The Abilene Paradox Video

Rating ***** (4 out of 5 stars)

Initial Thoughts
The Abilene Paradox Video is a communication skills video that provides good tools for anyone who gets to help make community decisions (whether it's a work community or a social community). And the film does a pretty good job of including work activities (Project X) and general life activities (whether it's choosing what to do for dinner, or who you'll spend the rest of your life married to).

At some point, we've gone along with a project or an idea or an event that no one actually wanted to do. We've all gone to Abilene only to figured out afterward. What makes this a great communication video, is that it taps into something we've all experienced and then names it. Giving this miscommunication trap a name empowers us to avoid it. We don't HAVE to go to Abilene after all. We don't HAVE to get stuck with a terrible project that no one (I mean NO ONE) really wants or needs.

After watching the video, we learn that when we're really not on board with a project, we have some meaningful words to throw out to the group to test the waters: "We're not just going to Abilene, are we? Because even though I'm willing to go along with this if everyone else is sold on it- I'd rather not if we're all just agreeing to do this, just to be agreeable..."

The Pros
First of all, the Abilene Paradox Video looks good. That's a huge pro. There's a lot of corporate training videos that look like corporate training videos- this one feels more like a film.

Then there's the great story lines. The first one is the story of the narrator's family literally taking a four hour, 100 mile, sweltering hot road trip that no one wanted. Then there's a great story about Money Pit Project X in a business setting. The project no one in the company (from the top down) wants to do but they keep doing it because they think that everyone else in the company wants to do it. And of course, interwoven in between this is a really great story about two college kids that are getting married because they don't want to disappoint everyone- not because either one of them is really in love with the other.

All this to say- the video feels like a film. And that's important, because keeping the attention of the people you're training is paramount. And when the stories are relevant and engaging- it's so much easier to transfer that video into applicable training and performance.

Also, I personally LOVE the way the video brings in Shakespeare's Hamlet and then has the R&D guy do a similar but hilarious monologue about whether "tis nobler" to go along with the project even if it's doomed, or to speak his mind and get canned (or something along those lines). I'm an intellect and I love that stuff. Someone else might find it a little heady...

The Cons
As much as I enjoyed the story- the training gets a little lost in it. This might be because the film is 26 minutes long (which is a little lengthy) and the meat and potatoes of the learning doesn't come along until we've explored a number of stories and situations. I think training works a little better when you "tell them what your going to tell them, tell them about it, and then remind them of what you told them." Sometimes, you have to sacrifice story in order to do that- but if you're only interested in story- go make a feature film and get out of the corporate training video business... I'm just sayin'.

Who Would Want It
Don't bother showing this to a team who takes orders and doesn't actually get to decide anything. This is a video for decision makers or people who get to be a part of the decision making process. It's especially helpful if you work with "yes-men" who go along with whatever anyone else is saying- even when you need them to take a stand and speak their mind.

The Bottom Line
Get it. Watch it. This is a good film that will really help you avoid the Abilene Paradox if you're committed to respectful communication.

Check it out here: The Abilene Paradox Video