by Kate Radin

From daunting college applications to transitioning into a new job, preparing to take the next step towards your future can present a lot more questions than answers. This is particularly true for first-generation college students and graduates.

On January 24, 2019, Jaime Carias, a fellow at the USC Annenberg Center for Third Space Thinking, will be running a Third Space workshop with 26 staff members of the USC College Advising Corps.

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by Melissa Zhuo

Congratulations to Coach Caryl Smith Gilbert! She has been named 2018 Nike Coach of the Year. Under her leadership, University of Southern California’s Track & Field women’s program won the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championship.

Coach Smith Gilbert has been one of the most popular featured speakers at our Third Space Leadership Development Boot Camps where she discusses the importance of adaptability both on and off the field.

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by Hollie Bowers

Los Angeles – On November 8, 2018 The USC Annenberg Center for Third Space Thinking hosted a rigorous one-day boot camp for business executives to master the critical soft skills needed in the workplace. We’re excited to share with you a few highlights from our Third Space Boot Camp! Participants came from a variety of organizations including Viacom, Herbalife Nutrition, Los Angeles Tourism Board, Alibaba Pictures, Anthem Blue Cross, LA County Office of Education, USC Athletics and more!

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by Hollie Bowers

Through four years of in-depth research, The USC Annenberg Center for Third Space Thinking uncovered five critical competencies, or soft skills for success in the workplace. To further our investigation of essential soft skills, we are recruiting engaged scholars and thoughtful practitioners with expertise in Adaptability, Cultural Competency, Empathy, Intellectual Curiosity and 360 Degree Thinking and problem solving.

If you would like to learn more about research fellow opportunities at the Third Space, please go to https://uscthirdspace.com/research-fellow/.

The USC Annenberg Center for Third Space Thinking is pleased to announce our inaugural research fellow… Alison Horstmeyer who will examine the importance of Curiosity in talent development.

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by Hollie Bowers

The Annenberg Center for Third Space Thinking welcomes certified executive coaches David Bishop and Alison Horstmeyer to our next leadership development boot camp.  As leading experts in their respective fields of curiosity and effective leadership, they offer a unique and valuable set of skills for any emerging or executive leaders and are offering one free coaching session to each Third Space Boot Camp participant.

These free, one-on-one sessions will further equip our Bootcamp participants with individualized strategies to foster their success as leaders. Learn more about our executive coaches below and sign up for our bootcamp here.

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by Hollie Bowers

Long Beach, CA — On Monday, August 27, 2018 Dr. Ernest J. Wilson led a mega session on Third Space Thinking for HR professionals at the California Human Resources Conference.  More than 150 HR professionals participated in the session where they learned the five essential soft skills that can enhance their recruitment and development of top talent across various industries.  

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by Hollie Bowers

At USC’s Annenberg Center for Third Space Thinking, “Intellectual Curiosity” is one of the five attributes essential to your success in an organization. Our newest Research Fellow, Alison Horstmeyer, shares practical tips on navigating challenges in the workplace. 
Check out her recommendations for leading with curiosity here.

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by David Bishop

I recently facilitated a workshop at the USC Center for Third Space Thinking. TST focuses on developing five key attributes necessary for becoming a highly effective leader. These attributes – Adaptability, Cultural Competency, Empathy, Intellectual Curiosity and 360-Degree Thinking – are discussed in my previous blogs.   For me, empathy is at the fulcrum of these essential skills (notice I didn’t call them “soft skills”). I’ve already discussed how creating a culture of trust can actually have a positive effect on oxytocin levels, which results in high performance levels in the organization. However, to develop a trust-laden environment, empathy is key. Additionally, empathy is the connective tissue for each of the other four attributes. It’s hard to be adaptable, culturally competent and curious, or to think with a 360 point-of-view without some level of empathy.   The Center for Creative Leadership conducted a study that included 6,700 managers in over 38 countries. The results revealed that empathy in leaders has a positive correlation to high levels of job performance. It is important to note that having empathy is not the same as demonstrating empathy. Being empathetic is more than just having sympathy towards a situation. It’s about truly understanding. These […]

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by Shellee Smith

Below is an article written by Eric Lindberg  for USC News about the Annenberg Youth Academy for Media and Civic Engagement. This program is directed by our Fellow, Jaime Carias and during the four week program, Dr. Ernest Wilson III and Professor Chris Swain led a Third Space workshop to engage the promising storytellers. The next great young journalist or storyteller is out there somewhere in Los Angeles County. Maybe she is an avid high school newspaper reporter who dreams of writing for a major national news outlet. He might be a video whiz who wants to use multimedia to promote a nonprofit. Thanks to the Annenberg Youth Academy for Media and Civic Engagement, those teens are gaining the tools needed to succeed in today’s fast-paced media landscape. The intensive summer training program at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism is teaching many young scholars how to become journalists, web producers, digital videographers and more. The academy focuses on drawing participants from schools near USC to reach students who might not have envisioned a career in media. “I’m a firm believer that in these communities of South L.A., Compton, Watts, the next big reporter, the next big storyteller […]

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by Dr. Ernest Wilson

I begin with a confession. Oprah made me do it. For years audiences, close advisors and friends have urged me to tell the story behind the story — the story about the origins and evolution of Third Space Thinking. Third Space Thinking is a novel, communication-driven approach that empowers individuals to use ‘soft’ skills to make better choices in their lives, and ultimately to make the world a better place. So far, this idea has been a hit from Shanghai, China to Sand Hill Road in Stanford, California. Since it is ambitious, wide-angled and definitely a little weird, I designed Third Space Thinking to stand on its own – rigorous and disciplined as well as relevant to today’s topsy-turvy digital world. In other words, it’s designed to be scientific, based on lots of research and written in the third person. So when well-wishers urged me to make it more personal and ‘first person’ I shook my head no. I didn’t want to reveal my private side. Until I talked to Oprah. She had just finished an amazing speech to more than 1,000 graduates of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and their families. She was mesmerizing. Oprah called […]

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