Great advice. Take the best advice.

The late and great Douglas Adams,  author of the The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide said: “The quality of any advice anybody has to offer has to be judged against the quality of life they actually lead.” Our world seems to be too full of analysts and consultants offering advice based on theory and supposition, rather than hard won experience. …

The amazing power of improv…. to get you out of trouble #improv #presentation

Yesterday in a my blog I reflected on the preparation required to make "your client look a star" by interviewing them on stage. One of the key skills which makes it easier is improv. Most people think of improv as Whose line is it anyway, comedy clubs or improv troupes like The Maydays. But improv …

An effortless conference interview

New format, big risk, monster rewards Rather than go with the tried ( tired ) format of getting a client to present a hours worth of Powerpoint slides to a lifeless audience, we thought we'd go for a slightly higher risk interview format.  I interviewed a client on stage with my questions and those submitted …

Business is Social – the script according to Salesforce.com’s Benioff

If you were one of the 90,000 who attended Dreamforce you would have been swept away in the energy and euphoria that is the Salesforce.com machine. Who couldn't be. It is now the largest tech conference with 800 sessions, 350 partners and big name bands. And now Salesforce.com has a run rate of $3bn per …

Social media changes everything – including the marketing department

Everything is different Like most things everything in life, getting results requires purposeful practice. Getting social media right is no different. Sure the world of social media is still evolving. But one thing is clear is that marketing can no longer "control the conversation", it must "join the conversation". Which requires a completely different set of …

Engaging an audience – think – feel – do #presentation #inspired

For those of us who spend time on the conference circuit, audience engagement is the holy grail. Sure, you can run through your slide deck and say your lines. That is what most presenters do. And that is why most conferences suck. It is a fire hose of information. The audience could have stayed at …

I have just met the future CIO – and he doesn’t work for IT #CIO #BPM

I have an interesting call with Ken McGee, VP and Gartner Fellow, yesterday who focuses on CIOs and not BPM. We met at the Gartner BPM conference where he delivered an excellent, thought provoking keynote on the Why BPM and BI have strong future together. He was researching how the role of the CIO was …

How to debate, present and lobby- watch and learn #presenting

Thank you for smoking is a satirical and funny film about the lead spokesperson for "Big Tobacco", but it is also a fascinating look at how to argue a case against insurmountable odds.  Plus a timely warning about the press - no matter how appealing a shape and size they come in - nothing is …

3 P’s – critical in sales and many other things in life #sales

We are all in sales. For our companies possibly as sales people, but definitely when navigating the politics and arguing your case. For ourselves for career progression and getting the finer things in life. And in our private lives finding a 'mate' for example.My best sales pitch was to Natalie, and fortunately she bought the …

Presenting at TED #presenting #sirkenrobinson #education #awesome

Here is the TED presentation by Ken Robinson Schools kill creativity downloaded 4 million times and his followup Bring on the learning revolution! (also embedded below) Here is sneak peak behind the scenes - his preparation and some great advice on presenting   Sir Ken Robinson's TED presentations

What does Las Vegas mean to you? #health #lifestyle #happy

We had a long weekend break which took in Death Valley (amazing natural phenomena) and then Las Vegas (completely un-natural creation). Normally I hate Las Vegas. I don’t drink heavily, I am happily married, and I don’t gamble. As a regular speaker on the circuit, Las Vegas has a lot of conferences, so I’ve walked …

Great app but even better marketing video #iPad #iPhone #bpm

I have no idea how good the Rethink Realizer is, but this simple video explains what it is, what it does, and why you shoud use it. Simply. Easily. Amusingly. Shouldn't all marketing teams take this approach. How about two these howlers from my industry, BPM? Assembles a comprehensive and consistent view of data by …

What the f**k does social media have to do with BPM?

Why the expletives and asterisks?   It was promoted by the excellent presentation by Brand Infiltration called  "What the F**k is Social Media NOW?" which you can read below.  It has some stats that make you just lean back and say "F**k". But what is important is the conclusion: "Social media is redefining everything, including how …

A familiar BPM story… Who is innocent and who is guilty? #bpm #ipad #sap

This is a real story, but the company and Systems Integrator names are change to protect the innocent and guilty (in that order) A large company, ABC,  has an $80m SAP project which is implemented by Systems Integrator, XXX. They created a blueprint that was a MSWord document with questions and answers around business requirements. …

Why the iPad is becoming a hit for business #iPad #BPM #cloud

Here is a story from this morning's meeting at a client who is considering using Nimbus Control for process mapping , management and global deployment.  The client has over 250,000 employees and the meeting was with the SVP Operations who reports to the CEO, plus their team.  So a pretty important meeting. Last week one …