Dave Birss
Dave Birss feels uncomfortable being asked what he does because he’s never entirely certain himself. He envies those people who can describe what they do in an elevator ride. He can kind of do it in a wheezing climb up 17 flights of stairs. So this is an incomplete and rambling summary. Dave writes books. His latest book, Friction, which he co-wrote with Soon Yu, is causing a stir in the digital industries. He’s also the author of How To Get To Great Ideas, Iconic Advantage and A User Guide To The Creative Mind. And he’s currently writing a book in collaboration with ChatGPT. Dave is also an educator. He has several courses on LinkedIn Learning. And he’s also started releasing his own courses on davebirss.com. During lockdown he launched Virtual Presenting Academy to show people how to come across professionally on a webcam. His approach has gained him a lot of attention and he now advises companies on their pitches and virtual events. He’s also a film-maker, father, international catwalk model and occasional liar.
For years the world of digital has echoed with the mantra of making experiences frictionless. The idea is that if you get everything out of the way, you make it easier for customers to slide to the checkout and enter their credit card information. It’s a smart approach but it’s gone too far. We’ve created a simple world devoid of meaning and emotion. Some experiences are better with a bit of friction. And in this talk Dave Birss will explain how you can use friction to release feel-good neurochemicals in the brains of your customers.