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Who's Who at ASTD's Orange County Chapter in 2010?

  

(Note: This post has a local focus today. It addresses a topic of interest for my professional colleagues--both members and non-members--at our local ASTD Chapter in Orange County, ASTD-OC.)

Now that the Thanksgiving festivities are behind us (well, sort of...there're a few more family gatherings this afternoon, along with the requisite left-over indulgences)... nonetheless, I'm starting to turn my attention to tasks ahead.

One of those things on my list is to get ready for the hot swap of projects and responsibilities from members of the outgoing leadership committee at our local Orange County ASTD Chapter (ASTD-OC) to those who are incoming. I realize that not all our members may be aware who these folks are. In that spirit, I thought I'd take a moment to make a quick post to identify some of these folks so you'll be able to recognize them at our upcoming "Death by Chocolate" meetup on December 17.

• President: From Anthony Harmetz to Paul Venderley.
• CFO: Remains Elaine Jordan.
• Communications: From Judith Norton to Mel Aclaro. (Me!)
• Projects: From Ed Semblantes to Linda Huey.
• Special Interest Groups (SIGs): From Paul Venderley to Heather Hafner.
• Programs: From Anthony Harmetz to Melanie Dumas and Alysia Nealon.
• Membership: From Karen Wales to Janet DiVincenzo.
• Volunteers: (Previously open) handing off to Dana Dutiel.
• Continuing Development: (Previously open) From Janet DiVincenzo and handing off to Edward Brandt.
• Marketing: This remains open and will, for the time being, be a shared role across all our leadership committee members.
• Chapter Secretary: From Dana Dutiel to Kathy Harcharik.

If you're connected with any of these cool professionals, please take a moment to say hi. And, if you have ideas for them about how to improve the output from our respective roles, please do share.

In the meantime, I hope to see many of you at our next ASTD-OC Chapter Meetup in a couple of weeks on December 17. (BTW, you don't have to be a current member to attend our meetup, but everybody does have to register. Please join us! And when you do, please find me and say hi!)

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Thank you.

 

 

Thank you for subscribing and for being part of my circle of friends on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.  I wish you and your family a very happy day today in celebration of thanks for all things that make us each who we are. 

GOING to thanksgiving or GIVING THANKS?

(Courtesy: Gisella Giardino via Creative Commons.)

Last year at about this time I shared a long-ish memory about another Thanksgiving celebration in the year before last. Though you wouldn't know it as I started the story, but we had a fantastic time with my in-laws. (You kinda had to read my post through to the end.)

I won't recount the whole thing, but as I started telling it, I grumbled -- as I'm prone to do. (I'm akin to a spoiled-stomp-my-feet-on-the-ground-and-walk-in-circles-and-pout-punk-brat sometimes, I really am) -- about missing my side of the family. (See? "me, me, me.")

GOING to Thanksgiving

If I wasn't grumbling about GOING to Thanksgiving to someplace other than with my siblings, I was griping about GOING to Thanksgiving through the traffic, or moaning about GOING to Thanksgiving where the weather was something other than what I had hoped, or just otherwise GOING to Thanksgiving.

The Gift of Time

It wasn't until after we arrived that I actually allowed myself some time. Just...time.

Time to not have any expectations or perceived remorse about "what could have been" and to simply allow things to just "be." That time allowed me to share in the stories from my brother-in-law, gave me time to see how my wife and her sister re-connected after a lengthy time apart, time to share stories with my mother-in-law, and time to laugh, time to reconnect with my niece and nephew.

I remember my niece and nephew challenged me to a race around the corner to the local park. I was game. First we raced to "the corner of the building." Of course, the trick to winning any race is to "make up" which corner marked the winner's line. My niece and nephew were too green to understand why I kept shouting "I win!"... but they're quick studies. (Hmm...or maybe they understood more than they let on.)

Getting a Clue

Anyway, after I won the to-the-corner-of-the-building race, they won the to-the-little-tree race; then the to-the-swing-set sprint. By the time we had completed the to-the-slide winner's cup, I was fully engaged. It happened gradually. Somewhere between the laughs and smiles in the living room and the bantering at the swing set, I finally gave up GOING to Thanksgiving.

I can't remember which one of us had our butt firmly planted in our claims to "my swing," but I do remember the "let's do it again" gleam in the eyes of my niece and nephew. And, somewhere in the middle of all that the rest of the family had evidently also found their way to the park. The sisters were engaged in close sibling revelry, my brother-in-law and mother-in-law were laughing (at me?), while I was about to enter another race with the kids.

In the middle of all that, the recognition finally clicked. The whole time I was busily rounding the bases  of GOING to Thanksgiving, I had forgotten to allow the spirit of GIVING THANKS to come to me.

And, again, I took time. Time to look around and think... Thank You.

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The Long Tail in 4 Minutes

A couple of weeks ago I announced our next video book project for real estate professionals.  It's still on track for delivery in December 2009.  It will complement the hardcopy text (see the sidebar) by providing additional content that couldn't fit into the book.  For example, tutorials, additional images, video and additional explanations about some of the concepts will be in the vbook.

One section, for example (section 1-6 from the text) touched briefly on the concept of the "Long Tail."  Of course, for a full treatment of Long Tail theory, I'd recommend Chris Anderson's excellent book, The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More.  

But, for regular conversation, it's inconvenient to simply hand over Chris' book whenever I slip into jargon.  So I occasionally find myself explaining a bit.  Indeed, after publishing our book, I felt we could've explained that part a little more.  Especially, given the "primer" nature of our scope.  

Now, with the vbook, I'm pleased to have an opportunity to do just that.  Below is another excerpt from the vbook we're making available this week.  Again, Chris dedicates an excellent book to the topic.  But, for a 3:45 primer, try this one for size.

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A Safe Environment in Which to Fail

Garry's presentation last Wednesday evening at the ASTD-OC meetup was outstanding.  It was interesting to hear his insights about "tribal leadership." It carried a refreshing perspective about the primary responsibility of organizational leaders being:  to teach and to learn.  

Interesting, too, is the underlying culture of "safety" that, in my perception, makes all this possible.  Some of you have had heard me refer to it as "creating a safe environment in which to fail."  Garry refers to it as creating an environment of "I mean you no harm."

Below is the playlist from the keynote presentation by Garry Ridge at the ASTD-OC meetup the other evening.  Each video is about 9-10 minutes in duration.  At the time of this post, I had completed uploading 3 of the 6 video segments. (YouTube allows videos in 10-minute segments only.) I should have the remaining 3 uploaded by week's end; they'll all appear in the playlist below.

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Live Blogging - ASTD Orange County's November 2009 Meetup With CEO of WD-40

In this morning's post, I mentioned that I was considering liveblogging this evening's keynote with Garry Ridge.  I'm still thinking... thinking... (don't pressure me!)... thinking... okay, yes!  Unless you're attending in-person at the meetup venue (registration required), feel free to join us here instead at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 18.  (Note:  Dinner served only at the live meetup.)  :)

This event hosted by ASTD-OC
(American Society for Training and Development, Orange County Chapter)
(Join!)

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The Learning Moment

Training isn't something that you look upon as being an accessory... it's part of the main wardrobe.  Any CEO who doesn't believe that...doesn't accept that...who doesn't have the guts to try that, (then) their business will not be sustainable over time.  The power we have isn't ours... it's in the people around us.  And our role as CEOs has got to be to not mark people's papers, but to help them get an 'A'." 

While the quality of speakers we've enjoyed at our local ASTD chapter (Orange County) has been phenomenal, it's rare that we're able to land the notoriety of someone as internationally renowned as the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.  That's why I'm especially looking forward to tonight's monthly meetup where Garry Ridge, the CEO of WD-40 company will be keynoting.  

In addition to his role as CEO, Garry is also co-author of Helping People Win at Work: A Business Philosophy Called ''Don't Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A''.   He's also the founder of The Learning Moment which features the Ridge Model Leadership Cycle.

 

At tonight's event Garry will share his insights about employee engagement as he introduces the Ridge Leadership Model.  I'll look forward, too, to hearing his insights about the "Learning Moment" -- that point after execution when we can either learn from what's happened (good or bad) or forget it; as well as the benefits of debriefing the moment.

We'll be tweeting it tonight using hashtag #astdoc, as well as photos and updates (maybe video, too?) on our chapter's Facebook Fan page (facebook.astdoc.org).  (Update: At the moment I'm considering live blogging it tonight for those of you in ASTD who won't be able to make the event... but don't hold me to that just yet.  I'll post an update here and on the ASTD-OC Facebook Fan page by early afternoon -- Pacific time -- to let you know.)

In any case, if you'll be attending the event tonight, please find me; let's chat a bit, say hi.

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A 7-Step variation on the tried-and-true brainstorming technique for new ideas.

Sometimes I just want an alternative to the same 'ol brainstorming session. Here's a simple alternative that I learned during my good 'ol days as a consultant with Andersen Consulting. (Now Accenture.) It's called the 5-3-5 method. (Don't ask... I'm not sure who came up with that name. But, in case you're wondering, "5-3-5" supposedly derives from the concept that this variation to brainstorming requires "five people (though this can vary), three ideas, five minutes."

Purpose:

Use this as an alternative to the traditional brainstorming session. It makes use of structured idea-generation while allowing equal participation among participants.

The Tools:

You'll need: A pen or pencil for each participant; prepared "idea forms" (see below); Flipchart; tape; and markers.

Setup:

Although it's easy enough to create the "idea forms" on the fly during the session, it sometimes helps to just go ahead and have these prepared ahead of time. They're easy. Using a sheet of paper (or flipchart paper), create a form with room for a theme statement (the central issue about which you'd like to generate ideas), three columns and five rows. It should look like this:

 
 

Make sure you make enough copies for every participant.

Procedure:

1. Group participants into teams of 3 to 5 people.

2. Introduce the issue statement. This will be the central issue for which you want to generate ideas.

3. Give each group member a copy of the idea form discussed above.

4. Allow the participants no more than about five minutes to write three ideas on the first available row of the form. At the end of the allotted time, instruct participants to pass the forms they just wrote on to the team member on their right.

5. Tell participants to read the ideas on the form which they received from the team member on their left. Then, take five minutes to write three ideas of their own in the cells of the next available row on the idea form.

6. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 until all cells in each row of the idea forms have been filled in.

7. Collect the sheets and post them where everyone can see them. (Alternative: Allow the participants to take a break while you and a helper write all the ideas on a flipchart.)

Result:

This activity will have produced a lot of ideas for you in relatively little time. It also has the added benefit of allowing each participant to submit her/his idea with some degree of relief from any pressures inadvertently brought on by co-mingling supervisors and subordinates at the same meeting.

In order to bring the larger list down to a manageable/actionable set of ideas, try using a focusing technique, such as the 8-step process I discussed in a previous post that uses Post-it notes to help generate consensus.

I hope this helps! 

If you have other ideas or tips for facilitating meetings, please share. Post the steps in the comments below, or on your own blog and then share the link below. Thanks!

Related posts:  

• An 8-step process using Post-it notes to gain meeting consensus.
• Meeting icebreaker: How to get a group to acknowledge differences in perceptions.

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Busy weekend - REBarCamp San Diego - NAR Convention - ASTD-OC Leadership Meetup

The weekend's activities started last Thursday with RE BarCamp. Then, there was the NAR Convention that ran through the weekend. And, of course, the ASTD-OC Chapter leaders transition meeting last Saturday.

RE BarCamp was a hit with over 500 people in attendance at the Stingaree in San Diego's Gas Lamp District. In a nutshell, in addition to getting a whole buncha folks in the real estate profession together for a day to learn from each other about various topics ranging from Facebook, video blogging and social media to Google Wave, professionalism and legal issues of social media technology, we also had the pleasure of raising funds to sponsor schooling for two under-privileged children in a third-world country.

What's a barcamp?

In case you've never heard of a barcamp, it's basically a grassroots gathering where like-minded folks come to help each other learn. It's typically a free event run entirely on volunteerism and the occasional sponsorship from a company, organization or community. Frequently, there's also some kind of charity-sponsorship activity that attendees raise funds for. As I alluded above, last Thursday's event was honored to raise funds to help send a couple of kids to school via Mothers Fighting For Others.

BarCamps can form around any theme and can form anywhere in the world. Folks like YOU and me make it happen. Last Thursday's event happened to be themed on the real estate profession. It coincided with this year's NAR Convention (National Association of Realtors), which was also kind enough to sponsor part of the event. In many ways, a barcamp is like a convention, in the sense that there are breakout sessions where some expert facilitates discussion to learn about a certain topic. Unlike a convention, however, these sessions are free to attend. Also, cross-selling and cross-promotion of products or services by session speakers are discouraged. The event is strictly about learning. Well, learning and lots of networking.

How are session speakers selected for a barcamp?
You think it, you decide to do it, you sign up on "the board", it happens. 

It's like this: event organizers identify sections of the venue to split up into rooms. (Rooms can be formal rooms, or they can be a group of chairs pushed together in one corner of a large room.) Meanwhile, in some central gathering area, a large white board is posted. On the white board is a matrix. Columns in the matrix identify rooms. Rows specify meeting times, typically in 30- to 45-minute increments. In the cells of the matrix is white space for anyone -- any attendee -- to write the name of a topic and, of course, their own name to identify the facilitator.

Attendees regularly visit the white board to see the list of topics. If one interests you, simply show up in the designated meeting "room" at the appointed time. If there's a topic you'd like to discuss that isn't on the board, simply fill in your name and the name of the topic.  Of course, lots of networking also tends to happen during the session breaks, lunch gatherings and the evening mixer that typically happens at the end of the event.

Barcamps are a great way (and did I say free?) for professionals to come together to network while teaching each other about trends and current events going on in their industry. Some industries have more critical mass than others. The RE BarCamp (real estate industry professionals) happens to be one of those with critical mass and seemingly a new event someplace in the U.S. happening at least quarterly. You can learn more about barcamp here. And, real estate barcamp here.

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About our next videobook project

When Stefan and I wrote the Swanepoel Social Media Report 2010: A Field Guide for Real Estate Professionals, one of the things we originally envisioned was to include tutorials for each of the social media platforms we mention in the book.  Some of these were the usual suspects: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogging.  But, additional honorable mentions also include:  twellow.com, hashtags, tagalus, hashtags.org, alerts, RSS and a slew of others.  

Given all the number of tools, platforms and quick-start activities we mention in the book, we saw early on the potential there was for it to quickly turn into a heavy user's manual by including tutorials.  We felt that if we indulged that itch, the details of "how to" would drown out the bigger picture for real estate professionals trying to wrap their heads around this medium.  And, while we both still agree about the soundness of the direction we ended up taking, I think there's still a piece of us that wishes we could have fit those tutorials in somehow.  

So, that's what got us thinking: why not use the medium of social media to extend the book into the virtual space?  They make audiobooks to go with hardbacks and paperbacks, right?  Why not a video book (vbook)?  

So here we are.  Below is an excerpt from Chapter 1 of the vbook project I'm working on to complement the text of our book.  The idea is to make the complete vbook available for free (when it's completed next month) to all of you who purchased the hardcopy.  In that sense, we hope it will complement the paperback with additional graphics, visual references and online sources while also supplementing it with many of the "how tos" that didn't make it on paper.  We're toying with the idea of making it also downloadable, but the jury's still out on that.

Anyway, let me know what you think.  Is it a bust before it starts?  Dumb idea?  The coolest thing since Swiffer? I'd really value your (constructive) feedback.  

In the meantime, I'm on track now to get the complete vbook rolled out on MindBridj.com by the end of next month.  I'll keep ya'll posted.

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