Hi!  The input I got on the cover for the book was so useful I'd like to ask your indulgence once again ... to give me some feedback on Wiley's draft of the back cover of the book.  The proposed text is included below.  Does it miss any notes?  Offend any sensibilities?  Oversell?  Undersell?  Keep in mind that it is just over the 300 word limit as it stands.

Please write to me personally at mailto:jeff@... if you have an opinion.  Thanks!

Jeff

PS, as a reminder, here's the front cover art:

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Proposed back cover copy:
Dialogue Mapping reflects a new approach to meetings and collaboration, in which collective intelligence is achieved through framing powerful questions and rigorous and systematic exploration of their possible answers.  A key insight of this approach is that shared display of the Dialogue Map promotes shared understanding of and commitment to the collective result.
 
In the first part of Dialogue Mapping, Jeffrey Conklin introduces the key concepts:

·        Wicked problems: for which you don't really understand the problem until a solution has been formulated.

·        Social complexity: the large number and wide diversity of stakeholders whose participation is essential to a robust outcome.

·        Opportunity-driven problem solving: intelligent thinking is not linear!  Creative cognition naturally jumps all over the problem-solution space.

·        Shared understanding: the most expedient means for overcoming fragmentation is forging shared understanding about all aspects of the problem/solution space.

The remaining sections provide a hands-on tutorial for practitioners looking for a radically inclusive approach to collective problem solving. 
 

“This is an excellent guide for all those interested in durable collaborative solutions in our increasingly tough business climates today.”
John C. Mitchell, former President, Business Printer Division, Lexmark International, Inc.
 
“Jeff Conklin pioneered this field, showing the connection between conversations (dialogue) and solving wicked problems.  His ideas are intellectually rewarding and, just as important, are tried and tested.”
Mark Addleson, Director, Organizational Learning Program, George Mason University
 
“What Jeff has in this book is of powerfully basic importance to improving our Collective-IQ, and thus, in my view, to helping significantly change our world to be a better place.”
Douglas Engelbart, Director of Bootstrap Institute
 
 
Jeffrey Conklin is a life-long student of organisational communication and collaboration, and the tools that support them.  As Director of CogNexus Institute he remains active as a practitioner of Dialogue Mapping, although his main joy is teaching Dialogue Mapping as the art and science of creating shared understanding. 

Dr. Jeff Conklin              < mailto:jeff@...>
CogNexus Institute ... Collaborative Display, Collective Intelligence
http://cognexus.org           Phone: 707-256-3425  Fax: 707-256-3903
1037 Juarez St., Napa, CA  94559    USA