The Virtual Meeting Coach

Here’s a pretty exciting report from last week’s Consumer Electronics Show. I’ve been talkin’ ’bout this…writin’ ’bout this…waitin’ for this…And now here it comes: 2010. Take a look here.

Get ready to launch your boat and head for the New World. Think: Columbus taking off from Spain across the Atlantic.

If you haven’t yet updated your idea of yourself from “watcher” to “full participant” in two-way conversations that happen from home – as well as from work – using something that looks like that thing we used to call the “TV Set,” it’s time to get started this year. Whether for conversations with your distant relatives and friends, your coworkers – or your doctor – pretty soon you’re going to be talking outloud to a TV screen in your home.  And then someone you know is going to be talking back at you.

From my perspective, the best thing about this is that we’ll be able to use video technology to be present with the people who matter most to us and free ourselves, from the passive consumption of broadcast media – including corporate-financed advertising of all kinds! WooHoo!

Think about all the people you’d enjoy being able to meet with from your living room:

- People you want to learn from
- People you want to play with
- People you can receive healthcare from
- People you work with
- People you want to serve
- People in your family you can’t travel to be with face-to-face
- People across the globe doing things you care about
- People…people…people…

The list can be as long as your curiosity and desire for engagement!

What do you think? Damn exciting, if you ask me… I was born before there were any one-way broadcast reception devices (called TVs) in our homes.

Who’s used one of these new telepresence systems in your living room already? Please share your experience with us here…

I don’t know about you, but when I tuned in to watch the ball drop at Times Square and I saw “2010″ show up and start flashing, I had a feeling I’ve never had before.

It was really something to see “2010″ because it’s a whole new kind of number than 1980 or 1999 or even 2000 or 2009. I don’t know how to describe the difference for me except to say that I hadn’t imagined living in a time when the date looked like that. Maybe you know what I mean…

So, we’re really not in Kansas anymore. We’ve actually entered the SECOND decade of the 21st Century. And, by the looks of things right now, it’s going to be a challenging time for all of us. We’re going to need new ideas, new strategies, new blood, and new tools to move ahead with grace in this undeniably “globalized” information economy.

As you contemplate the road ahead, it’s OK not to be a maestro of virtual meetings. It’s totally OK not to even feel very comfortable participating in them! It’s even OK not to put some attention on uncovering ways you could use virtual meetings to help your clients’, your customers’, and your suppliers’ lives easier using virtual meeting technologies.

Oh, what’s that? You’d like to? Well, go right ahead, that’s OK, too.

And, while you’re at it, if you’re local (meaning within a 50 mile radius of Ashland, Oregon), you might want to take advantage of a live, hands-on workshop I’m offering that will take you from zero to 100 using your netbook or laptop to work from anywhere with ease, confidence, and competence – even if you’ve never used a mobile computer. Yes, you, too, can be working from coffee shops (and using WIFI to meet with your clients around the globe in virtual meeting rooms) in just 4 weeks. Yes, you read that right – in 4 weeks.

In just 4 weeks, you can change your experience of computing from feeling isolated, frustrated, confused – and much more expen$ive than you would like – to using a cheap netbook or laptop to work quickly and easily, and have a lot more fun working MOBILY than you ever imagined. What’s more, making that 4 week investment, you will be equipping yourself to work independently and cheaply for many years to come.

I’ve got just 5 seats left in “Up, Up and Away,” and I would love to have you in one of them. You can read more about the workshop in the brochure below. The next session begins January 18th, here in Ashland, and runs 4 consecutive weeks from 3-5pm upstairs at the Rogue Metaphysical Library.

It’s OK not to enjoy computing and it’s also OK to take time this month to pick up the essential skills and attitudes you need to use an inexpensive netbook or laptop and FREE online software to make your way forward in this brave new world of 2010…and beyond.

If you want more information than the brochure provides – or you want to discuss a “partial cash” offer with me – feel free to phone me at 541-488-7942 this week. I mean it: there are only 5 seats left. Want me to put your name on one of them today?

Up Up and Away Trifold Brochure

I just learned about a new virtual meeting tool that makes it easy to have virtual meetings – of all sizes – in virtual reality.

Of course we’ve been able to use Second Life this way for several years already. But many people find Second Life too complex and a little too immersive for their tastes. I’ve been one of those people myself. I just couldn’t see the ROI for taking the additional time to create scenes and develop avatars. I like everyday 3D reality a lot and I want to get off my computer and get outside as often as I can. Besides, I really like getting things done quickly with people I don’t happen to be co-located with. So, before now, virtual reality meetings just haven’t been nearly as interesting as being able to quickly see and hear other people in something closer to our everyday reality – using VOIP and webcams and whiteboards.

But today, on a tip from Jane Hart, I wandered over to Assemb’Live and I have to say, I’m curious enough about the simple frames and navigation they’re offering that I signed up for a test drive. On first inspection, it looks like the developers have been thinking about what I would call “meeting culture” in the same ways I already think about it. Meeting setup and invitation processes follow the same kinds of protocols as other meeting tools. Webcam participation is still possible. Voice is fully integrated into the participation process. People attending your meeting can participate fully with you – and you can manage the sound if you need to. Being able to choose from a simple set of templates for scene setting simplifies the experience of hosting. This leaves more time to think about what you actually intend to accomplish with your meeting – beyond just having fun playing with each other.

My imagination is provoked and my curiosity piqued – but not overwhelmed – by the possibilities in Assemb’Live. I’ll need to go inside and spend some time before I say more. If you’re looking for more virtual reality in your virtual meetings – and your attendees would enjoy that, too – you might want to give Assemb’Live a spin. If you do decide to try it, please leave me a comment below and I’ll come experiment with you over the next 30 days.

And, hey! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you, too!!

When times get tough, the tough get going, they say. Well, times remain tough, don’t they? I’m having so many people telling me they need my help but can’t afford it that I’ve decided to create my own Economic Stimulus Package for 2010. It’s called “Meri Bucks.”

Here’s how it works: I want and need to exchange my services for cash so I can pay the rent and buy groceries and fuel while we reinvent the economy together. Clients and potential clients want and need my help tweaking their businesses processes so they CAN take advantage of the incredible time and cost savings virtual meetings have to offer. Most people would really like to use web conferencing and other kinds of virtual meetings with clients, customers, coworkers, and suppliers. They just don’t want to risk losing their relationships with people. They don’t want to look stupid. They don’t think they have time to learn something new. And, worst of all, they don’t know how to tweak the way they’re doing things now – just a little – so they can translate some of their service processes into virtual meeting spaces.

On top of that, everyone needs to be able to squeeze every last drop of value out of whatever cash they do have. That means they’re agonizing over which help they can afford to get now – and what just has to wait.

So, here’s my offer: Throughout the entire year of 2010, I’m going to be trading in “Meri Bucks.” These certificates of service come in two denominations only, $1250 and $625. I’m trading them for $1000 or $500 in US greenbacks. This means that “Meri Bucks” are paying 25% return on investment.

Now I know – and you know – that no one is offering to give you a 25% return on investment for your precious greenbacks right now. So this is a terrific deal for you! And the deal is worth it to me because I have some holes in my calendar and want to fill them now. So, I’m willing to offer this extraordinary return as part of playing fair and doing my part to stimulate the economy in 2010.

I know you can’t afford to keep coping with workarounds that are costing you profits you need to pocket. And I can’t do what I love to help small business people if you can’t afford to get the service you need from me.

If you’re ready to make a few changes to your business processes – and learn quickly and painlessly how you can use virtual meetings to pocket more real profits throughout 2010 and all the years ahead – you can get an extra FREE 25% service from me by purchasing and trading in “Meri Bucks” right now. This could translate into you getting several team members trained for FREE, several hours of management consulting for FREE, several hours of producer support for FREE, or some other kind of help you know you need to get busy transitioning into virtual meeting space. You design your project and, using “Meri Bucks,” I’ll deliver 25% extra into it for FREE.

So, tell Santa. Tell your partners. Tell your CFO. Tell your investors. Tell your husband/wife… Starting right now you can use “Meri Bucks” to get a leg up on transitioning your business into the 21st century using virtual meetings.

If you’re interested in taking me up on this offer and want to discuss it further, please feel free to phone me directly at 541.488.7942.

You will need to call soon, though, because I have minted a LIMITED NUMBER of these certificates and when they’re gone, they’re gone. You can use them for service anytime in 2010, but you will need to purchase them now if you’re interested!

“Meri Bucks” to the rescue for 2010!!

What Matters Now

It’s no secret to my friends and regular readers of this blog that I love Seth Godin. For years, I’ve loved Seth’s crazy, irreverent approach to getting people unstuck and into action about what matters most. He’s direct, creative, and funny as hell. And, at the same time, he suffers no foolishness… which is extremely helpful to me. His intelligence just cuts right through excuses, leaving the scraps on the floor in a heap.

This morning, Rene Fabre passed me a link to “What Matters Most” with a message that said, “Now, more than ever, we need a different way of thinking, a useful way to focus and the energy to turn the game around.” Amen, Brother Love!!

It turns out that “What Matters Most” is a sweet, FREE book Seth compiled from the thoughts of a bunch of other smart folks. And Seth’s set it up to see how fast his fans can make it viral. I think he said he’d like to see how fast 5 million people could get it.

I’m playing. Here’s a copy you can enjoy right here, right now.

If you like it enough to pass it on, feel free to
1) send others a link or a Tweet that they can read it here,
2) embed it in your blog
3) download it for yourself from Scribd
4) print a copy and pass it out for free on the street
5) anything else you can think to do with it for FREE.

On the 1st of Christmas, my true friend gave to me…a frrreeee e-book copyyyyyy…. Enjoy!

Here’s a useful, provocative Flash animation in the middle of a McKinsey report on “Using Technology to Improve Workforce Collaboration.”

If you can’t get the full animation from clicking above, go to the report itself here, scroll down to the subhead, “Improving Collaboration,” and click on the graphic to launch the Flash animation. Clicking on any one of the different types of knowledge workers brings up suggestions for online, collaborative, Web 2.0 technologies that can best improve productivity in their jobs.

I’m not sure that the suggestions are comprehensive or even totally accurate. But this is certainly the kind of thinking we all need to be engaged in this year. And this animation is a great place to start the kinds of conversations we need to be having about how we can tweak business work processes in 2010 so we can work together more efficiently and productively. Many thanks to George Siemens and Harold Jarche for their pointers to this report!

Not at all surprising is the fact that virtual meeting tools show up in almost every single occupation!

Enjoy! And what do you think?

A Report From the Field

This fall, I piloted a 4-week, face-to-face, hands-on Cloud Computing course for seniors and aging Baby Boomers who aren’t yet ready to call ourselves “Seniors”

I call the course, “Up, Up and Away,” and I promise to take people who are frustrated with their desktop computing experiences from hair-pulling to happy smiles and thicker wallets in just four weeks using a cheap mobile computer and Cloud apps. The first folks who signed up were my neighbors in the Mountain Meadows Community in Ashland, Oregon. In four weeks, participants made faster strides than even I had anticipated!

I took their performance as affirmation of three things:

1) The course design is sound and provides a useful scaffold for people who want to create a whole new relationship to computing to do so in just 4 weeks
2) Seniors can and do learn new tricks a whole lot faster than people might give them credit for
3) Mobile computers and Web 2.0 Cloud apps are going to change all of our lives – not just the lives of young people!

The photos above were made on Friday the 13th when a big crowd turned out for the Mountain Meadows‘ November “Friday Forum” to hear me talk about the way I look at new opportunities for seniors who willing to invest in cheap laptops or netbooks and learn to use free Cloud apps. New online ways to engage in lifetime learning, telehealth options, telemedicine options, meaningful online community participation, inexpensive (or free) connection to family members and other caregivers – wherever they are! And so much more… My deepest thanks to Cindy Earle and Hunter Hill for the photos!

I’m just crazy about my neighbors at Mountain Meadows! They’re all so smart! And they’ve moved into this community to manage their lives in new ways while they “Age in Place.” Coming to live among them has been a life-changing experience for me, personally. As a group, they’re deeply committed both to their own lifetime learning and to maintaining healthy, active relationships with the people they care about – here and across the globe! So, over the next 6 months or more, I’m going to be taking groups of 12 of them “up in the Cloud,” using “Up, Up and Away” as the vehicle. If the first group’s success was any indication of what’s to come for Mountain Meadows, this community will soon be setting a national standard for active, senior communities using the internet, social media, and virtual meeting technologies to optimize resources for “Aging in Place.”

I’m excited about “Up, Up and Away!”! And I’m looking for opportunities to offer it locally while I also finish a train-the-trainer program so that people who would like to can offer it in your areas.

I very much want to share my introductory talk, “Computer Frustrate Me – Why Should I Care About Them?” with churches, clubs, professional groups and at professional conferences several times a month during December, January and February and on into 2010. But I don’t know how to do this without investing lots of time or money on marketing.

Got any ideas?

I promised the next thing I would share here would be the telehealth conversation I had with Kelly McCabe, former Citibank exec turned CEO of eMindful.com. But I was in too big a hurry on my way out of Ashland and left the mp3 on my Mac at home. I’m on the road this week in Boston…

However…I just ran across two fascinating slide presentations.

The first is by Dr. Yannis Pappas of the Imperial College of London. The second is by George MacGinnis of the HNS in London. Despite the fact that the telehealth/telemedicine audience that’s starting to gather here on this blog might is mostly a US-centric group, I’m guessing you’ll still find both presentations quite useful. In many regards, we here in the US are way behind our European colleagues in the march towards simple, cheap and easy telemedicine solutions. My thanks to David Doherty of 3GDoctor.com for sharing these shows at LinkedIn.

Dr Pappas’ presentation is full of solid data and elegant, simple ways to look at the multi-level challenges of transitioning from face-to-face patient care practices to virtual appointments. 

It’s true. The obstacles and challenges of moving appropriate types of healthcare online are difficult. But not impossible. Especially when you’ve got help from communication and management experts who understand both the vagaries and complexities of changing business processes and the subtleties of how human beings either build trust and respect when we communicate – or disrupt both terribly. Face-to-face and online.

I’m passionate about helping doctors and patients meet each other halfway between their computers and get more out of meeting that way than they’ll spend preparing themselves to do so from now on.

George McGinnis presentation below lays out an easily understandable visual map of how we need active, independent seniors with chronic health conditions and people being supported in assisted living facilities to connect more easily with families, caregivers, and healthcare providers using remote technologies. Again, thanks to David Doherty for sharing this show on his profile at LinkedIn.

As I’m fond of saying, this isn’t rocket science, folks. Patient groups, healthcare providers, tool makers and consolidators…It would be my great pleasure to help you move forward, regardless of what the government does or doesn’t get accomplished with regard to “healthcare reform.” Where would you like to start?

My fascinating conversation with Kelly McCabe coming next week…

Okay friends, here we go. I’ve been promising some new material for The Virtual Meeting Coach Show for the last several weeks. I’ve got a window of time today to post the first in a series of conversations I’ve been having with virtual meeting pros. The series is called Virtual Meeting Masters and I intend to use it to provide you with cutting-edge advice from the pros so that you can become a “virtual meeting master,” too.

I’ve been talking with people who fully understand the tremendous potential of virtual meeting tools, web conferencing, online meetings – whatever you want to call real-time dialogue with your coworkers, clients, customers, suppliers, students, patients, and other people who you’re working with.

Hunting up these folks and finding new ways to capture our conversations has been a blast! Thanks in large part to the ingenuity and persistence of my partner-in-crime, Tom Carroll, of Evolutionary Learning, we have a new kind of video format for you to enjoy along with some high-quality audio-only podcasts.

This first show is a short, powerful conversation with best-selling author Sharon Drew Morgen. Sharon Drew just released a new book last week on Amazon called “Dirty Little Secrets: Why Buyers Can’t Buy and Sellers Can’t Sell and What You Can Do About It.”

I’ve been following Sharon Drew’s work for many years now and this is, without a doubt, the best book she’s written. It couldn’t be more timely. The book elegantly many things we all need to bear in mind as we work together to help each other move ahead in this crazy economy.

Sharon Drew is famous for helping people speed up the process of long-term or complex sales but the real wisdom she has to share in this particular book goes far beyond sales. She understands the process of change and her way of looking at change makes it clear how we can either help or hinder people we’re working with as they make their best decisions about incorporating new solutions into their systems.

Whether you’re looking to speed up the sales cycle on a complex sale, train or coach clients in new ways of doing things, or boost the productivity of distance workteams, there’s a lot for all of us in this conversation. I hope you enjoy it. If you like it, by all means, pick up a copy of Dirty Little Secrets. You can get one here.

As always, we like reading your comments and requests for future shows.

Coming up next… a fascinating conversation about providing telehealth care using live virtual meetings.

I really wish I had three bodies so I could finish all the things I’ve started lately. I don’t have three bodies. If I even had two bodies, I would send one of them to the E-Patient Connections Conference the third week of this month in Philadelphia.

Why? I’m getting more excited everyday at the innovative uses of virtual meeting tools unrolling daily in the telehealth and telemedicine arenas! The possibilities for patients and doctors to get together whenever and wherever and however works best for both parties are multiplying exponentially – with or without government healthcare reform!

I’ve been talking with innovators daily and canning some interviews you can expect to start enjoying here by the end of this week.

Until then, take a look at this vid and tell me if it doesn’t give you hope, too…