Subject: Summary - How Do We Think About Models

Posted by Bill Braun on 1/27/2010
In Reply To:Summary - How Do We Think About Models Posted by Niall Palfreyman on 1/27/2010

Message:

Prof. Dr. Niall Palfreyman wrote:
> My view: It is impossible to speak without metaphor. I teach physics,
> and I'm acutely aware that almost everything I say is simply untrue,
> but close enough to be useful. For me a metaphor is simply a story
> whose plot is isomorphic to some situation of interest - the tightness
> of this isomorphism can be chosen to suit the listener. Personally, I
> find the phrase "barriers to peak performance" so off-putting that I'd
> opt for the Bellinger Bugs most days of the week.

This encapsulates for me the point about audience. I should add, in the spirit of Niall's comment, that I do not assume to know precisely who is up for a metaphor and who isn't at any one particular point in time.

What I was thinking, but did not articulate, was imagining some school board people I personally know (and CEOs of organizations) and imagining their response to a story about bugs (to take nothing from the story itself). It would fall flat, and my moment of influence would be lost. I'm fairly certain that if I were to say to Ron, a member of our school board, "I have some thoughts on removing the barriers to peak learning and raising test scores, do you have 20 minutes?", he would say yes.

That does nothing to refute Niall's point, and of course I could be dead wrong. I am still influenced by person, time, and place for selecting a communication approach. Stated otherwise, I think context matters, a lot.

So, when I sit down to coffee with Ron, I might just start with a story...

Bill Braun

Follow Ups:

Summary - How Do We Think About Models - Niall Palfreyman 1/28/2010