I’ve attended quite a few networking events in the past few years. And while networking gets criticized by many people as being a phony endeavor, I truly enjoy getting to know and meet new people.

At two recent events, however, something happened that surprised me: I was given a business card with barely a hello. It was as if someone attended an event with the intention of getting rid of x number of cards or they wanted to collect my card to put me on some sort of list.

I know Chris Brogan has explored this topic numerous times, but it really clicked with me recently. While I attend far fewer conferences and networking events than Chris, my stack of business cards that I receive continues to grow. As much as I try to remember the face that goes with the name on the card, the likelihood of my remembering gets smaller. For me, as with most people, the more you interact with someone at an event, the easier it will be to remember the person’s name on the card.

Last week, I attended a social media networking event and ran into someone I’ve met before. We talked for a while and instead of exchanging business cards, we exchanged Twitter handles. For someone who enjoys following a lot of people on Twitter, it made a lot of sense to me. I know I would see this person much more frequently on Twitter than I would see her business card, which would have been lost in a stack of cards in my desk.

I realize trading Twitter handles instead of business cards is not a perfect solution for everybody. I’m sure there are a lot of people, groups and industries that do not use Twitter nor have any desire to. That is fine. But I can see, among some groups (especially tech-savvy professionals), where exchanging Twitter handles can be a good alternative for exchanging business cards. It reminds me, that in many ways, social media platforms are now the new Rolodex.

How about you…what do you do with all of the business cards you collect? Have you adopted a system that keeps you connected to others without the clutter of all those cards?

Creative commons photo courtesy of jaaron.

When spring arrives early in Chicago and coincides with St. Patrick’s Day, one color dominates my focus: green. And when I think of someone who can describe the mood and feeling of green in his own jazzy, poetic way, I think of Ken Nordine.

As our world grows more complex and everyone’s time continues to be challenged, it’s becoming more important than ever that we need to be clear, concise communicators. Gone are the days when we can put a few boring slides together and expect people to sit still, pay attention and be influenced to take action from our speeches and presentations.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the rise of timed presentations: There’s Pecha Kucha, a six minute, 40 second presentation consisting of 20 slides shown for 20 seconds each; Ignite, a five minute presentation consisting of 20 slides shown for 15 seconds each; and in Chicago there’s now a six minute presentation known as Potluck!, a smorgasbord of ideas, which I hope to be attending next week. These short presentations are in addition to the already popular 18 minute timed TED Talks.

As a member of Toastmasters for more than seven years, I’ve experienced the challenge of delivering speeches that, in most cases, must be between five and seven minutes long. I have a tendency to get wordy in my speeches. So this becomes a challenge. I typically rehearse with a stopwatch and will trim anywhere from 15, 30 and 45 seconds from my speeches. By the time I’m ready to deliver to my audience, however, I realize it’s more succinct, to the point and that I didn’t really need those extra talking points.

As I perused the February 2012 issue of Fast Company, I noticed a short article, “How to Pitch a Startup in Three Minutes,” which features an event known as Startup Riot. This re-enforced my thoughts on presentation brevity.

Let’s face it, we’re living in a complex, time-challenged world…I have a feeling these timed presentations are here to stay because they break our thoughts and ideas down into smaller, more actionable pieces.

How about you…have you delivered a timed presentation? If so, how did it feel to really get to the point? Have you watched a timed Ignite or Pecha Kucha presentation? If so, how do you feel about them?

Flickr Creative Commons photo courtesy of VFS Digital Design.

If you’ve read this blog for a while, you know I’m a big Donald Miller fan. His A Million Miles in a Thousand Years was a book that got me through some tough times, especially while visiting my mother during her lengthy hospital stay.

But before I read that book, I read Miller’s 2003 bestseller, Blue Like Jazz. As someone who’s spent a good amount of time questioning and understanding my faith, I could strongly identify with Miller in the book as he explored his own. Filled with humor, wit and some deep thoughts, the book’s cover describes it as “nonreligious thoughts on Christian spirituality.”

After reading the book, it was great to learn that a movie was in the works…and this process was explored at length in A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.

But beyond the thoughts and ideas that are part of Don Miller’s Blue Like Jazz, is the interesting way this movie got produced. Back in September 2010, the movie was put on hold because additional money was needed to produce it. Enter Zach Prichard and Jonathan Frazier who launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the film. Ultimately more than 4,400 people raised $345,992 to help make Blue Like Jazz a movie reality. For more details about the campaign, visit the Save Blue Like Jazz site.

As a communications major who studied film and video production in college, I would have never dreamed something like Kickstarter would be around to help make so many creative dreams a reality.

If you’re interested in seeing the movie, there’s a month-long promotional tour through March before it opens officially on April 13. Please check the BLJ Tour Site for dates and locations.

So how about you…have you read Blue Like Jazz or plan to see the movie? What do you think of the trailer? If you could create a Kickstarter campaign, what would it be? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Tucked away on the back wall of the Write Now exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center is a large piece by Chicago artist Erik DeBat that caught my attention. As a whole, the exhibit features more than 100 artists and explores elements of written communication in various artistic mediums.

I enjoyed the exhibit for several reasons…one of which was that it reminded me of my days in high school print shop where we studied an “old-school” form of printing known as letterpress. Back when letterpress and moveable type printing was invented by Gutenberg in the 1400′s, it revolutionized the world – just as the Internet has revolutionized our world.

While DeBat’s piece is not an example of letterpress printing, I do like its message. It is powerful in its simplicity. In a world where the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” resonates with everybody, this work containing nine words and one big idea, in my mind, flips that phrase around.

The Write Now exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center runs through April 29 and Erik DeBat will be giving a talk there next week on February 14.

There’s no doubt about it…I’m a big Andy Timmons fan. Who is this guy? He’s the former guitar player in the 80′s metal band Danger Danger and current guitar player in Olivia Newton-John’s touring band. But his best work, in my humble opinion, is his solo work.

I attended his guitar clinic in Chicago back in the fall of 2009 and had a chance to hear him jam for a good 45 minutes. He played selections from previous albums and teased us with a few amazing Beatles cover songs he had been working on. He told us a new album of Beatles music would be released in the near future. I was intrigued.

About two years later, Timmons has finally released the CD, Timmons Plays Sgt. Pepper. “Strawberry Fields Forever” is the only non-Sgt. Pepper song on the CD and, as you can see, features some tasty fretwork. It’s a good way to start the weekend…have a good one. New posts will be coming soon…thanks for stopping by…

There’s nothing like the end of the year to help put things in perspective. Television newscasts will share video that revisits key moments throughout the year. Top ten lists remind us of the best and worst in everything including movies, books and music. And we will inevitably be asked, “what’s your New Year’s Resolution?”

This happens every year like clockwork. If you’ve been around enough, it sort of feels like a broken record. We make the same goals year after year: lose weight, stop smoking, start working out, make more money, be a better parent, etc. I know, I’ve been there…repeating many of my same goals year after year.

With the arrival of a new year, the slate gets wiped clean. A new beginning, a great feeling. But change doesn’t happen magically when the new year starts. It happens day to day, moment by moment.

Here’s to making those day to day, moment by moment changes. Happy new day! Happy new minute!

A couple weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending my local district Toastmasters Conference. It was a great learning and networking experience. My favorite part of the day was the session led by champion speaker Darren LaCroix, which gave me additional insights about speaking that I could never have learned at my regular club meeting.

The weekend also got me to thinking about my own situation in Toastmasters. I’ve been a member since 2004 and have made some amazing progress in my speaking and leadership skills since I first joined. But I feel like I’m still learning, still improving…so I continue my membership.

Because of this positive experience, I wanted to share six reasons I feel you should join Toastmasters. As I attend various meetings and networking events, I run into a lot of people with questions and a curiosity about Toastmasters.

Note: I know there are a great number of similar articles and blog posts written on this topic. Here’s my take…

1. You’ll become a better speaker. Yes, it’s almost obvious that by joining Toastmasters, you’ll become a better speaker. When you join Toastmasters, you receive a Competent Communicator’s manual which outlines the first ten speeches you will deliver. You’re also told that “you get out of Toastmasters what you put in.” This is a great reminder that you must put in the work and prepare for your speeches in order to become a better speaker.

I found that as I practiced and prepared for my speeches, I started to improve. By the third or fourth speech, I could feel my confidence growing. Soon after that, I became less reliant on my notes and eventually stopped using them altogether. Of course, all of us learn at a different pace and have different goals. Just know that whatever you want to accomplish, members of your club will be there to support you.

The main reason you become a better speaker is that each of your speeches is evaluated by another member of your club. This means that every time you deliver a speech, you get feedback on what you did right, what you could have done better and tips and suggestions on how to improve. A greater awareness of your weaknesses and tendencies will help you make adjustments and get better – fast.

2. You’ll become a better listener. By watching other members’ speeches and evaluating their performance, you’ll soon become a better listener. Evaluating your fellow club members forces you to really pay attention and listen carefully. This gets you into the habit of listening, absorbing and analyzing…which becomes a great learning opportunity.

Also, most Toastmaster meetings have a grammarian report where word usage is scrutinized and “ahs” and “ums” are counted. This report helps club members become aware of their use of these distracting filler words. As you become more conscious of these words, you’ll be less likely to use them yourself. A warning…eliminating all “ahs” and “ums” from your vocabulary is one of the hardest things to do.

3. You’ll develop stronger leadership skills. In addition to the opportunity to improve speaking skills, members of Toastmasters can take on leadership roles within their club. Opportunities include President, VP of Education, VP of Public Relations, VP of Membership and Treasurer. These opportunities give you an opportunity to lead your club and improve the experience of its members. These skills can be transferred to both your personal and professional life.

As you become more comfortable as a speaker and more experienced in your club, you can serve as a mentor to new members. This will help them improve more quickly and give them increased confidence.

I have served in several leadership roles in my club: VP of Public Relations, VP of Membership and Treasurer. Each of these roles has given me a great opportunity to learn. I know this experience has helped me and will guide me in future opportunities and other areas of my life.

4. Joining Toastmasters will help improve your job interview skills. I keep telling this to everyone I meet who’s under and unemployed. The process of practicing your speech and making sure it’s clear and concise will help you in your interviews.

In the same way you practice a clear, concise delivery of your speeches, I recommend that you practice clear, concise answers to interview questions. I know that this has helped me walk into interviews feeling more confident in my ability to talk about my background and tell quick stories of my accomplishments.

5. Joining Toastmasters will help you think on your feet. Each Toastmasters club has a part of the meeting known as “Table Topics.” During this part, the Table Topics Master lays out a scenario and calls members of the club to the lectern to respond to the statement or answer a question. You might be asked something as simple and fun as “what is your favorite summer vacation memory?” or something complex such as “what should the United States do to solve the current economic crisis?”

The key is to listen carefully and be ready to be called in case you are asked to share. This impromptu and improvisational speaking opportunity will help prepare you for moments of uncertainty in other parts of your life.

6. You’ll expand your network. Toastmasters is a great way to meet new, interesting and successful people. Since joining Toastmasters, I have met many new friends and acquaintances in a wide range of industries. These friends have helped me out in more ways than I can describe and many have become mentors to me. I’ve also had plenty of opportunities to help them, as well.

If all of this sounds intriguing, I invite you to visit Toastmasters.org for more information and to click on the red “find a club near you” button to find out about clubs in your area. Good luck and I’d love to hear about how Toastmasters has helped you.

Flickr Creative Commons photo courtesy of Ross Tsai.

“Count to Ten” by Danish singer/songwriter Tina Dico is one of those songs that had me hooked from the start. I can’t explain it. Sure, I think Tina Dico is beautiful and has an amazing voice. And this video is great because it really captures a live performance of the song that looks and feels flawless.

When I think of the idea of counting to ten, I realize it can be an important one. It could be the difference between sending out a hurtful or negative Tweet or choosing not to send it out. It could be the difference between exploding in anger toward a loved one or cooling down just a bit to explain what is making you upset.

I also like the wisdom in the line from this song: “sometimes, the fastest way to get there is to go slow.” Sometimes, actually many times, this is really true.

Have a great weekend!

It’s been a while since I’ve done a post profiling interesting and noteworthy posts from around the blogosphere. In the past, I included them as “re-blog” posts. Moving forward, I hope to do this on a monthly basis. This month, five topics:

Love. No, it’s not Valentine’s Day. But at a time when our world is filled with plenty of divisiveness, we could use a little old-fashioned love. From last year, Love! Love! Love! from my friend Lori at Jane Be Nimble might be one of my all-time favorite posts. Inspiring, motivating and heartwarming, it’s an example of how all of us can make a big difference in the world through “small” actions. It’s the kind of post that inspires me to be a better human being. Thank you Lori for sharing your love adventure!

While Lori’s project packed a lot of actions in a month, Judi Clement Wall has declared on Zebra Sounds that 2011 would be “a year of loving fearlessly” for her. I know I have missed a few posts, but every time I visit her blog, I am amazed at the high level of creativity and thoughtfulness involved in her writing and projects.

Procrastination. Let’s face it, all of us have been hit by procrastination at one time or another. Farnoosh Brock at Prolific Living tackled this important topic in her 18 Radical Ways to Stop Procrastination post recently. Filled with important tips and suggestions, it gives us some great suggestions to get past this once and for all. Get a pen and paper ready or print it out and put by your desk. Good stuff!

Steve Jobs. We lost a great innovator when Steve Jobs passed away a couple weeks ago. There have been many tributes recently, but I really enjoyed Garr Reynold’s take at Presentation Zen, where he explored Steve Jobs and the art of focus and Steve Jobs on marketing and identifying your core values. As always, Presentation Zen is not only a book by Garr Reynolds about design, but its also a destination where I’ve gained a great deal of information about a wide range of topics. I feel like Garr’s recent posts, which included vintage Steve Jobs videos, gave me some good insights about what Jobs stood for and ideas that I can apply to my own situation.

Work. Let’s face it…finding a job is not easy. Sometimes it feels downright impossible. If you’re in this situation, Afford Anything has a post for you. It might sound harsh, but Stop Crying That There are No Jobs. Create One. shares some thoughts on having a start-up mindset. I can identify with this and love the idea of empowering yourself by creating your own opportunity rather than waiting and hoping for someone to hire you.

One of my favorite people who explores this topic is Pam Slim over at Escape From Cubicle Nation. Not sure about starting your own business? Try the Side Hustle.

Fun.

Have a great weekend!

Creative commons photo courtesy of lizjones112.