Alisha Mithal (am2658) HADM 4125

May 6th, 2019 Zoom Book Reflection

The class exercise with “Zoom” by Istvan Banyai led me to reflect on why is critical to
consider someone else’s perspective and how perspective can heavily influence a story.
Additionally, I also examine why being open-minded and alert are so important.
At the beginning of the exercise, I did not realize that “Zoom” was a picture book and
that each student would be adding their own personal touch to the story. At each step, a student
would comment on the picture in front of them, and the next student would speak to a picture
that was “zoomed” out. The next page often yielded an entirely new perspective that was more
complete.
First, I was reminded that not everyone views an image, an idea, or a concept in a similar
manner to me. Every person had a unique interpretation of a page in the picture book that I
would not think of myself. This diversity of thought reminded me of the importance of staying
open-minded and take other’s viewpoints into account.
Moreover, this exercise emphasized the value in of staying aware of my surroundings and
listening to others. Even though there were many potential sentences I could think of to continue
the story, making sure the story was coherent with a central theme and also addressing the new
“bigger picture” proved to be challenging. I was actively listening to those who came before me
(especially the person directly in front of me!) and crafting my addition to be a continuation of
the story, all while taking into consideration the new information in front of me after flipping the
page. There was little time to process all of this, so being able to pivot and change my story with
little notice was a helpful skill.
Overall, I was reminded that teams are strong because of everyone’s individuality; each
and every group to partake in this exercise creates a very distinct story. Another key takeaway
for me is that team members create an environment that is conducive to success by being flexible
and listening to others.