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Igniting Inspiration: A Persuasion Manual for Visionaries

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John Roberts' book "Igniting Inspiration" really is "A Persuasion Manual for Visionaries." It's a humorous, practical look at the art of inspired communication. But it's more than that. It's a psychological roadmap to the mind-blowing times we live in.

Drawing on mythic archetypes, Spiral Dynamics, and the developmental psychology of Claire Graves, John Roberts describes 8 ways of being human. As a former Jazz drummer, he calls these "musical notes on the scale of human experience." Wonder what people see in Sarah Palin? Wish you could captivate an audience like Barack Obama?

Robert's description of the emergence of human consciousness gives you an amazingly simple, yet very practical way of understanding of how people think, which values they cherish, and the metaphors they live by. These thinking systems advance through tribalism and heroism to absolutism, individualism, humanism, and systems thinking.

Each one is identified with a color, so that Absolutist Blue is blue-collar, Ronald Reagan, and the religious right; while Individualist Orange is Donald Trump, survival of the fittest, and agnostic. Most inspiring though, is his description of how the global challenges we face, and the global tools and technologies we are using to solve them are spurring humanity to a new level of consciousness.

"Mass emergence of the systemic/yellow thinking system is the ongoing breakthrough of our times," says Roberts. Think the sustainability movement, cultural creatives, yoga, organic everything, Google, Richard Branson, and yes, Barack Obama.

And what's the point?

The point is that: "This new thinking system is our greatest tool for creating new, inspired communication systems and leadership platforms that can move us out of collective global deadlock and towards a future where hope is celebrated."

If this sounds like the 2008 election, it is. The reason this book is so important right now is because it describes exactly what's happening in our time.

Inspiration. Hope. Change.

These are not just campaign slogans. They are signs that society is undergoing a massive shift. And John Roberts has given us a powerful tool for bringing it on. Bravo!

This book is a must read for anyone interested in decoding the gap between human attitudes and behavior.

Neuroscience confirms that 90% of human decision-making is unconscious. As a former Fortune 50 Global Marketing VP who now consults with Fortune 500 companies, I can safely say that every Marketing Leader today knows that traditional marketing research methodology ($12B global industry) has not been able to effectively decode human behavior and more specifically consumer buying behavior.

The billion dollar question is what drives our human decision-making? The answer can be found in this book.

The science behind Clare W. Graves elegant framework (integrating the thinking of Skinner, Freud, Jung, and Maslow to name a few) is the missing link to decode how our "world-view thinking system" informs all of our perceiving, knowing, thinking, doing, and decision-making.

Our "world-view" is like an operating system in a computer and it dictates every decision we make. Our "world-view" system is the most powerful lens to segment human and cultural understanding. To truly decode human behavior we first need to understand which world-view thinking system they are operating out of. This book not only segments the 8 "world-view" systems operating in the world today, but also drills down on how to design your Brand Communication to authentically inspire the four predominant "world-view" systems in the US.

John Marshall Roberts has done a brilliant job of integrating systems thinking and human science to design an effective guide book on how to drive business growth by integrating human and cultural insight into your Brand DNA model and your Communication Strategy.

This book will not only help to transform business but is also an effective guide for anyone seeking to inspire sustainable systemic growth on a local or planetary level.

This a book that chalenged my unexamined assuptions on why I have so often had the experience forget them , you will never reach them, ect and yet also have felt that Togeather we can work wonders. Now for the first time I can see why I have felt at both ends of the poles in working with groups. When things worked it was so wonderfull and fullfiling and at other times I thought I will never work with another group for the rest of my life! Now I can see why I have felt that way.
Like most people I was never given the Map or the context in which to understand the dynamics that make us humans tick the way John lays it out.
I am in awe of how he demystifies such seemingly complex interactions and shows us how we all can learn to have the ability to inspire others as we also inspire ourselves.
I have read some of the best books ever written, the kind that forever change your world view and leave you with increased hope and compasion while also energizing you to go even further, this is one of those books, I am simply Inspired, which according to John is our natural state!

It was one of those "no accident" moments as I surfed Amazon looking for one thing and finding "Igniting Inspiration". And even before I read all of the intro and reviews, I knew I had to get this book!

After being a student of Andrew Cohen's for the last several years and looking for a way to connect the dots of those teachings and other teachers of highly evolved philosophies such as Ken Wilber's Integral teachings and Dr. Don Beck's Spiral Dynamics, John Marshall Roberts helps to bridge a gap for all of us right-brained visionaries and spiritual sponges, from a place of authenticity and beautiful simplicity. This doesn't mean that the intellect is not stimulated, quite the contrary, it also means that there is a "thoughtful thinking" that the reader is invited to participate in, and explore the implications of being tagged as a fellow creative, inspirational human to help evolve our humanity and start asking and answering pertinent questions.

I deeply appreciate the author's own inquiries throughout the book, and the entertaining, thought-provoking captions in each chapter. His choice of words, quotes, humor and authentic inspiration, arouse a creative consideration into our human condition, and dares us all to be the courageous ones to live a life that goes beyond our fearful, victimized, separate and cynical ways of thinking . . . creating new pathways of insight and conscious living . . . where we give ourselves over to a greater purpose, inspiring others to do the same.
I definitely want to meet you there!
Bravo!

This book is a terrific, joyful and highly accessible communication guide for people who truly want to make a difference in the world. It will help you rediscover what you already knew, hadn't yet consolidated, and perhaps, what you weren't quite ready to fully embrace.

Whether you're selling a beneficial product or service, working with a non-profit or advocacy organization, whether your an artist, a parent, the head of a progressive company, or simply a caring and conscious person, Robert's book is an enlightened resource and tool for understanding and authentically working with intention, clear communication, expression and socio-psycho-conscious awareness. And--most importantly--you can use these tools and concepts to 'pitch' anything of real value!

Whoa...not sure you like that idea of 'pitching'? We're not talking about greenwashing and manipulation, here. We're talking about a deeper level of communication than that offered by the dying paradigms of the past. The tides of consciousness are shifting. We've lived through some of the greatest corruption in our history. The ulcers of dying ideologies have been exposed...and, like healers, we are becoming experts at recognizing their symptoms and their root causes. This book is a catalyst for macro-evolution, articulated on a simple micro-level.

As I see it, we are learning to heal ourselves, and our society must continue to focus on nurturing the healthy...in it's many forms. The Transformational Design framework that this book outlines argues with absolute conviction that awareness, positive intention, integrity and authenticity are inescapable and will constantly expose ignorance, amorality, exploitation and manipulation. The root of everything is you. Who are you? Where are you coming from? Why are you doing what you're doing? Where is your heart?

Read this book and remember.

If you are a 'true believer' of some absolutistic religion or ideology, you are very likely to be offended by this book. However if you are a person who cares about the world and who wants to better understand such zealots: you'll probably love it.

"Igniting Inspiration" is a funny, engaging and highly accessible "communication roadmap" which makes big ideas practical, and which helped me understand WHY people like Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin are so close minded and hateful.

If you are on the fence about buying this book, do yourself a favor: go to youtube, type in "John Marshall Roberts" and watch him speak. This will erase any doubts or hesitation you may have.

Igniting Inspiration provides a tour-de-force examination around how we communicate, and the blind alleys of our mind that lead us astray. The writing style is itself inspired and engaging and models for the reader the conscious use of words. Words are power. Choose them wisely. This book is perfect for any visionary leader that needs to get others to believe in their story.

John also presents a synthesis of Spiral Dynamics - which is a philosophical school of thought that describes different levels of values and consciousness. Personally, I've never really jived with this color-coded benchmark of consciousness measuring, but I must tip my hat to John for presenting one of the most salient and insightful readings of this philosophy I've come across to date. So philosophical differences aside, the book remains an insightful read and a "must-have" for anyone in the social-change business.

Yes, everyone working with professional communication - especially strategically - are aware that communication either resonate, or it don't. John Marshall Roberts is bold enough to demystify the deeper levels of communication and actually suggest HOW and WHY by applying a concrete model that can guide the communicator. It's so much easier to leave it with lofty buzz words and steer clear from any theories or models that can be looked upon in detail and weighted for their merit. By connecting cognitive and language style based on academic research ([...]) this book opens up not only to the field of communication, but also to the field of the human mind in general. For all of us that enjoy being analytical (some might say, nerdy) about strategic communication - this is one of the top three books I strongly recommend.

I've been following John's writing online for nearly a year now, but I only recently ordered this book. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. This is one of the rare books that not only opened my eyes to a different way of thinking, but also provided tangible, actionable steps for utilizing its insights. I'm excited to put this new energy into action in my own life and in my career.

Anyone who is looking to inspire others authentically and help facilitate a global shift in consciousness will love this book. If you're looking for reasons why some people think or say the things they do, the insights John provides can help you make sense of the seemingly senseless.

Ultimately, I believe this book is for people that don't buy into the idea that our current political, economic and social models are the best humanity has to offer. These models continue to evolve and as new paradigms emerge, John shows how those that don't necessarily share the same worldview can still find common ground. In light of the challenges we face as a species, there is perhaps no more urgent need.

I am on my third reading of this great book- which is more of a study of the work at this point. John builds his own innovations into this work to expand upon Spiral Dynamics - which eloquently brings you along on a journey to understand the fundamentals as well as How To implement communication that is viscerally understood by people of all thinking types. If you "think differently" than most and want to be able to resonate with a larger audience, this book is an integral manual for helping do just that.