Take-Talk

Change to TakeTalk.ca

2008-06-30T15:32:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since I last posted.

I have decided change the function of my blog & moved it to www.taketalk.ca
So I will end this blog, but leave it online for now

Please go ahead & visit TakeTalk.ca
Thanks,
Ian

Lou Carbone - Customer Experience (70 min)

2008-04-29T19:40:00.007-04:00

http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail1749.html

In this entertaining talk at Adaptive Path, Lou Carbone, author of 'Clued-in', shows us:

How companies make the customer/you feel
vs
How people feel about companies & products

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Clue-out vs clued-in of customer experience
Howard Johnson's: Cutting cost for efficiency at the expense of the customer

Disney: Being in the customer's head by making an emotional connection

Relationship drive by Data vs customer experience (Northwest)
Having customer relationship management system/data doesn’t mean you have a relationship with the customers. Why would it?
Northwest think Lou is a very loyal customer with a gold membership, but he would leave in a heartbeat. ‘They do not understand how they make me fell, which is in turn how I feel about them…In one moment I went from hero to zero’

Satisfied customers NOT= Loyal customer
Satisfied customer does not mean loyal customer; In the car rental industry, 60-80% Customers that leave was satisfied customers.
Key question: Would you recommend this experience to a friend?

Clued in
Hair cut experience: Lou became a loyal customer with an incredible experience though a series of small clues; even though he had a horrible haircut.

We have experiences that we:

Reject, Accept or Preferred -> then we create the reason afterward

Remember: Decisions people make are rational & emotional

Going from the world of product to experience
The worst thing happened to Banking industry was product, they used to be in the service business. By thinking they have product, they lost sight of the relationship.

It's not just about quality, but the impact customer experiences as well.
Designing business experiences, such as Starbucks & iPod by increasing value, then profitable also got increased.
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Key Message:
All the numbers in business are made up of people & what people do & feel. The brand value & customer value fuel each other

-> it’s about how customers associate with product.

Peter Drucker said:

‘The reason for a business’ existence is
to create value for the customer
& profit is the reward.’

Malcolm Gladwell: Human Nature (30 Min)

2008-04-23T08:14:00.010-04:00

http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail230.html

From IT Conversations, this talk is from Malcolm Gladwell describing how we don't mean what we say & how it affects product we get. (The first story is a bit long, so if you want then skip to the 10 min mark)

It begins with the Story of Aeron Chair (8 Min long), we see people preference change from calling the chair ugly to become the best selling chair of all time. In business & life, we try to come up with things that people would like by asking them; From this case it failed, because in-between feeling -> expressing preference, something was lost.

The 4 lessons from this talk:
Lesson 1: Preferences are unstable
Preferences are not stable/constant -> it can change in different conditions
Example: Pepsi Challenge & new Coke, how New Coke launch failed after 100000 taste test. Then are focus group & objective measure reliable?

Lesson 2: Story Telling Problem
People make up stories when ask to explain what they do, feel or want
Example: When Tennis pro explains how to they hit a top-spin forehand

Lesson 3: Preference changes when asked why
Asking people to explain their choice changes their preference in a negative way; They gravitates the more conservative & less complex choice.
Example: Hang in there vs impressionist art poster

Lesson 4: Cannot explain new concept & uncertainty
There is language problem of describing radical ideas & products, we just class it ugly or un-preferable:

We don't have away to describe between ideas or product that are :
Ugly (un-preferable) vs Radical (challenges us)

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Key Statement:
People/We are really bad at interpreting the contents our own hearts;
So be mindful of when people say no to an idea, is it un-preferable or is it just complex/radical?

Useful Commute:Negotiation Genius (11 Min)

2008-04-06T18:30:00.013-04:00

This talk give insight to how have success in negotiations from the author of Negotiation Genius. A lot of tips are given within the 11 minutes, below are the usual notes
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The key to negotiation success
1st key to success: Preparation
Three point to prepare before negotiation:
1. Identify all the stakeholder (in meeting or not)
2. All of the alternative of each side
3. Looking at all the interest of all parties

You need to put yourself into the other’s shoe
- Their Needs & case
- Their Priorities
- Their interest & get them going
- What are the constraints?
- What are their perspectives?
Think of all parties & figure out solutions & Alternative

2nd key to success: Listening
People talk too much & Listen too little: Since we go in with a prepared set of arguments to convince the other side ‘How it should be’
-> Instead listen to the other side’s perspective.

You might be arguing a case over & over again, while the other party is constrained on an item.
If you don’t consider this, you would be stuck arguing instead of creating a solution or alternative.

Once you understand what they are up against, then you are in a better position to get solutions that they can offer.
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Day to Day/Salary Negotiations
Think systematically during such negotiations, the sit down with your manager & make your case clear:
- Think about what you want get & state it upfront
- Everyone's value proposition are different
- What are the Barriers?
- What are the statistics to prove my case?

People might not even take consideration of what you value
-> Frame your case early on.
(Example: Customer satisfaction v.s. Sales #)

Take control of the situation & justify your demand/case
(Example: 'Here is what I think is fair & here is the info why…' using statistics)
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Catch Lies in Negotiations

People don't like lying, but they have no problem giving the wrong idea
Example:
Q: Is this the lowest price you can give?
A: I had never ever given a lower price! (This is a misleading & it didn’t answer the question)

Listen carefully to the answer they are giving & not giving
- Are they avoiding telling you the truth?
- Is you question clear or focus?
- Do I need to ask deeper question?
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When Not to Negotiate
There are situation when negotiation is a bad idea:
1. The negotiations would ruin the relationship
2. If everyone knows you have a best alternative is horrible
3. Not the right time, when negotiations losses your position or offer
(Example: A great work/job opportunity of with low salary
… It might be a good idea to negotiate a future time to do a negotiate to re-evaluate)
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Key Summary:
Most cases, how valuable THEY think we are much less than how value WE think we are, since:
- We overvalue our contribution
- They have other priorities instead of only thinking about youSo state clearly & justify your demand with statistics.

Sir Ken Robinson - TED: Education affects Creativity (20 min)

2008-03-30T21:29:00.011-04:00

http://blog.ted.com/2006/06/sir_ken_robinso.php

This talk was from the 2006 TED conference by Sir Ken Robinson, both audio & video is available. Through entertaining & wonderful stories, he describes why we should treat Creativity as much importance as literacy.

Education was meant to take us into a future we can’t grasp, but our education has been:
- Mining only one side of our mind
- Encourage not to learn from mistakes by stigmatizing mistakes
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Creativity: Not fearing to be wrong
All children have great talent & innovation, but we crush their creativity, ruthlessly. Now, we should be treated Creativity as important as literacy.

Young kids are willing take a chance on things they don’t know & they are not frightened of being wrong. If you are not prepared to be wrong, you will never create anything original.

Unfortunately we run our education systems & our companies to stigmatize mistake & making it the worst thing you can do.

'All children are born artist, the problem is to remain artists as they grow up'. If we don’t grow into creativity, we will grow/educated out away from creativity.
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Hierarchy of Education systems

Every education in the world has a hierarchy in subjects:

Math & Science, Language, Humanities, Arts

As children grow up, we educate them
-> From the waist up
-> The head
-> Left side of the brain (Analytics)
But why?

If we consider who wins & succeeds at our education systems?
We can conclude the purpose of the education system is to produce University professors

Although suddenly a degree is not worth anything; when jobs previously need a BA now need a MA or PhD. This is a process of education inflation and the structure of education is shifting.
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Education limiting Intelligence?

We know 3 things about intelligence
1. Diverse: we think in many different ways, such as visually, in sound, abstractly …
2. Dynamic: Intelligence & creativity are interactive, and not in silos
3. Distinct: Unique
But we only consider intelligence through our education system.

Our education systems was invent in the 19th centuries to meet the need of industrialism. The hierarchy was driven by 2 ideas:
1. The most useful for work subject are at the top.
People get steer away from Music & Arts, but now profoundly mistaken; the arts & creativity is now drives the world.

2. Academic ability: dominates our view of intelligence.
Universities design the system in their image & the whole system of education in the world revolved around university entrance.

The consequence is that many highly talented & brilliant people think they are not; Because their talents they are good at wasn’t valued or even stigmatized.
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Sir Robinson’s key message:
Our education system has been only mining our minds for particular commodity (left brain); But in the future this won’t suffice.

Our hope for the future, it’s to start to reconsider of the concept of intelligence & the fundamental principle ways of educating our children.

“If all insects disappeared on earth, all life on earth will end;
If all human beings disappeared on earth, all life on earth will flourish.”

We have to be careful of using our gift of creativity wisely. By seeing our creativity for the richness they are & seeing out children for the hope that they are.

Our task is to educate their whole being & our job is for them to make something for it for their future.
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Key Statements:

Creativity is the process of having & taking a chance on original ideas that have value; many times come from the interaction of different way of seeing things.
Now, we should be treated Creativity as important as literacy.

Useful Commute: Body Language (7.5 min)

2008-03-16T19:45:00.036-04:00

Podcast Link: http://blogs.bnet.com/intercom/?p=1609

Impression is formed in 7 Sec or less through body language, here are some guides from this podcast.

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6 Powerful Non-Verbal Advantages - Emotional cues

Adjust your attitude (Affects the meeting)
A Smile (Inviting)
Eye contact (Openness & interest)
- Business gaze - between the eyes & forehead
- Social gaze - between eyes and lips
Raise your eyebrow (Recognition & acknowledgement)
Hand shake (equals to 3 hrs of continuous rapport)
Leaning forward slightly (Engage & importance)

Preferred way of Approaching & Speaking Stance

Speaking to Men & Women

Men - Approach side way or at an angle
Woman - Face to face

The Head Tilt

We are listen & interested
For woman - It could be a sign of submission

Keep your head straight
Be conscious in the message you are sending
They can catch lies better than men

Hands & Body Gesture
- Open v.s. Close signals
- When you giving a message, make sure you are using open signal
- Most people tend to believe your body than your words

Power of Touch
- It represent you are giving your total attention & being creditable (Liars rarely lie & touch at the same time)
- Touch the Forearm or shoulder (for 1/14th of a second)
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Key Statement: Most people tend to believe your body than your words

Marci Alboher: One person multiple career (20 Min)

2008-03-06T07:38:00.007-05:00

Podcast page: http://www.totalpicture.com/content/view/438/154/
This podcast & book covers the people's success through multiple careers & effectiveness of this.

Multiple careers, these are your professional identities or personal identities; This is recognized with a slash(/). E.g. Bono: Rock star/Humanitarian - He use his rock star career to propel his other career

These slashes are your deep interest or big life commitments that might of become a second career. People with multiple careers don’t see a distinction between these careers, just differents part of their lives.
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When: It’s hard enough to have 1 job, how can I have 2?

You have to find a right time to do this
Try it when you are in a less demanding/coasting period of your job
Take some adult education in an area you are interested

Who is it for?

For the restless & curious
Someone looking for career advancement (not just job advancement)
Looking for opportunity & fulfillment in life

How to do it?

You can mix a fix career & with a portable career (such as: programmer & blogger)
Virtual & Portable career: a career where you can do with the help of internet & technology
4 slashes that go with anything:
Writing, Speaking, Teaching, Consulting

Remember: The life-long jobs with a pension after 20 years are vanishing everwhere, so we all need to be entrepreneurial in life.
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Unexpected Future Opportunities - Slash Synergy:

Support life if the other part of life is bad
Opening career opportunity & career transition
Networking opportunities arise for the different part of their slash

Since your network is built by following your deep interest, you will be more fulfilled in your career.
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Slash makes you & life interesting, distinctive & an edge; sometimes the slash careers will make you the only qualified person for a job/career.

Barry Flicker: Slashing project time by 10% or more (70 Mins)

2008-02-28T19:17:00.006-05:00

http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail1721.html
Anyone ever worked on a team that didn't work, this talk will some shine light on what could have happened (especially in IT).

Here are the points of the talk, the following doesn't even cover half of it:
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The need to plan:
When Living in the bleeding edge in time for projects; It's like 'Building the plane, while it’s in the air'. What happens if the landing gear was missing -> it ends up in project failure

The need to be clear:
A way to minimize/clear up misunderstands & bad assumptions. It's to setup a common language & make sure in every meeting everyone understands:
1. Goals
2. Role/Responsibility
3. Process
4. Outcome
Have a key project statement to communicate with stakeholders or anyone new to the project; it keeps the aim clear.
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Project failures: Unrealistic deadline

Bad Expectation: Upper Management
Inadequate Resources: different demands & needs used by other departments
Scoop Creep: Sliding in addition items
All explanation = It’s not us, it’s them (The idiots out there)

Unfortunately 'the idiots out there' makes us helpless

If we consider the opposite, there is something in how we are behaving that is affecting the situation.
But now we can help the situation & it's no big deal to change our behavior to improve the condition.
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What is Project management?
(Project management is not using MS Project, not even close)

Core: The process to make & keep clear commitments
Foundation: Building on relation of Mutual trust & respect
Tools: Use to identify & track commitments

The project management team needs:
1. Tool-set: It magnifies what you do
2. Skill-set: To communicate, lead, listen & negotiate effectively
3. Mind-set: Change people mind in thinking planning is not “a waste of time”

If no skill-set or mind-set, we are Idiot with powerful tools -> It only make us dangerous, not better.
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Advises from Q & A:

Time Estimations: They are best guess only, should not set in stone; especially not early in the game.
Missing the Small Stuff: Use a ground-rules check list to make sure the little things are missed. Example: Hardware-software delay of 2 weeks, due to board not shipped from hardware team to software team
Brain-dead Behaviors: When you see someone acting in a brain-dead way, this means that you are seeing the whole picture, while others are not; Ask yourself what's the pay-off? What's the missing information?
Resistance to Accountability: People keep getting punish for taking accountability, that's fear based. Instead bring to together the team & talk about how to solve the problems; then accountability will arrive to take on the action.

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Some Statistics:

51% of ERP implementation are unsuccessful
75%+ IT project were delayed 30% more
52% cost run over 189% of the estimated cost

In Summary: Project costs much more & take much longer than necessary due to poor communication & uncheck assumption. (Example: Post-it Project Game)

Get it done guy: Just flip a coin (6min)

2008-02-22T00:09:00.007-05:00

Podcast Page Link: http://getitdone.quickanddirtytips.com/gid-decisions.aspx

If it cost it more to research & make the decision, then the impact of the decision -> Flip a coin or just do it
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Decisions cost money:
- E.g.: Programmer requester for a $600 lazer printer; 4 Exec took 3 1hr meeting to decide Not to buy the printer. (They could of use the money to buy the printer; it’s easier to Flip a coin or just pay it)

Indirect Cost:
- Cost of delay while the decision being made
- Cost of the distraction having to make the decision
- Cost to Gathering information
- Over-Expending issue (Example: New washer and then the sells ask for dryer)

Non-monetary cost/benefits:
- E.g.: Relationships, not arguing & say yes dear (Instead of arguing & fighting to a yes)
--------------------------------------------
Try these steps for decision making:
1. Review the major about things to buy, places to go & people to see
2. Notice how much work is needed to make each decision
3. Ask yourself how important for each decision
4. Then for the decision that is not worth the time for deciding
5. Just flip a coin

It will free up your mind & move things forward -> it would use less time make the decision or debating.

By passing the decision:
Make the decision to spend the money, instead of spending money/time to not make them.

Steve Jobs’s Commencement Speech - Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish (15 min)

2008-01-21T16:15:00.003-05:00

Steve Jobs’s Commencement Speech @ Standford University

He tells 3 life changing experience to inspire the class
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1. Connecting the dots

You can only connect the dots looking backwards & Trust it will somehow connect
Follow your curiosity & intuition (Fonts)
Do what you love & everything else follow

2. Love & Lost

After being fired, he was
- Free from the Heaviness being successful
- Gain lightness of being a beginner & be more adventurous
Work is a great part everyone’s' life, make sure you do great work
You got find what you love & don't settle

3. Death

Death is single best invention of life
"Lived each day as your last, someday you will certainly be right"
Your time is limit, so don't waste it living someone else's life

Key Statement:
Follow your heart & intuition, everything else is secondary; they somehow already know what you want to become.

Remember: Stay hungry, Stay foolish

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Link:
It’s in iTunes: Search for ‘Steve Jobs Commencement’
OR
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/stevejobsstanfordcommencement.htm
There is a small audio link under the video

Suggestion: Get the audio/mp3, since you can listen while driving, exercising or walking.
There is not much to watch for since he is standing on a podium with no slideshow.

Brief Intro

2008-01-20T10:24:00.000-05:00

Most of podcast shows/interviews are listened to for a month or 2 & virtual lost in the web.
I just want to link back to some of the good ones I have heard for everyone else.

Podcast/Files such as

Steve Jobs' commencement speech
Malcolm Gladwell's talk at TED & South by South West
A particular show by a podcaster

Even after listening to theses show, most people will forget about the content after a while.
In order for everyone to quick recall & apply the insights from the show, I will try to provide a concise but detail summary.