Category: smile
2013 | Create / Curate
Creating / curation is the new black.
And my 2013 theme:
Creating is action.
Doing.
“Where I create, there I am true”
Rainer Maria Rilke
Public speaking for me is a hugely innovative exercise. Many folks don’t understand the work and expressive energy that goes into a presentation and its delivery (especially if you don’t use a script or practice like me then the execution itself is very much an inventive act).
I. Want. To. Do. More. And. Get. Better.
But, also, taking the time to craft the opening video here or the images which compliments the text, is part of what I mean.
It’s the realisation of discovering what you’re good at plus what you’re passionate about then using that to spark creation.
Deconstructing. Starting. Expanding. Mashing up ideas. Disrupting. Smiling. Thinking.
Look out 2013 for lines in the sand and new ventures.
There are two areas of curation which hold my interest: developmental and experiential.
“Curation solves the problem of filter failure.”
Clay Shirky
Developmental
How do you / your organisation / company view curation? What role does it play in broadening discussions and skill development internally? How are you using it to celebrate those in your industry or even as a way of extending yourself?
The rise of the individual digital curator (thanks to sites like Tumblr / Pinterest) allows for a wider interpretation of the more traditional role. Although, the leaders in the field (Tina or Jason or Maria or Shaun etc) demonstrate a higher purpose rather just serving individual tastes, but that of aiming to inspire, educate, challenge, explode wonder, intrigue, curiosity, in their audience.
The idea of curation as a(n online) skill is hardly ever discussed in articles / conversations around social media. My argument is that it will become increasingly crucial to individual and organisational development—as the signal vs noise ratio of companies / organisations, let alone a sector or industry, continues to increase, so to is the need to understand how to navigate and sift through the information and concentrate it into action.
This is sucking the juicy wisdom out of the web and humanising it for good.
Experiential
TEDxTeAro (I’m the license holder) is an example of experiences as curative event.
There are two things to be announced in the New Year around stretching the idea of traditional events: one for Wellington-based creatives (to be made public next week) and the other for social media mavens like myself who want to explore the next set of questions (who understand the difference between strategy and culture and who want to get away from ‘how to use Twitter / Facebook’ to advertise in a slightly different way and sell stuff).
More to follow but thinking it’s time play around with event formats and offer attendees more than a seat and people talking at them.
What’s your 2013 theme? What do you think of mine? Leave a comment below you lovely tribe of readers you.
Clay Shirky image attribution
Video music via Oddworld
Speaking With Purpose | Kick-ass Presenting
A presentation on presenting like a pro (or something like that).
Today I delivered an intimate public speaking seminar through Chalkle : Six Degrees Of Education.
My foundation came via this Top Ten Speaking Tips blog post written a couple of years ago (which still holds up today).
Was a great experience to not only share some of the insights gained over my short speaking career, but as ever, deconstructing something you do with the purpose of sharing that knowledge, enriches your learning so much more.
Other things discussed:
- Compfight—clean image search with creative commons options (my preference over the Flickr Attribution directory, although they do pretty much the same job)
- Salling Clicker—what I use to control my presentations (ensures stable connection, timing options, non-touchscreen so no accidental ‘clicks’ plus haven’t failed me in 6/7 years)
- transitions—less is more. Advice extended to presenting software like Prezi which can be overused at times when a simple dissolve would be far more effective
…there were many more.
The attendees also had the opportunity to present for a couple of minutes and together we positively critiqued their work.
So what do you think on the advice shared above? Do you have any tips / tricks to share? Do you disagree? Dare you to leave a comment… go on, double dare ya!
YouTube Version
Image Credits: Animal, Woodrow, Guru, Wayne’s World, Talk, Practice, Don’t, No, Control, Look, Attention, Scary, Gospel, Questions, Next
Things The Internet Needs | Part 1: AdPants
First world problem solving.
Every time you skip a YouTube advert (after being forced to watch 5 seconds) or mute the new evil 15 second ones, a Tweet / Facebook update is sent out referencing the brand in question saying something like:
“Thanks @[nameofbrand] for hijacking my @YouTube time with your old school ad #adpants”
Advertising via interruption on the web is awful, lazy and tasteless. Old paradigm thinking in new world playgrounds. It doesn’t work.
Who wants to build a Chrome extension or some other programme / app which does the above? Can it be made? If so maybe we could crowfund it—who’s game?
Do Not Go Gentle | Rage
2013 Visit To Portland | Seattle | Bozeman | San Francisco et al
Shooting hoops time with Obama…
Next summer I’ll be heading to the West coast of North America.
Will arrive into Portland, Oregon 1st July 2013 (depart 15th) and during those two weeks the current idea is to:
- attend World Domination Summit in Portland (5-7th)
- visit and spend a day or two in Seattle
- road trip to Bozeman, Montana and back
Then… will arrive into San Francisco on 15th July / depart 18th.
Have a couple of potential masterclass / internal speaking sessions to deliver for clients in the above locations and also intend to catch up with good friends (old & new).
Am always open for more opportunities to share my social media pedigree—if you’re interested please get in touch (will also be open for hopping on a plan elsewhere and extending my stay if the gig is cool enough).
NaNoWriMo | 50,000 Word, 30 Days, 1 Novel
And so it begins (bussy with me).
As an aside, the guys / gals behind NaNoWriMo have a fantastic video explaining who they are (a great example for all organisations / companies out there):
Surprise Is Experience Reversed
The ‘gasp’ model.
Experience is knowing. Understanding. Awareness. Expectation. Safe. Trusted.
See title / above.
Libraries As Interfaces, Extending The Possibilities | LIANZA 2012 Keynote
My keynote presentation at this years professional organisation for the New Zealand library and information management profession (LIANZA).
My abstract: The opportunities to connect to audiences and markets are vastly changing due to the social layer the web and new technologies now offer. How can libraries leverage this rich source of interaction to aid their focus, deepen existing relationships plus help generate new ideas and solutions?
Thank you to the amazing (nearly 500 strong) crowd, the organisers, the tech staff etc
Here’s the humbling testimonial:
DK was an outstanding presenter — fast-paced, dynamic, fun and the audience just loved him! They loved his content too — challenging and ‘mind-melting’ but also with plenty of takeaway messages. His keynote was perfect as it delivered oodles of inspiration, and his workshop demonstrated how fast and easy it is to create exciting content in the social media world. He was very professional too, cool and calm during a few technical hitches, and great to deal with.
Linda Palmer
LIANZA 2012 conference convenor
How did I do?
Hire me
How To Empty A Plane | The Solution
I have too much time on my hands.
Once a plane lands, a flight attendants walks from the front (or back, depending on which ever way the plane is disembarking) and releases access to the overhead lockers. Only when the attendent has passed the row and released the lock can people get up and collect their things to exit.
This will cut down on the bedlam and scrum of disembarking, allows for a steady and simple flow of exiting people plus a more controlled customer experience.
Would love to do this as an experiment—do you think it would work?