Let's Do Lunch.....Leadership and Career Growth in Silicon Valley » Communications

Death By PowerPoint

Devin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:12:14 +0000

We’ve all sat through long presentations that left us wondering how to get that fraction of our lives back. You know, those “FYI” presentations that are often more self aggrandizing than informative. During this economic downturn, I have seen an increased number of internal company business communications that have made me wonder who the . . . → Read More: Death By PowerPoint

Does PowerPoint inhibit decision making?

Devin — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 10:00:26 +0000

I chuckled when I read “Speaking Truth to PowerPoint” in the Wall Street Journal this morning. Business has grown to rely heavily on PowerPoint as a primary communications medium. Unfortunately, details are lost because the nature of presentation slides is summarization. I depth business planning requires a format that is conducive to thoughtful . . . → Read More: Does PowerPoint inhibit decision making?

The Pecha Kucha Experiment

Devin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:31:56 +0000

When I first heard about the modified Pecha Kucha exercise that I was invited to participated in (see Pecha Kucha on Summer Vacation) I wondered “what kind of nonsense is this?”. I first had to look on Wikipedia to figure out what it was. I’m not one for gimmicks, and this seemed like . . . → Read More: The Pecha Kucha Experiment

Managing in an Environment of Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD)

Devin — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:14:03 +0000

It’s the spring of 2009 and the economy is in the dumper. The average American family’s wealth has dropped by 18% and California’s unemployment rate has topped 10%. Just about everyone in Silicon Valley knows someone who has been laid off from, what were once, promising economic high flying companies and employees are feeling . . . → Read More: Managing in an Environment of Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD)

Stress, how do we deal with it?

Devin — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:46:38 +0000

Wow, its been a busy summer. So much so that I have not been able to practice what I preach and write my thoughts down. I have at least maintained my reading schedule to keep myself semi-sane (and for those of you who know me well, that’s even a stretch). I picked up an interesting book . . . → Read More: Stress, how do we deal with it?

Web 2.0 is Creating New Rules for Communication

Devin — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:28:43 +0000

I watch several blogs because they provide outstanding insights. All of them post with sporadic frequency but I was concerned when Ed Batista stopped posting for over a month on his blog “Executive Coaching and Change Management”. I started to worry about his health or was afraid that he’d lost interest. Many blog entries I’ve read . . . → Read More: Web 2.0 is Creating New Rules for Communication

The Act of Journaling

Devin — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:30:02 +0000

I was asking a friend for advice about situations at work and he asked me if I journal-ed (as if it were a verb!) I told him I’d tried a few times to put things down on paper but that I’d never really been able to maintain the habit. He asked me what time of day . . . → Read More: The Act of Journaling

Viral Marketing and 2.0 Tools

Devin — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:46:48 +0000

Web 2.0 has certainly changed the way many people interact. It has created communities, provided a vehicle for customized interaction, and has been a platform for collaboration. The communications aspects of Web 2.0 are breakthrough technology for marketing and delivery of new products and services. We can overlay new methods on existing business functions, such as . . . → Read More: Viral Marketing and 2.0 Tools

Web 2.0, Fad or Future?

Devin — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:00:32 +0000

Web 2.0 is all about making personal connections directly and immediately. More and more I hear about how blogs, wikis, and social networking sites are changing the way we live and play. Clearly teens and above have started to use sites like Facebook and MySpace in ways that have changed social interaction but I’m . . . → Read More: Web 2.0, Fad or Future?

Leaders Ask Rather Than Direct

Devin — Tue, 20 May 2008 03:39:47 +0000

I was in a series of leadership offsites this week and had some interesting observations about communication. All the leaders around me were the best that I have ever worked with. They understand business and how to lead. Each leader has their own style and strengths which create their own organizational culture. . . . → Read More: Leaders Ask Rather Than Direct