HELPING YOU HELP YOUR CLIENTS
To supplement the printed and e-book versions of SEE NEW NOW, we have created – and are continuing to create – materials for consultants, trainers, and in-house facilitators to make the lenses as useful and impactful as possible.
Those materials include the following:
New lenses, not included in the book, that are downloadable as PDF files. See current new lenses.
Lens Expanders containing suggested discussion-starting questions, ideas for leading discussions, and many resource materials to enrich your ability to use the lenses. See current Lens Expanders.
PDF files of the individual lenses in the book. See more.
A regularly-updated list of ways that consultants and trainers have applied the lenses. See current list.
A discussion board for members to discuss uses of the lenses. Join.
Copyright permissions to distribute PDF files are offered inexpensively so you can share SEE NEW NOW materials within the requirements of copyright law.
To read about the experiences of some practitioners using the lenses, scroll down this page. If you have an experience to tell others about, please submit it to us here.
“I used ‘The Mile Run’ to begin a session I taught on diversity, to emphasize that we all have talents and limitations and to frame discussions about how we judge each other. It’s a deep story with a funny punchline, so it was great for an opening. I told a few of the other Bum Phillips stories too. Usually I shy away from sports stories, but this one is much more than that (and it’s not a “sports metaphor” per se, it’s just a story). It might also have helped me, as a woman, gain some rapport with a largely-male group – rapport is particularly important in diversity work.” – Patricia Novick, Chicago IL
“ ‘The Louis Armstrong Effect’ is now something I talk about with practically every group I lead. It becomes a simple and powerful mnemonic for the principle of doing what you love wholeheartedly, bringing you best to every situation, and letting that touch others. Plus, it’s just a beautiful story in its own right.” – Judith Delozier, Santa Cruz CA
“ ‘Million-Dollar Parrot’ is excellent for my work with nonprofits. I use it to begin conversations about value – real and perceived, expected and delivered. As de Jaager and Ericson promise, it quickly becomes a term of art among participants, a shorthand way of expressing and enlivening a critical business principle.” – James Mueller, Delray Beach FL
“I have used the lenses in many ways. As a prelude to strategic planning I send out a few and ask people to make notes about how they apply to what we’re about to do. ‘Million-Dollar Parrot’ and ‘Insect-Size Buffalo’ work well, but so do ‘The Caterpillar’ and others. We quickly go over their reactions at the beginning of the planning session to keep things in “top of mind” and to energize the process with fresh thinking. Working on communication issues with another group, I sent them the garden path lens to read. That was interesting: they were hesitant to talk about it much in the group but many opened up to me privately about how helpful it had been. So they learned something from the lens and I learned something about the culture in that organization. Also, when I have a longstanding client engagement I use the lenses in a variety of ways to make each meeting feel new and fresh.” – Terry O’Connor, Vancouver WA
“As a wellness consultant, Network Spinal Analysis practitioner, and trainer, one of the things I do is teach other chiropractors about building their businesses. What I love about these lenses is that they’re powerful jumping-off points for transformational conversations. The brief dimensional stories ground often abstract concepts, so that an entire room can emotionally “buy-in.” I’ve used ‘The Insect-Size Buffalo’ in numerous presentations because it is a rich story that dramatically demonstrates the need for expanding one’s perspective beyond their current level of thinking. I also like ‘The Puddle’ and ‘Bird-Brained Logic.’ Actually, I like them all. Their applications are limited only by your own creativity.” – Dr.John Amaral, Santa Cruz CA
“I used the signature move lens in a Bible-study class I lead, asking ‘What was Jesus’s signature move?’ It started a very lively discussion.” – Stephen Droll, Valdosta GA
“[Working with a client], I was looking to try to identify what makes them unique. Their website and collateral material basically said that they did everything. It was just a bunch of blah blah. I brought up the ‘Signature Move,’ explaining to them that they needed a key differentiator. What makes them unique compared to other companies who do the same thing as they do? When I mention your company to your customers or prospects, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Those ‘Signature Move’ questions moved us off dead center and really resonated.” – Jared Roy, Risdall Advertising, Minneapolis MN
“Our group [a fast-track leaders team at a large insurance company] now hands out a toy baboon to the person who overcame their fear of doing something and charged ahead anyway. A great way to drive home an important point about leadership.” – Name withheld, Los Angeles CA
"I just had to write again to add this to what I've told you before. I was asked to host a charity auction. I decided to try the twenty-dollar-bill auction, which had not really been one of my favorite lenses. It worked great, and now it is a favorite for me." - Terry O'Connor, Vancouver, WA
If you have an experience to tell others about, please submit it to us here.