About 3 years ago I participated in a Toastmasters International “Humorous Speech” contest. I was trying to let people know about some of the “hardships” I’ve encountered when I immigrated to Canada from my home country of Israel. I put together some highlights from the speech I gave at the Division level competition (round 3). Enjoy!
http://youtu.be/4aszb9h8-eo
I love working with groups of people on learning and implementing new things. Some of the work I’ve done in the past involved “train the trainer” type of workshops. To help my students, I put together some thoughts about the process you can use to create interesting and effective workshops. It is based in part on group coaching models I learned through my counselling diploma program.
Defining your goals
Before you start, think about what you would like to achieve in the session. Each teaching goal can be approached from numerous angles. What is the angle that you would like to take? What particular insight do you feel that you can bring to the group? What are your ideal workshop outcomes?
After contemplating these questions, remember that the actual session has a life of its own. You may be planning for one outcome, but the actual outcome may differ. It’s all good. The process is sometimes more important than the results. The trick is to stay open and follow the group when needed.
Defining the activities
Now that you have defined your goals, it’s time to break down the lesson plan into activities. Lesson activities may follow this model:
The different activities may take place with the whole group working together, or you may decide to direct people to work in sub-groups of varying sizes. Don’t forget to make it fun! Design some of the activities as games or other active tasks. People learn best when they enjoy themselves. Moreover, people learn best when they are actually experiencing the subject matter and get to think for themselves.
Adding structure
Supplement your lesson with activities that will facilitate the different transitions and overall program needs. A “check-in” at the start helps bring people into the lesson. A summary at the end helps people review the lesson in their mind. You may benefit from receiving feedback at the end, so that you can learn and improve your next workshop. You may also need to take some time to deal with administrative issues.
Timing your activities
It’s important to be aware of how much time you would like to allocate to each activity. Knowing how much time an activity “should” take may come with experience. In general, the total time of the different activities should add up to the time you have allocated for the entire lesson. Try to account for everything to avoid running out of time. It is better to include too few activities than to cram too many. Some activities have a flow of their own and will end up taking longer than planned.
Reviewing the needed preparation and equipment
Once the lesson plan is complete (or even before), start making a list of all the preparation that will be required. Also, make a list of all the equipment that you will need for the different activities, and make sure it will be available for the workshop.
Once all the preparation is done, it’s time to go out there and have some fun!
Filed under People Development and Management
A couple of years ago when I was working as a consultant, I developed some short tutorial videos to help people with various data management tasks using Microsoft Excel 2010. The following are 3 examples of these tutorials that I believe are still relevant today. To view a video simply click on the preview image and the video should open in a new browser window and start playing automatically (all videos include audio narration featuring the voice of yours truly).
The first video covers the issue of working with date-time information in Excel and includes some tips on safer data entry (3:23 minutes)
The second video shows an example of automating the assignment of text values based on numerical data. It specifically deals with handling situations when the translation table contains ranges, as opposed to only specific numbers (3:30 minutes).
The third video demonstrates a cross-tabulation technique for textual information that can be useful to generate dynamic summaries and reports when Pivot Tables cannot be used. This technique involves multiple formulas and steps, so it may require an intermediate to advanced knowledge of Excel to fully understand (4:07 minutes).
I hope you found them useful.
Filed under Analyzing and Making Sense of Data, My Skills
In my native country of Israel the Hi-Tech industry occupies a central place in society. Technology startups are so commonplace that some nicknamed Israel “Startup Nation”. It’s true, the Jewish mother would still love to tell her friends that her son (or daughter) is a doctor, but being in the Hi-Tech industry is also pretty high on her list.
As a Canadian and a Vancouverite, it’s great to see that the technology startup culture is alive and kicking here, too. Examples are not hard to find. Vancouver based HootSuite is an innovator in the social media space since 2008. Vancouver based Recon Instruments is making breakthroughs in the heads-up display technology for sports goggles and glasses. Vancouver based Medeo is revolutionizing the patient care experience in British Columbia. Vancouver based BuildDirect is becoming a leader in North American online sales of renovation and construction materials.
At the same time, the road to entrepreneurial ventures in Canada does include some challenges. According to a Canadian Business article titled “A tech Titan made in Canada” (Winter2012/2013, Vol. 85, Issue 21/22), some of these challenges include companies selling early to U.S. giants, the shortage of experienced executives and challenges in securing growth capital. Some of these challenges are being mitigated by the coming of age of “remote business” technologies that make location and proximity less important than before. Another challenge facing the industry is the general shortage of skilled employees. According the a Backbone Magazine article titled “Help (really) wanted.” (Jun/Jul2013, p16-19), the technology and telecommunications industry as a whole is currently facing very low unemployment rates, such that companies are struggling to find the talent they need.
What I find exciting about the Hi-Tech industry is the speed in which things evolve. Things we once thought impossible are becoming reality every day. The possibilities seem endless and the opportunities to learn are ever present. What else can I say, but: “Go, Canada!”
Filed under My Interests and Passions
The term “triple threat” is used to refer to someone who excels in 3 different areas, which together give that person a distinct advantage. For example, in show business the term “triple threat” refers to a person that can act, sing and dance, allowing for great casting versatility. What would you consider a “triple threat” when it comes to the world of business?
Sinclair ZX Spectrum – Image by Bill Bertram
Throughout my life, I’ve always been curious about new possibilities. I remember this one time when I was a kid when my older sister and I decided to write a computer program together. The family computer back then was a Sinclair Spectrum with 64KB of RAM (!!!) and we have just learned of a command that allows us to paint a dot on any location on the screen. Very excited about this, we set out to make a line 100 dots long. After about an hour of meticulous work, we finally had our line ready. We were very proud of our creation. Later that day we learned that there was also a command to draw lines on the screen, not just dots. This other command would have saved us all that work. Perhaps it was that day when I started to understand that knowing “what’s possible” gets easier the more I understand how things work. Thus started a journey of exploration…
My first area of interest was technology. The PC and Internet revolutions were in full swing by the time I launched my career, and with them came many opportunities to stretch the envelope of possibilities. For example, one opportunity was at a company specializing in optimizing Internet speeds for mobile and remote sites. I learned much about the inner workings of computer communications and was able to come up with a patented system to accelerate Internet browsing speeds by hundreds of percents. Another example would be when I joined a company that specialized in software tools for the simulation and development of electronics like mobile phones and car systems. Within 6 months I became the company’s youngest trainer and regional manager of technical services. To formalize my learning, I obtained a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver. I graduated with a grade average of 95.5%, which placed me 1st of 153 computer science majors.
At the same time, I always felt that technology was just part of the equation. The other obvious part were the people. I took some time mid-way through my career and obtained a diploma in counselling. Spending 1,670 hours in a classroom, undergoing a very intense and experiential program of study, I discovered something somewhat surprising about myself: in addition to being very logical (left brain), I also find it intuitive to relate to how other people are feeling (right brain). It seems that the combination of these two abilities allows me to understand how other people are thinking and what motivates them. I developed a strong passion for mentoring and coaching.
That’s when it was getting more and more clear that the field of management was my calling. When I was working as a Lean Six Sigma process improvement leader at TELUS Communications, I learned another very important piece of the puzzle. Being a technologist, I always assumed that most business problems can be solved one way or another by using the right technology. What I then came to realize was that focusing on having the right business process first is not only more effective, but can also save the company a lot of money. Analysing what needs to be done (and what doesn’t), by whom and in what sequence can sometimes yield miraculous results. However, I learned that it is not magic – it is the application of sound management principles that take into account both business needs, people and the available technology.
Coming back to the present, I am now starting the Master of Business Administration program at the Sauder School of Business at UBC. I already believe myself to be a seasoned and effective technologist. Through formal education and experience I also gained a set of powerful skills for working with people. By December 2014, when I expect to conclude my courses at Sauder, I believe I will have acquired a significant set of tools in the field of management and business administration.
Maybe a “triple threat” in business is someone who can master technology, psychology and management. With all the skills and knowledge I’ve accumulated over the years, I intend to continue my journey in discovering what else is possible and create plenty of value for everyone I meet along the way.
Filed under My Purpose and Direction
