Technology | It's Worth Noting

Taming email to an hour or less a day

March 8, 2013

Have you heard of people declaring email bankruptcy, wiping out their mailbox and emailing everyone in their address book that they are starting over? Or what about the people who have boldly declared they are no longer using email? It is tempting. Both of these rather severe reactions seem somewhat reasonable given how much we have come to disdain managing the ever increasing flood and time demands of email. There are three tools I want to share with you that I use to manage all of my personal and business email in less than an hour a day. For those who have been following my blog for long, you know I am not interested in this to be a productivity or technology junkie. I try to be more productive and leverage the best technology so I have more time for the things ever increasing demands on our time crowd out: white…

Technology

Try speaking with pictures instead of words

July 8, 2011

The next time you’re putting together a presentation, ask yourself whether a slide can be replaced with a picture. If you can get your main point across with a picture instead a chart, bullet point list or block of text, do so. Pictures are engaging and memorable. Charts and text are boring and forgettable. As an example, I used the picture above in a presentation when discussing the perilous path ahead. As I made my case, this image stayed on the screen and really drove home the desired takeaway. I could have used complex charts, long bullet lists and blocks of small text, but my audience would have gotten lost in the supporting evidence instead of focusing on the main point. If a simple picture seems too risky, remember you can always supply the charts and text in a supplementary hand-out. A few tips: Use images that do not require their own…

Leadership Technology

No cameras please. Remove all cameras.

March 24, 2011

Last week my wife and I attended a Cirque du Soleil show. The show was wonderful, but the scene at the security checkpoint left something to be desired. As we went through the line to present our tickets and gain admittance, an obligatory staffer yelled out, “No cameras please. Remove all cameras.” Meanwhile, thousands of people like us went through the line texting and playing with their smart phones to pass the time. Every single one of them is a camera. Probably 3/4 of them are also video cameras. Security personnel was oblivious. The scene is the same at almost every performance I go to where they check for cameras. How could these security companies and their personnel be so naive? I’d venture to say it is because they focus less on adapting to a changing environment and more on getting a changing environment to adapt to them. The tragedy is that…

Productivity Technology

Five tips for better business email

January 6, 2011

be brief: write like you’re using a mobile device and have fat fingers write a helpful subject: recipients will see your name and the subject and decide whether to open based on those two bits of information use bullet points: better than sentences buried in paragraphs highlight action items: pull out from the rest of the text so they are easy to recognize and act on use a three act format: friendly intro, bullet point facts, clear action items

Leadership Productivity Reviews Technology

Using a Kindle or eReader as a leadership tool

September 13, 2010

You’ve heard that leaders read and readers lead. It’s an old axiom that’s as true today as it was when it was first spoken. What’s different today is that you can more easily share all the great content you’re consuming if you switch to an eReader like a Kindle, iPad or similar device.

Productivity Reviews Technology

How I pack my bag for business travel

May 25, 2010

If you’re like me and spend time traveling for business, you’re happy to find anything that makes the experience a little easier. This is especially true if you need to stay connected and take your technology along for the ride. I enjoy reading suggestions from other travelers and hope this brief list proves useful for you. Checkpoint friendly laptop bag: I like the Checkpoint Flyer from Tom Bihn. Design and construction of this bag are great and I enjoy the non-slip shoulder strap and file slip options. Checkpoint friendly backs like this let you sail through airport security by laying your bag flat on the x-ray belt instead of taking your laptop out. It’s quicker, less frustrating and you’re unlikely to forget your laptop on the belt. Organized Itinerary: If you’re still carrying a folder full of travel docs or trying to keep them in one email folder on your…