At the Land8x8 Lightning Talks in Miami, Nicole Plunkett, a landscape architect and partner at Cotleur & Hearing, spoke about the importance of diverse perspectives and breaking out of our comfort zones. She is also the founder of Future Landscape Architects of America (FLAA), a non-profit focused on educating K-12 students about the career field of landscape architecture.
Nicole’s presentation centered around her personal experience with a pub trivia team. What started as a casual activity turned into a valuable lesson on the benefits of surrounding oneself with a diverse group of individuals. The team comprised professionals from various fields including interior design, software development, law, healthcare, and engineering, among others. This diversity enriched their knowledge base and made them formidable contenders in the trivia circuit.
The core message of Nicole’s talk was about escaping our echo chambers, those comfortable spaces where we interact with like-minded individuals and are reinforced by similar views and perspectives. In today’s world, technology often reinforces these echo chambers by filtering our exposure to diverse ideas.
Nicole emphasized the importance of embracing different perspectives not just for personal growth but also for professional success. She highlighted how her firm leverages tools like the Predictive Index to understand the psychological makeup of their team members, ensuring they are placed in roles that align with their strengths and maximize their potential.
One striking example Nicole shared was the viral phenomenon of the dress color debate and the Yanny/Laurel audio clip, which illustrated how people perceive the world differently. These instances underscored the need to be open to diverse viewpoints.
In the context of landscape architecture, Nicole encouraged students and professionals alike to step out of their comfort zones. For students, this could mean exploring beyond their studio spaces and forming connections beyond their major. For professionals, it’s about embracing new clients, diverse talents, and scopes of work.
Nicole’s call to action resonates deeply in today’s interconnected world where collaboration and innovation thrive on diverse perspectives. By embracing unfamiliar territories and engaging with a broader network, we open ourselves to a myriad of opportunities and possibilities.
In conclusion, Nicole’s presentation was a compelling reminder of the transformative power of diverse perspectives. It challenges us to break free from our echo chambers, embrace the unfamiliar, and discover the wealth of insights waiting for us beyond our comfort zones. Together, we can create a more inclusive and innovative landscape architecture community.
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This video was filmed on January 23, 2024 as part of the Land8x8 Lightning Talks sponsored by Anova Furnishings.
Published in Blog, Cover Story
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