The Virtual Meeting Coach

With the economy still in fragments, lots of people say they’re too busy to investigate social media. They think of social media as too new to mess with.

In the last week, I’ve had at least a dozen people tell me they can’t “waste time” on Twitter. They say they’ve got too much to do already, running from place to place to meet with “real” people, to put up a LinkedIn profile or a Facebook page.

These kinds of conversations, both live and online, worry me. Because the thing is, as I heard my new friend, Rene Fabre, tell a room full of title agents, Realtors, and lenders yesterday in Medford, Oregon, social media technologies aren’t new.

Some of them are 10 years old!

I’ve been reporting in this blog about online medicine. And online government. And online education. And I’ve been talking about some of the free virtual meeting tools available to talk to your doctor, participate in government, and learn whatever you want – all at a distance. This stuff isn’t rocket science. And it’s not new. Yet it amazes me how many people are still operating in the dark about it.

If you’re someone feeling relatively “in the dark” about virtual meetings – or working with other people who are – here are two videos I suggest you take a couple of minutes to watch. Feel free to link back here to share them with your friends. This is Telepresence. And it’s right here, right now, and coming soon to your town and your neighborhood. Maybe your home.

The first video shows Cisco CEO, John Chambers, and Marthin De Beer demonstrating the newest iteration of Cisco’s Telepresence system for an Indian audience. This isn’t Star Trek, it’s real life, right now. And yes, it’s real expensive. If you don’t have the money to put one of these into your organization right now, I suggest you use the time between now and when you find that money to practice using the FREE virtual meeting tools available now so you’re a pro at distance education before you get your Telepresence system.

In fact, at the risk of sounding like a shameless self-promoter, I recommend that if you need some help wrapping your mind around what you need to do to prepare for virtual meetings, you download a copy of “The Coach’s Short List” from this site and use it to support your practice.  The Coach’s Short List is the  “Cliff’s Notes” of virtual meetings. I wrote it so people could have their own little “cheat sheet” to guide them.

The future is upon us, friends. The question is, “How do you want to play?”

San Diego to Singapore to Corvalis, Oregon

The second video was made TWO full years ago, in 2007. It shows Mark Anderson meeting from the HP Halo Studio in San Diego with colleagues in Singapore and Corvalis, Oregon, during the “Future in Review” Conference. This piece shows the “older” Telepresence technology at work. This technology is already at work in corporate settings, doctor’s offices, hotel conference rooms, and even some colleges. And it has been for quite some time now.

Workin’ and Practicin’ …Your Night Moves

If you can’t imagine yourself yet well-prepared to meet with clients, customers, and colleagues as if you were in the same room with them, it’s time to start workin’ and practicin’, as Bob Seeger used to sing. Maybe you’re old enough to remember this one: