graphic facilitation

While in Chicago at a conference last week, I came across an actual job title for something I've been doing my entire life during meetings. This thing? Doodling. Except a speaker at the innovation conference talked about different learning styles and the popularity of a visual way to absorb and process a meeting or brainstorming sessions. A "graphic facilitator" is someone who listens, synthesizes and draws what (s)he hears being said during the meeting. The benefit to participants? It's something of a "group mind map" of the direction of the meeting that allows people to easily track the flow of the meeting and do so in a very provocative, easy to follow way. To my surprise there are people out there right now who do graphic facilitation as a full-time job. Personally, I thing graphic facilitation is another example of what I'm feeling as a backlash to full-tilt technology. There is something engaging, disarming, charming about simple lines telling simple stories.

Check out how graphic facilitation works by plugging in "graphic facilitation" on YouTube. Give it a try and see if it helps your next big meeting. If so, let me know (if you want me to hang out at your meeting and draw on the wall, let me know). I tried it last week at a meeting that was half live bodies in the room and several on a conference call. It was a nice way to capture the spirit and trajectory of the meeting (at least for those of us in the room in PA). Also made it very easy for people in PA to speak to people in FLA about points made in the meeting's over last 90 minutes.

Gary

One of those days

Pack a healthy, homemade lunch. Leave it in a plastic bag on the steps at home. Drive to work without it.

Desktop computer at work melts down, "logicworks" gone awry. Cool sizzling sound, I must admit.

General malaise.

Which is ten times more troublesome than a corporal malaise.

Here's to tomorrow.

if you wanna see you gotta look

Cape May, New Jersey. Last summer. Minutes after a rainstorm blew through. Good thing I had my camera. This little beauty presented itself in between two buildings once the sun broke through. Stroke of luck an old-time viewfinder thing happen to be there, AND I had my camera.

Just a friendly reminder that you can plan an "ideation" session everyday of the week and not have an inspirational moment like this hit you plain in the face.

The secret of creativity? Who knows. I do know that it's the randomness of it all sometimes that makes it a truly blessed event.

Now go create...

Another Mile Marker i.e. Birthday

My birthday came and went this week. It made me think of a cartoon I did a few weeks ago.

While it's not as quite as dire a realization as a skateboard growing up to be a hotel cart, birthdays do remind me to stay at it. Keep my eye on the prize. While things like a down economy and mounting school tuitions force me(and my wife) to be resourceful, another passing year is a clear signal to "keep moving, keep grinding and keep having fun on the ride."

Happy Birthday to me.

Two words to survive by

We hear a lot about the chasm that exists between those with a digital orientation and those who still cling to traditional ways. Yes, it has something to do with the generational gap (i discovered a recent hire in our interactive department was born the same year I graduated college, damn!), but I now know that age is a total cop out when it comes to playing in today's game. Age simply doesn't matter in the grand scheme. Seriously.

Take Brent Musburger. He's 70 years old but he's still considered among the upper echelon of broadcasters. He's still got game. Still plugged in. When asked by a younger colleague over dinner one night following a game they covered, "what is your secret for surviving this long in the business?" Brent replied with just two words.

"Stay interested."

In other words, even if you're not personally interested in things like the ShamWow, Lady GaGa, crowdsourcing or cloud computing, you have to figure out what it is that make all of these so interesting to others. What do they all mean? What trends are they signaling? What's the deeper insight into each and what is it teaching us in terms of culture and marketing? All this is crucial to success especially if you play in the innovation space.

In other words, if you want to stay relevant, stay interested. Because trust me, I've seen first hand that it doesn't take long for even young guns to turn into old farts if you don't take time to keep your head in the game.

Thanks, Brent.

Making plays in small places, eh?

The Canadian Olympic Ice Hockey was supposed to win the gold medal in Vancouver, so there's really no surprise there, right? Actually, there was. The way they did.

After losing to the U.S. early on, it was gut check time for Sidney Crosby and the Canadian team. In the final game against the U.S., the pundits identified the reason the Canadians were able to prevail: the were able to make plays in small places.

I love what this expression means: Making plays in small places. In the context of the game, it meant winning the battles in the corners and around of the net. Winning in all the pivotal places that could turn the game in your favor. I believe the same could apply to business, professional development and innovation. Companies and employees that learn to "make plays in small places" make all the difference between winning and losing. Between growing and being stuck. Between standout careers and vanilla careers. Whether we know it or not, every day we have chances to make plays in small places. In the clutch, do you battle or give in? Do you stick to your guns and make things better or do you fold up your tent and catch the first train home? The decisions we make, the battles we choose to engage in, the effort we put in to add value at any and every stage of a project. In today's "doing more with less" business world, "making plays in small places" is the answer to getting the gold. Frankly, THAT'S what doing more with less means is all about.

Great teams, great companies, great people know how to do it. It's what separates players like Sidney Crosby from everyone else. They put their mind to it every day. IN every situation. It's a part of their DNA.

What plays in small places will you make today?

Personal growth: game on!

In times like these, the need to reinforce your core strengths and build additional strengths is critical. Since we work with Peirce College in Philly, helping people get their Bachelor's Degree and create a career path for themselves, we play frequently in this sandbox.

The sandbox is getting bigger.

I've noticed recently that places like Phoenix (see banner ad), Strayer and now Kaplan University are turning up the heat. These places aren't your traditional universities. They're a new breed of educational resource that is catering to the non-traditional students out there who may not have the time or resources to attend college the way college was done in the past. Point being, personal growth isn't reserved for just MBA-seekers. I particularly like what Phoenix is doing (www.phoenix.edu). They're absolutely working very hard to build a brand. To that point, this is an awesome photo of a woman with a look of determination in her eyes you don't usually see in typical stock photos used in most college viewbooks.

Personal growth is big. Where else do you see this trend going on?