07 September 2006

Relevance Beta

"I don't spend much time thinking about whether God exists. I don't consider that a relevant question. It's unanswerable and irrelevant to my life, so I put it in the category of things I can't worry about." Wendy Kaminer

People are only interested in things of relevance due to limited resources and time constraint. If there is no limitation, people may want to know everything. Knowledge is power.

Everything that is not relevant is irrelevant. When it is irrelevant, it is often ignored and neglected. However, things that are irrelevant to one person may be relevant to another person. Everyone has his or her own definition of relevance due to different value.

In the long run, nothing is irrelevant, and everything is relevant.

Take golf as an example. It is the game for rich and famous in the past, but now it's open to public. If the person wants to build rapport with others, then he or she has to learn golf.

Take in-house training as another example. The participant usually may not need the training, but he or she still has to attend due to management's nomination. In the captive environment, the training may be relevant during the session but irrelevant after.

The implication is that if the deliverable is relevance to one's needs, even if the process to obtain the deliverable is difficult, the person will still work hard to get it. If irrelevant, even if the access to the deliverable is free, the person will not bother to take any action.

Alliance is formed when there is common language, and common language is developed when people sharing relevant interests join together. When there is relevance, it is easier to break the ice, and build rapport.

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