Travis White Communications | Strategy. Innovation. Brand.

(418) 754-2433

In her book, Critical Thinking: An Appeal To Reason, Peg Tittle has an interesting and useful way of organizing 15 logical fallacies. Simply put, theyâre all irrelevant to the assessment of whether an argument is true or not. Using Tittleâs guidelines, we can quickly sort out what we need to pay attention to and what we can safely ignore. Though these fallacies are irrelevant to truth, they are very relevant to persuasion. Critical thinking ...

Knowledge Neglect -- Scots In Saris

If I ask you about the crime rate in your neighborhood, you probably wonât have a clear and precise answer. Instead, youâll make a guess. Whatâs the guess based on? Mainly on your memory: If you can easily remember a violent crime, youâll guess that the crime rate is high. If you canât easily remember such a crime, youâll guess a much lower rate. Our estimates, then, are not based on reality but on ...

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Ideas and Free Throws

Assume, for a moment, that Iâm your manager. I call you into my office one day and say, âYouâre doing pretty good work â¦ but youâre going to have to get better at shooting free throws on the basketball court. If you want a promotion this year, youâll need to make at least 75% of your free throws.â What would you do? Assuming that you donât resign on the spot, you would probably get ...

562-773-0976

One-Day Seminars - Fall 2018

This fall, in addition to my regular academic courses, I'llÂ teach three one-day seminars designed for managers and executives. These seminars draw on my academic courses and are repackaged for professionals who want to think more clearly and persuade more effectively. They also provide continuing education credits under the auspices of the University of Denverâs Center for Professional Development. If you're guiding your organization into an uncertain future, you'll find them helpful. Here are the ...

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FOMO/JOMO. Be Here Now.

Julia and Elliot recently went to a wedding in Eureka, Colorado, a ghost town situated high in the San Juan Mountains. To say that Eureka is isolated is a vast understatement. Here are some things that the town doesnâtÂ have: landlines, television, internet, wi-fi, mobile phone access, cable, newspapers, radio, and paved roads. When youâre there, youâre there. Just before the wedding ceremony, ushers collected everyoneâs cameras and mobile phones. The couple seemed to be ...

(330) 920-2622

Information Avoidance and Persuasion

The 1989 Tour de France was decided in the last stage, a 15.2 mile time trial into Paris. The leader, Laurent Fignon, held a fifty second advantage over Greg LeMond. Both riders were strong time trialers. To make up fifty seconds in such a short race seemed impossible. Most observers assumed that Fignon would hold his lead and win the overall title. In most time trials, coaches radio the riders to inform them of ...

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The content on this website is divided into four areas: Strategy, Innovation, Brand, and Critical Thinking

Strategy — materials in this section focus on the definition of strategy, how to plan your strategy and achieve a consensus around it, and how to execute on your strategy.

Innovation — what is innovation and how does it differ from invention? How can you stimulate sustaining innovation? How can you spot a disruptive innovation and defend against it before it kills your business?

Brand — brand is in the eye of the beholder. You’ll need to communicate simple, consistent messages make the image crystal clear. You’ll also need to be persuasive. The materials in this section teach you all about it.

Critical Thinking â before you can improve your strategy and brand or stimulate innovation, you often need to improve your thinking. The materials in this section help you think about your thinking so you can improve it.