http://community.morassociates.com/service/getFeed.kickAction?mediaType=BLOG&quantity=25&as=111754 New blogs from jhall on MOR Associates Community Sat, 08 May 2010 19:27:04 GMT Sat, 08 May 2010 19:27:04 GMT abywater@morassociates.com (abywater) abywater@morassociates.com (abywater) KickApps Feed Builder 2010-05-08T19:27:04Z 12 http://community.morassociates.com/service/searchEverything.kickAction?as=111754&sortType=recent 0 http://community.morassociates.com/_Best-PowerPoint-ever/BLOG/2330751/111754.html I just wrote about the "Worst PowerPoint Ever". All too often, we see examples of how overhead presentations are applied incorrectly. The term "Death by PowerPoint" is very familiar to us all. So it was wonderful for me when I sat in a presentation last week, and the presenter did everything right in her presentation. Her talk used only a few slides. In one case, she had the same slide on the screen for about 10 minutes.The slides either showed a full image (no text), or a few bullet items. As a result, the audience stayed tuned in to her message, and didn't get distracted with the slides.The presenter brought lots of energy to the talk. So we shared in her enthusiasm for the topic, and listened closely to what she said. Looking around me, I didn't notice anyone with a laptop open. (When is the last time you could say that at a conference?)You may one day need to give a presentation for others. Remember the general rules to give a truly outstanding presentation:1. Avoid distractions. 2. Use slides that are visual, not wordy. 3. Share your enthusiasm. 4. Leave room to talk around the bullet points. I just wrote about the "Worst PowerPoint Ever". All too often, we see examples of how overhead presentations are applied incorrectly. The term "Death by PowerPoint" is very familiar to us all. So it was wonderful for me when I sat in a presentation last week, and the presenter did everything right in her presentation. Her talk used only a few slides. In one case, she had the same slide on the screen for about 10 minutes.The slides either showed a full image (no text), or a few bullet items. As a result, the audience stayed tuned in to her message, and didn't get distracted with the slides.The presenter brought lots of energy to the talk. So we shared in her enthusiasm for the topic, and listened closely to what she said. Looking around me, I didn't notice anyone with a laptop open. (When is the last time you could say that at a conference?)You may one day need to give a presentation for others. Remember the general rules to give a truly outstanding presentation:1. Avoid distractions. 2. Use slides that are visual, not wordy. 3. Share your enthusiasm. 4. Leave room to talk around the bullet points. Sat, 08 May 2010 19:27:04 GMT http://community.morassociates.com/_Best-PowerPoint-ever/BLOG/2330751/111754.html jhall 2010-05-08T19:27:04Z MOR Associates Community I just wrote about the "Worst PowerPoint Ever". All too often, we see examples of how overhead presentations are applied incorrectly. The term "Death by PowerPoint" is very familiar to us all. So it was wonderful for me when I sat in a presentation last week, and the presenter did everything right in her presentation. Her talk used only a few slides. In one case, she had the same slide on the screen for about 10 minutes.The slides either showed a full image (no text), or a few bullet items. As a result, the audience stayed tuned in to her message, and didn't get distracted with the slides.The presenter brought lots of energy to the talk. So we shared in her enthusiasm for the topic, and listened closely to what she said. Looking around me, I didn't notice anyone with a laptop open. (When is the last time you could say that at a conference?)You may one day need to give a presentation for others. Remember the general rules to give a truly outstanding presentation:1. Avoid distractions. 2. Use slides that are visual, not wordy. 3. Share your enthusiasm. 4. Leave room to talk around the bullet points. nonadult false Best PowerPoint ever text blog 35 0 0.0 http://community.morassociates.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=10648377&as=111754 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/111754/photos/PHOTO_6884678_111754_10648377_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2330751 10648377 Member 0 http://community.morassociates.com/_Worst-PowerPoint-ever/BLOG/2330749/111754.html Giving a good presentation shouldn't rely on your slides. The quality of your presentation content matters, not how pretty you made your slides.It's also important not to overload your slides with too much information. The problem with information packed slides is that the audience is momentarily given lots of information but - having too little time to parse it - won't recall it later. And they won't be able to concentrate on your words either, because they'll be too busy reading.This was demonstrated all too plainly in a presentation given last summer to Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the leader of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan. One slide meant to portray the complexity of American military strategy, but instead was a beautiful impediment to understanding. The New York Times has more.Some choice quotes from the article:"PowerPoint makes us stupid," Gen. James N. Mattis of the Marine Corps, the Joint Forces commander."It's dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control," Brig. Gen. H. R. McMaster (who banned PowerPoint presentations.)"When we understand that slide, we'll have won the war," Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal.For more about PowerPoint, 'information design' expert Edward Tufte posted a sample from his essay, PowerPoint Does Rocket Science--and Better Techniques for Technical Reports. Tufte cites a PowerPoint presentation given at NASA about the 2003 shuttle Columbia disaster. In this case, unstructured information overload blurred key points, and made it difficult for senior management to realize the presentation addressed life-threatening situations.In my own presentations, I rely on only a few simple PowerPoint slides that address a single theme that I can speak to. The key is simple, so that my audience's attention stays focused on me and what I'm saying. My "wordiest" slides have only 3 bullets, so the audience's attention is diverted for only a moment, then back to me.I was a special guest last year at Penguicon, a convention supporting open source software (and science fiction.) One presentation I gave only used 9 slides for a 1-hour talk (but I could have done it with 7.) That's about 6-7 minutes for each slide, which helped me and the audience stay focused on each topic.You may one day need to give a presentation for others. Remember the general rules to give a truly outstanding presentation:Avoid distractions.Use slides that are visual, not wordy.Share your enthusiasm.Leave room to talk around the bullet points. Giving a good presentation shouldn't rely on your slides. The quality of your presentation content matters, not how pretty you made your slides.It's also important not to overload your slides with too much information. The problem with information packed slides is that the audience is momentarily given lots of information but - having too little time to parse it - won't recall it later. And they won't be able to concentrate on your words either, because they'll be too busy reading.This was demonstrated all too plainly in a presentation given last summer to Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the leader of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan. One slide meant to portray the complexity of American military strategy, but instead was a beautiful impediment to understanding. The New York Times has more.Some choice quotes from the article:"PowerPoint makes us stupid," Gen. James N. Mattis of the Marine Corps, the Joint Forces commander."It's dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control," Brig. Gen. H. R. McMaster (who banned PowerPoint presentations.)"When we understand that slide, we'll have won the war," Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal.For more about PowerPoint, 'information design' expert Edward Tufte posted a sample from his essay, PowerPoint Does Rocket Science--and Better Techniques for Technical Reports. Tufte cites a PowerPoint presentation given at NASA about the 2003 shuttle Columbia disaster. In this case, unstructured information overload blurred key points, and made it difficult for senior management to realize the presentation addressed life-threatening situations.In my own presentations, I rely on only a few simple PowerPoint slides that address a single theme that I can speak to. The key is simple, so that my audience's attention stays focused on me and what I'm saying. My "wordiest" slides have only 3 bullets, so the audience's attention is diverted for only a moment, then back to me.I was a special guest last year at Penguicon, a convention supporting open source software (and science fiction.) One presentation I gave only used 9 slides for a 1-hour talk (but I could have done it with 7.) That's about 6-7 minutes for each slide, which helped me and the audience stay focused on each topic.You may one day need to give a presentation for others. Remember the general rules to give a truly outstanding presentation:Avoid distractions.Use slides that are visual, not wordy.Share your enthusiasm.Leave room to talk around the bullet points. Sat, 08 May 2010 19:23:52 GMT http://community.morassociates.com/_Worst-PowerPoint-ever/BLOG/2330749/111754.html jhall 2010-05-08T19:23:52Z MOR Associates Community Giving a good presentation shouldn't rely on your slides. The quality of your presentation content matters, not how pretty you made your slides.It's also important not to overload your slides with too much information. The problem with information packed slides is that the audience is momentarily given lots of information but - having too little time to parse it - won't recall it later. And they won't be able to concentrate on your words either, because they'll be too busy reading.This was demonstrated all too plainly in a presentation given last summer to Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the leader of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan. One slide meant to portray the complexity of American military strategy, but instead was a beautiful impediment to understanding. The New York Times has more.Some choice quotes from the article:"PowerPoint makes us stupid," Gen. James N. Mattis of the Marine Corps, the Joint Forces commander."It's dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control," Brig. Gen. H. R. McMaster (who banned PowerPoint presentations.)"When we understand that slide, we'll have won the war," Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal.For more about PowerPoint, 'information design' expert Edward Tufte posted a sample from his essay, PowerPoint Does Rocket Science--and Better Techniques for Technical Reports. Tufte cites a PowerPoint presentation given at NASA about the 2003 shuttle Columbia disaster. In this case, unstructured information overload blurred key points, and made it difficult for senior management to realize the presentation addressed life-threatening situations.In my own presentations, I rely on only a few simple PowerPoint slides that address a single theme that I can speak to. The key is simple, so that my audience's attention stays focused on me and what I'm saying. My "wordiest" slides have only 3 bullets, so the audience's attention is diverted for only a moment, then back to me.I was a special guest last year at Penguicon, a convention supporting open source software (and science fiction.) One presentation I gave only used 9 slides for a 1-hour talk (but I could have done it with 7.) That's about 6-7 minutes for each slide, which helped me and the audience stay focused on each topic.You may one day need to give a presentation for others. Remember the general rules to give a truly outstanding presentation:Avoid distractions.Use slides that are visual, not wordy.Share your enthusiasm.Leave room to talk around the bullet points. nonadult false Worst PowerPoint ever text blog 18 0 0.0 http://community.morassociates.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=10648377&as=111754 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/111754/photos/PHOTO_6884678_111754_10648377_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2330749 10648377 Member 0 http://community.morassociates.com/_Killing-the-meeting/BLOG/2330747/111754.html There's an interesting blog post from a few weeks ago at Forbes: How Chat And Youth Are Killing the Meeting.Can you run a company through e-mail and chat without meetings, without ever getting together in the same room or at the same time? At first, the answer seems to be yes. But there is a lot more going on here.The article really is about how the meeting structure has begun to change in the workplace. What is a "meeting"? Some organizations are beginning to do away with most traditional meetings, opting instead to replace in-person meeting time with online chat and email. The trade-off is that everyone must be on chat, paying attention to it for most of the day.While many 20-somethings entering the workforce today may find this exciting, it's definitely against the grain for those already established in the organization. This means the shift to more online meetings will be slow, although we already see some examples of chat-based meetings between some areas of my own group. Within the next 5 to 10 years, it's easy to predict online meetings will be more common within theworkplace .Technology changes the way we do business, and the ways we work together. In days past, it was common to draft a paper memo to distribute announcements and new information to a team. Corporate email changed that. When is the last time you saw an announcement from your organization that was sent to you via a letter or paper memo? It's pretty much all email now.Meetings are the next step for how technology changes things. The author suggests these guidelines to succeed in the long term with this new mode:Project managers must monitor the stream of activity and capture knowledge so that what is taking place can be reviewed and analyzed later.Checklists or defined processes must be in place so that the staff has guidance and a way to capture what they have learned about how to do their jobs better.A mechanism to provide clarity of plans and intentions must exist so that everyone can see what everyone else is doing and conflicts or contradictions can be identified early.Some form of conflict resolution must exist so that problems raised are certain to get attention.Resources consumed and progress toward defined goals must be monitored as closely as possible and reported frequently.There must be a forum for brainstorming and fellowship so that everyone can enjoy each other's company and learn from everyone else.I'll add that in-person meetings are very useful, and online meetings only work well for a particular style of meetings. For example, plain "status update" meetings can easily shift to online. But if you want to generate feedback, especially collaborative feedback like a SWOT exercise or generating a set of ideas (i.e. "brainstorming") then an in-person meeting is the way to go. There's an interesting blog post from a few weeks ago at Forbes: How Chat And Youth Are Killing the Meeting.Can you run a company through e-mail and chat without meetings, without ever getting together in the same room or at the same time? At first, the answer seems to be yes. But there is a lot more going on here.The article really is about how the meeting structure has begun to change in the workplace. What is a "meeting"? Some organizations are beginning to do away with most traditional meetings, opting instead to replace in-person meeting time with online chat and email. The trade-off is that everyone must be on chat, paying attention to it for most of the day.While many 20-somethings entering the workforce today may find this exciting, it's definitely against the grain for those already established in the organization. This means the shift to more online meetings will be slow, although we already see some examples of chat-based meetings between some areas of my own group. Within the next 5 to 10 years, it's easy to predict online meetings will be more common within theworkplace .Technology changes the way we do business, and the ways we work together. In days past, it was common to draft a paper memo to distribute announcements and new information to a team. Corporate email changed that. When is the last time you saw an announcement from your organization that was sent to you via a letter or paper memo? It's pretty much all email now.Meetings are the next step for how technology changes things. The author suggests these guidelines to succeed in the long term with this new mode:Project managers must monitor the stream of activity and capture knowledge so that what is taking place can be reviewed and analyzed later.Checklists or defined processes must be in place so that the staff has guidance and a way to capture what they have learned about how to do their jobs better.A mechanism to provide clarity of plans and intentions must exist so that everyone can see what everyone else is doing and conflicts or contradictions can be identified early.Some form of conflict resolution must exist so that problems raised are certain to get attention.Resources consumed and progress toward defined goals must be monitored as closely as possible and reported frequently.There must be a forum for brainstorming and fellowship so that everyone can enjoy each other's company and learn from everyone else.I'll add that in-person meetings are very useful, and online meetings only work well for a particular style of meetings. For example, plain "status update" meetings can easily shift to online. But if you want to generate feedback, especially collaborative feedback like a SWOT exercise or generating a set of ideas (i.e. "brainstorming") then an in-person meeting is the way to go. Sat, 08 May 2010 19:21:34 GMT http://community.morassociates.com/_Killing-the-meeting/BLOG/2330747/111754.html jhall 2010-05-08T19:21:34Z MOR Associates Community There's an interesting blog post from a few weeks ago at Forbes: How Chat And Youth Are Killing the Meeting.Can you run a company through e-mail and chat without meetings, without ever getting together in the same room or at the same time? At first, the answer seems to be yes. But there is a lot more going on here.The article really is about how the meeting structure has begun to change in the workplace. What is a "meeting"? Some organizations are beginning to do away with most traditional meetings, opting instead to replace in-person meeting time with online chat and email. The trade-off is that everyone must be on chat, paying attention to it for most of the day.While many 20-somethings entering the workforce today may find this exciting, it's definitely against the grain for those already established in the organization. This means the shift to more online meetings will be slow, although we already see some examples of chat-based meetings between some areas of my own group. Within the next 5 to 10 years, it's easy to predict online meetings will be more common within theworkplace .Technology changes the way we do business, and the ways we work together. In days past, it was common to draft a paper memo to distribute announcements and new information to a team. Corporate email changed that. When is the last time you saw an announcement from your organization that was sent to you via a letter or paper memo? It's pretty much all email now.Meetings are the next step for how technology changes things. The author suggests these guidelines to succeed in the long term with this new mode:Project managers must monitor the stream of activity and capture knowledge so that what is taking place can be reviewed and analyzed later.Checklists or defined processes must be in place so that the staff has guidance and a way to capture what they have learned about how to do their jobs better.A mechanism to provide clarity of plans and intentions must exist so that everyone can see what everyone else is doing and conflicts or contradictions can be identified early.Some form of conflict resolution must exist so that problems raised are certain to get attention.Resources consumed and progress toward defined goals must be monitored as closely as possible and reported frequently.There must be a forum for brainstorming and fellowship so that everyone can enjoy each other's company and learn from everyone else.I'll add that in-person meetings are very useful, and online meetings only work well for a particular style of meetings. For example, plain "status update" meetings can easily shift to online. But if you want to generate feedback, especially collaborative feedback like a SWOT exercise or generating a set of ideas (i.e. "brainstorming") then an in-person meeting is the way to go. nonadult false Killing the meeting text blog 22 0 0.0 http://community.morassociates.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=10648377&as=111754 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/111754/photos/PHOTO_6884678_111754_10648377_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 2330747 10648377 Member 0 http://community.morassociates.com/_Lead-Manage-Do/BLOG/1770261/111754.html There's an old adage in computing: "Good-fast-cheap, pick any two." It's a somewhat simplistic way to say "You can't have it all." You've all experienced this in some form: A vendor can quickly (fast) deliver a product that's high quality (good), but it will cost you. If you want it less expensive (cheap) then you either have to sacrifice some quality, or wait longer to have it delivered.I like to think along the lines of another triangle: "Lead-manage-do."Similar to "good-fast-cheap", the "lead-manage-do" triangle helps us to understand the focus we need to put in each of our areas. To be the most successful, one person really should concentrate on (at most) two of the legs of this triangle: "lead-manage", "lead-do", "manage-do". At my institution, we already follow this practice: managers are expected to provide leadership within their teams, but don't have logins to the systems their teams manage, etc.Some example:* Some large organizations have a lead architect role who develops new technology, and provides leadership for using that technology effectively. This kind of lead architect is both "lead" and "do".Typically, these architects are not responsible for a staff of engineers. They usually work alone, or partnered with another architect, so do not "manage".* Several years ago, the idea of a working manager was popular. These managers would be responsible for running their department, but also provide some hands-on assistance with the systems (usually database administration, or systems administration.) These managers are in both "manage" and "do".In my experience, the working manager is focused too heavily on the day-to-day running of the department, not to mention the systems, to provide much leadership for the "next generation" of what they do. They may push for more automation, or to make things easier, but rarely are able to focus on dramatic changes that take their organization to the next level.Like any analogy, "lead-manage-do" is not perfect. I can't say it's impossible to provide effective leadership, manage efficiently, and still do the day-to-day hands-on work - but it's really hard to get the job done, and do it well. The best way to be successful is to practice one or two of these focus areas.I encourage you to think about how to use "lead-manage-do", and apply it to your work. There's an old adage in computing: "Good-fast-cheap, pick any two." It's a somewhat simplistic way to say "You can't have it all." You've all experienced this in some form: A vendor can quickly (fast) deliver a product that's high quality (good), but it will cost you. If you want it less expensive (cheap) then you either have to sacrifice some quality, or wait longer to have it delivered.I like to think along the lines of another triangle: "Lead-manage-do."Similar to "good-fast-cheap", the "lead-manage-do" triangle helps us to understand the focus we need to put in each of our areas. To be the most successful, one person really should concentrate on (at most) two of the legs of this triangle: "lead-manage", "lead-do", "manage-do". At my institution, we already follow this practice: managers are expected to provide leadership within their teams, but don't have logins to the systems their teams manage, etc.Some example:* Some large organizations have a lead architect role who develops new technology, and provides leadership for using that technology effectively. This kind of lead architect is both "lead" and "do".Typically, these architects are not responsible for a staff of engineers. They usually work alone, or partnered with another architect, so do not "manage".* Several years ago, the idea of a working manager was popular. These managers would be responsible for running their department, but also provide some hands-on assistance with the systems (usually database administration, or systems administration.) These managers are in both "manage" and "do".In my experience, the working manager is focused too heavily on the day-to-day running of the department, not to mention the systems, to provide much leadership for the "next generation" of what they do. They may push for more automation, or to make things easier, but rarely are able to focus on dramatic changes that take their organization to the next level.Like any analogy, "lead-manage-do" is not perfect. I can't say it's impossible to provide effective leadership, manage efficiently, and still do the day-to-day hands-on work - but it's really hard to get the job done, and do it well. The best way to be successful is to practice one or two of these focus areas.I encourage you to think about how to use "lead-manage-do", and apply it to your work. Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:49:41 GMT http://community.morassociates.com/_Lead-Manage-Do/BLOG/1770261/111754.html jhall 2010-01-25T21:49:41Z MOR Associates Community There's an old adage in computing: "Good-fast-cheap, pick any two." It's a somewhat simplistic way to say "You can't have it all." You've all experienced this in some form: A vendor can quickly (fast) deliver a product that's high quality (good), but it will cost you. If you want it less expensive (cheap) then you either have to sacrifice some quality, or wait longer to have it delivered.I like to think along the lines of another triangle: "Lead-manage-do."Similar to "good-fast-cheap", the "lead-manage-do" triangle helps us to understand the focus we need to put in each of our areas. To be the most successful, one person really should concentrate on (at most) two of the legs of this triangle: "lead-manage", "lead-do", "manage-do". At my institution, we already follow this practice: managers are expected to provide leadership within their teams, but don't have logins to the systems their teams manage, etc.Some example:* Some large organizations have a lead architect role who develops new technology, and provides leadership for using that technology effectively. This kind of lead architect is both "lead" and "do".Typically, these architects are not responsible for a staff of engineers. They usually work alone, or partnered with another architect, so do not "manage".* Several years ago, the idea of a working manager was popular. These managers would be responsible for running their department, but also provide some hands-on assistance with the systems (usually database administration, or systems administration.) These managers are in both "manage" and "do".In my experience, the working manager is focused too heavily on the day-to-day running of the department, not to mention the systems, to provide much leadership for the "next generation" of what they do. They may push for more automation, or to make things easier, but rarely are able to focus on dramatic changes that take their organization to the next level.Like any analogy, "lead-manage-do" is not perfect. I can't say it's impossible to provide effective leadership, manage efficiently, and still do the day-to-day hands-on work - but it's really hard to get the job done, and do it well. The best way to be successful is to practice one or two of these focus areas.I encourage you to think about how to use "lead-manage-do", and apply it to your work. nonadult false Lead-Manage-Do text blog 119 0 0.0 http://community.morassociates.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=10648377&as=111754 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/111754/photos/PHOTO_6884678_111754_10648377_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 1770261 10648377 Member 0 http://community.morassociates.com/_Coaching-Buttons/BLOG/1715178/111754.html There are different ways to providing coaching and mentoring to your staff. Some methods are direct, others indirect. As one example, coaching session is time intentionally set aside to do coaching with someone. Asking probing questions, the coach helps the "coachee" to work through problems. These coaching sessions work best if you can find a quiet place to meet, away from distractions.Where a coaching session is not possible, I recommend taking advantage of an available coaching opportunity. For example, during a 1-on-1 status meeting with someone, you may find an opening in the conversation to ask a few open-ended questions about a relevant issue, bringing you to an impromptu coaching session. A coaching opportunity can present itself anywhere; look for them.You may also hear me talk about a concept I refer to as "coaching buttons". This is a variation on a different concept ("conversation buttons") for how to impart information to someone when you don't have a long time to spend with them (like, during an elevator ride.) The "conversation button" is something that sticks with your listener. Like the button on a shirt or coat, a "coaching button" doesn't do the whole job, but over time as you use more "coaching buttons" the whole picture comes together. They key is to make those "buttons" easily understood and memorable, able to stand on their own, but part of a larger story.I've adapted this into "coaching buttons", or coaching of the moment where I take an available opportunity to do a brief coaching conversation with someone. For example, a manager might find him/herself early for a meeting, only one staff member is there, giving the manager a short time for a "coaching button". Never waste an opportunity for coaching, however brief. The "coaching button" might only cover one question without an opportunity for follow-up questions to delve deeper - but if you can find frequent opportunities for several "buttons", I find it can be helpful.Outside of work, I an a non-academic adviser to a campus fraternity. I use "coaching buttons" when I meet with the fraternity. I show up a little early for each House meeting, and use the extra time to do brief coaching with the guys. Usually, they come to the meeting room in ones and twos, making it easy to have quiet conversations. It's a great way to do advising with this group, especially because it's so rare that I can find a separate quiet time with an individual for a coaching session. But "coaching buttons" fit well into meeting nights.Look for ways to use "coaching buttons" at your institution. There are different ways to providing coaching and mentoring to your staff. Some methods are direct, others indirect. As one example, coaching session is time intentionally set aside to do coaching with someone. Asking probing questions, the coach helps the "coachee" to work through problems. These coaching sessions work best if you can find a quiet place to meet, away from distractions.Where a coaching session is not possible, I recommend taking advantage of an available coaching opportunity. For example, during a 1-on-1 status meeting with someone, you may find an opening in the conversation to ask a few open-ended questions about a relevant issue, bringing you to an impromptu coaching session. A coaching opportunity can present itself anywhere; look for them.You may also hear me talk about a concept I refer to as "coaching buttons". This is a variation on a different concept ("conversation buttons") for how to impart information to someone when you don't have a long time to spend with them (like, during an elevator ride.) The "conversation button" is something that sticks with your listener. Like the button on a shirt or coat, a "coaching button" doesn't do the whole job, but over time as you use more "coaching buttons" the whole picture comes together. They key is to make those "buttons" easily understood and memorable, able to stand on their own, but part of a larger story.I've adapted this into "coaching buttons", or coaching of the moment where I take an available opportunity to do a brief coaching conversation with someone. For example, a manager might find him/herself early for a meeting, only one staff member is there, giving the manager a short time for a "coaching button". Never waste an opportunity for coaching, however brief. The "coaching button" might only cover one question without an opportunity for follow-up questions to delve deeper - but if you can find frequent opportunities for several "buttons", I find it can be helpful.Outside of work, I an a non-academic adviser to a campus fraternity. I use "coaching buttons" when I meet with the fraternity. I show up a little early for each House meeting, and use the extra time to do brief coaching with the guys. Usually, they come to the meeting room in ones and twos, making it easy to have quiet conversations. It's a great way to do advising with this group, especially because it's so rare that I can find a separate quiet time with an individual for a coaching session. But "coaching buttons" fit well into meeting nights.Look for ways to use "coaching buttons" at your institution. Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:09:21 GMT http://community.morassociates.com/_Coaching-Buttons/BLOG/1715178/111754.html jhall 2010-01-13T21:09:21Z MOR Associates Community There are different ways to providing coaching and mentoring to your staff. Some methods are direct, others indirect. As one example, coaching session is time intentionally set aside to do coaching with someone. Asking probing questions, the coach helps the "coachee" to work through problems. These coaching sessions work best if you can find a quiet place to meet, away from distractions.Where a coaching session is not possible, I recommend taking advantage of an available coaching opportunity. For example, during a 1-on-1 status meeting with someone, you may find an opening in the conversation to ask a few open-ended questions about a relevant issue, bringing you to an impromptu coaching session. A coaching opportunity can present itself anywhere; look for them.You may also hear me talk about a concept I refer to as "coaching buttons". This is a variation on a different concept ("conversation buttons") for how to impart information to someone when you don't have a long time to spend with them (like, during an elevator ride.) The "conversation button" is something that sticks with your listener. Like the button on a shirt or coat, a "coaching button" doesn't do the whole job, but over time as you use more "coaching buttons" the whole picture comes together. They key is to make those "buttons" easily understood and memorable, able to stand on their own, but part of a larger story.I've adapted this into "coaching buttons", or coaching of the moment where I take an available opportunity to do a brief coaching conversation with someone. For example, a manager might find him/herself early for a meeting, only one staff member is there, giving the manager a short time for a "coaching button". Never waste an opportunity for coaching, however brief. The "coaching button" might only cover one question without an opportunity for follow-up questions to delve deeper - but if you can find frequent opportunities for several "buttons", I find it can be helpful.Outside of work, I an a non-academic adviser to a campus fraternity. I use "coaching buttons" when I meet with the fraternity. I show up a little early for each House meeting, and use the extra time to do brief coaching with the guys. Usually, they come to the meeting room in ones and twos, making it easy to have quiet conversations. It's a great way to do advising with this group, especially because it's so rare that I can find a separate quiet time with an individual for a coaching session. But "coaching buttons" fit well into meeting nights.Look for ways to use "coaching buttons" at your institution. nonadult false Coaching "Buttons" text blog 87 0 0.0 http://community.morassociates.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=10648377&as=111754 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/111754/photos/PHOTO_6884678_111754_10648377_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 1715178 10648377 Member 0 http://community.morassociates.com/_Setting-the-context/BLOG/1547800/111754.html A few weeks ago, I received a great email spam. It wasn't great because it was spam; it was great because the message unintentionally underscored an important part of being successful. In part, the spam said:Ever wish you could ...Tailor your message to achieve complete buy-in on your ideas and proposals?Disarm others' "hot buttons" and put people at ease — even in the heat of an argument?Win arguments without losing friends?Deliver razor-sharp instructions that get things done — without coming off like an annoying perfectionist?Become so persuasive that your requests are rarely denied?The email was advertising a workshop about communication (for CareerTrack's "How to Communicate with Tact and Professionalism") but really most of this is achieved automatically when we set the context of a conversation.Think about the meetings you attend, and the conversations you have with others. When we don't provide context, requests are often perceived as demands, questions as criticism, vision as marching orders. The rest of the conversation "inexplicably" takes on a negative tone. How many meetings have you attended where this has happened?When we take a few moments at the beginning of the conversation, provide background information and explain the context of the questions, everything is perceived differently by your audience. Context sets a positive tone of the conversation that follows.Take a moment in your meetings to create context, and evaluate with others if you have provided sufficient background information before discussion begins. I think you'll find that your discussion will go much more smoothly. A few weeks ago, I received a great email spam. It wasn't great because it was spam; it was great because the message unintentionally underscored an important part of being successful. In part, the spam said:Ever wish you could ...Tailor your message to achieve complete buy-in on your ideas and proposals?Disarm others' "hot buttons" and put people at ease — even in the heat of an argument?Win arguments without losing friends?Deliver razor-sharp instructions that get things done — without coming off like an annoying perfectionist?Become so persuasive that your requests are rarely denied?The email was advertising a workshop about communication (for CareerTrack's "How to Communicate with Tact and Professionalism") but really most of this is achieved automatically when we set the context of a conversation.Think about the meetings you attend, and the conversations you have with others. When we don't provide context, requests are often perceived as demands, questions as criticism, vision as marching orders. The rest of the conversation "inexplicably" takes on a negative tone. How many meetings have you attended where this has happened?When we take a few moments at the beginning of the conversation, provide background information and explain the context of the questions, everything is perceived differently by your audience. Context sets a positive tone of the conversation that follows.Take a moment in your meetings to create context, and evaluate with others if you have provided sufficient background information before discussion begins. I think you'll find that your discussion will go much more smoothly. Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:50:03 GMT http://community.morassociates.com/_Setting-the-context/BLOG/1547800/111754.html jhall 2009-12-07T20:50:03Z MOR Associates Community A few weeks ago, I received a great email spam. It wasn't great because it was spam; it was great because the message unintentionally underscored an important part of being successful. In part, the spam said:Ever wish you could ...Tailor your message to achieve complete buy-in on your ideas and proposals?Disarm others' "hot buttons" and put people at ease — even in the heat of an argument?Win arguments without losing friends?Deliver razor-sharp instructions that get things done — without coming off like an annoying perfectionist?Become so persuasive that your requests are rarely denied?The email was advertising a workshop about communication (for CareerTrack's "How to Communicate with Tact and Professionalism") but really most of this is achieved automatically when we set the context of a conversation.Think about the meetings you attend, and the conversations you have with others. When we don't provide context, requests are often perceived as demands, questions as criticism, vision as marching orders. The rest of the conversation "inexplicably" takes on a negative tone. How many meetings have you attended where this has happened?When we take a few moments at the beginning of the conversation, provide background information and explain the context of the questions, everything is perceived differently by your audience. Context sets a positive tone of the conversation that follows.Take a moment in your meetings to create context, and evaluate with others if you have provided sufficient background information before discussion begins. I think you'll find that your discussion will go much more smoothly. nonadult false Setting the context text blog 90 0 0.0 http://community.morassociates.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=10648377&as=111754 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/111754/photos/PHOTO_6884678_111754_10648377_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 1547800 10648377 Member 0 http://community.morassociates.com/_What-does-coaching-look-like/BLOG/1504942/111754.html We all know that coaching is an important part of leadership - but if you haven't coached before, you may struggle because you don't know what coaching "looks like." I'd like to show some examples of good coaching. I have previously talked about Tim Gunn as coach on the show "Project Runway". To see coaching in action, I've selected 3 good samples for you.Start by visiting the Tim Gunn's Workroom video site. Scroll down the page to see clips from each episode - you may need to click the arrows to see all the clips in each episode.The 3 designers I think would make for good coaching examples are:Episode 5 - Johnny SakalisEpisode 1 - Ari fishEpisode 4 - Qristyl FrazierI picked these because they demonstrate: open-ended questions, probing questions, confidence, encouragement, recognition, understanding ... while avoiding saying "I'd do this". In the end, the "coachee" makes all the decisions.In particular, I like Johnny's example, as Tim helps him to see his garment from a fresh perspective.Of course, successful coaching requires participation on both sides. Watch some of the other clips, and you may see some designers who are disengaged from the coaching process - they don't listen to feedback, and they remain fixed in their opinions. The coach's job is to help the other person to reach their own conclusions or to see things in a new light, but if the "coachee" is unwilling to listen, the coaching session will be a waste of time. We all know that coaching is an important part of leadership - but if you haven't coached before, you may struggle because you don't know what coaching "looks like." I'd like to show some examples of good coaching. I have previously talked about Tim Gunn as coach on the show "Project Runway". To see coaching in action, I've selected 3 good samples for you.Start by visiting the Tim Gunn's Workroom video site. Scroll down the page to see clips from each episode - you may need to click the arrows to see all the clips in each episode.The 3 designers I think would make for good coaching examples are:Episode 5 - Johnny SakalisEpisode 1 - Ari fishEpisode 4 - Qristyl FrazierI picked these because they demonstrate: open-ended questions, probing questions, confidence, encouragement, recognition, understanding ... while avoiding saying "I'd do this". In the end, the "coachee" makes all the decisions.In particular, I like Johnny's example, as Tim helps him to see his garment from a fresh perspective.Of course, successful coaching requires participation on both sides. Watch some of the other clips, and you may see some designers who are disengaged from the coaching process - they don't listen to feedback, and they remain fixed in their opinions. The coach's job is to help the other person to reach their own conclusions or to see things in a new light, but if the "coachee" is unwilling to listen, the coaching session will be a waste of time. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:07:54 GMT http://community.morassociates.com/_What-does-coaching-look-like/BLOG/1504942/111754.html jhall 2009-11-20T23:07:54Z MOR Associates Community We all know that coaching is an important part of leadership - but if you haven't coached before, you may struggle because you don't know what coaching "looks like." I'd like to show some examples of good coaching. I have previously talked about Tim Gunn as coach on the show "Project Runway". To see coaching in action, I've selected 3 good samples for you.Start by visiting the Tim Gunn's Workroom video site. Scroll down the page to see clips from each episode - you may need to click the arrows to see all the clips in each episode.The 3 designers I think would make for good coaching examples are:Episode 5 - Johnny SakalisEpisode 1 - Ari fishEpisode 4 - Qristyl FrazierI picked these because they demonstrate: open-ended questions, probing questions, confidence, encouragement, recognition, understanding ... while avoiding saying "I'd do this". In the end, the "coachee" makes all the decisions.In particular, I like Johnny's example, as Tim helps him to see his garment from a fresh perspective.Of course, successful coaching requires participation on both sides. Watch some of the other clips, and you may see some designers who are disengaged from the coaching process - they don't listen to feedback, and they remain fixed in their opinions. The coach's job is to help the other person to reach their own conclusions or to see things in a new light, but if the "coachee" is unwilling to listen, the coaching session will be a waste of time. nonadult false What does coaching look like? text blog 94 0 0.0 http://community.morassociates.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=10648377&as=111754 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/111754/photos/PHOTO_6884678_111754_10648377_ap_160X120.jpg false 1 0 1504942 10648377 Member 0 http://community.morassociates.com/_Why-its-hard-to-say-no/BLOG/867422/111754.html style="font-family: 'style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"In IT, we tend to measure our personal productivity by the things we've done or built. When we go home at night, it may not seem like we've done "work" if all we did was sit in meetings, or write a design document. (Yet, as leaders, we need to recognize the organization and documentation of the work is just as important as the work itself.) As a result, when a customer contacts you and asks if you can work on some special "one-off" project, there's a tendency to say "yes" so that, at the end of the day, you can reference something as "I did that."As a leader, you need to help your staff recognize the importance of saying "no".Right now, most organizations are going through some kind of change, working to streamline everything that we do, to provide more and better services to our customers across campus. With the current economic and budget situation, many departments may look to central IT for help in providing services.But a critical component to meeting those needs is to standardize on services. Nothing hurts us more than when someone makes a special "one-off" arrangement with a customer to deliver some service. Because when we do that, we risk other customers asking "why can't you do that for me?" - or worse, "you just said 'no' to me, but you're doing it for that other department."Avoid the temptation to say "yes" because you think that's what the customer wants to hear.Let me use my own department as an example, where I have challenged the teams under me to simplify, standardize, automate - to run all our systems more or less the same. We manage over 1,100 servers across all of OIT - in a year, we may manage more than 2,000 systems. If those systems have the same or similar system configuration - systems administration, databases, production automation, storage, etc. - and if we have the same expectations for customer roles vs. central IT roles, we will be able to effectively manage those systems for our customers. If they all have different configurations - different applications, different ways to manage storage,different expectations for the customer - then we will fail.  style="font-family: 'style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"In IT, we tend to measure our personal productivity by the things we've done or built. When we go home at night, it may not seem like we've done "work" if all we did was sit in meetings, or write a design document. (Yet, as leaders, we need to recognize the organization and documentation of the work is just as important as the work itself.) As a result, when a customer contacts you and asks if you can work on some special "one-off" project, there's a tendency to say "yes" so that, at the end of the day, you can reference something as "I did that."As a leader, you need to help your staff recognize the importance of saying "no".Right now, most organizations are going through some kind of change, working to streamline everything that we do, to provide more and better services to our customers across campus. With the current economic and budget situation, many departments may look to central IT for help in providing services.But a critical component to meeting those needs is to standardize on services. Nothing hurts us more than when someone makes a special "one-off" arrangement with a customer to deliver some service. Because when we do that, we risk other customers asking "why can't you do that for me?" - or worse, "you just said 'no' to me, but you're doing it for that other department."Avoid the temptation to say "yes" because you think that's what the customer wants to hear.Let me use my own department as an example, where I have challenged the teams under me to simplify, standardize, automate - to run all our systems more or less the same. We manage over 1,100 servers across all of OIT - in a year, we may manage more than 2,000 systems. If those systems have the same or similar system configuration - systems administration, databases, production automation, storage, etc. - and if we have the same expectations for customer roles vs. central IT roles, we will be able to effectively manage those systems for our customers. If they all have different configurations - different applications, different ways to manage storage,different expectations for the customer - then we will fail.  Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:41:56 GMT http://community.morassociates.com/_Why-its-hard-to-say-no/BLOG/867422/111754.html jhall 2009-09-29T16:41:56Z MOR Associates Community style="font-family: 'style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"In IT, we tend to measure our personal productivity by the things we've done or built. When we go home at night, it may not seem like we've done "work" if all we did was sit in meetings, or write a design document. (Yet, as leaders, we need to recognize the organization and documentation of the work is just as important as the work itself.) As a result, when a customer contacts you and asks if you can work on some special "one-off" project, there's a tendency to say "yes" so that, at the end of the day, you can reference something as "I did that."As a leader, you need to help your staff recognize the importance of saying "no".Right now, most organizations are going through some kind of change, working to streamline everything that we do, to provide more and better services to our customers across campus. With the current economic and budget situation, many departments may look to central IT for help in providing services.But a critical component to meeting those needs is to standardize on services. Nothing hurts us more than when someone makes a special "one-off" arrangement with a customer to deliver some service. Because when we do that, we risk other customers asking "why can't you do that for me?" - or worse, "you just said 'no' to me, but you're doing it for that other department."Avoid the temptation to say "yes" because you think that's what the customer wants to hear.Let me use my own department as an example, where I have challenged the teams under me to simplify, standardize, automate - to run all our systems more or less the same. We manage over 1,100 servers across all of OIT - in a year, we may manage more than 2,000 systems. If those systems have the same or similar system configuration - systems administration, databases, production automation, storage, etc. - and if we have the same expectations for customer roles vs. central IT roles, we will be able to effectively manage those systems for our customers. If they all have different configurations - different applications, different ways to manage storage,different expectations for the customer - then we will fail.  nonadult false Why it's hard to say "no" text blog 101 0 0.0 http://community.morassociates.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=10648377&as=111754 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/111754/photos/PHOTO_6884678_111754_10648377_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 867422 10648377 Member 0 http://community.morassociates.com/_Coaching-examples-from-Project-Runway/BLOG/741223/111754.html Over the holiday break in 2007, my wife and I flipped through the cable channels and "discovered" a great TV reality show: Project Runway. In the program, budding fashion designers compete to create the best outfit each week, usually over an incredibly tight deadline. I'll admit that I've watched the show regularly ever since.I'm not very interested in fashion, but what draws me to this show is one of the anchors: Tim Gunn. Tim acts as a kind of style mentor, and meets with each designer for a brief coaching session midway through each design challenge. Tim has years of experience in fashion and design, and uses his background to encourage the designers during their work.What's great about Tim's style is that he exemplifies a great coach. It's up to the designer to turn out a great piece; Tim's job is to advise. He asks open-ended questions of the designer to understand their thought process, and to help the designer to reach their own decisions about where next to take an outfit.I have never seen an episode where Tim has been critical of a designer. If Tim sees something odd in a design, he says "This worries me" or asks "Tell me about this." While discussing the issue, he provides encouragement and support, often with his catchphrase "Make it work", or "Carry on." Other phrases I've heard Tim use include "Consider what you're doing here, and think about how to take it to the next level" and "Use this thoughtfully." From there, it's up to the designer to make their own decisions with the outfit.It's a testament to Tim's excellent coaching style that no designer has ever said (during judging, later in the show) "But this is what Tim wanted me to do" or "But Tim said..." The designer takes away what he or she will from the coaching session with Tim, and runs with it.This is exactly what coaching is all about. The goal is not for the coach to have all the answers, or to act as a judge, or to steer the other person to a particular conclusion. Rather, the coach should act as a springboard for new ideas, asking open-ended questions that allow the other person to see things with a new perspective. The other person needs to take it from there, to make their own decisions.Coaching can be a tough skill to develop - especially for those of us with a background in IT, where often we want to provide answers. (For the same reasons, this is also why it's hard to say no.) But coaching is about helping to provide direction, not answers. With practice, you'll find your coaching skills improve.I've touched on coaching before, and I've encouraged peer co-coaching as part of staff self-improvement opportunities. If you are interested in coaching, I encourage you to catch an episode of Project Runway, and watch closely how Tim Gunn interacts with the designers during their coaching session. Listen to how he asks questions without criticizing. Learn some tips about how to ask questions without suggesting an answer or a direction.Then it's up to you to exercise those new skills: Start with co-coaching! Once you've developed your skills there, I encourage you to do manager-staff coaching in 1-on-1 meetings with your team members. Over the holiday break in 2007, my wife and I flipped through the cable channels and "discovered" a great TV reality show: Project Runway. In the program, budding fashion designers compete to create the best outfit each week, usually over an incredibly tight deadline. I'll admit that I've watched the show regularly ever since.I'm not very interested in fashion, but what draws me to this show is one of the anchors: Tim Gunn. Tim acts as a kind of style mentor, and meets with each designer for a brief coaching session midway through each design challenge. Tim has years of experience in fashion and design, and uses his background to encourage the designers during their work.What's great about Tim's style is that he exemplifies a great coach. It's up to the designer to turn out a great piece; Tim's job is to advise. He asks open-ended questions of the designer to understand their thought process, and to help the designer to reach their own decisions about where next to take an outfit.I have never seen an episode where Tim has been critical of a designer. If Tim sees something odd in a design, he says "This worries me" or asks "Tell me about this." While discussing the issue, he provides encouragement and support, often with his catchphrase "Make it work", or "Carry on." Other phrases I've heard Tim use include "Consider what you're doing here, and think about how to take it to the next level" and "Use this thoughtfully." From there, it's up to the designer to make their own decisions with the outfit.It's a testament to Tim's excellent coaching style that no designer has ever said (during judging, later in the show) "But this is what Tim wanted me to do" or "But Tim said..." The designer takes away what he or she will from the coaching session with Tim, and runs with it.This is exactly what coaching is all about. The goal is not for the coach to have all the answers, or to act as a judge, or to steer the other person to a particular conclusion. Rather, the coach should act as a springboard for new ideas, asking open-ended questions that allow the other person to see things with a new perspective. The other person needs to take it from there, to make their own decisions.Coaching can be a tough skill to develop - especially for those of us with a background in IT, where often we want to provide answers. (For the same reasons, this is also why it's hard to say no.) But coaching is about helping to provide direction, not answers. With practice, you'll find your coaching skills improve.I've touched on coaching before, and I've encouraged peer co-coaching as part of staff self-improvement opportunities. If you are interested in coaching, I encourage you to catch an episode of Project Runway, and watch closely how Tim Gunn interacts with the designers during their coaching session. Listen to how he asks questions without criticizing. Learn some tips about how to ask questions without suggesting an answer or a direction.Then it's up to you to exercise those new skills: Start with co-coaching! Once you've developed your skills there, I encourage you to do manager-staff coaching in 1-on-1 meetings with your team members. Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:58:12 GMT http://community.morassociates.com/_Coaching-examples-from-Project-Runway/BLOG/741223/111754.html jhall 2009-09-18T22:58:12Z MOR Associates Community Over the holiday break in 2007, my wife and I flipped through the cable channels and "discovered" a great TV reality show: Project Runway. In the program, budding fashion designers compete to create the best outfit each week, usually over an incredibly tight deadline. I'll admit that I've watched the show regularly ever since.I'm not very interested in fashion, but what draws me to this show is one of the anchors: Tim Gunn. Tim acts as a kind of style mentor, and meets with each designer for a brief coaching session midway through each design challenge. Tim has years of experience in fashion and design, and uses his background to encourage the designers during their work.What's great about Tim's style is that he exemplifies a great coach. It's up to the designer to turn out a great piece; Tim's job is to advise. He asks open-ended questions of the designer to understand their thought process, and to help the designer to reach their own decisions about where next to take an outfit.I have never seen an episode where Tim has been critical of a designer. If Tim sees something odd in a design, he says "This worries me" or asks "Tell me about this." While discussing the issue, he provides encouragement and support, often with his catchphrase "Make it work", or "Carry on." Other phrases I've heard Tim use include "Consider what you're doing here, and think about how to take it to the next level" and "Use this thoughtfully." From there, it's up to the designer to make their own decisions with the outfit.It's a testament to Tim's excellent coaching style that no designer has ever said (during judging, later in the show) "But this is what Tim wanted me to do" or "But Tim said..." The designer takes away what he or she will from the coaching session with Tim, and runs with it.This is exactly what coaching is all about. The goal is not for the coach to have all the answers, or to act as a judge, or to steer the other person to a particular conclusion. Rather, the coach should act as a springboard for new ideas, asking open-ended questions that allow the other person to see things with a new perspective. The other person needs to take it from there, to make their own decisions.Coaching can be a tough skill to develop - especially for those of us with a background in IT, where often we want to provide answers. (For the same reasons, this is also why it's hard to say no.) But coaching is about helping to provide direction, not answers. With practice, you'll find your coaching skills improve.I've touched on coaching before, and I've encouraged peer co-coaching as part of staff self-improvement opportunities. If you are interested in coaching, I encourage you to catch an episode of Project Runway, and watch closely how Tim Gunn interacts with the designers during their coaching session. Listen to how he asks questions without criticizing. Learn some tips about how to ask questions without suggesting an answer or a direction.Then it's up to you to exercise those new skills: Start with co-coaching! Once you've developed your skills there, I encourage you to do manager-staff coaching in 1-on-1 meetings with your team members. coaching nonadult false Coaching examples from 'Project Runway' text blog coaching 100 0 0.0 http://community.morassociates.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=10648377&as=111754 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/111754/photos/PHOTO_6884678_111754_10648377_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 741223 10648377 Member 0 http://community.morassociates.com/_How-not-to-use-PowerPoint/BLOG/716012/111754.html The first rule of using Powerpoint is don't use Powerpoint. But if you must use Powerpoint, at least don't make your slides distracting, or you risk losing your audience.In the last few years, I have seen several presentations that were examples of how not to use Powerpoint. The most common mistake: using too much text on a slide. In these cases, I found myself reading ahead, no longer paying attention to the presenter.Another typical mistake: using distracting images. The presenter sometimes included them to help make a point, and that's okay if the image is immediately related to the topic. But unless the image is directly and simply related to the contents of the slide (for example, a chart) then it's a wasted image.For example, I once watched a presentation at a conference where the speaker included little computer-rendered cartoons in each slide in the presentation. One slide in particular discussed "common vocabulary" plus "common approach", and had a little picture of a computer-rendered person coming out of a laptop screen to shake hands with another compute-rendered person.When I saw this slide, I paid more attention to the little picture than to the presenter. "Is that a Mac laptop, or a PC laptop?" "Did they render one person, or glue two images together?" "Did they do complete raytracing, or are any reflections missing?" "Why isn't there a reflection of the person in the laptop screen, yet you can see the keyboard?"Suddenly, I realized that several minutes had passed, and I hadn't heard what the presenter had said. The presenter's message was lost because the image was distracting, and not at all tied to the topic of the slide.As leaders, we often need to prepare presentations for others. Remember the general rules to give a truly outstanding presentation:Avoid distractions.Use slides that are visual, not wordy.Share your enthusiasm.Leave room to talk around the bullet points.  The first rule of using Powerpoint is don't use Powerpoint. But if you must use Powerpoint, at least don't make your slides distracting, or you risk losing your audience.In the last few years, I have seen several presentations that were examples of how not to use Powerpoint. The most common mistake: using too much text on a slide. In these cases, I found myself reading ahead, no longer paying attention to the presenter.Another typical mistake: using distracting images. The presenter sometimes included them to help make a point, and that's okay if the image is immediately related to the topic. But unless the image is directly and simply related to the contents of the slide (for example, a chart) then it's a wasted image.For example, I once watched a presentation at a conference where the speaker included little computer-rendered cartoons in each slide in the presentation. One slide in particular discussed "common vocabulary" plus "common approach", and had a little picture of a computer-rendered person coming out of a laptop screen to shake hands with another compute-rendered person.When I saw this slide, I paid more attention to the little picture than to the presenter. "Is that a Mac laptop, or a PC laptop?" "Did they render one person, or glue two images together?" "Did they do complete raytracing, or are any reflections missing?" "Why isn't there a reflection of the person in the laptop screen, yet you can see the keyboard?"Suddenly, I realized that several minutes had passed, and I hadn't heard what the presenter had said. The presenter's message was lost because the image was distracting, and not at all tied to the topic of the slide.As leaders, we often need to prepare presentations for others. Remember the general rules to give a truly outstanding presentation:Avoid distractions.Use slides that are visual, not wordy.Share your enthusiasm.Leave room to talk around the bullet points.  Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:35:53 GMT http://community.morassociates.com/_How-not-to-use-PowerPoint/BLOG/716012/111754.html jhall 2009-09-15T19:35:53Z MOR Associates Community The first rule of using Powerpoint is don't use Powerpoint. But if you must use Powerpoint, at least don't make your slides distracting, or you risk losing your audience.In the last few years, I have seen several presentations that were examples of how not to use Powerpoint. The most common mistake: using too much text on a slide. In these cases, I found myself reading ahead, no longer paying attention to the presenter.Another typical mistake: using distracting images. The presenter sometimes included them to help make a point, and that's okay if the image is immediately related to the topic. But unless the image is directly and simply related to the contents of the slide (for example, a chart) then it's a wasted image.For example, I once watched a presentation at a conference where the speaker included little computer-rendered cartoons in each slide in the presentation. One slide in particular discussed "common vocabulary" plus "common approach", and had a little picture of a computer-rendered person coming out of a laptop screen to shake hands with another compute-rendered person.When I saw this slide, I paid more attention to the little picture than to the presenter. "Is that a Mac laptop, or a PC laptop?" "Did they render one person, or glue two images together?" "Did they do complete raytracing, or are any reflections missing?" "Why isn't there a reflection of the person in the laptop screen, yet you can see the keyboard?"Suddenly, I realized that several minutes had passed, and I hadn't heard what the presenter had said. The presenter's message was lost because the image was distracting, and not at all tied to the topic of the slide.As leaders, we often need to prepare presentations for others. Remember the general rules to give a truly outstanding presentation:Avoid distractions.Use slides that are visual, not wordy.Share your enthusiasm.Leave room to talk around the bullet points.  powerpoint, presentation nonadult false How not to use PowerPoint text blog powerpoint,presentation 100 0 0.0 http://community.morassociates.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=10648377&as=111754 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/111754/photos/PHOTO_6884678_111754_10648377_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 716012 10648377 Member 0 http://community.morassociates.com/_On-Co-Coaching/BLOG/614401/111754.html  I wanted to add to Brian's excellent post from a few days ago. Since going through the ITLP program, I stay in regular contact with my cohorts from that program. We sometimes call on each other for a bit of advice, or to offer "co-coaching". I may call to ask advice to work through a problem, or someone may ping me for help. Because we are all in different institutions, we aren't mired by the same issues, so can offer unique perspectives in addressing questions.Recently, I helped create guidelines for my institution on peer co-coaching in a distributed environment. In looking for background material, I came across an excellent article Co-Coaching: "I'll Coach You if You'll Coach Me" by career expert Marty Nemko. I wanted to share this with you here.In his article, Nemko gives these benefits to co-coaching:You and your friend, by definition, like each other, so there’s less risk of incompatibility than between a coach and a paying client.Your friend has a head start over a professional because, when the first session starts, he already knows you very well.Getting coached can feel disempowering, but if, half the time, you’re coaching another person, it evens out.Because you know each other well,you both can insightfully suggest problems worth addressing.For co-coaching to work well, Nemko offers these "ground rules":Agree that everything said in the session is strictly confidential: “What goes on here, stays here.”Say something like, “Tell me the problem you’d like to work on.”"Would you like me to just listen, ask questions for clarification, or to get you to think more deeply about the problem, or make suggestions?"Listen carefully.“What have you tried or considered already? Any other options you see?” Write all the options. If you’d like to add an option, ask, “Would you mind if I added one?”“What do you see as the pros and cons of each?”“So, what do you think you want to do?”“Do you feel we’ve adequately addressed your problem for now?”“Next week, would you like me to ask you whether your solution worked?” If so, write it down, so you remember to ask. Also, that makes the client feel accountable.If the half hour isn’t up yet, ask, “Is there another problem you’d like to take a look at?”At the half-hour mark, trade roles.Peer co-coaching works best when you are paired with someone you know well, where you trust each other to be open. If this interests you, certainly find a friend and set up some time together and practice. But co-coaching can also work well when you are paired with someone you don't know, if you are both honest about issues, and respectful when offering help. If any of you would like to engage in co-coaching, and need help finding a partner, let me know and I'll help you.   I wanted to add to Brian's excellent post from a few days ago. Since going through the ITLP program, I stay in regular contact with my cohorts from that program. We sometimes call on each other for a bit of advice, or to offer "co-coaching". I may call to ask advice to work through a problem, or someone may ping me for help. Because we are all in different institutions, we aren't mired by the same issues, so can offer unique perspectives in addressing questions.Recently, I helped create guidelines for my institution on peer co-coaching in a distributed environment. In looking for background material, I came across an excellent article Co-Coaching: "I'll Coach You if You'll Coach Me" by career expert Marty Nemko. I wanted to share this with you here.In his article, Nemko gives these benefits to co-coaching:You and your friend, by definition, like each other, so there’s less risk of incompatibility than between a coach and a paying client.Your friend has a head start over a professional because, when the first session starts, he already knows you very well.Getting coached can feel disempowering, but if, half the time, you’re coaching another person, it evens out.Because you know each other well,you both can insightfully suggest problems worth addressing.For co-coaching to work well, Nemko offers these "ground rules":Agree that everything said in the session is strictly confidential: “What goes on here, stays here.”Say something like, “Tell me the problem you’d like to work on.”"Would you like me to just listen, ask questions for clarification, or to get you to think more deeply about the problem, or make suggestions?"Listen carefully.“What have you tried or considered already? Any other options you see?” Write all the options. If you’d like to add an option, ask, “Would you mind if I added one?”“What do you see as the pros and cons of each?”“So, what do you think you want to do?”“Do you feel we’ve adequately addressed your problem for now?”“Next week, would you like me to ask you whether your solution worked?” If so, write it down, so you remember to ask. Also, that makes the client feel accountable.If the half hour isn’t up yet, ask, “Is there another problem you’d like to take a look at?”At the half-hour mark, trade roles.Peer co-coaching works best when you are paired with someone you know well, where you trust each other to be open. If this interests you, certainly find a friend and set up some time together and practice. But co-coaching can also work well when you are paired with someone you don't know, if you are both honest about issues, and respectful when offering help. If any of you would like to engage in co-coaching, and need help finding a partner, let me know and I'll help you.  Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:42:32 GMT http://community.morassociates.com/_On-Co-Coaching/BLOG/614401/111754.html jhall 2009-08-31T20:42:32Z MOR Associates Community  I wanted to add to Brian's excellent post from a few days ago. Since going through the ITLP program, I stay in regular contact with my cohorts from that program. We sometimes call on each other for a bit of advice, or to offer "co-coaching". I may call to ask advice to work through a problem, or someone may ping me for help. Because we are all in different institutions, we aren't mired by the same issues, so can offer unique perspectives in addressing questions.Recently, I helped create guidelines for my institution on peer co-coaching in a distributed environment. In looking for background material, I came across an excellent article Co-Coaching: "I'll Coach You if You'll Coach Me" by career expert Marty Nemko. I wanted to share this with you here.In his article, Nemko gives these benefits to co-coaching:You and your friend, by definition, like each other, so there’s less risk of incompatibility than between a coach and a paying client.Your friend has a head start over a professional because, when the first session starts, he already knows you very well.Getting coached can feel disempowering, but if, half the time, you’re coaching another person, it evens out.Because you know each other well,you both can insightfully suggest problems worth addressing.For co-coaching to work well, Nemko offers these "ground rules":Agree that everything said in the session is strictly confidential: “What goes on here, stays here.”Say something like, “Tell me the problem you’d like to work on.”"Would you like me to just listen, ask questions for clarification, or to get you to think more deeply about the problem, or make suggestions?"Listen carefully.“What have you tried or considered already? Any other options you see?” Write all the options. If you’d like to add an option, ask, “Would you mind if I added one?”“What do you see as the pros and cons of each?”“So, what do you think you want to do?”“Do you feel we’ve adequately addressed your problem for now?”“Next week, would you like me to ask you whether your solution worked?” If so, write it down, so you remember to ask. Also, that makes the client feel accountable.If the half hour isn’t up yet, ask, “Is there another problem you’d like to take a look at?”At the half-hour mark, trade roles.Peer co-coaching works best when you are paired with someone you know well, where you trust each other to be open. If this interests you, certainly find a friend and set up some time together and practice. But co-coaching can also work well when you are paired with someone you don't know, if you are both honest about issues, and respectful when offering help. If any of you would like to engage in co-coaching, and need help finding a partner, let me know and I'll help you.  nonadult false On Co-Coaching text blog 91 0 0.0 http://community.morassociates.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=10648377&as=111754 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/111754/photos/PHOTO_6884678_111754_10648377_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 614401 10648377 Member 0 http://community.morassociates.com/_On-work-life-balance/BLOG/581370/111754.html I wanted to take a brief moment to discuss work-life balance. Sure, most of us work in an IT support organization where staff often carry pagers or otherwise remain available  "24/7". But we need to be able to switch out of "work" mode when we go home or we risk burning out. There are many ways to provide work-life balance. Here is how I manage it:I try something "new" every month.That may seem like a simple statement, but has helped to shift my focus away from "work" when I am at home. My wife loves the idea; most activities are things we do together, so it's become a special "date night"! Some of the "new" things we've done as part of this experiment:Saw a Russian balletAttended a science fiction conventionWatched a cabaretRead a new book from a different genreSaw a musicalTried a new restaurantGot a hot-rock massage at a spaWhat "new" things would you try? The idea is to leave your comfort zone, to look at things in a new way. Not everything needs to be big - experimenting with a new restaurant may be enough, if it pushes you out of your usual habits. And it's something fun to look forward to!But I'll admit that it's not always easy to try something "new" every month. It requires a certain amount of planning and time, and the realization that you may not like everything. But you may find that you really enjoy some of the things you try. For example, my wife and I discovered we like ballet, and are planning to attend another one sometime soon.As we head into the 2009-2010 academic year, take an honest look at your work-life balance. Find ways to "unplug" when not at the office, and enjoy the other half of your life. If you are like me, you'll become more focused when at work, and more relaxed when at home. I wanted to take a brief moment to discuss work-life balance. Sure, most of us work in an IT support organization where staff often carry pagers or otherwise remain available  "24/7". But we need to be able to switch out of "work" mode when we go home or we risk burning out. There are many ways to provide work-life balance. Here is how I manage it:I try something "new" every month.That may seem like a simple statement, but has helped to shift my focus away from "work" when I am at home. My wife loves the idea; most activities are things we do together, so it's become a special "date night"! Some of the "new" things we've done as part of this experiment:Saw a Russian balletAttended a science fiction conventionWatched a cabaretRead a new book from a different genreSaw a musicalTried a new restaurantGot a hot-rock massage at a spaWhat "new" things would you try? The idea is to leave your comfort zone, to look at things in a new way. Not everything needs to be big - experimenting with a new restaurant may be enough, if it pushes you out of your usual habits. And it's something fun to look forward to!But I'll admit that it's not always easy to try something "new" every month. It requires a certain amount of planning and time, and the realization that you may not like everything. But you may find that you really enjoy some of the things you try. For example, my wife and I discovered we like ballet, and are planning to attend another one sometime soon.As we head into the 2009-2010 academic year, take an honest look at your work-life balance. Find ways to "unplug" when not at the office, and enjoy the other half of your life. If you are like me, you'll become more focused when at work, and more relaxed when at home. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:26:04 GMT http://community.morassociates.com/_On-work-life-balance/BLOG/581370/111754.html jhall 2009-08-26T22:26:04Z MOR Associates Community I wanted to take a brief moment to discuss work-life balance. Sure, most of us work in an IT support organization where staff often carry pagers or otherwise remain available  "24/7". But we need to be able to switch out of "work" mode when we go home or we risk burning out. There are many ways to provide work-life balance. Here is how I manage it:I try something "new" every month.That may seem like a simple statement, but has helped to shift my focus away from "work" when I am at home. My wife loves the idea; most activities are things we do together, so it's become a special "date night"! Some of the "new" things we've done as part of this experiment:Saw a Russian balletAttended a science fiction conventionWatched a cabaretRead a new book from a different genreSaw a musicalTried a new restaurantGot a hot-rock massage at a spaWhat "new" things would you try? The idea is to leave your comfort zone, to look at things in a new way. Not everything needs to be big - experimenting with a new restaurant may be enough, if it pushes you out of your usual habits. And it's something fun to look forward to!But I'll admit that it's not always easy to try something "new" every month. It requires a certain amount of planning and time, and the realization that you may not like everything. But you may find that you really enjoy some of the things you try. For example, my wife and I discovered we like ballet, and are planning to attend another one sometime soon.As we head into the 2009-2010 academic year, take an honest look at your work-life balance. Find ways to "unplug" when not at the office, and enjoy the other half of your life. If you are like me, you'll become more focused when at work, and more relaxed when at home. balance, life, work nonadult false On work-life balance text blog balance,life,work 114 1 5.0 http://community.morassociates.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=10648377&as=111754 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/111754/photos/PHOTO_6884678_111754_10648377_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 0 581370 10648377 Member 0