Gladwell explains that experts often “thin slice” information for quick judgements.

Our first impressions and snap judgements can be educated and controlled.

Decisions made quickly can be as important as ones made over a long period.

Throughout the book, Gladwell uncovers three main takeaways: In the book, he explains the importance of understanding your adaptive unconscious - the small ways we discern situations and make decisions that often happen in a split second. This summer I enjoyed reading Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. I had been a school administrator for more than ten years, and a lot of my observations came second nature. Later that morning as we worked through meeting with parents and school discipline procedures, he suddenly looked up at me and asked, “How did you know I was messed up from all the way across the room?” I didn’t know how to explain how I knew. The boy was under the influence of marijuana and was also in possession. Once he was in my office, I invited another administrative team member to join me, and my hunch proved accurate.

But I casually stepped closer and asked him if I could talk to him in private for a minute. I walked across the room, and as I approached him more closely, he tried to avoid eye-contact. He was so far away, I could not see his facial features, but his demeanor and walk gave me a quick pause. Dozens of students were entering when I saw one high school boy who caught my attention. Photo by Ryan Tauss – Creative Commons No known copyright was positioned in the middle section of the room, and the front doors of the school were about one hundred feet across the room from me.

Several years ago, I was standing in our school lunchroom watching hundreds of students eat breakfast. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music

Blink book