Working the Angles

When I was working as a journalist, I learnt very early in my career to work the angle for stories. What this simply means is to find interesting perspectives for the piece I was doing. I had a certain knack for stories, opting to explore the road less travelIed. It was not difficult, when all I needed to do was put a spin on the obvious, or focus on the elusive. I, eventually, learnt as an industrial psychologist that humans sort through priorities that include people, place, events, time, objects and knowledge.

Predictable can be safe, but boring. In a fastidious and fickle-minded world we live in, consumers want to do more with less, convenience with lower risk. However, this may lead to depreciation in value. More customers will be asking the question: What makes you different from others? How can you make the difference in our business? Is a sports event without a key sponsor valued highly than one with an anchor sponsor? Is loyalty of fans be unfazed when race-kits provide only the minimal? What is the angle when there is no official race-tee?

Innovative practices require working the angles. It is about shifting perspectives towards more useful outcomes. Traditional thinking demands traditional answers to problems, whereas contemporary thinking focuses on solutions-based approaches. Have you substituted, combined, adapted, amplified, eliminated or rearranged anything? What else have we not done yet? What else could we attempt differently? Who can we turn to for expert guidance? John Cooke blogs about perspective from his book review.

What’s will be your angle tomorrow?

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Today was a busy menu for me. I rode 75K in the morning, and ran unshod (with VFF) for about 10K. In between, I collected my race-kit for next week’s Duathlon. I met friends from Crazy2Tri as well Ironman finishers Victor Chan and Teryn Tham. I encouraged my Crazy2Tri to consider using High5 sports nutrition pack that was on introductory promotion. The science is that you can absorb up to 60 grammes of carbohydrates in a 2:1 mixture of glucose to fructose, instead of 30g! For $25, we received the Marathon Race Pack with 12 sachets of drink mixes and gels. I first saw this pack at the Berlin Marathon. On its cover are three triathletes, including regular podium/Kona finisher John Hill, who I met through Coach at IMWA last year. Our individual race waves are 11, 12 and 13 and it will take place near midday next Sunday. It should be an interesting day to race; I assure you a complete race report with photographs.

Inform, Educate and Entertain

The above title is a minimalist mantra of major newspapers. There is a large degree of truth to that, with caveats.

KISS: An acronym for 'Keep it simple, stupid'! Or, was that ‘Keep it short and sweet’? Either way, I was being cheeky and irreverent, or was I being lazy and lackadaisical? To use big words could mean referring to a dictionary, and that would amount to education. Wishful thinking on my part, I suppose…whimsical and willful me.

A club-member of mine, asked me on Saturday how I continue to post one blog a day, everyday for the last year and a half – my answer was simple, but not easy. I have, successfully, maintained my one blog/day average, although I have gone AWOL whilst on sabbatical (aka vacation, overseas races). I assure you I have been suitably concerned about not sustaining and delivering on my journalistic duties. Meeting datelines was and is, my occupational hazard (four years in trade journals and lifestyle magazines).

I hope that this blog meets the criteria of edutainment – catchphrase of the education business: interviews with excellent people, announcements, critiques, referencing, wisdom, expert advice, cartoons, and the occasional gossip. To educate and entertain: should there be a balance? In my experience, and my educated guess would be, there should be a priority of education over entertainment. There can be entertainment value in learning; focusing on methodology that engages, excites and integrates the enhancement of skills and acquisition of experiences. The learning needs and approach for Gen-X and Gen-Y are narrowing in its perceived margin. Adults want to learn, provided it impacts them positively and with direct relevance. Still, whenever they can, they appreciate a good time while learning. 

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11 Days Out to the Big Roll at the Finish Line: Recent weather report for Busselton, Perth: It was 37 degrees Celcius in Western Australia today. Winds are expected to hit Force 5: about 29-38 kilometre per hour next week. If it does descend upon us participants of Ironman Western Australia 2010 next Sunday, I hope it will be erratic instead of ‘head-on’. I intend to brave and embrace the day ‘full on’.

John Cooke posts on his blog some major considerations for Ironman Race Day. I urge you to read it.