THE$FUTURE$OF$SEX$—$OR$HOW$TO$MAKE$COMPLEX$TECHNOLOGICAL$

CONCEPTS$COMPLETELY$IRRESISTIBLE$

A fireside chat with Whitehead Director and McArthur Fellow Dr. David Page

9"Takeaways"

Dr."Page"speaking"at"an"MITEF"Cambridge"Innova=on"Series"Event"February"4,"2015""

Why$we$communicate$…""

"

“Almost"all"of"our"communica6ons"

are"essen6ally"a7empts"at"

persuasion."We’re"always"selling."If"

not"actually"looking"for"an"exchange"

of"dollars,"we’re"looking"for"an"

exchange"of"consent."We’re"looking"

to"bring"people"to"our"ideas.”"""

"

What’s$most$important$…""

"

“If"you"just"stay"within"the"narrow"

confines"of"your"profession"you"will"

always"be"able"to"reside"in"the"land"of"

jargon."You’ll"always"be"able"to"reside"in"

the"land"of"shared"assump6ons."The"

most"important"thing"is"simply"geGng"

out"there"and"doing"it"in"front"of"

different"audiences.”""

Anything$can$be$explained$simply""…"

"

“I"don’t"think"there’s"any"individual"idea"that"we"

work"on"in"science"that"is,"in"and"of"itself,"obscure"

or"complicated."…"I"think"that"anything,"if"you"

work"at"it,"if"you"take"the"6me"and"have"the"

pa6ence"to"develop"the"ability"to"explain"—"I"

think"that"anything"—"no"ma7er"how"complex"it"

is"—"can"be"explained"because"I"believe"that"

everything"that"is"complex"can"actually"be"broken"

down"into"very"understandable"ideas.”"""

What$to$say$first$…""

"

“I"find"this"true"of"most"scien6sts:"They"think"

that"they’re"telling"the"Great"American"Novel."…"

Unless"you’re"a"really"cap6va6ng"spellbinding"

speaker"you’re"audience"is"going"to"have"no"idea"

where"you’re"going."They"want"to"know"what"

the"des6na6on"is."They"know"you’re"siGng"

down"with"them"for"some"purpose."They"want"

to"know"where"you’re"going."So"I"say,"spill"the"

beans"from"the"beginning.”"

"

"

How$a$complex$subject$can$connect$to$an$audience$…""

"

“The"interes6ng"thing"for"me"in"talking"

about"this"sex"and"disease"ini6a6ve"is"that"

I’ve"found"virtually"no"audience"that"fails"to"

connect"with"it."Because"…"I"suspect"

someone"in"the"audience"knows"someone"

with"[these"diseases].""And"when"you"think"

of"those"people"I"bet"that"they"are"in"most"

cases"of"the"sex"or"gender"I’ve"indicate"is"

most"at"risk.”"

Find$the$undervalued$topics$…""

"

“If"I"go"talk"to"pharmaceu6cal"companies"about"

this"stuff"and"I"say,"‘Ok,"you’re"doing"a"lot"of"

research"in"your"labs"directed"at"developing"

therapies"for"this"or"that"disease."You’re"using"

cells"in"culture."Do"you"know"which"of"your"

cells"in"culture"are"xx"or"xy?’"Guess"what"

answer"I"usually"get?"They"don’t"even"know!"

So,"I"find"I’ve"got"such"a"strong"‘gotcha’"with"

this."I"love"finding"the"highly"undervalued"

topics"which"are"hiding"in"plain"sight”"

Just$saying$it$more$loudly$won’t$work$…""

"

“What"I"am"feeling"really"strongly"is"the"

need"to"crea6vely"reinvent"myself."I"

think"that"just"reitera6ng"the"message"

or"[just"saying"it]"more"loudly"I"would"

say,"for"me"and"many"of"my"colleagues,"

has"not"proven"to"be"effec6ve.”"

"

"

"

"

PracSce$makes$perfect$…""

"

“There’s"nothing"like"trying"it"out"on"

every"audience"you"can"think"of."

There’s"nothing"like"trying"things"out"

and"seeing"what"happens."And"the"

last"thing"you"want"to"do"is"have"the"

first"6me"you"talk"about"it"be"the"

6me"when"it’s"really"on"the"line.”"

And$when$the$AV$Fails$…""

"

“So,"what"I"consider"is"the"best"gic"that"can"

befall"me"as"a"speaker"is"a"complete"failure"

of"the"AV"system."Because"the"audience"will"

love"whatever"you"do"improvising"in"that"set"

of"circumstances."So,"you’ve"got"to"roll"with"

whatever"comes"your"way"…"because"it"will"

enormously"affect"how"the"audience"reacts"

to"everything"that"you"say.”""""

"

Links"

•  MIT"Enterprise"Forum"Cambridge"Website"

www.mi`orumcambridge.org""

•  MIT"Enterprise"Forum"Cambridge"Podcast"

h7p://bit.ly/wzpcVw""

"

•  Ques6ons"and"feedback"on"this"deck:"Randall"Cronk"

rc@greatwri6ng.com""

THANK$YOU!$

THE$FUTURE$OF$SEX$—$OR$HOW$TO$MAKE$COMPLEX$TECHNOLOGICAL$

CONCEPTS$COMPLETELY$IRRESISTIBLE$

A fireside chat with Whitehead Director and McArthur Fellow Dr. David Page

9"Takeaways"

Dr."Page"speaking"at"an"MITEF"Cambridge"Innova=on"Series"Event"February"4,"2015""

Why$we$communicate$…""

"

“Almost"all"of"our"communica6ons"

are"essen6ally"a7empts"at"

persuasion."We’re"always"selling."If"

not"actually"looking"for"an"exchange"

of"dollars,"we’re"looking"for"an"

exchange"of"consent."We’re"looking"

to"bring"people"to"our"ideas.”"""

"

What’s$most$important$…""

"

“If"you"just"stay"within"the"narrow"

confines"of"your"profession"you"will"

always"be"able"to"reside"in"the"land"of"

jargon."You’ll"always"be"able"to"reside"in"

the"land"of"shared"assump6ons."The"

most"important"thing"is"simply"geGng"

out"there"and"doing"it"in"front"of"

different"audiences.”""

Anything$can$be$explained$simply""…"

"

“I"don’t"think"there’s"any"individual"idea"that"we"

work"on"in"science"that"is,"in"and"of"itself,"obscure"

or"complicated."…"I"think"that"anything,"if"you"

work"at"it,"if"you"take"the"6me"and"have"the"

pa6ence"to"develop"the"ability"to"explain"—"I"

think"that"anything"—"no"ma7er"how"complex"it"

is"—"can"be"explained"because"I"believe"that"

everything"that"is"complex"can"actually"be"broken"

down"into"very"understandable"ideas.”"""

What$to$say$first$…""

"

“I"find"this"true"of"most"scien6sts:"They"think"

that"they’re"telling"the"Great"American"Novel."…"

Unless"you’re"a"really"cap6va6ng"spellbinding"

speaker"you’re"audience"is"going"to"have"no"idea"

where"you’re"going."They"want"to"know"what"

the"des6na6on"is."They"know"you’re"siGng"

down"with"them"for"some"purpose."They"want"

to"know"where"you’re"going."So"I"say,"spill"the"

beans"from"the"beginning.”"

"

"

How$a$complex$subject$can$connect$to$an$audience$…""

"

“The"interes6ng"thing"for"me"in"talking"

about"this"sex"and"disease"ini6a6ve"is"that"

I’ve"found"virtually"no"audience"that"fails"to"

connect"with"it."Because"…"I"suspect"

someone"in"the"audience"knows"someone"

with"[these"diseases].""And"when"you"think"

of"those"people"I"bet"that"they"are"in"most"

cases"of"the"sex"or"gender"I’ve"indicate"is"

most"at"risk.”"

Find$the$undervalued$topics$…""

"

“If"I"go"talk"to"pharmaceu6cal"companies"about"

this"stuff"and"I"say,"‘Ok,"you’re"doing"a"lot"of"

research"in"your"labs"directed"at"developing"

therapies"for"this"or"that"disease."You’re"using"

cells"in"culture."Do"you"know"which"of"your"

cells"in"culture"are"xx"or"xy?’"Guess"what"

answer"I"usually"get?"They"don’t"even"know!"

So,"I"find"I’ve"got"such"a"strong"‘gotcha’"with"

this."I"love"finding"the"highly"undervalued"

topics"which"are"hiding"in"plain"sight”"

Just$saying$it$more$loudly$won’t$work$…""

"

“What"I"am"feeling"really"strongly"is"the"

need"to"crea6vely"reinvent"myself."I"

think"that"just"reitera6ng"the"message"

or"[just"saying"it]"more"loudly"I"would"

say,"for"me"and"many"of"my"colleagues,"

has"not"proven"to"be"effec6ve.”"

"

"

"

"

PracSce$makes$perfect$…""

"

“There’s"nothing"like"trying"it"out"on"

every"audience"you"can"think"of."

There’s"nothing"like"trying"things"out"

and"seeing"what"happens."And"the"

last"thing"you"want"to"do"is"have"the"

first"6me"you"talk"about"it"be"the"

6me"when"it’s"really"on"the"line.”"

And$when$the$AV$Fails$…""

"

“So,"what"I"consider"is"the"best"gic"that"can"

befall"me"as"a"speaker"is"a"complete"failure"

of"the"AV"system."Because"the"audience"will"

love"whatever"you"do"improvising"in"that"set"

of"circumstances."So,"you’ve"got"to"roll"with"

whatever"comes"your"way"…"because"it"will"

enormously"affect"how"the"audience"reacts"

to"everything"that"you"say.”""""

"

Links"

•  MIT"Enterprise"Forum"Cambridge"Website"

www.mi`orumcambridge.org""

•  MIT"Enterprise"Forum"Cambridge"Podcast"

h7p://bit.ly/wzpcVw""

"

•  Ques6ons"and"feedback"on"this"deck:"Randall"Cronk"

rc@greatwri6ng.com""

THANK$YOU!$