• 2010: time flies when you're having fun
• Saying no to great ideas
• New conversations for a better future
• The value of online obscurity
• Presentation secrets
• Dealing with risk, and leading through a crisis
• Brainstorming, and finding the best ideas
• Leadership tips from women executives
• Five components to great workplaces
• We still like feedback...

2010: time flies when you're having fun
Welcome to the Autumn 2010 edition of globalNEWS. We've been quite busy over the last few months (so much so that it's hard to believe that we are almost half way through the year!), and our collaborative meeting process, iMEET!, has been in the spotlight more than once. At a recent strategic planning meeting in Sydney, one participant, Alex Gooding, was so enamoured with the process and the outcomes that he wanted to write about it. You can find Alex Gooding's blog here, where he describes it as 'a big step towards 21st Century conferencing': [more...]

Saying no to great ideas
Here's a refreshing statement made by a top-500 company executive: "...People are our most important asset in the world by far. It's people who deliver innovation. We are the most focused company that I know of or have read of or have any knowledge of. We say no to good ideas every day. We say no to great ideas in order to keep the amount of things we focus on very small in number so that we can put enormous energy behind the ones we do choose." - Tim Cook, Apple's Chief Operating Officer, in Business Insider (USA). [more...]

New conversations for a better future
Conversations are the lifeblood of our world. The concept of conversation covers all the ways that we listen, speak and communicate meaning to each other. Any improvement in the quality of the conversations that matter will benefit all of us, and create a better future. Hosting and harvesting conversations that matter is a skill that all of us can and need to learn. The ANU Centre for Dialogue and Global Learning is offering a 3-day residential workshop at Murramarang Eco Resort (28-31 July 2010) to explore these issues through teachings, discussion and practical experience. More information: [more...]

The value of online obscurity
An interesting warning from Clive Thompson in WIRED magazine about the difficulties experienced online in large groups: conversations (and socialisation) simply don't scale. There's a point at which large groups can only communicate via broadcasting, not sharing. As Thompson suggests: "When the conversation gets big enough, it shuts down. Not only do audiences feel estranged, the participants also start self-censoring. People who suddenly find themselves with really huge audiences often start writing more cautiously, like politicians." It's an insightful perspective, as are the comments that follow the February 2010 editorial. The accompanying image is worth a thousand words alone! [more...]

Presentation secrets
Communications coach Carmine Gallo has identified five elements in successful presentations: a headline, a villain, a simple slide, a demo, and a 'holy smokes' moment. Author of '10 simple secrets of the world's greatest business communicators' and 'Fire them up!: 7 simple secrets to inspire colleagues, customers and clients', Gallo shows how to be insanely great in front of any audience. The presentation skills are similar to the basic skills needed in essay writing: present a clear topic, outline what you're going to talk about, provide readers/audiences with clear transitions, make statistics relevant to your topic and audience. [more...]

Dealing with risk, and leading through a crisis
Stefan Stern, columnist in The Financial Times, investigates how leaders can be decisive in times of crisis, reflecting on how we must safeguard against the dangers of 'pattern recognition' and 'attachments' - both of which lead us down familiar paths of risk management with events that are vaguely predictable. He suggests that wise decisions can only be made if the right sort of management philosophy is embedded, and in having the right attitude in the face of calamity. [Link requires free registration] [more...]

Brainstorming, and finding the best ideas
One of the advantages of a virtual or remote team is that you have access to the best and smartest people, no matter where they are. One disadvantage is that 'where they are' could be along way from you. How do you get the best ideas and input from these people when you're not in the same room? Running a good online brainstorming session is a critical tool for managers and project leaders. Here's some advice from Wayne Turmel at BNET Australia on how to work online (hopefully with iMEET!, of course!): [more...]

Leadership tips from women executives
Here are twenty of the best tips, tricks and rules of thumb for younger women aspiring to climb the career ladder. Lisa Orrell spoke with several senior female executives in large corporations, and compiled a list of the tips from the conversations that ensued. Whilst they are offered from a female perspective, they apply to both sexes equally, and are practical ways in which you can improve your leadership skills and become a respected member of your team. Number one: Power, influence and integrity are three inter-connected circles that create the foundation for being an effective leader. [more...]

Five components to great workplaces
Simma Lieberman, Fast Company blogger: 'There are five key components to creating the workplace where people love to do their best work. These components are: Inclusion, Implementation, Individual convenience perks, Immersion, and Integration. If your workplace culture is inclusive, it means that employees are engaged and everyone has an opportunity to succeed. People at all levels can have a career path strategy if they want. Inclusion also means that employees bring their whole selves to work. If they leave part of who they are at home, then part of their focus and creativity will be left at home.' [more...]

We still like feedback...
Please feel free to talk back to us. Ask for more information or links. Comment on our news. E-mail your feedback to us, and if you like globalNEWS, let your friends know and invite them to subscribe, too! Subscription details (and how to unsubscribe) are found here: [more...]