Tech writers praised the “extraordinary,” “powerful” and “magical” virtual reality (VR) headset Apple unveiled last week.
But some admitted to feeling “weirdly lonely” and confused after wearing the $3,499 glasses, which apparently change the experience of watching a home video or movie.
“It’s not something I can do with my partner,” wrote one reviewer after tasting the device’s cinematic charms. “It still gives off a ‘self-applied’ vibe.”
It seems to me that the device is the last thing needed in a world where technology is already creating demonic levels of distraction and disconnection.
However, if history is any guide, we will let this new wave of technology, or something like it, overwhelm us. All of this — from the boardroom to the classroom — is a reminder that we haven’t learned enough about how to communicate well.
This fact was highlighted when a friend suddenly asked me if I considered myself a radiator or a drain.
She was talking about the recurring theory that there are two types of people in the world: radiators who radiate heat and energize those around them, and negative, self-absorbed drains who are just the opposite.
The concept is attractive because it is so recognizable. We may immediately think of bosses, colleagues, and friends who are radiating or draining.
At least we think we can. In fact, both types of behavior can exist in the same person. As my husband can attest, I can be a real drain when I come home from a long day of radiation at work.
An important skill that requires self-awareness to understand the impact of your behavior and how to moderate it.
Many executives of numerous companies have paid a lot of money to learn such skills from corporate leadership coaches like LK Edwards.
He has been coaching FTSE 100 clients for decades, and as he told me last week: “Any effective leadership training has to teach people this concept of conscious choice.”
If you’re going to spend hours with Apple glasses strapped to your head, the odds of getting this kind of insight seem pretty slim. The same goes for the hours of texting, posting, and browsing the tiny screens we’re glued to.
This raises a question for school-age children among the most distracted users of technology. While it’s important for leaders at the top of their careers to communicate well, shouldn’t this skill be taught in classrooms as well?
Part of what is already happening is happening. Edwards’ company offers leadership courses at Ivy House, Eton and other large private schools. But it also has a commercial sponsorship program that provides tutoring in various public schools.
Edwards says the results could change the lives of disadvantaged students.
She tells the story of a student who worked on Saturdays in a shop. One day, she used what she had learned about “radiator energy” communication to talk about herself to a client who was the director of a large local organization. The client was impressed enough to offer work experience to a student that would otherwise have been difficult to obtain.
All schools would do well to offer such help, and hundreds in England now do thanks to the efforts of charities promoting ‘vocabulary’, or the ability to use spoken language effectively.
Many more are needed, according to advocates such as Neil Mercer, a professor of education at the University of Cambridge.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says that public speaking should be widely taught as much as mathematical skills are used. “I wish they had taught me public speaking in school like they taught me math. They never taught me how to give a public speech, but I do it all the time.”
Speech teachers don’t talk about radiators and drains, says Mercer. But they believe that learning to speak, listen and communicate well can bring transformative levels of self-confidence.
Many public speaking skills are familiar to any executive who has taken a leadership course. Address a large audience persuasively. Conduct meetings effectively. Chat with strangers. One more thing: really listen to people and make them feel heard.
Better to be without an audience.
