1. Remember why you invited this person or group to your meeting.  They are there because they clearly have a reason and a right to be there, otherwise why were they invited?  Remembering this will immediately recall a level of respect from you, and trust me: this will be felt by your team.
2. Recall the meetings you were in that truly inspired you.  What did your team manager do or say to inspire you? Of course the subject matter might have been the main inspiration, but I can assure you I have been involved in some incredibly interesting projects and the person leading the projects was so perfectly dull and pedantic we could have been talking about toe nail clippings for all I cared.
3. Recall the meetings you were truly uninspired.  What did the team manager do in that instance. Really, always recall this; it is a guarantee that you will not commit the same mistake if you vividly recall these mishaps.
4. And lastly, remember to include in your agenda (see basics of project management or basics of presenting for these tips) a big portion of joint collaboration.  Make sure you have white boards or huge pieces of paper and markers.  Everyone loves to draw even if they feel they cannot.  Even if you know 99% of what everyone is talking about already, let them speak.  Let them think. Let them start understanding and becoming the project.  That 1% you didn’t know could make the entire project the sustainable success you want and need it to be.  Please also make sure you have water/tea and healthy snacks if the meeting is longer than an hour.  People are not machines.

And as I always say… have fun.  Humor and wit go a long way.

-c

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There are seven titles here, and even if you don’t have time to read the entire blog, if you simply make sure the seven titles are addressed, you’ll be on the way to a successful outcome.

1. SCOPE CLARIFICATION:

• Make sure the scope of the project is clearly defined in one document called: Internal project scope for ABC Co.  This will include:
• Who is the client? Website included
• Client point person(s)
• Relevant research – where can it be found?
• What is the project?
• What is the goal – really, it’s your goal to make sure this is met.
• What is the absolute timeframe? Have you padded the timeframe a little to make sure you are covered with miscellaneous happenings?

2. CONTRACT CLARIFICATION:

• Where is the signed SOW? Also find out, should this be seen by all team members or just the client executives and agency executives?
• Team: names, contact info and roles and goals for each team member
• Note:   Have all team members signed a mutual non disclosure
• If there are any contractors and are all 1099’s in order?

3. ONLINE CLARIFICATION AND ORGANIZATION:

• Create another document called:  Internal Data for ABC Project:  This document will show where the files are stored online i.e. Basecamp? Dropbox? Both? Others?
• Who should be invited to the project management tools you are using?
• Who is the admin for these tools?
• Do you need a kick off training session on how best to use your choice of online project management?
• Should client also have a separate folder?
• Do relevant people have passwords?

4. PAYMENT COGNITION:

• Is the client payment process understood? Is it all in place? Do you need to talk with your accounting department and make sure they have all relevant information?

5. BUDGETING COGNITION:

• Budget:  sometimes the entire budget is not openly shown or sometimes what is shown are the hours per scope of work so people understand.  Our rule is that the more transparent you can be the better.
• What are hours per budgeted for this project?  Have you padded the hours by 20% for misc.?  Best to be conservative versus over optimistic. The client wants what they signed up for: “Be on time and on budget and deliver what we all agreed to.”

6. KICKOFF COLLABORATION:

• Are you prepared for the internal kickoff meeting to make sure everyone knows relevant information?
• Do you have an agenda? Did the client agree to the agenda before the kickoff so to feel included and also clear?
• Are you prepared for the client kickoff meeting so the client feels ‘safe’ and also included?
• Have you included all key stake holders in this agenda prior to kickoff so everyone relevant is heard?
• Are you including a strategic framework in the kickoff meeting?
• Are you making sure the kickoff is set up so it is a working session and a lot of the key foundation information will be created in this meeting?

7. COMMUNICATION COLLABORATION AND ORGANIZATION:

• What documents are already organized and what else is needed from the client?
• What should the files be called? My rule of thumb is files and folders within Dropbox or Basecamp are named after the proposal’s deliverables so it is effortless for both the client and the agency to understand and keep track.
• Do you understand how the client wants you to submit reports? Sometimes a client likes to use their own templates so they don’t have to do a bunch of editing before submitting to their direct reports.
• Do you have a clear Creative Brief template prepared?
• Content template deck prepared? Etc.
• What project is this similar to, so you can reference and walk your team through the similarities and best practices?
• Do you have weekly status templates in order? Does everyone understand this and when they need to submit their hours and status to you in order for you to have time to prepare for the client status report?  And is the communications process understood by the client and internally? I.e. Once a week calls on xx date and time.
• Are some using some other apps like Google docs? Or only Basecamp? Do you need to make a decision for only one app in order to avoid confusion?
• Is all contact info and conference call numbers uploaded on Basecamp so people can refer to it?  Use free conference call if possible: freeconferencecall.com
• Is Skype set up, is there credit for long distance, and are video cameras available for all users.  Very inexpensive and easy to set up.
• Are all team members on ichat or alternative IM tools too
• Are the metrics clearly defined with process for tracking?
• Are the review meetings scheduled within a given time frame (i.e. 6- months) to view results and tweak strategy?
• Is the team excited about this project?  Are you excited about this project?  This is a crucial step for a successful outcome.
• Have fun. Be on time and on budget and/or warn the client as soon as you see there might be a change looming. Never surprise the client or your colleagues.  Be 10 steps ahead. Be you.

Good luck, and I hope you found some of this helpful.

Be well,

- C

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Not sure what I’ve been waiting for but tonight I realized that’s just it… we wait for something and really, it’s within us already, so we are waiting for the moment we uncover our truth.

Tonight I was asked what my practice is. My answer came immediately, without thought or script. “My practice is being awake daily. I remain in one aspect with harmony with my child – I continue to always notice the color of the wind, and the smell of the light. I see and feel the street, and only then do I notice the people and only then do I notice the cars and buildings. So, I suppose my practice is to feel before seeing.”

This does not mean I have a calm mind. Far from it. My mind has the ebb and flows of a dish washer at times, but I do know how to turn off – its just choosing when to. So, how does this help with my communication? Well as I see it, if we listen more intently, we communicate more effectively. If we communicate more effectively, we stay awake more truthfully as we are seen and therefore feel worthy of seeing.

Good night and thank you.

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A dreadful crisis brought to a country already in crisis. And, I just want to scream. As I want the world to focus on Zimbabwe too!! I want the world to know what is going on there and how many 100′s of thousands of good people are suffering because of a handful of rotten and soulless people.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is speaking out about how we need to also see the new positive steps in the last year his party has been ‘in’ – and how the world has to recognize these steps in order for more progress to be made. I agree with him. Otherwise what are we all doing? Waiting for Mugabe to nod off?

And then there is the rising child abuse It has to be stopped. PLEASE KIND PEOPLE – PLEASE LOOK AT THIS. Please learn about this country and its incredible beauty and spirit.  We need a spokesperson with charisma and dedication to pick up the microphone and help make change happen here. There are numerous volunteers helping all the time, doing incredible work. We need the Eve Ensler of the Congo for Zimbabwe. We need the George Clooney of Haiti for Zimbabwe.

My brother, Alasdair Munn is donating time and resources to assisting projects in Southern Africa and doing all he can through our company too. I have been quiet for too long. Time to come out. For now, I am doing my wee bit for Haiti too. Those children have to be fed – I know people on the ground there now and sadly some of the areas are 10 x worse than what we are seeing on the news.

If you aren’t already involved, Urban Zen is putting on a huge event on February 17th and raising money and awareness in order to assist directly with those most effected. It is amazing all the good people are doing. Maybe the next event can be for Zimbabwe.

Pamberi Haiti

Pamberi Zimbabwe

Tatenda.

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I thought of the 2 flights I take on average each week criss-crossing the country as if I was Verizon itself.  I thought of the amount of times I actually get to sleep at home — the amount of time I get to see my own family and community.  Results were rather pathetic.

We all know this and I want to walk my talk better:   Problem solving/Making Money is absolutely stupid unless there is balance thrown heavily into the equation.

Besides:

1) I love sustainability thinking and doing

2) I adore Skype

3) Isn’t all this social media strategy work I do meant to help all this new virtual way??

4) Finally,  I am Zimbabwean for goodness sakes — we love to play and we love our sense of belonging.

Even though I am no longer contagious, I have canceled my flight tomorrow, and decided the next one will be only when I go to www.ted.com — the event of the year I truly enjoy, along with www.urbanzen.com forums  – they are the ones when I really feel like a giant kindergarden child on speed.

I do hope you are balancing your life, and if so I look forward to learning more from you on how to do it better.

Be well, and thank you for checking in.     -c

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Using my happy study of biomimicry, nature shows us the pattern and process of extinction.

Web 2.0 is does not have the patterns of extinction. 2.0 is an evolving pattern of dynamic digital communication. So, of course it isn’t going to die, but it will evolve. If web 3.0 is semantic web and 4.0 is relevant web, then I am probably safe in declaring 10.0 will probably be the intelligent web as by then all forms of communication will be totally interconnected and integrated PLUS, most exciting of all, it’ll incorporate the many different learning styles I love so much.

So… Here’s to the revolution of communication evolution. One day we WILL have Communication Intelligence.

By the way, my CQ is coming along nicely, thanks to the numerous intelligent and not so intelligent comments (both private and public) I continue to gratefully receive

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Is your product worthy of a crowd conversation?

Why do you think so?

Truly… Who have you asked?  How many people?

Do you like your product?

Why?

Would you or your family/friends be ok if they were spammed by your product marketing?

Why not?

There are definite ways of making $$ through social media. Assumptions coupled with arrogance and ignorance doesn’t usually help meet projections (we’ve tried).  Creativity, consideration and planning are three key components. Followed closely by flexibility, measurement and transparency.

We can probably help if you have a need.

Tell us your success stories. We are pulling together top 10 case studies. Funny is good too.

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The 7 minutes was endless.

And then… I recalled my practice of biomimicry. I looked around for the genius of nature only to be confronted with 100 percent man made objects. I couldn’t see the sky due to the coaches ceiling and around our airport trees had been replaced by the loveliness of tarmac.

My rocking had begun to annoy my “crowd.”  I began a sneezing fit instead. Immediately I had an additional 3 feet available around me as my crowd had instantly labeled me with H1N1.

Moral of this story: Life without digital chatter is extinct so best to travel with 2 sets of phone batteries, unless the runway you are sitting on is on the dust trails in Zimbabwe or Parrot Cay.

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I realize I’ll never feel “location-complete.”  Its ok – Planes and Skype plus my attitude of the glass is half full and cracked, make it easier.

What really turns me on is erasing borders from my mind and focusing on open global learning. In other words, “biomimicry.”

Biomimicry is a new discipline looking at the genius of nature and design.

How nature has and does influence the products, brands and systems we design or build.

TED.com speaker, Janine Beynus definition is:

• Sustainable
• Innovation
• Inspired
• By nature

I wholly agree with her. We are indeed surrounded by genius.

So, I now find it easier to say:  “Hello, I am a digital brand strategist and technologist influenced by the genius of biomimicry.”

I have always wondered how to sum up my Epicurus nature. I care so much about:

• Different learning styles; nature; sustain ability;
• Non-duplication of efforts;
• Genius revolutionary innovation;
• Sharing clearly; growing transparently; integrity;
• Equality;
• Respect;
• Symmetry and, most important of all…play.

Biomimicry is all of the above and then some.

Biomimicry teaches us about communication, strategy, design, learning styles and the intelligence of the independent or of groups/crowds.

In my company, we work with this paradigm daily. For example we are always asking ourselves the following:

How do we effectively build a digital crowd?  tcg is studying reports on energy grids (swarm tech) of how ants and bees efficiently find their food as a whole hive. Perusing learnings from scientists who study energy grids, we glean certain understandings to improve our own crowd gathering techniques.

As my brother, Alasdair Munn (another biomimicry nut) would say. “Clare, that was rather a long way of saying, ‘I love nature and what it teaches us if we simply look, listen and learn.’”

Happy New Year.

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Yes, as innovative and generous as the US are as a nation, we’ve been FAT THINKERS. We’ve become rather lazy with our thinking. We even have cars parking for us for goodness sakes. Our arms are fat. Our brains are fatter.

So, back to Social Media – our business is busy. We have and continue to be approached a lot as people are ready to think more resourcefully. Ready to truly put what they learned at school about integrated marketing into actual practice. Interconnecting dots is for a lean brain. We can all do this.

The ROI of Social Media:

1. Asking questions leads to better informed answers and solutions. This is always an immediate time and money saver. Access to real time information and knowledge and being able to act on that information and knowledge, is the new competitive advantage.
2. Measurement is key. Here we talk about measurement against objectives, not against resources.
3. Interconnecting the dots is definitely an exercise for leaner thinking. Fun though.

For additional points, call us and help us understand your business and initiatives and we can help you figure out the relevant ROI framework for your specific business case.

Contact: info@tcgagency.com or Michelle Smith at +415 864 1431

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