Researchers Say Spend More Time in Nature.
 
A few days ago, my dog Cooper and I headed out the door on an aimless walk.
 
Ten minutes later, we arrived at a nearby park. The skies were clear.  The morning sunshine warmed my face. Birds sang. Leaves rustled in the wind.

Before I knew it, we had been gone for over an hour.

I returned home feeling euphoric and refreshed--and in some way, profoundly touched.  I had lost myself in the beauty of nature, and in the essence of that early morning.  

It reminded me of Henry David Thoreau’s two-year experiment in the 1840’s.  He left civilization (such as it was at the time) and lived a simple lifestyle on Walden Pond in rural Massachusetts.  Removed from distractions, he focused exclusively on nature.  And on his writing. 

As he later described in Walden, “ I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
I was so motivated by my hour in nature, that I planned to walk again the next morning.

But, sadly, when the next morning arrived, I got busy doing something else.  To Cooper’s disappointment, we skipped the walk.   

From epiphany to afterthought.  Just like that.

And it might have remained an afterthought, had I not stumbled across a study this morning that actually quantifies the benefits of spending time in nature. 

It even recommends a minimum weekly dose.

According to a study conducted by the University of Exeter, and published in Scientific Reports, spending 120 minutes per week in nature is associated with good health and well-being.

Over a two-year period (like Thoreau’s Walden experiment) researchers studied the effects of spending time in nature by tracking nearly 20,000 participants.

They found that these participants were far more likely to report good mental and physical health if they had spent at least 2 hours per week in nature.

Participants who spent less than that two-hour minimum, received no practical benefit.

Of course, that all sounds great.  But what about those of us who live in urban areas? And how did the study define “nature?”

Well, in the majority of cases, spending time in “nature” meant spending time in urban green spaces, town parks, country parks, woodlands and beaches within 2 miles of the participant’s home.

The study also found that it didn’t matter whether the participants had obtained their dose of nature in one visit, or cumulatively, in smaller sessions spread over the course of the week.

Additionally, researchers found that while the minimum effective dose was 120 minutes per week, the benefits leveled off at 200-300 minutes per week.

And, there was no perceived benefit to go beyond that dosage.

Beyond participant self-report, the study also captured a correlation between time in nature and improved cardio-vascular health, reduced levels of obesity and fewer instances of diabetes. Researchers also noted that the study's findings regarding the benefits of nature held true regardless of a participant’s age, ethnic, cultural, or socio-economic status.

Authors of the study opined that these improvements likely occurred because spending time in nature provides 1) a better perspective on life events, 2) more time with family or friends, and 3) reduced stress.

With all of these amazing benefits, as well as my own observations, I'm recommitting to making time for at least a couple of nature walks per week.

That’s good news for Cooper, as well.
​
Eleonora Duse, the Italian writer, once said, “If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.”

See you all outside.
 
Keith
 
 ​

Honesty and integrity.

I teach an Ethics class at the Oregon Public Safety Academy. During one exercise, I ask students from law enforcement professions such as police, corrections, and parole and probation to rank their top 5 attributes or characteristics.
​
And they almost always list honesty and/or integrity in their top 5. 
In fact, when I ask the students to reduce their list to 4, 3, 2, and eventually their top characteristic, one of those two characteristics usually survives.

Which makes sense.

As a society, we have high expectations of law enforcement professionals. We expect them to be honest and trustworthy. In fact, before we hire public safety professionals, we subject them to an intense background check. We “weed out” anyone we know has engaged in illegal or unethical behavior.

But are there professions where the opposite is true?

Do some professions tolerate or even expect lying and deception?

According to recent study by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, the answer may be yes.
On the surface, such a tolerance--even preference--for lying (despite the moral and economic cost of fraudulent behavior, embezzlement, and corruption) seems puzzling. But researchers, hoping for more insight, designed a series of experiments to test their hypothesis.

Their work involved several phases. 

Initially, researchers asked participants to rate 32 occupations as being either “high” or “low” in selling orientation. A high rating meant the participant felt that the job required professionals to persuade others to buy something right away. A low rating meant the professionals had little requirement to sell something quickly. 

Once they had gathered that data, the researchers narrowed the list. They chose three occupations viewed as having the highest level of selling orientation – sales, investment banking and advertising. They also chose three occupations viewed as lowest in selling orientation – consulting, nonprofit management, and accounting.

Researchers then had the participants watch individuals performing a variety of tasks, such as reporting expenses after a business trip, or competing in a game with financial stakes. In so doing, the participants knew when the individuals were being honest and when they were lying.

When the activities were over, participants were asked to judge: Who was most successful? Who was most likely to be competent?

Overwhelmingly, the participants believed that liars would be more successful than honest people in high selling orientation occupations.

In fact, when given the choice to hire either an honest or deceptive individual to complete selling-oriented tasks, they were more likely to hire deceivers, even though they knew them to be liars, and even if their own money was at stake.
The study may explain why deception persists (and may be encouraged) within certain occupations. It also explains why hiring managers and other executives tend to view liars as being more competent for high-pressure sales roles. 
And why they tend to hire them.

The study concluded by saying that organizations can reduce deception by reducing high pressure sales.
Instead, the study recommended a customer-oriented approach. This approach emphasizes how an employee can fulfill their client’s long-term interests. The study believed such a shift would then impact the tendency for hiring managers to view deceivers as competent.

This, in turn, would reduce the temptation to hire them.

Until next time.

Keith


For more information and links to the actual study, please see:
University of Chicago Booth School of Business. "Why you may be prone to hiring a liar, and not even know it: New research finds deception is viewed as a sign of competence in certain occupations." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 June 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190611145136.htm>.

​7 Prewriting Strategies to Overcome Writer’s Block
​
It happens to all of us.
 
You are given a writing assignment, a topic, and a deadline, and expected to come back with something useful and intelligible.  You sit down at the computer and stare at the blank screen.

And nothing happens.

There are few things more intimidating than writer’s block.  And it’s just as common with people who consider themselves writers as it is with 4th graders who are working on a book report. 

Ernest Hemingway once said, “There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly; sometimes it’s like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.”

His strategy to overcome writer’s block was to write “one true sentence” and expand from there. 

Sounds simple enough. But if that doesn’t work for you, I want to share 7 Prewriting Strategies that I think will provide the drill, and the charges, for those days when writing doesn’t come easily.

Before we begin, let me define prewriting. 

Prewriting refers to the all the ways you begin your writing project.  It takes disciple. It includes coming up with ideas, organizing those ideas, and making a plan for your paper. And while it may seem counter-intuitive, spending time on prewriting can actually save you time in the long run.
 
1.Thinking

This may seem obvious, but sometimes spending time thinking about a subject is a good way to get the ball rolling. The trick is to relax and let the thoughts come naturally. Some of my best thinking happens when I’m doing something else like driving, taking a shower, working out, or walking.   If possible, keep some paper handy. Or use the record feature on your phone to capture ideas.  Just don’t be critical of them yet.  The “secret sauce” to prewriting is that you have to separate the writer from the editor.  Believe me, there will be plenty of time for editing later.

Chances are that once you’ve been thinking about something for a while, you will want to share your ideas with someone else by talking. 

Although Talking is listed as step 2, please think of this list as being circular, rather than linear.  You may use all of these strategies, or you may skip some of them.  You may even go back and forth between a couple of them.  That is completely O.K. 

Remember, we are blasting rock here.  We aren’t worried about style points.

2.Talking

Talk with someone with whom you are comfortable—friends, co-workers, connections on social media—even your dog!  (Just don’t expect a lot of feedback from Fido.)

The point is to explore your thoughts. Try to explain the topic.  Tell what you know.  Don’t worry if it comes out in fits and starts.  You can and will try to organize your narrative, but the point is to avoid being critical of yourself.  Again, you are simply exploring what you already know. 

And, in so doing, you may also find out what you don’t know. If your friend has questions, it may reveal some gaps in your knowledge.  Which dovetails perfectly to step 3, Research. 

3.Research

With the internet, it’s hard not to find a wealth of information on almost any topic you are considering.  In fact, if I have any word of caution about research it’s this:  be careful not to drown in information. 

Too much information can be almost as bad for writing as not enough.  Narrow your focus.  Ask yourself questions.  Keep track of themes. Some key ideas will come up again and again, regardless of source. 

You may also find contradictions or competing theories. That’s fine.  Just make sure you stay focused on how they relate to your topic.  If they go too far down a rabbit hole, summarize as much as you can. 

The challenge with research, generally, is to filter your results.  Once you’ve gathered your information, it’s time to see what sticks.  Move on to step 4, Brainstorming.

 
4.Brainstorming

Make a list of everything you know about a topic.  Ask yourself questions.  You will see some areas where you have a great deal of knowledge.  You may also see some holes, places where the logic doesn’t meet.  These are areas you can go back and research some more.  You may take notes as you go.  Eventually, the brainstorming list may look a bit like an outline. 

You can go there next, or you can try your hand at step 5, Freewriting.

 
5.Freewriting

Get a piece of paper and a pen, or a blank screen and your keyboard.  Commit to writing for ten minutes, without stopping.  Focus on your topic.  Don’t worry about punctuation, spelling, or grammar.  Just do it.  Promise yourself that you won’t let anyone read it. 

Remember, freewriting is a tool.  Whatever you do, don’t stop. If you can’t think of something new to say, keep writing about the last thought you had until something new emerges.  Believe me, it will.

When you review your work later, there will be a lot of garbage.  That’s O.K.  Pick out the main ideas and write about them again—for another ten minutes.  You will quickly learn which ideas you know a lot about, and which ones you don’t.  Who knows, you might find some gold nuggets buried within. You will also discover something else. 

Your writing project is taking shape.

Now it’s time to move to step 6, Audience.
 
6.Audience

It may not seem like it, but one of your most important considerations for prewriting should be your audience.  Who are they?  What do they know?  How much time or space do you have to teach them something new?  All of these factors weigh on your tone and content.

I used to teach a writing class where I would hand out Oreo cookies to all of the students.  Their assignment was to write step by step-by-step instructions for how to eat an Oreo cookie.  They had to pretend their audience had never seen an Oreo before.   And they also had to consider other specific characteristics about their audience, which I would randomly assign to them randomly.
 
For instance, some groups had to write for an audience of kindergartners.  For another, it was a group of foreign exchange students. Another group might write for people on a diet.  And for another, the audience was a group of physics professors.  
 
When it came time to share the results, each presentation was dramatically different.  We had fun listening to the way audience impacted, shaped and influenced even this relatively simple and straight-forward topic.

Now, imagine how audience might impact an even more complex topic. Getting the idea?

Once you’ve considered how your audience will impact your piece, it’s time to move on to step 7, Outline. 
 
7.Outline. 

Another great way to organize your thoughts is with an outline.  Take what you’ve generated during your brainstorming and freewriting sessions and come up with a handful of main topics.  Then take the information you have and find the right heading for it to go under. 

You will find some repeated information and some items that don’t seem to fit anywhere. 

Again, consider your audience.  What do they already know? What do they need to know?  What information might not be appropriate for them?

If you are writing for children, there could be information that is to graphic or too complicated to explain. If you are writing for Judges, your tone and the information you present might be different than what you write for your friend or co-worker.  If some of your information doesn’t fit, set it aside for the time being.  You can always come back to it later. 

Think of the main topics.  Build from there.  Ask yourself questions.  Write what you know and continue the process until you can’t go any further, or until you are confident you have enough information to begin your first draft. 

As I mentioned earlier, any one of these steps may cause you to skip ahead, or revisit another.  What you do will depend on your preferences, your topic and even your mood.

The point is that you are no longer looking at a blank screen.

Congratulations!  You’ve done something—quite a lot actually. By using these 7 Prewriting Strategies, you’ve blasted away rock, primed the pump, and discovered you are ready for some real writing. 

Until next time!

Please leave your comments.

​Keith