen to what he has to say.
The History of the Happy Ending
Think you’re immune from romantic delusions? Unlikely, and they’re bad for your health. From sitcoms to rom-coms, the happy ending has been around for at least two thousand years.
Applied History
People always say they want employees to think outside the box – but they never hire from the disciplines that does it best: history. By learning about how other cultures do thing, you’re automatically getting outside the box of your own assumptions. It’s a helpful strategy, believe me.
Great Leaders in History
Who was the first person to exercise authentic influence? Hint: he lived in fifth-century Athens. Think of it learning the same things you would in B-school or psychology, just with more sex and violence.
History and Media Literacy (or, How Not to Be a Credulous Moron)
The whole reason people can’t deal with today’s information overload is because they’ve never been taught how to think critically. No, science can’t save you — and this isn’t about what “really happened.” It’s about assessing conflicting pieces of information and asking the right questions about who’s giving them to you. What we used to call “source criticism”, in fact.