The Quest to Inspire Action

March 24, 2009 · Comments

Teaching the curious I came across a great quote by Thomas Kempis: The object of education isn’t knowledge; it’s action. How powerful is that? In thinking about communication, even if our efforts are intended to inform, what we really seek is to encourage action. Inside this statement come some new lights on old truths: education isn’t objective, ever. When one educates us, they indoctrinate us, and their goal?

That’s right. Action.

The Object of Education Isn’t Knowledge; it’s Action

Do you really want to know the power of social media? It’s that we have inexpensive tools for production and distribution of media, and that these tools permit a whole new era of gatejumping, where we can build awareness, reputation, and trust into a whole new path by which to build relationships. That’s the secret. It means guys like Keith Burtis can go from passionate enthusiast to important guy inside BestBuy.

Do you know why Christopher S. Penn and I started PodCamp? Because we both felt that these tools like podcasting, blogging, video, and social networking were really going to have a huge impact on how business gets done, and how people can communicate. We felt deeply within our hearts and minds that educating people on a peer level, and spreading the model far and wide would be a way to inspire action from passionate minds with a desire to build new kinds of relationships.

As I work with various companies in 2009, the goal is to inspire action. My goal with every blog post is to get you thinking in a way that might cause a change in your course of action. From the various conversations I’ve had over the last several days, it feels like that’s the case. I hope so. If not, you let me know what I need to do to help you, and I will.

But for now, let’s just let that quote sink in, one last time.

The object of education isn’t knowledge; it’s action. – Thomas Kempis

How will you inspire action?

Photo credit drunkprincess

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  • Look at these two tweets from a student in my New Media Tools Class:

    @nickgagalis @stevegarfield Thanks again for teaching us how to broadcast live. I'll probably be using blog talk radio over the summer for baseball talk. #

    @nickgagalis @stevegarfield I'm a broadcaster for the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod Baseball League, and we'll have a weekly show using that site. #
  • I prefer Thomas Henry Huxley's quote here: "The great end of knowledge is not knowledge, but action." Huxley was one of the great early advocates of Darwin's work. Also, the variation of the quote you have here that involves education, I believe, is from Herbert Spencer: "The great aim of education is not knowledge, but action."

    But I agree with your continuation of this historic line of thinking. In social media (or my accursed albatross, 'knowledge management'), we seek not to connect or grow our understanding in order to connect or grow our understanding - we are continuously seeking improved action in human endeavors. This is a caution for any who grow excessively fond of their toys.
  • "The object of education isn’t knowledge; it’s action."

    Hmmm, I think differently ~ "The true object of education is inspiration; and the object of inspiration is loving action".

    I think...
  • The objective of education isn't knowledge, it's know-how. As an educator I ponder the paradox of teaching and learning daily. Your post is thought provoking. Thanks!
  • There is a vast difference between knowledge, education, and schooling. The first two do not necessarily come from the last!
  • You make a good point -- education is about know-how, not just knowledge. In similar fashion, information isn't just about data, it's about insight. It's all about how you use education and information.
  • Exactly - this is the underlying reason that social media and marketing coincide so well. If you spend the time to have a conversation with someone then educate them on what they "want" to know, action naturally takes place - not in a vacuum but due to education - thanks.
  • Inspire action by taking action yourself. Less noise, more signal - as the Warcraft crowd says, less QQ, more pewpew. Do. Act. Create. At worst you'll get a learning experience. At best, you'll create the Next Big Thing.
  • Also, the other reason we created PodCamp was because we didn't want to have to travel to the West Coast for every single podcasting event back then :)
  • Yes in deed. The answer for our clients isn't just doing a social media marketing campaign for them, it's teaching them how to emerge and be in the social media space. Is that shooting ourselves in the foot? Why do they need "teachers", if they already know how to do it? The key is to be an inspiring teacher, who makes his/her students wanting constantly to learn more.
  • dl
    chris best post and words yet.
  • Education should inspire greater hunger for learning and that I think is what much of the social media and internet at large is all about. Education should perhaps be re-labelled edu-action because that's where it all happens, as you point out - with action. 2 small letters transposed to make all the difference!! It then might create a whole paradigm shift in the eduaction industry...hmmm now that's pause for thought stuff.

    I for one find Twitter the most AMAZING learning resource ever. Following people who educate me on a daily basis in the areas I wish to be educated in is worth it's weight in gold.

    It is a shame that most teaching has to be based on a draconian model of learn what I have to teach not think about what I have to teach and go off and form your own opinion (because that won't allow you to pass your exams!).

    Vive la eduACTION!!! Power to the students...
  • dl
    just one other note...

    Chris whenever anyone types, designs, creates, produces

    if they are trying to communicate... and communicate effectively...the concept of "action" should not only be forefront in their mind it should be clear.
    This is the problem with the internet as it stands as an incubator. It is overhwelmingly "self centered flatulation via unclear purpose"...lol.
    "Let me say my thoughts to impress them...to let out my frustration... to let people know I exist..."
    All fine things. But does it activate...something...anything. 90% of the time... not what anyone really needs at this point. Thus it's monetary worth...minimal. ...and the noise is getting wider, annoying and distracting.
  • "The object of education isn’t knowledge; it’s action."

    Indeed it is. Curiosity... interest... knowledge... belief... Action.

    I'm an old dawg, learning new tricks. Two BloggerCons, three PodCamps, a handful of BarCamps... Twitter and Facebook... a whole lot of reading, and talking to people. Learning by experience, peer-to-peer. What was I thinking?

    Goodness in people exists. If awakening goodness is your quest, and you are convinced of the power social media, then it rests with you to seek people, with whom to "build awareness, reputation, and trust into a whole new path by which to build relationships."

    "How will you inspire action?"

    For me, though it took years to get there, it started with this post, Context is critical: Where is your customer’s attention?

    And, the result of that post? Serious gatejumping attention. Heh.

    Thanks, Chris... I can write the backstory for blog now :)
  • I really hate the sorts of comments that I'm about to write, but, thanks Chris.

    I think I get it now.
  • Here's a similar quote from the ad world. Amazingly, it's from a very senior marketer at GM. "Good advertising makes you feel something then do something."
  • Knowledge is power, that's what you gain when you educate yourself. Social media is great because it allows you to learn things from people all over, that you didn't even know you wanted to learn something from. Social media also intrigues your curiosity which also makes you want to take action, and with action you inspire people to learn and want to do better.

    Erica
  • I agreed education is really based and gained for bring attitude change. As education is not for knowing; it is for understanding actually.
  • I try to inspire action everyday on my blog. Via photos, writing, and community interaction, people are discovering things to do in LA, plus taking a new look at their own neighborhood.

    And I'm having a great time doing it.

    BTW, Chris, I'm looking forward to meeting you in a few days......................:)
  • Your concept defines every great teacher I've had. Time to spread the word!

    I'm going to inspire action by wearing red shoes every single day for a year in the name of non-profit. Should be fun!

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts Chris. It made me think - that's why I continue to read what you have to say. You were already on your described path... it seems that you just defined your purpose further. That's a good feeling!
  • Funny. I was trying to think of what to say here, and instead I took some action that I wouldn't have otherwise. Thanks for the gadizionth time, Chris.
  • Tom Pastre
    Here's a spin on the quote. "reason leads to conclusions; emotion leads to action" Donald Calne neurologist
  • Chris very good, defining post. I certainly agree that we must move people to action.

    There is a disproportionate amount of knowledge to what is actually acted upon. Those bloggers, writers and thinkers that move us to DO what they SAY will stand tall amidst all the talk.

    This has inspired me to get back to action!
  • Great message!
  • Chris:

    This is at the heart of what I believe to be a purposeful existence in
    life, not just marketing. A number of years ago, I developed a
    personal mission statement, "to educate, engage, and empower those he
    encounters to maximize their personal potential through their church,
    community, charity and/or career, in turn maximizing each of these
    institutions."

    As a company, before engaging on a project, we evaluate potential
    clients against a matrix of educating, engaging, empowering and
    experiencing. Treating the matrix like a hierarchy of needs,
    education is simply a starting point and the least acceptable level of
    existence. From there an organization or community of any sort needs
    to commit to the engagement (plugging people in) and empowerment
    (making people leaders) of individuals in participating in the
    improvement and evolution of who and what that organization would like
    to be.

    The power of social media is that these communities can now progress
    without barriers of geography, capital and often even language.
    Inspiring indeed.
  • This is exactly what social media consultants need to hear...that what they are teaching their clients will result in Action...or more specifically, participation in communities. We are educators of social media and therefore our goal is to inspire action in social networks.
    The action you speak of, in my interpretation, is Positive and Honest action. I hope that people who become active in social media do so not with the intention to sellsellsell but to helphelphelp! That is why being both a contributing and receiving member of social networks is so important. Participation should be reciprocal. You can't just hop on board Twitter or Facebook and expect flocks of people to follow you without being a follower yourself first. Unless you are Barack Obama :)

    Thanks Chris, another insightful and inspiring contribution.
  • lewishowes
    Knowledge is nothing without action... and massive action at that.

    I make a ton of mistakes, and a lot of the time I make those mistakes is because I am ignorant as to how to make the right choices... this happens because I like to take action, be in the game, and stay involved with what is going on.

    If I didn't take action I wouldn't learn as quickly though, and I would rather take action and make some minor mistakes along the way to learn how to perfect something...than to wait forever to take action just because I want to have the knowledge to do so.

    I think we/companies need to start taking more action like you suggested Chris, and stop worrying about having all of the knowledge. Will we make mistakes? Probably so, but like I said, its better to be in the game and make a foul, then to sit on the bench. Just learn not to foul the next time so you keep your butt on the court... you dig?

    @lewishowes
  • I think inspiring others to take action is all about being out front and leading by doing. Others will take action if you are out there doing, inspiring, leading, acting your self.

    Now, that's not always as simple as it sounds, but we all know that :)


    http://twitter.com/franswaa
  • Inspiring action in others comes down to you (me) being out front leading. If your out front inspiring, leading, doing, acting others will see it, learn and be motivated to take action them selves. Simple :)
  • Education is action, meaning someone who is knowledgable is not educating unless they make good use of their knowledge. Inspire by putting your thoughts out there and show that you are taking action. Spread your thoughts and engage other. Keep up the tremendous work Chris.
  • Douglas Tindal
    I'm late to this party, but I appreciate the quote and want to extend it. The relationship between education and action is far more dynamic and interactive than the linear phasing of the quote might suggest. Consider it in the context of this quote (which I first heard from John Westerhoff but may have originated elsewhere): "I'm far more likely to act myself into a new way of thinking than I am to think myself into a new way of acting."
  • How I would inspire action? Simply put, I think people need to be taught to look to the interests of others and not just think of themselves. Seeking education for knowledge alone is pretty one-sided and selfish unless that knowledge is shared with another person, mobilized for a purpose or a catalyst for something of use to someone else. How can I act on this? I can ask myself each day, "Based on what I already know, what action will I take today benefit someone else?" How can your organization act on this? Ask, "Out of our collective wisdom, what's the one thing our organization can do this week, this quarter or this year, to benefit our customers and our community?"
  • i would love help in promoting that action with my high school math students. i'm starting up a student group with the goal of creating the school of their dreams, completely bucking the status quo. and then sharing it with the rest of the world.
    i don't doubt their abilities to utilize the latest in blogging, podcasting, etc, however - i'm anticipating the need for a jumpstart in the beginning. i think teens are tech savvy - but not always for educational purposes. in any event - they are certainly ahead of me.
    gosh - i crave any direction you could give me.
  • In fact the more I think about this, I've been toying with the following idea:

    Knowledge isn't power... action is power

    Sure, those who have knowledge contain incredible power, but in the regular running of life with knowledge being so freely available, it is those who can act upon what they know that posses the power of creating change.

    As the recent election teaches us, it is change that people believe in.
  • So simple and so true, Chris! I chose "Community Organizer 2.0" as the name of my social media marketing firm because I felt it conveyed that philosophy: community organizers educate to lead, and bring people together to act. Social media is just organizing any community, but on the interconnected web.

    This post ties in nicely with an older post of yours urging people to ask questions on blog posts, incite discussion, and not be the "expert" when we write. Education is not passing on knowledge, it is a conversation that moves people to act. Thanks.
  • Knowledge isn't power anymore.
    The real power is ACTION!
    Keep ACTION to be better.
  • Build your power by Action...don't too long in dreaming
    keep action
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