Me(e)ta Language Close-Up

It's always best to get rid of as much jargon as possible when articulating a business proposition. Obvious perhaps -- it's best to engage as many and exclude as few prospects as possible, and words shouldn't divide.

This non-jargonated discourse is usually called natural language, however even the terms we use to get rid of obfuscation is jargon. My friend and writer, Carl Honore, introduced me to a great set of pod casts produced by Slate.

The series is called Lexicon Valley and goes into the most wonderful detail about English grammar and the meaning behind it.

Check it out.

The Internet is a Very Big Place

Who knew I was listed in Bloomberg/Business Week?

I certainly didn't. Not a big point, but the Internet is a very big place.

Gaming for Good Causes: Playmob

Saw an ex-client today who is doing very well -- always a great thing to feel one has been useful.

Jude Ower, CEO of Playmob, after winning the pitching competition at the Tech City Festival this summer in London, the company also continues to gain recognition for a Playmob's very smart business model and the good work it can do.

Playmob allows game companies to offer fund raising campaigns to charities through gamers' purchase of virtual objects to navigate the game. The game company makes 30%, Playmob makes 20%, and the charity makes 50% of the proceeds.

Don't get me wrong -- this is no not-for-profit. Jude's just come up with a fun, smart way to accomplish a task that usually makes both fundraisers and givers anticipate a task not unlike that of Sisyphus.

Dragon's Den Success

I must congratulate my client for getting through the fire and other scary stuff (like humiliating questions) rife in The Dragon's Den.

The Den demands all stay shtum about contestants before airing, so I can't tell you much.  But I can tell you that this particular person went from not knowing what to say to poised pitch in three days. 

Knowing your story by heart, and then underlying it with conviction, is the most potent combination for seemingly effortless and persuasive performance.

Very much like acting onstage, effective pitching is 95% practice, 5% inspiration, once you have the right feedback.  Even an amateur can become a professional in a relatively short period of time.

Watch this space for more, once I'm allowed to give more information.

Douglas Rushkoff Redux

I attended a St. George's House consultation that has made me think about many of the very smart friends give new perspectives on what we take for granted.

It's not an easy feat to come up with a credible alternative to behavior and attitudes that have become invisible to us, particularly in business.

First on my list is Doug Rushkoff whose Life, Inc. is certainly worth considering. Here's an older link to Doug's Ofcom talk about the history and relationships among corporations, economics, and work.

See what you think.

Getting Young People Into Work in the UK (and Everywhere)

In the UK, there are more young people out of work than ever before. According to The Guardian, a record 18% of people between 18 and 24 don't have a job. For those of you outside the UK, these kids are being called the lost generation.

As we who have been unemployed before know, sending blind cv's to job sites usually bring no answer. If you're lucky, you get a polite form letter to announce receipt or your application or to say the job went to someone else.

So what can one do? My experience has been that times of crisis are opportunities for the enterprising and entrepreneurial. Don't wait for a job, make one.

More in the next post.

Working in Cambridge at Springboard: Great Teams

I've taken time off from blogging, and I'm back -- now to tell you about a remarkable programme in Cambridge, UK called Springboard.

Springboard is an incubator that gathers 10 lucky, accomplished teams at Cambridge University. Not only are the resources wonderful but you couldn't ask for a more beautiful place to spend a summer.

Jon Bradford, amazingly adept at shepherding start-ups through the challenges of getting investor-ready, has chosen some wonderful teams. Check out all the wonderful mentors who participate in Springboard as well.

Consider getting involved by filling out a Springboard application or becoming a mentor yourself.

Looking forward to two more rounds with the group this month.

Fits.me Fashion 2.0 Meet-Up Event - NYC

I attended a Fashion2.0 MeetUp in NY, sponsored by Fits.me, and it was hosted by the new New York sales representative, Erika Wasser.

Great fun. Aside from Heikki Haldre, Fits.me's CEO, the most articulate, compelling panel member was Alex Richardson. Fantastic stuff he knows and is doing for retail brands.

Here's a snap of Erika and me -- look out for more of these events if you live in NY and want to find out what's hot in web-based fashion thinking. Fascinating, innovative technology arising in retail that will transform the way we shop.

Strategy and Business: Hot Off the Press

Fits.me, a client of mine, is innovative, smart, and ripe for investment. Strategy and Business seems to share my opinion.

Mixing Metaphors for Better Balance, in Business and Elsewhere

Yesterday, I acted as a mentor at the School of Communication Arts 2.0, a pleasure under any circumstances. Bright, versatile, articulate and ready to jump deftly from one idea to another, the students are game for any new way of thinking.

It was delightful, if unsurprising, to meet the head of Ideapreneurship with exactly the same way of thinking, Andrew Missingham. He began as a musician, went on to business, and combines disciplines in a way that gives useful structure to improvisation.

New Industry, New Ideas

I acquired a client, Fits.me (http://fits.me), in September as a new business development gig.

I first worked with the CEO, Heikki Haldre, last year on communication skills and pitching for investment. Because they company has grown up, and I've taken on a new role, I've been underground learning about the industry for a few months.

Back this week with some of what we're doing. Crossing disciplines is the best way to remember what one knows, I find -- and to learn more about it.

The Chair: Interviewing on Camera

I went along to Canary Wharf with my friend Stewart Townsend the other day to see him interviewed about the remarkable schools he runs with his partner, Kirsty, outside Manchester. Stewart's soft-spoken approach enhances his powerful personality and tremendous ability to articulate persuasively -- this is very rare.

It's really a testament to Jez Kay and Ruth Elkins that they can bring out the best in people so different from each other as those who sit in The Chair.

This is the kind of work that is most important when helping people with difficulty presenting themselves:

Rather than turning them into someone else, how do you show help them show enough of themselves to engage in business to the same extent they do with people in the rest of their lives?

And voila -- here's Annette Kramer on film -- if you have a chance, take a look at all the videos and how Jez and Ruth got everyone in the same shot to look very different from each other indeed.

Networking with Effect

I've been working with United Kingdom Trade and Investment in Tallinn to prepare for a conference where they will show off talent and innovation born in Estonia.

The challenge? How to make it clear how exciting the talent and innovation really is, even beyond Skype.

Part of the workshop was on transforming presentations into conversations listeners want to continue after your presentation is done.

And part was devoted to informal networking.

The Estonians fancy themselves introverts, but this hasn't been my experience. The people I worked with simply have a strict sense of protocol and the habit of not putting themselves forward too forcefully.

It only took a little practice and an understanding of the benefits of breaking habits to get people into a very social mode.

Here are the networking tips we discussed:

1. Find out in advance, where possible, who you should meet before the event takes place or before a networking break. Begin to think about how to make the exchange of cards meaningful.

2. Make your goals lead your behavior and choice of what you say. The desired result? To continue the conversation outside the room in which you exchange cards.

3. Approach a qualified lead/total stranger with the intention of beginning a conversation you can continue later. Hold out your hand, look the person in the eye, and introduce yourself, saying you’re from Tallin, Estonia (if, indeed you are -- why? Because it's interesting). If the person you approach doesn’t give a name, ask for it.

4. Make it easy for those you meet to help you learn quickly what the possibilities of your relationships could be. Begin the conversation with a question, and when conversation lags, ask a question again.

5. Through questions what you add, make it easy for them to show you how you could be of use to them, how they could be of use to you. The key word is “how”. Do they know someone who might be a better fit? Do you, for them?

6. Remember to be genuinely CURIOUS -- with purpose. Make it easy for those you meet to show you the connections that are possible between ideas, vested interests and opportunities you share and how you can cooperate.

7. When possible, save exchange of cards for the end of the conversation. It gives you a way to end the conversation, and it doesn’t cause a lot of fumbling at the beginning when you meet. It allows you to look each other in the eye.

8. Once you get a card, write on the back what is meaningful about the connection and what you will follow up with.

9. Follow up that day by email, if possible. See if you can set up a phone call or a meeting to continue the conversation.

10. Be persistent – don’t push, but continue being curious about how you can help each other. Even when you get back to your home base. See how long you can make the conversation last. Sustainable curiosity is your most valuable resource.

11. Practice.

12. Practice.

13. Practice.

Back to the Baltics

I'm off to Tallinn next Tuesday to work with UKTI start-ups. The Director will be writing a piece on the venture, and I'm fascinated to learn how the start-up community fits into the bigger business picture within the Baltics.

Just in time for the trip, The ArcticStartUp has published my piece on better communication for in business.

Markets Are (Still) Conversations Because They Are Still Made Up of People

Cluetrain might be old news, but exploring role of conversations -- as, within, between, among -- markets is still topical. See Josh Klein's discussion on how companies should decide whether or not to use Twitter, just for example.

No one likes being talked at. Most pitches and presentations fall flat for just this reason. Much better to start a conversation listeners want to continue.

If no one wants about your product to other people (including you), it's probably a good idea to avoid social media.

Silence is always better than spam.

How To Build A Business

Jon Bradford's The Difference Engine has got some nice press in the Guardian today.

Although Paul is singled out, the whole group came a long long way during the 13-week intensive programme.

For more about my experience with the group, see The Difference Engine Blog.

Oracle's Innovation Expert, Stewart Townsend

I have the great good fortune to work with Stewart Townsend when offering help to start-ups on communicating more effectively to investors.

He is a brilliant guy and a lovely one. Stewart was interviewed about European Innovation, and it's worth checking out.

Presentation Skills 101: Who is Your Audience (Other than You)?

What Makes Presentations Fail?

The biggest challenge to improving communications for clients is the art of perspective.

Everything good (or bad) comes from the ability (or inability) to see the forest for the trees and visa versa. In the case of pitching to investors or clients, it entails understanding where your communication ends and your audience's understanding begins.

All the stock phrases for improving communication sound simple: know your audience, be passionate, speak to (rather than at) your listeners.

In fact, as in Buddhist statements everyone takes for granted to be true (be here now, for example), nothing could be more complicated. All require a kind of perspective that is difficult to maintain when you are the one speaking.

As in any relationship that feels important, the one between you and your listeners requires the ability to observe and change behavior (or tactics) when you're not getting through. The challenge, of course, is that the more important a relationship feels, the less perspective we tend to have on ourselves.

With technologists, one often has to curb the discussion of a product or operation in order to focus on its effect's relevance to the listener.

With high-level executives, it's often a challenge to get rid of jargon that might feel transparent to them but abstracts an issue when it should be directly felt.

Those Who Teach Are Not Exempt

I'm not immune to the tendency to lose perspective, but I have created a habit of checking to ensure my client and I are working well together.

My challenge for myself is always checking to ensure that I'm not talking at -- but with -- the person to whom I'm giving feedback. There's always the risk of taking over the conversation. However, it's essential to remember to listen rather than talk when appropriate because my goal is to bring out the strengths in a client rather than change him or her into someone else.

It never works to try to change someone into something else -- the conversation becomes a performance that doesn't engage 9 out of 10 times. Each person's strengths is his or her biggest asset. And my job is to ensure that each client is being the most engaging self (himself or herself) possible.

Sometimes Grown Ups are Just Tall Children

My friend, Kate Quardfort, who teaches drama in the South Bronx, wrote a great piece for the Huffington Post about the challenge of creating trust and perspective. Check it out.

The Difference Engine Pitches at Microsoft

The Demo day at Microsoft in London for The Difference Engine offers proof that boot camps work.

In the 13 weeks in which I helped teams communicate their ideas more effectively, every participating entrepreneur has come so far that (as another mentor said) the pitches were unrecognizable. The teams began with nascent ideas and ended up with complex and persuasive products – and engaging stories to match.

It is remarkable how these teams have transformed themselves. Living for almost a fortnight in Middlesborough university digs, they worked around the clock to prepare for investor presentations in Newcastle and in London. Most of their days were spent in a great new building SeedCamp has nothing on the work put in here.

I was the teams' pitch coach, and although my contributions helped, credit really goes to Jon Bradford. North East Finance gave the money, but Jon miraculously found a way to help each team in ways that met myriad unique needs.

Check out The Difference Engine FAQs -- the website is great. And if you are a start-up and have not applied for the September’s Difference Engine programme, do it today.

It was sad saying goodbye, but I'm sure we'll be hearing about most (if not all) of them as they get their funding and build their businesses.

Difference Engine TV: Episode 5 - Presentation Skills

I am thrilled to be involved in The Difference Engine's first year's boot camp. On Monday, the teams will present at Microsoft in London as a finishing touch.

If you're a start-up, it's definitely worth checking out The Difference Engine TV - a very generous series of videos that work through the process of preparing your tools for investors.

There is a lot on presentation skills in Episode 5, but check out the other segments as well.