Category Archives: Business

WTF?

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What’s the future? The future of business more precisely. A topic discussed in the new book from Brian Solis of Altimeter.

Personally I have been giving a great deal of thought to this in terms of the language school industry. So much of what happens tends to be rooted in traditional models, most probably created by Generation X thinking, but meant to appeal to Generation Y tastes.

By clicking on the image below you can read a little more about Brian’s views and I was particularly interested by the notion of Generation C – digitally engaged people not grouped so much by age, but instead more by attitude and lifestyle.

The whole idea of a user experience, the power of connectivity and the strength of social media all rang bells. What about you – what generation are you and what do you think the future holds?

WTF

Who cares?

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Do you care if people like you? Does it matter or is getting the job done more important?

In business is being liked a sign of weakness and people will take advantage of you?

Or do people enjoy working with/for someone they like (and of course respect professionally)? Don’t people who enjoy their work tend to be more productive?

Click on the image (kittens are always likeable) below to read an article on this topic and to try a likeability quiz. Was your score as you expected?

Likeability

 

Problem solving in 3 steps

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We all have decisions to make and problems to solve. There are times when it isn’t easy for a number of different factors including lack of data, lack of time and sometimes lack of incentive.

However, by applying critical thinking skills to the process, you can become far more effective at dealing with these situations.

Click on the slinkachu image below (I think the Little People Project is brilliant) to read a short article with some great tips.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Thinglink linkback

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I mentioned ThingLink before back in November last year. It is an application that allows you to make images interactive and then share them via social media.

There are a number of ways that this can be used and it is not all just about marketing opportunities. There are also a number of possibilities for using ThingLink within the classroom and Doug Woods has put together a great list outlining some of the best.

For example, I could imagine this being used as a presentation tool. An engaging image for the audience and then navigating around the picture opening up new images and videos as the talk progresses.

What uses can you think of for this easy to use online tool?

Please click on the image below to see a very simple example.

OISE Bristol 2011-100 (1)

Go with the flow

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Have you tried Lucidchart?

There are freemium and paid for options available and it offers online sharing and collaboration creating organisational charts, mind maps, flow charts and a number of other useful applications.

Why not take a look at a flowchart of the Beatles song ‘Hey Jude‘ by clicking on the image below? Do you ever work online on documents with other colleagues?

© Ryan Pike | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Lucidchart

Are you showing your true colours?

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Which colour are you? Green, orange, gold or blue?

I read an article recently about managing people according to their temperament and the skill sets associated with that particular personality type. Now it wasn’t entirely clear why these specific colours were allocated to each category – as far as I can see it could just as easily have been indigo, red, olive and burnt sienna.

However, nit-picking aside, it was an interesting read and you can see it by clicking on the image below. I asked you which colour you are, but is that what you want to be or what you really are? Do you think others would choose the same colour for you?

Color Glasses......(3)

Surviving meetings (or not)

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We have discussed meetings on several previous occasions.

These posts included De Bono’s Thinking Hats, another about creating an agenda and a third that looked at whether to sit or stand.

Today I have two articles for you to read –  one is quite a broad look at meetings in general and provides a top 5 list of ways to ensure they are productive.

The second can be read by clicking on the image below (do you know where the picture was taken?) and is far more detailed in terms of the types and frequency of the meetings it describes.

What are your top tips for holding successful meetings and how is your definition of success measured?

Surviving Meetings

 

 

Coffee (and cigarettes)

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OK, perhaps not the cigarettes in these enlightened times, but are you waking up too quickly and rushing into the day?

Research suggests that it might be our ‘groggy’ moments that give us those sparks of inspiration before the rigid tasks of the day take over our brains.

How do you begin your day? Could you change your routine to allow more time for creative thinking (and an improved quality of life)?

Click on the image below to read more about this.

Coffee and Cigarettes

 

The hidden depths of Layar

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At the risk of alienating some of today’s readers, I am going to ask you to download an app called Layar. If you use an iPhone or iPad you can get it here and if you use an Android device you can get it here. It is free and only takes a few moments to download.

It is an AR app or an Augmented Reality app and it enables you to see information embedded within an image. It means that a simple picture, poster or brochure page can contain a great deal of information that is only accessed or visible when required.

You can read more about Layar by clicking here. What uses can you think of for this technology?

To see a very basic example, use your newly downloaded Layar app to scan and view the image of OISE Bristol below.

Layar

The power of lifelong learning

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Although I am sure you can find examples to the contrary, in general are there many worthwhile things that can be learned quickly and easily that never require further development?

In both CPD and language learning, for example, is there not a benefit to ongoing training that meets the evolving needs of the learner?

To do this is a mammoth task, but imagine having a partner with you that can help you learn the things you want to learn in a meaningful, engaging way. Wouldn’t that be brilliant?

That time will come and it will come soon. In the medical world there are already significant developments and you can click on the image below to find out more.

wow

wow (Photo credit: thekeithhall)