A lesson from clown school. Starting out with wild energy on a gloomy audience is not likely to start well. You have to get people there gradually. Also applicable to, well, almost every situation where you want to bring people along. Which is probably rather a lot.

Match your energy with the audience

Where “all the children are above average.” From the intro by Garrison Keillor to the News from Lake Wobegon on the radio show A Prairie Home Companion. Also known as illusory superiority. From the popular studies where, for example, 80% of people think they are above average drivers, when asked to estimate the % of chores done in the household it adds up to more than 100%, and we overestimate our input to project work and it’s impact on its success. For the best treatment I’ve read, and references, see Thinking Fast and Slow by Dan Kahneman.

The Lake Wobegon Effect

Named after a Reverend remarkably enough.

Spoonerisms