Steve Maynard, Director of Sales has been invited to lead Alumni Career Connections sessions at his alma mater, Wifred Laurier University:
B2B: Career Connections (Student Event)
Confused about which career path is right for you?
If so, join us at Career Connections to meet and receive career advice from Laurier alumni who have chosen their path!
Laurier alumni who have found a career in a variety of industries will be available to answer all of your questions. Spend a great evening:
Acquiring professional advice
Networking with Laurier alumni
Discovering potential career paths
Event Details:
Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Time: 5:30 - 7pm
Cost: Free!
Pre-registration is required.
Location: Senate & Board Chamber
http://www.laurieralumni.ca/alumni/events?calendar_id=101
Read what Laurier has to say:
Stephen Maynard, Director of Sales and Founder
Recite Conferencing
Table 6—Sales: Telecommunications
Major: Economics
Extracurriculars: Icebreaker, Fashion ‘n Motion, Winter
Carnival, UBG
Number of Years in Industry: 6
When starting his career, Stephen aligned himself with large organizations to build his
résumé. A mentor encouraged him to move from a purchasing role to a sales position
within Nortel as he was displaying natural ability. Stephen then obtained a sales
position with a small start up company in the conferencing industry (telephone, video
and web conferring). He is now with his third start up company and has moved back in
the conferencing industry as a founder of Recite Conferencing. His role as Director of
Sales is heavily focused on training and supporting the sales team, acquiring new
customers and planning the strategic direction of the company. Stephen has also
completed multiple sales and management courses and a number of industry‐specific
technical certifications to become the company specialist in certain fields.
http://www.laurieralumni.ca/bank/pageimages/Career%20Connections%202009%20Program%20-%20For%20Web.pdf
If you are interested in participating, please register at the Laurier site.
Enjoy!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Telecommuting: Part of the Green Initiative
How can Canada go green in the knowledge age?
Here is an interesting article from Paul Lima at the CBC
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/tech/hightech/telecommute.html
TelecommutingWorking from home: Is it for you?
Last Updated January 30, 2008
By Paul Lima
I am not an environmentalist. The family recycles and we have a composter, but I have an SUV. I bought it before Al Gore released An Inconvenient Truth and environmental concerns became in-your-face issues. Having said that, I suspect most car owners, and even people who take public transit, burn up more fossil fuel than I do.
I work from home as a freelance writer, and have done so for almost 17 years.
Every day, I wake up, grab a mug of tea and commute from my bedroom to my home office. I haven't met most of my editors or clients. I file my work by e-mail and we communicate by e-mail unless an issue seems complex, in which case I pick up the phone. Occasionally, I attend initial client meetings, but they are rare. While I'd love to attend a meeting with my client in Belgium, I don't think that will happen any time soon.
In addition to freelance writing, I teach continuing education business writing and copywriting courses for the University of Toronto. Until last year, that involved commuting downtown one night a week. Not any more. All the courses I teach are now online. That means students and the teacher are not driving or taking transit anywhere.
All that being said, I do not have the world's most sophisticated technological set up. I have a phone and a three-year-old computer with a broadband internet connection.
If I can use this technology to successfully work from home — with editors, clients and students across Canada, in the United States and in Europe — then why can't more people in corporations, organizations and government offices do likewise? Why do they have to clog our highways every morning and afternoon to commute to work?
A number of years ago, management consultant and university professor Peter Drucker wrote, "Why would any company pay in salary and time to transport a 190-pound body, when all it needed was the body's three pound brain?" Was he just ahead of his time?
If he was, he's gaining supporters for the idea. While Daniel Pink does not think the office cubicle will disappear, he says there will come a day when far fewer people commute to central locations.
"Collecting people in giant office towers does not make sense economically and environmentally," says Pink, a business consultant and author of A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age.
A few companies pay lip service to telecommuting and virtual businesses, and they maintain pockets of employees in different parts of the country, or world. But in the downtowns of major urban centres, construction crews are still building skyscrapers for white-collar workers, many of whom commute from outlying areas of cities. Even if they take public transit, they often have to drive to and from transit parking lots. Such is the idiocy of urban transportation.
Take, for example, Change is in the Air: Toronto's Commitment to an Environmentally Sustainable Future, the city of Toronto's framework to tackle climate change. It contains 27 proposed actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but pays next to no attention to reducing commuting.
In fact, it sees commuters as a revenue stream. The plan calls for annual parking or motor vehicle registration fees. And, of course, there is talk of road tolls. Instead of reducing, and where possible eliminating, the city's fleet of vehicles that run on diesel, the plan talks of converting them to biodiesel fuel. I suppose we can then wait several decades for scientists to figure out what environmental problems and cancers such fuels cause.
Sadly, in the information age, we are still thinking like an industrial economy where workers have to be in one place to turn out a product. Management is not able to let go of the notion that bodies gathered in one place equal productivity. That is no longer the case when it comes to most white-collar, knowledge-based and information processing work.
On-line collaboration applications can run on internal networks or be set up for access via the internet. They can be used to help teams or departments span distances common in today's far-flung, mobile workforce. Instead of relying on meetings, the telephone and e-mails to get things done, groups can meet in real time in a portal — an on-line web-based meeting room — and use text chat to discuss issues while sharing files or viewing presentations.
Web portals can also be used as a repository for all information pertaining to a project or department. Defined users can access the portal to discuss or review specific aspects of a project. Documents that reside in the portal can be locked while one person is updating them so that others will not end up working from old material, or members of a team can meet in the portal to collaborate on creating a new document or revising an old one.
In addition, companies can use web conferencing to conduct employee training, introduce clients to new products and offer customer support.
While e-mail and instant messaging (IM) are considered collaboration tools, online or web-based tools are an important part of this growing market. The value of the collaborative application market in Canada will reach almost $160 million this year, and grow to more than $180 million by 2010, according to a recent International Data Corporation (IDC) Canada report, Finding the collaborative opportunity in Canada.
Sounds impressive, but that is a drop in the bucket of what it could be if we took telecommuting seriously.
If the environment is a problem and if we are serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we will ban all but essential travel. We can start by emptying the downtowns of the world of white-collar commuters, workers who could be just as productive, perhaps even more productive, working from home.
This may seem like bad news for downtowns; however, Pink sees downtowns that are currently healthy, like those of most major Canadian cities, becoming centres of leisure, entertainment and art as people flock to condominiums and housing in the centre of cities.
E-mail, telephone, teleconferencing, videoconferencing and online collaboration tools are available right now to make it happen.
All we need is the will.
Here is an interesting article from Paul Lima at the CBC
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/tech/hightech/telecommute.html
TelecommutingWorking from home: Is it for you?
Last Updated January 30, 2008
By Paul Lima
I am not an environmentalist. The family recycles and we have a composter, but I have an SUV. I bought it before Al Gore released An Inconvenient Truth and environmental concerns became in-your-face issues. Having said that, I suspect most car owners, and even people who take public transit, burn up more fossil fuel than I do.
I work from home as a freelance writer, and have done so for almost 17 years.
Every day, I wake up, grab a mug of tea and commute from my bedroom to my home office. I haven't met most of my editors or clients. I file my work by e-mail and we communicate by e-mail unless an issue seems complex, in which case I pick up the phone. Occasionally, I attend initial client meetings, but they are rare. While I'd love to attend a meeting with my client in Belgium, I don't think that will happen any time soon.
In addition to freelance writing, I teach continuing education business writing and copywriting courses for the University of Toronto. Until last year, that involved commuting downtown one night a week. Not any more. All the courses I teach are now online. That means students and the teacher are not driving or taking transit anywhere.
All that being said, I do not have the world's most sophisticated technological set up. I have a phone and a three-year-old computer with a broadband internet connection.
If I can use this technology to successfully work from home — with editors, clients and students across Canada, in the United States and in Europe — then why can't more people in corporations, organizations and government offices do likewise? Why do they have to clog our highways every morning and afternoon to commute to work?
A number of years ago, management consultant and university professor Peter Drucker wrote, "Why would any company pay in salary and time to transport a 190-pound body, when all it needed was the body's three pound brain?" Was he just ahead of his time?
If he was, he's gaining supporters for the idea. While Daniel Pink does not think the office cubicle will disappear, he says there will come a day when far fewer people commute to central locations.
"Collecting people in giant office towers does not make sense economically and environmentally," says Pink, a business consultant and author of A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age.
A few companies pay lip service to telecommuting and virtual businesses, and they maintain pockets of employees in different parts of the country, or world. But in the downtowns of major urban centres, construction crews are still building skyscrapers for white-collar workers, many of whom commute from outlying areas of cities. Even if they take public transit, they often have to drive to and from transit parking lots. Such is the idiocy of urban transportation.
Take, for example, Change is in the Air: Toronto's Commitment to an Environmentally Sustainable Future, the city of Toronto's framework to tackle climate change. It contains 27 proposed actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but pays next to no attention to reducing commuting.
In fact, it sees commuters as a revenue stream. The plan calls for annual parking or motor vehicle registration fees. And, of course, there is talk of road tolls. Instead of reducing, and where possible eliminating, the city's fleet of vehicles that run on diesel, the plan talks of converting them to biodiesel fuel. I suppose we can then wait several decades for scientists to figure out what environmental problems and cancers such fuels cause.
Sadly, in the information age, we are still thinking like an industrial economy where workers have to be in one place to turn out a product. Management is not able to let go of the notion that bodies gathered in one place equal productivity. That is no longer the case when it comes to most white-collar, knowledge-based and information processing work.
On-line collaboration applications can run on internal networks or be set up for access via the internet. They can be used to help teams or departments span distances common in today's far-flung, mobile workforce. Instead of relying on meetings, the telephone and e-mails to get things done, groups can meet in real time in a portal — an on-line web-based meeting room — and use text chat to discuss issues while sharing files or viewing presentations.
Web portals can also be used as a repository for all information pertaining to a project or department. Defined users can access the portal to discuss or review specific aspects of a project. Documents that reside in the portal can be locked while one person is updating them so that others will not end up working from old material, or members of a team can meet in the portal to collaborate on creating a new document or revising an old one.
In addition, companies can use web conferencing to conduct employee training, introduce clients to new products and offer customer support.
While e-mail and instant messaging (IM) are considered collaboration tools, online or web-based tools are an important part of this growing market. The value of the collaborative application market in Canada will reach almost $160 million this year, and grow to more than $180 million by 2010, according to a recent International Data Corporation (IDC) Canada report, Finding the collaborative opportunity in Canada.
Sounds impressive, but that is a drop in the bucket of what it could be if we took telecommuting seriously.
If the environment is a problem and if we are serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we will ban all but essential travel. We can start by emptying the downtowns of the world of white-collar commuters, workers who could be just as productive, perhaps even more productive, working from home.
This may seem like bad news for downtowns; however, Pink sees downtowns that are currently healthy, like those of most major Canadian cities, becoming centres of leisure, entertainment and art as people flock to condominiums and housing in the centre of cities.
E-mail, telephone, teleconferencing, videoconferencing and online collaboration tools are available right now to make it happen.
All we need is the will.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Maximizing People Talent
In any Corporate forum, People Talent falls in the top 10 topics of successful businesses. As we move into the information age, Intellectual property is key to securing and retaining customers and revenue. People become your competitive advantage.
The ability to bring in specialists from around the country or around the globe can bring credibility to your product/service.
Independent consultants are a good example of specialized individuals bringing their knowledge to companies on a project basis. Thus saving companies money by leveraging their specializations to move their business initiatives forward.
The best way to reap the benefits of your People Talent specialists is to get them in front of as many people as possible. This includes customers, prospects, leads, PR people, internal functional groups and others to increase your brand.
The ability to bring in specialists from around the country or around the globe can bring credibility to your product/service.
Independent consultants are a good example of specialized individuals bringing their knowledge to companies on a project basis. Thus saving companies money by leveraging their specializations to move their business initiatives forward.
The best way to reap the benefits of your People Talent specialists is to get them in front of as many people as possible. This includes customers, prospects, leads, PR people, internal functional groups and others to increase your brand.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Web Casting vs. Web Conferencing: Tips on how to choose
Web Casting vs. Web Conferencing
As your organization evaluates how it is going to communicate to employees, investors, customers and other audiences, there are a few ways to deliver your message.
With Web Casting (Also known as Streaming) and Web Conferencing, both offer an excellent forum for communicating, though there are some differences that can bring value to your specific event or meeting.
So when should you choose Web Casting and when should you choose Web Conferencing?
Web Casting
Web Casting is a Broadcast Tool. Web Casting takes compressed media and "Stream's" it over the internet and is available for review via a URL.
Here are some of the key highlights of Web Casting:
+ Audio, slides and video can be viewed easily via a URL
+ As a Broadcast medium, Participants can only interact with the Host via a chat feature or if a separate Audio path has been preestablished
+ Cost effective for over 100 participants, either simultaneouly or in total over the course of the campaign
+ Registration, Polling, Testing, and Feed Back fields can be added to gather key information
+ Web Casting offers superior reporting capabilities for pre and post event
As a communication medium, Web Casting is ideal for Press Releases, Investor Relations, Employee Addresses, Training and any large event.
Web Conferencing
Web Conferencing is truly a Collaboration tool. Web Conferencing is often used in conjunction with an audio conference for full integration between the host and the guests.
Here are some of the key features of Web Conferencing:
+Web Conferencing offers application sharing, white boarding and publishing of documents
+ Host controls can be passed so that documents and applications can be viewed, altered and shared dynamically in real time
+ Cost Effective for 1 to 100 concurrent participants
+ Polling and testing can be added as well as Video Images through the use of a Web Cam
+ Web Conferencing offers on demand presentation capabilities that can be launched anytime anywhere
Web Conferencing is ideal for customer presentations, internal company meetings, training, document reviews and for meetings under 100 participants.
Pricing can vary. Web Conferencing can be purchased as a per seat or room model or on a per minute basis. Web Casting is similar to a flat rate model.
Enjoy your day!
As your organization evaluates how it is going to communicate to employees, investors, customers and other audiences, there are a few ways to deliver your message.
With Web Casting (Also known as Streaming) and Web Conferencing, both offer an excellent forum for communicating, though there are some differences that can bring value to your specific event or meeting.
So when should you choose Web Casting and when should you choose Web Conferencing?
Web Casting
Web Casting is a Broadcast Tool. Web Casting takes compressed media and "Stream's" it over the internet and is available for review via a URL.
Here are some of the key highlights of Web Casting:
+ Audio, slides and video can be viewed easily via a URL
+ As a Broadcast medium, Participants can only interact with the Host via a chat feature or if a separate Audio path has been preestablished
+ Cost effective for over 100 participants, either simultaneouly or in total over the course of the campaign
+ Registration, Polling, Testing, and Feed Back fields can be added to gather key information
+ Web Casting offers superior reporting capabilities for pre and post event
As a communication medium, Web Casting is ideal for Press Releases, Investor Relations, Employee Addresses, Training and any large event.
Web Conferencing
Web Conferencing is truly a Collaboration tool. Web Conferencing is often used in conjunction with an audio conference for full integration between the host and the guests.
Here are some of the key features of Web Conferencing:
+Web Conferencing offers application sharing, white boarding and publishing of documents
+ Host controls can be passed so that documents and applications can be viewed, altered and shared dynamically in real time
+ Cost Effective for 1 to 100 concurrent participants
+ Polling and testing can be added as well as Video Images through the use of a Web Cam
+ Web Conferencing offers on demand presentation capabilities that can be launched anytime anywhere
Web Conferencing is ideal for customer presentations, internal company meetings, training, document reviews and for meetings under 100 participants.
Pricing can vary. Web Conferencing can be purchased as a per seat or room model or on a per minute basis. Web Casting is similar to a flat rate model.
Enjoy your day!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Conferencing & Collaboration Terminology
Below you will find Conferencing and Virtual Collaboration Terminology
Audio Conferencing (Also known as Teleconferencing)
Audio Conferencing or Teleconferencing: An Audio Connection involving three or more people in different locations using a phone or speaker phone.
Lecture Mode or Listen Only Mode: Lecture mode is when all participates lines are muted. Participants are able to listen but not able to speak into the Conference Call
Lock: Locking is a touch tone command that blocks others from joining the call including the operator. Locking a call ensures complete security
Chairperson/Host/Moderator: These terms can be used interchangeably to refer to the host or leader of the conference call
Bridge: The Teleconference "Bridge" is a telephony server that allows many participants to join into a phone conversation. The "Bridge" is physical hardware made up of a rack(s), line cards, power supplies etc that facilitates the Conference Service
Web Conferencing
Web Conference: Live and interactive sharing of presentations and software applications shared over the Internet
Publish: Through Web Conferencing, the Chairperson can publish a document (Usually Word, Excel or Power Point) from their computer to share with their participants. The documents are static and can not be altered or updated.
Application Sharing: Application sharing is when documents are shared in real time from your desk top. Since the software resides on the Chairpersons desktop, any software or desktop application can be shown. Only the Chairperson can alter or update Shared Applications on their own desktop.
White Boarding: Two or more users collaborate using drawing tools and writing ideas down in a virtual "white board" format
Video Conferencing
Video Conferencing: Live and Interactive video with audio used to connect two or more locations using Video Specific Hardware or Software Programs over the Internet, Private IP Network or ISDN Lines
Web Casting
Web Casting: Audio, Audio + Slides or Video available voer the Internet that is delivered either live or available in an archived link. Streaming is a highly efficient approach to reach a large number of people in a one to many presentation. Web Casting is not a collaborative tool but rather a broadcast tool
Streaming: Streaming is the delivery method of Web Casting. The Web Cast material is compressed, sent out in a continuous stream over the Internet and is decompressed as the user receives it
Audio Web Casting: A live or Archived Audio conversation that is digitized, compressed and available to listen to on a Computer or Internet enabled PDA Device
Audio + Slides Web Cast: A Slide Presentation that is narrated by audio that is digitixzed and compressed to be viewed on a Computer or Internet ready PDA Device
Video Web Cast: Using Video Conferencing Equipment, A Web Cam or Studio Camera Equipment, a presentation or speech can be delivered via the Internet for guests to view either live or in an archived format
If you have any questions or comments in regards to these terminologies, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@reciteconferencing.com
Happy New Year!
Audio Conferencing (Also known as Teleconferencing)
Audio Conferencing or Teleconferencing: An Audio Connection involving three or more people in different locations using a phone or speaker phone.
Lecture Mode or Listen Only Mode: Lecture mode is when all participates lines are muted. Participants are able to listen but not able to speak into the Conference Call
Lock: Locking is a touch tone command that blocks others from joining the call including the operator. Locking a call ensures complete security
Chairperson/Host/Moderator: These terms can be used interchangeably to refer to the host or leader of the conference call
Bridge: The Teleconference "Bridge" is a telephony server that allows many participants to join into a phone conversation. The "Bridge" is physical hardware made up of a rack(s), line cards, power supplies etc that facilitates the Conference Service
Web Conferencing
Web Conference: Live and interactive sharing of presentations and software applications shared over the Internet
Publish: Through Web Conferencing, the Chairperson can publish a document (Usually Word, Excel or Power Point) from their computer to share with their participants. The documents are static and can not be altered or updated.
Application Sharing: Application sharing is when documents are shared in real time from your desk top. Since the software resides on the Chairpersons desktop, any software or desktop application can be shown. Only the Chairperson can alter or update Shared Applications on their own desktop.
White Boarding: Two or more users collaborate using drawing tools and writing ideas down in a virtual "white board" format
Video Conferencing
Video Conferencing: Live and Interactive video with audio used to connect two or more locations using Video Specific Hardware or Software Programs over the Internet, Private IP Network or ISDN Lines
Web Casting
Web Casting: Audio, Audio + Slides or Video available voer the Internet that is delivered either live or available in an archived link. Streaming is a highly efficient approach to reach a large number of people in a one to many presentation. Web Casting is not a collaborative tool but rather a broadcast tool
Streaming: Streaming is the delivery method of Web Casting. The Web Cast material is compressed, sent out in a continuous stream over the Internet and is decompressed as the user receives it
Audio Web Casting: A live or Archived Audio conversation that is digitized, compressed and available to listen to on a Computer or Internet enabled PDA Device
Audio + Slides Web Cast: A Slide Presentation that is narrated by audio that is digitixzed and compressed to be viewed on a Computer or Internet ready PDA Device
Video Web Cast: Using Video Conferencing Equipment, A Web Cam or Studio Camera Equipment, a presentation or speech can be delivered via the Internet for guests to view either live or in an archived format
If you have any questions or comments in regards to these terminologies, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@reciteconferencing.com
Happy New Year!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Teleconferencing Ettiquette
Teleconferencing Conferencing Etiquette
Just like etiquette at a dinner table or on a golf course, etiquette is important to ensuring that all participants are comfortable with their situation and that their attention is directed to what is important.
Teleconferencing has some business etiquette that can be applied to ensure that your guests have the best possible experience.
1) Be On Time: Chairpersons, Hosts and/or Moderators should arrive a few minutes early to greet each of the participants, and let them know when everyone is present and ready to start the call.
2) Mute: All participants should mute their line if they are not speaking. This reduces background noise and improves the audio quality of the call.
3) Introductions: Always introduce yourself when speaking for the first time
It is important to introduce yourself when first speaking as other participants may not recognize your voice.
4) No HOLD: Avoid putting your phone on HOLD. Putting your phone on hold could play music into the conference which may make it difficult for the other participants to continue the meeting in your absence! Use the MUTE as an alternative.
5) Agenda: All well run meetings have an agenda that focus the participants on the items of top priority. Create an agenda and keep to your schedule and respect the time boundaries of your participants.
6) End the Call: Clearly state when call ends. To avoid an awkward ending to a call, announce that the meeting has adjourned and thank everyone for their time. If you press # #, you can disconnect all of the callers.
Other tips:
Background noise: If you have a noisy participant (coughing, typing, finger tapping, pen clicking) you can mute all the lines using the *5 feature - mute all. Then anyone wanting to speak can press *6 to unmute their own line. If muting everyone is not an option, then gently remind participants to be mindful of creating background noise.
Late Arrivals: If you have a late arrival but want to get started, press *4 and record the call. When they do join, you can let them know that the portion of the meeting they missed can be played back after the call so you don't have to have everyone wait while you bring them up to speed.
We hope this was helpful! If you have any Teleconferencing Etiquette suggestions, please share!
From the team at Recite Conferencing
Just like etiquette at a dinner table or on a golf course, etiquette is important to ensuring that all participants are comfortable with their situation and that their attention is directed to what is important.
Teleconferencing has some business etiquette that can be applied to ensure that your guests have the best possible experience.
1) Be On Time: Chairpersons, Hosts and/or Moderators should arrive a few minutes early to greet each of the participants, and let them know when everyone is present and ready to start the call.
2) Mute: All participants should mute their line if they are not speaking. This reduces background noise and improves the audio quality of the call.
3) Introductions: Always introduce yourself when speaking for the first time
It is important to introduce yourself when first speaking as other participants may not recognize your voice.
4) No HOLD: Avoid putting your phone on HOLD. Putting your phone on hold could play music into the conference which may make it difficult for the other participants to continue the meeting in your absence! Use the MUTE as an alternative.
5) Agenda: All well run meetings have an agenda that focus the participants on the items of top priority. Create an agenda and keep to your schedule and respect the time boundaries of your participants.
6) End the Call: Clearly state when call ends. To avoid an awkward ending to a call, announce that the meeting has adjourned and thank everyone for their time. If you press # #, you can disconnect all of the callers.
Other tips:
Background noise: If you have a noisy participant (coughing, typing, finger tapping, pen clicking) you can mute all the lines using the *5 feature - mute all. Then anyone wanting to speak can press *6 to unmute their own line. If muting everyone is not an option, then gently remind participants to be mindful of creating background noise.
Late Arrivals: If you have a late arrival but want to get started, press *4 and record the call. When they do join, you can let them know that the portion of the meeting they missed can be played back after the call so you don't have to have everyone wait while you bring them up to speed.
We hope this was helpful! If you have any Teleconferencing Etiquette suggestions, please share!
From the team at Recite Conferencing
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Do meeting-free Fridays work?
This is an interesting article from the Globe and Mail about a pilot project creating Meeting Free Fridays. Just a high level summary: great idea in theory! Gives people time to work uninterrupted on projects on Fridays however those involved in the pilot felt that it was not such as good in practice. No Friday Meetings can slow down the speed of business. The study found people were sneaking off to meet!
When you dig deep, it is important to understand what all of those interviewed echoed - workers need time to think and work without interruptions including email, phone and meetings, even if it is as little as one hour.
KIRA VERMOND
Globe and Mail Update
November 8, 2008 at 6:00 AM EST
‘They're dull. They're too long. Someone always hijacks the conversation. Too many people are invited. And they're not always the right people.”
Ask the average cube monkey to wax poetic on his or her feelings about business meetings, and chances are you'll hear these common complaints plus one more: With so many meetings scheduled, who has time to actually sit down and work any more?
No wonder companies from mammoth IBM to smaller tech firm Ottawa-based Protus have either encouraged or flirted with the concept of Meeting-free Fridays. Still others, such as Xerox and Intel, are doing what they can to offer employees ways to find chunks of uninterrupted time, whether by trying out “quiet time” or e-mail-free hour pilot projects.
“Over all, meetings get a pretty bad rap. So if people knew they had a day without meetings, they would probably be happy,” admits Dee Kelsey, co-author of Great Meetings! Great Results.
Enlarge Image
Elaine Mah at Intel's Toronto-area offices (Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail)
But are workers up to the challenge of going meeting-free, phone-free and e-mail-free even for 60 minutes?
Finding Time
That's exactly what Intel Corp. decided to find out when it launched two pilot projects last year. One involved 300 engineers in the U.S. who were required to adhere to a “quiet time” policy. They had to turn off their e-mail, send messages to voice mail and go meeting-free for a few hours on Tuesday mornings.
“It was really an opportunity to put up the walls around them so they could really sit down and have that uninterrupted span of time for thinking and design,” says Elaine Mah, Canadian business marketing manager for Intel Canada in Toronto who has studied the results. “They could finish a thought from A to Z.”
The pilot was a success, she says. Forty-five per cent of survey respondents found that they had markedly improved productivity. And 71 per cent suggested that Intel consider extending the policy to more employees.
Meanwhile, the other project wasn't nearly as popular. For that one, employees were asked to limit their e-mail use on Fridays. Only 29 per cent claimed they experienced the same degree of increased productivity.
Still, says Ann Gomez, a productivity consultant and president of Clear Concept Inc. in Toronto., avoiding the multitasking monster is important even if that vibrating BlackBerry makes it seem like an impossible task.
“People have the best intentions. They're trying to be available and responsive to their peers, but if we're true to what our jobs are, they require us to be working quietly as well,” she says.
On the sly
But what if employees need to communicate and it happens on a Friday? Tom Johansmeyer, a former management consultant in New York, remembers a chief information officer at a company he once worked for who was concerned about the number of meetings his team was having. He instituted Meeting-free Fridays. The result? The IT team snuck away to meet on the sly.
“We would usually try to find one [meeting room] as far away as we could from the CIO's office so we wouldn't get caught,” he says.
There were other drawbacks, too.
“Nobody could get conference rooms. They were booked solid from Monday to Thursday,” Mr. Johansmeyer says. “You had to make serious plans in advance.”
Eventually the policy got scrapped after six months as more trivial meetings suddenly, suspiciously, became more pressing.
“The definition of ‘urgent' started the change. At first it would be life-or-death on Fridays. Eventually it came to mean life-and-discomfort, then life-and-headache. And finally it just became part of life again,” he says.
No formal announcement of the program's demise was made.
Better meetings
Maybe the problem isn't too many meetings, though. Maybe it's just that too many managers run bad meetings, says Phil Symchych, president of Symchych Consulting Inc., in Regina, Sask.
“They're running away from the problem instead of running to the solution,” he says.
So what makes for a good meeting? Good ones should have a purpose statement, including who is being gathered and for what reason. People should also be clear on what needs to be accomplished during that time and when they leave, have an action plan in hand stating deadlines and who is responsible for each task.
“Look at sports teams. They tend to have good meetings on the sidelines in the huddle. Why? They have a deadline and people measuring the score. Everybody is clear about their roles,” Mr. Symchych says.
What shouldn't managers do? Call a meeting for the sake of calling a meeting, says author Ms. Kelsey.
“Groups lock in meetings. It's the staff meeting every Tuesday or the managers' meeting every Thursday. Nobody stops to say, ‘Do we really need a meeting?'” she says.
Be realistic
But maybe your crew is simply all talked out. Maybe a general communication timeout would make sense. Just take it slowly, advises Ms. Gomez. Start with an hour or two, not an entire day.
“Meeting-free Fridays; I know that's a sexy concept that pulls people in, but meeting-free chunks of time are easier to implement,” she says.
Mr. Symchych agrees, saying hacking off 20 per cent of the workweek for quiet time all in one go might be too ambitious. Besides, like an exercise program, an equal number of smaller chunks of time can work, too.
“You're setting up discipline and a habit. The next thing you know you're getting lots done,” he says.
Special to The Globe and Mail
The Upside:
“We are evolving into a stronger and greater knowledge economy. So if you're thinking for a living, getting that thinking time is so precious.” – Elaine Mah, Canadian business marketing manager for Intel Canada in Toronto
The Downside:
“Immediately after this kind of an announcement, you feel that you've been liberated. You're thinking, ‘Alright! No more meetings on Fridays. I can get some work done and I can get out at a reasonable hour.' But nobody had that feeling. Instead, it was, ‘Oh man. Now we have to cram in all of that stuff into four days.'” – Tom Johansmeyer, a former management consultant in New York
When you dig deep, it is important to understand what all of those interviewed echoed - workers need time to think and work without interruptions including email, phone and meetings, even if it is as little as one hour.
KIRA VERMOND
Globe and Mail Update
November 8, 2008 at 6:00 AM EST
‘They're dull. They're too long. Someone always hijacks the conversation. Too many people are invited. And they're not always the right people.”
Ask the average cube monkey to wax poetic on his or her feelings about business meetings, and chances are you'll hear these common complaints plus one more: With so many meetings scheduled, who has time to actually sit down and work any more?
No wonder companies from mammoth IBM to smaller tech firm Ottawa-based Protus have either encouraged or flirted with the concept of Meeting-free Fridays. Still others, such as Xerox and Intel, are doing what they can to offer employees ways to find chunks of uninterrupted time, whether by trying out “quiet time” or e-mail-free hour pilot projects.
“Over all, meetings get a pretty bad rap. So if people knew they had a day without meetings, they would probably be happy,” admits Dee Kelsey, co-author of Great Meetings! Great Results.
Enlarge Image
Elaine Mah at Intel's Toronto-area offices (Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail)
But are workers up to the challenge of going meeting-free, phone-free and e-mail-free even for 60 minutes?
Finding Time
That's exactly what Intel Corp. decided to find out when it launched two pilot projects last year. One involved 300 engineers in the U.S. who were required to adhere to a “quiet time” policy. They had to turn off their e-mail, send messages to voice mail and go meeting-free for a few hours on Tuesday mornings.
“It was really an opportunity to put up the walls around them so they could really sit down and have that uninterrupted span of time for thinking and design,” says Elaine Mah, Canadian business marketing manager for Intel Canada in Toronto who has studied the results. “They could finish a thought from A to Z.”
The pilot was a success, she says. Forty-five per cent of survey respondents found that they had markedly improved productivity. And 71 per cent suggested that Intel consider extending the policy to more employees.
Meanwhile, the other project wasn't nearly as popular. For that one, employees were asked to limit their e-mail use on Fridays. Only 29 per cent claimed they experienced the same degree of increased productivity.
Still, says Ann Gomez, a productivity consultant and president of Clear Concept Inc. in Toronto., avoiding the multitasking monster is important even if that vibrating BlackBerry makes it seem like an impossible task.
“People have the best intentions. They're trying to be available and responsive to their peers, but if we're true to what our jobs are, they require us to be working quietly as well,” she says.
On the sly
But what if employees need to communicate and it happens on a Friday? Tom Johansmeyer, a former management consultant in New York, remembers a chief information officer at a company he once worked for who was concerned about the number of meetings his team was having. He instituted Meeting-free Fridays. The result? The IT team snuck away to meet on the sly.
“We would usually try to find one [meeting room] as far away as we could from the CIO's office so we wouldn't get caught,” he says.
There were other drawbacks, too.
“Nobody could get conference rooms. They were booked solid from Monday to Thursday,” Mr. Johansmeyer says. “You had to make serious plans in advance.”
Eventually the policy got scrapped after six months as more trivial meetings suddenly, suspiciously, became more pressing.
“The definition of ‘urgent' started the change. At first it would be life-or-death on Fridays. Eventually it came to mean life-and-discomfort, then life-and-headache. And finally it just became part of life again,” he says.
No formal announcement of the program's demise was made.
Better meetings
Maybe the problem isn't too many meetings, though. Maybe it's just that too many managers run bad meetings, says Phil Symchych, president of Symchych Consulting Inc., in Regina, Sask.
“They're running away from the problem instead of running to the solution,” he says.
So what makes for a good meeting? Good ones should have a purpose statement, including who is being gathered and for what reason. People should also be clear on what needs to be accomplished during that time and when they leave, have an action plan in hand stating deadlines and who is responsible for each task.
“Look at sports teams. They tend to have good meetings on the sidelines in the huddle. Why? They have a deadline and people measuring the score. Everybody is clear about their roles,” Mr. Symchych says.
What shouldn't managers do? Call a meeting for the sake of calling a meeting, says author Ms. Kelsey.
“Groups lock in meetings. It's the staff meeting every Tuesday or the managers' meeting every Thursday. Nobody stops to say, ‘Do we really need a meeting?'” she says.
Be realistic
But maybe your crew is simply all talked out. Maybe a general communication timeout would make sense. Just take it slowly, advises Ms. Gomez. Start with an hour or two, not an entire day.
“Meeting-free Fridays; I know that's a sexy concept that pulls people in, but meeting-free chunks of time are easier to implement,” she says.
Mr. Symchych agrees, saying hacking off 20 per cent of the workweek for quiet time all in one go might be too ambitious. Besides, like an exercise program, an equal number of smaller chunks of time can work, too.
“You're setting up discipline and a habit. The next thing you know you're getting lots done,” he says.
Special to The Globe and Mail
The Upside:
“We are evolving into a stronger and greater knowledge economy. So if you're thinking for a living, getting that thinking time is so precious.” – Elaine Mah, Canadian business marketing manager for Intel Canada in Toronto
The Downside:
“Immediately after this kind of an announcement, you feel that you've been liberated. You're thinking, ‘Alright! No more meetings on Fridays. I can get some work done and I can get out at a reasonable hour.' But nobody had that feeling. Instead, it was, ‘Oh man. Now we have to cram in all of that stuff into four days.'” – Tom Johansmeyer, a former management consultant in New York
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
