28 Tuesday Aug 2012
Posted in Twitter
Highlight of my week! If you don’t know Garr Reynolds, you should definitely get to know him. Start with his book The Naked Presenter (all about presentation delivery) and then browse his website Presentation Zen.
22 Tuesday May 2012
Posted in Advice, Communication, Twitter
My superstudents in May Professional Communication and Presentation have really been inspiring me this month. One particular amazing soul, Skye, presented her PechaKucha on replacing all that social media/texting/telephone communication with some good old fashioned face-to-face time. Skye’s PK along with my recent studies/obsession with Sherry Turkle combined to lead me to my current experiment: Solitary Sundays.
I no longer have Facebook (see “My Year Without Facebook”), and eliminating that distraction has done wonders for my productivity and my overall quality of life. Solitary Sundays will push those same boundaries a bit. I plan, every Sunday from now on, to spend an entire 24 hours without social media, without texting or talking on the phone, and without watching TV or movies. Solitary Sundays will be about reconnecting with myself, getting work done, reading, working out, and spending time with loved ones without the distractions of technology.
While I did want to do a whole “no computer/no telephone” ban, realistically, I do a lot of work on Sundays. I grade work from my online classes and catch up on emails and late student submissions. I also spend a lot of time developing projects… for example, these 3 videos I’m working on for the JLGO end-of-the-year May GMM have to be finished this Sunday. Maybe I’ll work toward the “no computer/no telephone” goal; for now, here are my Solitary Sunday plans:
1) No texting, no talking on the telephone. My phone will go in my purse for the weekend. I will answer telephone calls only in the event of an absolute emergency. And I’ll know it’s an emergency because the caller will also be blowing up my husband’s phone…
2) No social media. I won’t use Twitter or Pintrest on Sundays. Since I eliminated Facebook, I think the “no social media” will be the easiest part of this challenge.
3) No television or movies. We, thankfully, got rid of cable about 3 years ago, but I do have Netflix. I will no longer spend time watching reruns of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. My biggest movie time is before bed. I will no longer watch movies to fall asleep on Sunday evenings.
So what in the world will I do with all of myself during Solitary Sunday time?
Well, I’m so glad you asked. I want to spend more time actually being productive. For me, “productive” means grading (of course), reading, writing/blogging, working out, running, working in the garden, working on my class, and spending in-person quality time with my loved ones.
How will Solitary Sundays help me with my long-term goals?
I want to run a 10K and then a half-marathon as soon as I’m ready. The more time I put in running on Sundays, the more quickly I can meet this goal.
I want to read more fiction. I have plenty of time to read nonfiction to help me continue to develop as a superteacher and to improve my class. I want to get back to reading for fun.
I want to spend more time writing for Creating Communication.
I want to spend more time communicating with people in person and less time through Twitter and the telephone. Meaningful relationships take time and effort, and I’d rather be brunching than texting.
A special thank you to Skye and to Sherry Turkle for inspiring Solitary Sundays! Will you join me?
20 Sunday May 2012
Posted in Public Speaking and Presentation, Twitter
Tags
Pintrest, presentation, public speaking, resonate, six ways social media helps your presentation resonate, social media
Pintrest is opening up a whole new world for me. Not only do I get to share and explore creative ideas with others, but I’ve found new books, new posters, and new ideas simply by using the social media site. Unlike Facebook, Pintrest is actually a learning tool, and I cannot get enough of it.
For example, my students can use Pintrest when they are working on a project to pin articles and source material as well as images. This helps them when it comes time to cite that work, and I find Pintrest to be a much more organized way to research and prepare for a presentation.
Today, while browsing Pintrest, I found this gem:
What great Pintrest finds have you stumbled across this week?
19 Saturday May 2012
Tags
22 Thursday Dec 2011
Posted in Inspiration, Twitter
Tags
Deb Roy, inspiration, TED, TED Talks, TED.com, the birth of a word
For the next 10 days, I am dedicating my Twitter to My Top 10 Favorite Things From 2011. Today, I posted The Best TED Talk I Watched in 2011: Shea Hembrey’s How I became 100 artists. I asked my Twitter followers which 2011 TEDs were their favorites.
Matthew R. Dyer of Columbus, Ohio, Tweeted this:
Of course, since I’d never seen or heard of “The Birth of a Word,” I immediately watched all 19 spellbinding minutes of Deb Roy’s talk. It’s a must-watch.
What was your favorite TED Talk of 2011?
02 Friday Dec 2011
Posted in Twitter
Tags
Many presentation gurus have their own Twitter accounts, and they are very active in offering visual design, delivery, and speech content advice. So who should you be following on Twitter? Here are 5 People to Follow this Friday:
2. Ethos3
3. Slideshare Superstar Jesse “JesseDee” Desjardins
4. Slideshare
5. Nikki Smith-Morgan of Public Words
02 Wednesday Nov 2011
Posted in Twitter
My copy of The Naked Presenter is tattered, highlighted, and scribbled in. I re-read it every month before my Delivery Workshop. Delivery is one of my favorite components of presentation, so I love teaching it, talking about it, and, of course, I love delivering!
The very first mini-chapter within The Naked Presenter was written by Phil Waknell. I’d never heard of Waknell before picking up Reynolds’ text, but as soon as I read his amazing concept of natural delivery as it relates to the samurai, I made it my business to learn everything I could about him. I followed his blog, Phil Presents, and I followed him on Twitter. I discovered Waknell’s creation: Ideas on Stage, a company out of Paris, France, dedicated to teaching the art of presentation.
Follow Phil Waknell on Twitter
Yesterday, I wrote a little review of Prezi based upon my feelings and what I’d been reading from Phil Waknell and Garr Reynolds. Well, to my surprise/honor/shock/delight, Phil Waknell himself Tweeted my review and included a link to my blog!
Since he is one of my presentation heroes, I nearly had a heart attack right there in the dining room. I was even more shocked when he replied to me directly!
Needless to say, yesterday was the best day of my entire life, and I needed to share my joy with all of you. Let me.
14 Friday Oct 2011
Posted in Twitter
Tags
Many presentation masters have their own Twitter accounts, and they are very active in offering visual design, delivery, and speech content advice. So who should you be following on Twitter? Here are 5 People to Follow this Friday:
1. Nancy Duarte
2. Garr Reynolds
3. David McCandless
4. Phil Waknell
5. Jay Willingham of The Daily Infographic
Of course, you can always follow me on Twitter! Click here to follow.
