Knowledge workers bring far more than just their intellectual skills to a project. They bring their fears, their prejudices, their motivations, their emotional history, and their personalities to the table too. At kick-off meetings we openly discuss our roles and skill sets, but these other intangible things are never exposed.
Yet the way that stakeholders and team members interact with one another is almost certain to have a greater impact on the success of your project than which technology platform you choose or what goes into your style guide.
I gave this talk at MIMA Summit 2014 in Minneapolis.
Putting Together the People Puzzle – Content Strategy Summit 2014Kerry-Anne Gilowey
Knowledge workers bring far more than just their intellectual skills to a project. They bring their fears, their prejudices, their motivations, their emotional history, and their personalities to the table too. At kick-off meetings we openly discuss our roles and skill sets, but these other intangible things are never exposed.
Putting Together the People Puzzle – Content Strategy Summit 2014Kerry-Anne Gilowey
Knowledge workers bring far more than just their intellectual skills to a project. They bring their fears, their prejudices, their motivations, their emotional history, and their personalities to the table too. At kick-off meetings we openly discuss our roles and skill sets, but these other intangible things are never exposed.
Here are the some last minute interview tips to mentally prepare yourself for facing the job interviews or any such meetings. Get best interview tips here - https://lifebun.com/job-interview-tips/
Bad leaders are so destructive of an organization and are unfortunately rather common. Here are a few common traits that I've observed in bad leaders. This list has resonated with many friends and former colleagues and I hope it helps others to recognize and perhaps "out" some bad leaders.
What’s My Communication Style: How to Get Along with (Almost) AnyoneHRDQ-U
Effective communication is the very lifeblood of any organization. If communication is not clear and persuasive between managers and employees, and employees and customers, then other vital goals are forever out of reach. Say goodbye to your aspirations for successful leadership, teamwork, customer service, or even the ability to execute a coherent business strategy.
If you want to bring about meaningful improvements in communication skills, the best way to begin is to build a better understanding of personal communication styles and their effects on other people. What’s My Communication Style? is a proven training assessment that identifies an individual’s dominant communication style – Direct, Spirited, Considerate, or Systematic – and the communication behaviors that distinguish it.
As part of its service to members, engineers and professionals in technical industries worldwide, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers host a series of free training webinars.
This webinar focused on providing tips and techniques to help engineers influence others by understanding how to communicate effectively
Why Data Silos Can Be Hard to Break Down: An Organizational Communication Perspective. From InPhase 2016 in Salt Lake City, Eccles School of Business, University of Utah.
Managing People - Neighborhood Excellence Initiative BofAnlayag
Managing People for Results by Nelson Layag, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services. For the Neighborhood Excellence Initiative for Emerging Leaders, May 18, 2011
Here are the some last minute interview tips to mentally prepare yourself for facing the job interviews or any such meetings. Get best interview tips here - https://lifebun.com/job-interview-tips/
Bad leaders are so destructive of an organization and are unfortunately rather common. Here are a few common traits that I've observed in bad leaders. This list has resonated with many friends and former colleagues and I hope it helps others to recognize and perhaps "out" some bad leaders.
What’s My Communication Style: How to Get Along with (Almost) AnyoneHRDQ-U
Effective communication is the very lifeblood of any organization. If communication is not clear and persuasive between managers and employees, and employees and customers, then other vital goals are forever out of reach. Say goodbye to your aspirations for successful leadership, teamwork, customer service, or even the ability to execute a coherent business strategy.
If you want to bring about meaningful improvements in communication skills, the best way to begin is to build a better understanding of personal communication styles and their effects on other people. What’s My Communication Style? is a proven training assessment that identifies an individual’s dominant communication style – Direct, Spirited, Considerate, or Systematic – and the communication behaviors that distinguish it.
As part of its service to members, engineers and professionals in technical industries worldwide, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers host a series of free training webinars.
This webinar focused on providing tips and techniques to help engineers influence others by understanding how to communicate effectively
Why Data Silos Can Be Hard to Break Down: An Organizational Communication Perspective. From InPhase 2016 in Salt Lake City, Eccles School of Business, University of Utah.
Managing People - Neighborhood Excellence Initiative BofAnlayag
Managing People for Results by Nelson Layag, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services. For the Neighborhood Excellence Initiative for Emerging Leaders, May 18, 2011
How can putting the user at the heart of everything you do help to change two large, traditional charities into an organisation that is fit for survival in a digital age?
Developing a cohesive digital presence for your charity and social enterprise...Aspire Knowledge
Duncan Lewis, Group Marketing & Development Director, Age UK
Alison McCormack, Head of Group Digital, Age UK
How putting the user at the heart of their digital strategy has enabled Age UK to solve the huge challenge of uniting the 300 separate websites the organisation had at merger into one platform that unites charitable and commercial, local and national
How that ethos is now driving their social media and engagement strategies across the group
The challenge of the digital revolution to the charity model and how that ethos can be utilised to develop your strategy
Leadership was always a mysterious talent to me, until I did a research to know what makes a leader and are leaders born or made.
This presentation is the result of my research. You can also see a video that goes with this presentation on YuouTube under the URL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDp87fxfXoM
Communication Hacks: Strategies for fostering collaboration and dealing with ...All Things Open
Communication Hacks: Strategies for fostering collaboration and dealing with conflict in open source
Presented by Nuritzi Sanchez, GitLab, Inc.
Presented at Open Source 101 2021
Abstract: During this talk, you'll learn about topics like cross-cultural collaboration, giving and receiving feedback, and active listening -- all things that are vital to the health of our open source communities.
After reading many self-help books, watching various TED Talks, and listening to a ton of podcasts, I've condensed my learnings to help you improve your communications skills, deal with conflict, and collaborate better than ever, not only in FOSS, but also everywhere else.
Social Media and Organizational Change, mw2011 (1of 2)Susan Edwards
Conference presentation given at Museums & the Web conference, 2011. The full paper accompanying this presentation is online at http://conference.archimuse.com/mw2011/programs/social_media_and_organizational_change
As part of the Catalyze webcast series, Carol Miller will show us that there's more than one way to find a requirement in our second Catalyze webcast originally broadcast on September 20, 2007.
Carol is the VP of Professional Development for Advanced Concepts Center (ACC) and is also the VP of Professional Development for the Philadelphia chapter of the IIBA.
Maria Ruotolo at IBM shared her journey from traditional media into the digital media. Also included tips and resources to get more information on the how-tos.
Similar to The People Puzzle: Making the Pieces Fit – MIMA Summit 2014 (20)
Presented at CS Forum 2016 in Melbourne, Australia.
We can study detailed web analytics, review the pretty demographics charts given to us by Marketing, and devise colourful personas to guide our work, but until we’ve actually spoken to our customers – preferably face-to-face – our understanding of their needs remains limited.
It’s not just interaction designers, user experience practitioners, and marketers who can benefit from conducting customer interviews. Content strategists and content creators too can gain an enormous amount from asking customers the right questions and knowing how to interpret their answers.
In this session we’ll explore how we can use interviews to get an understanding of the journey that our customers take with us, and how our content can be shaped by their emotional and mental state at each point along the way.
From analysis to synthesis: tools and techniques for discovery workKerry-Anne Gilowey
Presented at Confab Intensive 2016 in Seattle, Washington.
When you begin work on a new project, there are so many unknowns, so many moving parts to get your head around, so many questions you haven't even thought to ask yet, that it can be hard to know where to start.
In this workshop, we'll explore a range of discovery techniques, from stakeholder and user interviews to discovery workshops, content analysis, and more. We'll also look at what comes after you've made reams of rough notes, and just before you create deliverables: the part where you start to recognize patterns, clarify ambiguities, and put the pieces together.
Collective 2016 – Talk to the People: Customer Interviews for Content Strateg...Kerry-Anne Gilowey
We can study detailed web analytics, review the pretty demographics charts given to us by Marketing, and devise colourful personas to guide our work, but until we’ve actually spoken to our customers – preferably face-to-face – our understanding of their needs remains limited.
It’s not just interaction designers, user experience practitioners, and marketers who can benefit from conducting customer interviews. Content strategists and content creators too can gain an enormous amount from asking customers the right questions and knowing how to interpret their answers.
I'll be giving this talk again at CS Forum in Melbourne in October 2016 (http://csforum2016.com/). I hope to see you there! If you'd like me to give this talk – or any other – at your conference or organisation, please get in touch.
Collective 2016 – From Analysis to Synthesis: Tools and Techniques for Discov...Kerry-Anne Gilowey
When you begin work on a new project, there are so many unknowns, so many moving parts to get your head around, so many questions you haven’t even thought to ask yet, that it can be hard to know where to start.
This workshop gives participants:
– A toolbox full of discovery techniques and tips, as well as recommendations for further learning.
– Clarity about which tools to use when and for what purpose, and a basic discovery process that they can use as a starting point when planning out a new project or initiative, or writing a proposal for a new client.
– An opportunity to try their hand at several of these techniques.
I've given this workshop a few times in the USA, and I've had great feedback from participants. I'd love to give it again at your conference or organisation. Let's talk!
MinneWebCon 2016 – From Analysis to Synthesis: Tools and Techniques for Disco...Kerry-Anne Gilowey
When you begin work on a new project, there are so many unknowns, so many moving parts to get your head around, so many questions you haven’t even thought to ask yet, that it can be hard to know where to start.
This workshop gives participants:
– A toolbox full of discovery techniques and tips, as well as recommendations for further learning.
– Clarity about which tools to use when and for what purpose, and a basic discovery process that they can use as a starting point when planning out a new project or initiative, or writing a proposal for a new client.
– An opportunity to try their hand at several of these techniques.
I've given this workshop a few times in the USA, and I've had great feedback from participants. I'd love to give it again at your conference or organisation. Let's talk!
It’s all too easy for organisations to get caught up in the shinier, glitzier realms of the content world – viral campaigns, social media outreach, custom publishing, slick video production, and more. So many ideas! So many opportunities!
But what about the basics? How about a strategic approach that focuses on getting the fundamentals right before embarking on complex creative campaigns?
Positioning content strategy and planning solely as a marketing function can lead to misplaced priorities, allowing certain fundamentals to slip through the cracks and cause trouble later on. The pressure on the customer support team keeps rising, and internal workflow breaks down… and no-one can quite figure out why.
In this session we consider what we might be neglecting in our rush to be exciting and trendy. We explore the content essentials, and look at how an organisation can manage and plan for them.
I presented this as a webinar for Data Conversion Laboratory on 10 December 2014 (http://www.dclab.com/webinars/back-to-basics-getting-the-content-essentials-right).
Please get in touch if you'd like me to give this or a similar talk in-house at your organisation.
The Elephant and the Dassie: A Tale of Evolution and KinshipKerry-Anne Gilowey
The evolution of our work and environment has produced new relationships between disciplines, within digital teams, across organisational verticals, in our local design and tech community, and across borders. I gave this talk as the keynote presentation at the UX Craft conference in Cape Town, South Africa on 4 October 2014.
The way that content creation has traditionally been positioned in organisations – usually as copywriting, and under the guardianship of the marketing team – has led to all kinds of important things slipping through the cracks and causing UX havoc later on.
Inscrutable error messages, badly truncated headlines, and conflicting factual information pop up like ghouls and ghosties on a House of Horror ride, and upset our users when least expected.
I gave this talk at IA Summit in Baltimore in April 2013.
At the start of a project, not only do we not know the answers yet, we don’t even truly know which questions to ask. And yet straight away we’re asked to provide project plans and timelines, to list and describe our deliverables, and to outline the exact steps we intend to take.
So, to avoid the discomfort of not having immediate answers, we map out a methodology for ourselves and apply it to every subsequent project.
But this approach doesn’t serve our clients well. We make decisions too early, and end up solving the wrong problems. We keep going through the motions even when we realise we’re heading down the wrong path, because we don’t want to be seen as inconsistent.
Context and empathy are two words that have become increasingly ubiquitous – and rightly so. But how much do you truly understand about those from distant lands? In this presentation I spoke about what it’s really like to live in South Africa and suggested how place might provide a context to influence our thinking and work.
Talk to the People: Customer Interviews for Content StrategistsKerry-Anne Gilowey
I gave this talk at Confab London in March 2013, and again at the New York City Content Strategy Meetup in April 2013.
We can pore over detailed web analytics, review demographic charts, and devise colourful personas to guide our work, but until we’ve actually spoken to our customers—preferably face-to-face—we won’t truly understand their needs.
Interviewing customers requires a balance of empathy and objectivity. We need to learn how to ask the right questions, interpret the answers, and consequently create more effective content.
I gave this talk at the very first Content Strategy Cape Town Meetup, in September 2010. It was meant as a pretty broad overview and history of the discipline of content strategy.
The case study discusses the potential of drone delivery and the challenges that need to be addressed before it becomes widespread.
Key takeaways:
Drone delivery is in its early stages: Amazon's trial in the UK demonstrates the potential for faster deliveries, but it's still limited by regulations and technology.
Regulations are a major hurdle: Safety concerns around drone collisions with airplanes and people have led to restrictions on flight height and location.
Other challenges exist: Who will use drone delivery the most? Is it cost-effective compared to traditional delivery trucks?
Discussion questions:
Managerial challenges: Integrating drones requires planning for new infrastructure, training staff, and navigating regulations. There are also marketing and recruitment considerations specific to this technology.
External forces vary by country: Regulations, consumer acceptance, and infrastructure all differ between countries.
Demographics matter: Younger generations might be more receptive to drone delivery, while older populations might have concerns.
Stakeholders for Amazon: Customers, regulators, aviation authorities, and competitors are all stakeholders. Regulators likely hold the greatest influence as they determine the feasibility of drone delivery.
Senior Project and Engineering Leader Jim Smith.pdfJim Smith
I am a Project and Engineering Leader with extensive experience as a Business Operations Leader, Technical Project Manager, Engineering Manager and Operations Experience for Domestic and International companies such as Electrolux, Carrier, and Deutz. I have developed new products using Stage Gate development/MS Project/JIRA, for the pro-duction of Medical Equipment, Large Commercial Refrigeration Systems, Appliances, HVAC, and Diesel engines.
My experience includes:
Managed customized engineered refrigeration system projects with high voltage power panels from quote to ship, coordinating actions between electrical engineering, mechanical design and application engineering, purchasing, production, test, quality assurance and field installation. Managed projects $25k to $1M per project; 4-8 per month. (Hussmann refrigeration)
Successfully developed the $15-20M yearly corporate capital strategy for manufacturing, with the Executive Team and key stakeholders. Created project scope and specifications, business case, ROI, managed project plans with key personnel for nine consumer product manufacturing and distribution sites; to support the company’s strategic sales plan.
Over 15 years of experience managing and developing cost improvement projects with key Stakeholders, site Manufacturing Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Maintenance, and facility support personnel to optimize pro-duction operations, safety, EHS, and new product development. (BioLab, Deutz, Caire)
Experience working as a Technical Manager developing new products with chemical engineers and packaging engineers to enhance and reduce the cost of retail products. I have led the activities of multiple engineering groups with diverse backgrounds.
Great experience managing the product development of products which utilize complex electrical controls, high voltage power panels, product testing, and commissioning.
Created project scope, business case, ROI for multiple capital projects to support electrotechnical assembly and CPG goods. Identified project cost, risk, success criteria, and performed equipment qualifications. (Carrier, Electrolux, Biolab, Price, Hussmann)
Created detailed projects plans using MS Project, Gant charts in excel, and updated new product development in Jira for stakeholders and project team members including critical path.
Great knowledge of ISO9001, NFPA, OSHA regulations.
User level knowledge of MRP/SAP, MS Project, Powerpoint, Visio, Mastercontrol, JIRA, Power BI and Tableau.
I appreciate your consideration, and look forward to discussing this role with you, and how I can lead your company’s growth and profitability. I can be contacted via LinkedIn via phone or E Mail.
Jim Smith
678-993-7195
jimsmith30024@gmail.com
The Team Member and Guest Experience - Lead and Take Care of your restaurant team. They are the people closest to and delivering Hospitality to your paying Guests!
Make the call, and we can assist you.
408-784-7371
Foodservice Consulting + Design
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers new opportunities to radically reinvent the way we do business. This study explores how CEOs and top decision makers around the world are responding to the transformative potential of AI.
Oprah Winfrey: A Leader in Media, Philanthropy, and Empowerment | CIO Women M...CIOWomenMagazine
This person is none other than Oprah Winfrey, a highly influential figure whose impact extends beyond television. This article will delve into the remarkable life and lasting legacy of Oprah. Her story serves as a reminder of the importance of perseverance, compassion, and firm determination.
22. Ask questions like these...
What are your processes and tools?
What’s working, and what’s not?
What does your team look like?
What other teams and departments do you
work with?
Where are the bottlenecks?
What are your challenges?
23. ...not these
What are your business requirements?
What functionality do you need on the
website?
What buttons do you want on the admin
panel?
24. The magic sentence
(I have no idea how Kristina
can hear anything over that
loud party hat.)
Image courtesy of Sean Tubridy!
“Tell me more
about that.”
26. Tory
Brand Manager
THE SITUATION
Brought you onto the project
Over-communicator
Goes back on decisions
Keeps you away from her boss
27. Tory
Brand Manager
WHAT’S GOING ON?
Her boss doesn’t respect her
She doesn’t know how to defend
her ideas
Afraid of losing her job
Feels she’s on shaky ground with
the advent of digital
28. Tory
Brand Manager
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Give her digital resources
Discuss ways to defend your ideas
together in advance
Give her YOUR respect
29. Felix
Business Analyst
THE SITUATION
Is inflexible
Asks for inappropriate deliverables
Values deadlines over progress
Hides behind process, project
plans
30. Felix
Business Analyst
THE SITUATION WHAT’S GOING ON?
He doesn’t really understand the
domain of the project
He’s afraid that if he deviates he’ll
be shown up
31. Felix
Business Analyst
THE SITUATION WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Communicate frequently
Set up additional sessions to work
through subject matter
32. Sharon
Head of Customer Care
THE SITUATION
Frequently says, “I’ve been saying
that for four years...”
Sighs and rolls eyes during
meetings when recommendations
are made
33. Sharon
Head of Customer Care
THE SITUATION WHAT’S GOING ON?
Feels she hasn’t been heard in the
past and isn’t going to get the
credit she deserves
Feels sidelined by the new project,
which she doesn’t own
34. Sharon
Head of Customer Care
THE SITUATION WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Turn her into an ally
Get her on board
Give her credit for her ideas in
front of other team members
35. Karl
Digital Editor
THE SITUATION
Has worked here for a long time
Helped build current version of
website
Seems uncooperative
Takes a long time to submit work
36. Karl
Digital Editor
THE SITUATION WHAT’S GOING ON?
Feels threatened by negative
attention on current site
He’s struggling with perfectionism
Doesn’t like to show his work
37. Karl
Digital Editor
THE SITUATION WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Take time to understand past
challenges and history
Make sure he feels heard
Treat his deliverables as works in
progress, collaborate
38. Laura
Compliance Officer
THE SITUATION
Keeps changing copy in ways that
are not customer-friendly
Sees everything in black and white
terms
39. Laura
Compliance Officer
THE SITUATION WHAT’S GOING ON?
Afraid of being sued
Motivated by doing her job well
Sees herself as a champion for
compliance
40. Laura
Compliance Officer
THE SITUATION WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Ask for feedback, not revisions
Make a visible effort to understand
the regulatory environment
41. Lee
Lead Developer
THE SITUATION
Doesn’t seem to trust you
Doesn’t get involved at workshops
Seems condescending
Doesn’t answer your questions in
detail
42. Lee
Lead Developer
THE SITUATION WHAT’S GOING ON?
Has had bad experiences with non-technical
people in the past
Developed prejudices
43. Lee
Lead Developer
THE SITUATION WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Demonstrate your technical
understanding early
Create clear, useful deliverables
Avoid marketing jargon and
buzzwords
44. Saul
Stakeholder from HR
THE SITUATION
Difficult to get hold of
Uncooperative during interviews,
doesn’t open up at all
Gives one-word answers or says he
doesn’t know
Extremely defensive
45. Saul
Stakeholder from HR
THE SITUATION WHAT’S GOING ON?
He’s suspicious of the project and
your motives
Afraid that he doesn’t know the
answers
46. Saul
Stakeholder from HR
THE SITUATION WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Become his friend
Be open about the project objectives
and your motives
Reassure him
Ask about things that he knows well
to get him comfortable
55. Everyone has their reasons.
He’s scared of
taking
responsibility.
She’s
struggling
with
perfectionism.
He’s worried
about
looking
stupid.
She’s afraid
that she’ll
be blamed.