Lectures from the Allen Room & Wertheim Study: Shortcut : How the Analogies We Embrace Change the World, and How to Choose Better Ones

When we decide to blow the whistle, spill the beans, take a rain check or get the hell out of Dodge, we’re using analogies whose original meanings rarely enter our consciousness.  But beneath their surface, all of them convey a complex network of ideas that shape our thinking in analogous situations.  Unfortunately, not every analogy that rings true is true.

Do neighboring countries really topple like dominoes?  Is DNA evidence the fingerprint of the 21st century? Is the marketplace a battlefield?  Surprisingly, most of us don’t realize just how often analogies slip in under the radar to mislead or deceive — often with serious consequences.

But don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater, because analogy also plays a catalytic role in the discovery and spread of good ideas.  Loose coins gave Johannes Gutenberg the idea for moveable type.  Meatpacking plants inspired Henry Ford’s first moving assembly line.  And the “bicycle for the mind” that Steve Jobs first envisioned as a friendly Mac not only democratized computing, but ushered in the information age.

In his presentation, former Presidential Speechwriter John Pollack reveals just how pervasive analogies really are — and how powerful.  He also explains how to evaluate the “truth” of any analogy, and how people can hone their ability with analogy to become more creative, perceptive and persuasive.

Once a writer in residence in the Library's Wertheim Study, and a former Presidential Speechwriter for Bill Clinton, John Pollack now works as a consultant for Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits and public sector leaders.  Earlier, he worked as a speechwriter on Capitol Hill, as a foreign correspondent in Spain, and as a project manager at The Henry Ford — a museum of American innovation. His books include The Pun Also Rises, Cork Boat, The World on a String  and Shortcut: How Analogies Reveal Connections, Spark Innovation and Sell Our Greatest Ideas.