there's more to amplification than just noise

I sign up this afternoon for the first in the new season of Amplified Leicester events at Phoenix Square Film and Digital Media Centre. This coming Wednesday, Prof. Sue Thomas is speaking on "How to be an Amplified Individual". In today's Leicester Mercury Sue has the "First Person" column. Here's the text from today's paper:

Prof Sue Thomas, of the Institute of Creative Technologies at De Montfort University, goes in search of superheroes

For some, amplifying yourself is just about getting louder, but according to Californian thinktank, The Institute for the Future, there's a lot more to amplification than making noise.

According to The Institute, "New technologies of cooperation are combining to create a generation of 'amplified individuals' - workplace superheroes. In some cases, they will compete with traditional organisational models; in others they will amplify capabilities of organisations where they already work.''

So how do you become a workplace superhero? Or are you one already? It seems that the amplified workers of the future share several important characteristics: They are very social people, who don't just share what they know, but are also not afraid to ask for information, help and advice when they need it. They might do this the modern way, via the people they know on Facebook and Twitter, or perhaps they simply adopt the time-honoured methods of personal networks across businesses and communities.

They work well in groups and collaborate with partners online and offline. And they know how to improvise when necessary, creating relationships and infrastructures quickly and on the fly when the situation demands rapid action.

Lastly, they are not afraid to extend their abilities with tools that help them stay in touch with their networks and sources of knowledge, so that they can quickly access and process information. The Institute for the Future is deeply embedded in Silicon Valley culture and it takes some perseverance to get past some of the West Coast language in its research, but it's worth the effort because there are real insights to be found in the list of skills required of an 'amplified individual'. These are skills you probably already have, but have not recognised in quite this way.

For example, how is your "Cooperation Radar"? Are you one of those people who can sense intuitively which of your colleagues would work together best on a particular task?

And how would you rate your "Ping Quotient'"? Are you quick to respond when people contact you? Are you comfortable in many different kinds of social and business milieus, and do you adopt different communication styles appropriate to differing situations? These different ways to understand what many of us already do well can be useful in the workplace where such skills are increasingly important. Earlier this year, 30 Leicester citizens participated in the Amplified Leicester project at Phoenix Square Film and Digital Media Centre. Involvement in the first stage was by application only, but now Amplified Leicester is hosting a series of talks and conversations which are free and open to the public. The first meeting looks at 'How to be an Amplified Individual'. Its at 7pm this Wednesday, September 22 in the Etc Suite at Phoenix Square. It's free to attend but please register via http://www.amplifiedleicester.com/.

Find out more about Amplified Leicester (and sign up if you like the look of it - you don't need to be in, or anywhere near, Leicester)
http://ampleic.ning.com/