Catalyst

Archive for the ‘technology’ Category

Voicemail (depending on your viewpoint) is either the bane of existence or a wonderful tool to increase productivity. The latter is true… if you know how to leave a good message.

I receive several phone messages each week, many by salespeople. As I slog through the swamp of messages, some are easy to answer and others just get the trashcan. The ones that get a quick “delete” have the following characteristics

• The caller speaks too fast or without clarity. You understand about every third word so nothing gets through.
• The return number is spewed out like the BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. You can’t make out the number and have to listen to it several times just to get it. Usually the person leaving their number only says it once, making it doubly difficult.
• The message sounds like, “This is Bob. Call me.” Even if you know Bob, you probably don’t know what Bob wants or needs. He doesn’t give his number so I can’t return his call unless I want to search for Bob’s number (hoping I get the right one.)

As I’ve handled my voicemail over the years, a few things will make your message easy to return.

• Identify yourself with first name and last name. I may not know right off which “Bob” or “Karen” this is (I know several).
• Give me a thumbnail idea of what you need. Many times, people need information. I may or may not know but could find out. If I am aware of what information is needed, I can get you complete information. If not, it will take a second phone call (both a delay and a waste of time.)
• Give your return number clearly. When you speak on a phone, slow down (especially if you are on a cell phone). When giving your number, speak distinctly, pausing between each digit. Then at the end, say, “that number again is…” and repeat it. That allow me to correct any confusion about the number.

If you really want to get an answer, make it easy for me (and people like me) to answer your call. If it is not easy, the odds are the phone won’t ring.

PowerPoint walked into the communication room like an 800-pound gorilla demanding its own way. It has become so ubiquitous that many people cannot speak, teach, or present without leaning on the electronic crutch.

The common PowerPoint presentation is a gray blob of words thrown on a page. Bullet points click off with monotonous precision. I have worked with communicators who can do nothing more than read off the screen what their audiences can read for themselves.

It has reached a melting point in one arena that demands extreme clarity-the United States Military. One military commander in Afghanistan, Brigadier General H. R. McMaster has now banned his commanders from using PowerPoint as a result of the slide shown above.
In a recent interview, McMaster said, “It’s dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control. Some problems in the world are not bullet-izable.”

Instead of throwing away PowerPoint, it is vital to use it properly. Here’s what I have learned.

Have a message before you touch the screen. If you cannot speak without the projector on, you will do worse with it on. Outline. Think. Revise. Get the message clear before clicking the PowerPoint icon.

Understand that people can listen or read–but they cannot do both at once. Too many presenters are “screen-readers.” They fill their screens with words which then get parroted back to the audience. STOP IT! If you want people to read it, print it out, pass out the pages and go home.

Use pictures and speak to the pictures. People think in pictures. They will see the picture quickly and then are ready to listen to explanation, the facts, or the opinion. See then say is the best avenue to follow.

I am thankful for PowerPoint but have grown irritated at how lazy it has made communicators. It’s not about slides, but ideas. Get clear and be clear in your presentations.

A seer warned Julius Caesar to “beware the Ides of March.” On March 15th, he was assassinated. For Americans, it is adapted to “beware April 15th.” That’s the day tax returns are due.

The tax season is also a favorite scamming season for cyber-criminals.

Emails, purportedly from the Internal Revenue Service, advise you to click on a link to claim a tax refund due to you. When you click the link, it takes you to a website asking for social security numbers, names, home addresses, and bank account numbers (so the money can be deposited in the account). It probably also has an IRS logo to make it look genuine. The email address even reads “irs.gov.”

Don’t click on this link.

The IRS does not use email. They do not contact you electronically or even over the phone. All communication from the IRS will come through the Postal Service. (Misuse of the postal service is the federal offense of mail fraud.)

This scam is especially aimed at the trusting, the electronic novice, and those who are older. What should you do if you receive such an email?

First, don’t click on any links. That opens the trap door to your private information vault.

Second, contact the Internal Revenue Service. If you think money is due you, call them (1-800-829-1040) and talk to someone directly. In addition, forward the email to the email fraud division of the IRS. They will investigate.

Pay what is due the government, use what is yours to use, but do not let the criminals continue their electronic crime spree.

Twenty-five years ago, computers turned my world upside down. The possibilities for easier, more efficient work were endless. Spreadsheets crunched numbers. Desktop publishers (as they were called) made preparing newsletters and flyers a snap (and fun). Word processors allowed words to flow and let me change on a fly. One of my great joys was writing a macro that would compress as many keystrokes into one as possible.

I keep a task list on an IPhone synced to the web so it is available on a laptop, a business center computer, or my desktop. I’m very efficient.

Then why, when you go to my desk, do you find a paper time log? It’s all about the purpose.

While some professions use time logging to determine billable hours for various clients, my use is more mundane–to find out I use my time. I could use a spreadsheet where categories are color-coded and a macro could produce an automated report. It would be easy, efficient . . . and irrelevant.

In my church, our elders want to see a monthly report. It helps them see my work better. It’s an accountability tool.

For that process, I use paper. A few times a day, I take a paper week-at-a-glance planner, enter what I did in the appropriate time block, and repeat as needed. It’s done with a cheap ink pen on paper. On the first day of the month I take a legal pad, write down all the things I did in various categories and then transfer the information to a pre-designed report in my word processor.

Why not let a computer do that? It’s because of what I would lose. They key to using time logs effectively is not the historical archiving of dozens of daily tasks. It’s reflecting on what’s happening in your life.

If I let the computer do the work, I get a pretty report that won’t change my thinking. I need the mental processing, the seeing of tasks, the “ouch” of bad time use.

Imagine the learning lost if I did not have to confront questions such as:

•    Where did I use my time? Was it on important things or did I squander it?
•    What did I neglect?
•    What needs to be eliminated or delegated?
•    What time-wasters grab me by my mental lapels and demand attention?

Einstein observed, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler.” When you take reflection out of life, you learn nothing.

I still use my computer for so many things. But I don’t want it to do my thinking for me.

Are you reflecting on your time? What does it tell you about your life?

Technology is a great tool for losing things!

You keep everything on your flash drive–but which one? (I have four of them.)

You want to work on a presentation for an important meeting. Which computer is it on? Which flash drive?

You arrive at a place you are to speak. You have a powerpoint presentation, but the flash drive you brought is the wrong one? What now?

These scenarios are both realistic and scary. We multiply data and files and just hope we can find it. Over the years, I have learned (the hard way) that you need to have everything at your fingertips. To do that you need tools for fingertip access.

Notes

Everyone keeps up with the bits and pieces of life. It may be a grocery list, websites you want to visit, or some notes on a phone call. The problem with notes is they are easy to make and even easier to lose. As I have said many times, “I wrote it down but forgot.

I manage several wireless networks in my church. Each one has a name and some kind of encryption password. I also have a few websites I manage, each with its own log-in credentials.

I’ve used stand-alone programs but the limitation of computer-dependent is the brick wall. I discovered a website called evernote.com. Evernote lets you clip information from the web or enter data from a keyboard. I have computer shortcuts, essential information, logins, passwords, etc. I can access it from any computer with an internet connection as well as my smartphone. (I use an Apple IPhone and, yes, there’s an app for that!) I always have access to important pieces of information.

Evernote is free at evernote.com

Files

Back in the old days of Windows, something called the “briefcase” existed in which files could be synced to a floppy disk. Unfortunately, you always had to have that disk.

When I’m sitting at a coffee shop with a wireless connection and want to work on a file, what do I do? How do I know that file is the same version in my office as well as my home.

Recently, I discovered Dropbox.com. Once you have set up a free online account, you download Dropbox. Dropbox installs a folder called My Dropbox in your My Documents. When a filed is saved to that folder, it is synced online, and to other computers you have setup with Dropbox. (Currently, I have Dropbox on my work computer, my laptop, and my home computer. You must download and install on each computer.)

With Dropbox, you can work on a file wherever you are it stays up-to-date. (I am writing this post on my office computer, will edit it on my laptop, and post from my home.) Even if you are working at a hotel’s business center, your Dropbox content can be used via the Dropbox website.

Dropbox is free and is platform agnostic (available for PC, Mac, and Linux).

Online Storage

It’s always a good idea to have some form of backup storage off-site. Two that work well are Box.net and Mozy. Both have both space for free or for a monthly fee you can get more storage.

I use Box.net to backup files I might need or that I don’t want to lose to a hard drive crash, or even a fire. I have used it to backup files from my wife’s office computer. (Tech support has told her it is a matter of time before her hard drive bites the dust.)

One other thing…

All systems need two key elements–redundancy and simplicity. For instance, I may have a presentation on a flash drive, but before I leave for a trip, I email it to myself as an attachment. That way I can always get it back. Simplicity is settling on a system. Too many (which means more than one) jumps the odds of data loss.

When you need something, don’t wonder where it is. Make sure it is at your fingertips.