Things I Like to Talk About

I’m a talker. I’ve been giving talks and presentations since I read Dale Carnegie in the ninth grade!

I like to talk about creativity and innovation. I believe that it involves “thinking between boxes” rather than thinking outside the box (whatever that means). Here is one of my presentations (warning: it’s an hour long) from Kinnernet Barcelona earlier this year.

I was a scientist for most of my adult career, specializing in human odors (bad breath in particular, of all things). I like to talk about how perfumes are undermining our sexual biology. Here is my recent talk from TEDx HIT.

I like to give talks about embarking on a new career. On how our fear of appearing silly or failing prevents us from tackling new challenges, new jobs, new directions. Spoiler: It’s all about barking.

In my career as an inventor, I have failed many times and really succeeded only once. I love to present a candid picture of how routine, hubris and education affect innovation for the better (and the worse). This one is in Hebrew (isn’t about time you learned?).

Summary: you learn a lot more from failures than your occasional successes.

Finally, I like to talk about how the education system tries to create schools of conforming fish, and how some are able to escape. I have written a book about it! Read it here!

My talk is called “What I Learned in Kindergarten”. See it here (again, in Hebrew).

Enough for now. Other talks I love to give include:

• Why the music of the Sixties is so special

• How to write a great story

• How to give a memorable oral presentation

• The Secrets of Success

• The Ten Secrets of Healthy Living

• Jews and jazz.