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Essential enhancements to Col. “Forty Second” Boyd’s OODA-loop October 27, 2014

The dominant parameter of Col Boyd's decision cycle or OODA loop is Time -- the decision-maker who goes through the OODA cycle in the shortest time prevails because his opponent is forced to respond to situations that have already changed and which are continuously changing.
 
To minimize the decision cycle time and the concomitant risk of being forced into a response-reactive-position, two areas invite training attention :
 
1.     In the Observation phase, the collection of data, particularly through reading, may be accelerated and qualitatively enhanced by advanced / speed reading skills to increase absorbtion rates, and techniques to filter incoming information -- to separate and extract mission relevant intelligence from information "fluff" and to triage time-sensitive intelligence. Additionally, faster reading rates produce accellerated absorption-capability of larger volumes of information and less risk of "big-picture" fragmentation and a failure to "join the dots".
 
2.     In the Orientation phase, the analysis and synthesis of data is only as effective as the degree to which the decision-maker can test and evaluate new information against a pool of existing knowledge. The inherent advantages of using an analyst with a year or more of deployment experience versus a new recruit cannot be overstated.  Notwithstanding this, advanced reading skills to increase general and background knowledge and the skills-ability to filter and select relevant subject knowledge, combined with the capability to absorb such information at faster rates, may accelerate the learning curve of acquiring subject knowledge and getting up to speed.
 
By enhancing the speed and scope of information acquisition, the decision-maker is able to make Decisions based upon the latest and most comprehensive intelligence, which has been analyzed against a substantial depth and breadth of subject knowledge. The resulting Action, the physical playing-out of decisions, thus enjoys the highest success opportunity as it is both the best response and the quickest response to the observation phase.
 
According to intelligence analysts within the US Marine Corps and Special Operations community this training enhancement to the OODA cycle and the enhanced speed of delivering mission relevant intelligence is saving lives on the battlefield.


Communicate. Don’t just TALK. (ExecuRead Tip #1) October 30, 2014

Communicate. Don't just TALK. You have something to say and you have an audience. Don't just talk to them. Because all they'll do is HEAR what you're saying. Communicate with them and they'll LISTEN to you, THINK about what you're saying and REMEMBER what you've said.
 
So, tell them what you're going to tell them.
Tell them.
Tell them again.
And then tell them what you've told them.
 
This is the dominant strategy for effective communication -- the most effective way of ensuring that your audience will both understand what you are saying and remember what you've said.
 
By telling them what you're going to be telling them, you've tweaked their interest. You've given them an appetizer. You've given them the big picture a preview of what's coming and now they will actively WANT more information about the details. They've become active listeners. When you start giving them details, they can relate this to the big picture they already have. They are LISTENING to you rather than simply HEARING your words. They are bringing existing knowledge to the subject. Evaluating your ideas. Applying critical thinking. Because they know where you're going and they can follow your logic and reasoning.
 
Telling them again is repetition. It reinforces the memory patterns and enables them to "take ownership" of your thoughts and ideas. You are repeating what are, by now, familiar concepts and in feeling familiar with your ideas, your listeners experience a paradigm shift. They've moved from hearing something new from someone else, to having your ideas agree with what they perceive as their own ideas.  And they will remember their own ideas far better than trying to remember your ideas.
 
Telling them what you've told them is a further repetition and a consolidation of your ideas. It enables your listeners to re-familiarize themselves with what they now perceive as their own ideas. And sub-consciously they are already in the process of applying "their" ideas and thoughts to their own applications.
 
Next Posting : Communicate. Don't just READ. (ExecuRead Tip #2)
 
When reading a book, memo, technical report or intelligence document, the roles of speaker and listener are reversed. You become the audience and the author wants to communicate with you. And there's an essential reading strategy for extracting maximum comprehension and retention out of everything you read ......