Six Frames for Thinking About Information.

SIX FRAMES FOR THINKING ABOUT INFORMATION

AUTHOR: Edward deBono

PUBLISHER: Vermillion Books, London, 2007, 127 pages

ISBN: 978 009 1924159 5.

We are all impacted by, if not stressing over, the amount of information that surrounds (encompasses?) us. We need some of it. We are affected by some of it. Some of it is not trustworthy. Edward deBono is known as the father of lateral thinking. Using six different geometric shapes--square, triangle, circle, diamond, heart and rectangle--he describes ways to direct our thinking when searching for or being inundated by information. For example, he advises us to look at accuracy through a circle. Consider the circle as a target with a bull's eye. deBono makes the point that more than 50% of young people in the UK do not trust the newspaper. I see no reason to think it is different here. The circle directs our attention to the accuracy of the material we are reading. The circle encourages us to question the accuracy--is the source reputable? Can the material be vetted? Do we have other sources for this information? The farther from the target we have to move, the less faith we should put into the information, at least until such a time we can verify it.

In a similar vein, the triangle discusses the purpose of the information; the square the point of view, the heart our interest in the material, the value of the information is represented by the diamond and the rectangle or slab is the outcome. The book is about 5 x 8 inches and is about 120 pages. Consider it a manual or guidebook or a user's (of information) manual. I suggest that you keep a copy close to your computer for the next time you decide to 'google' something. It may save you time and embarrassment.

Book reviews are written by David Plaut, 3609 Cross Bend, Plano, TX 75023. [e-mail]