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Six tips for a productive meeting

April 8, 2013 Business Process, Featured, Productivity

There is nothing more frustrating than leaving a meeting where little was accomplished and hardly any action was taken.  With so much to do and so little time to do it, wasted time is not an option.  Spending more time wondering how the meeting got so off track just adds insult to injury.

I am not a strict process person; however, I feel that process has its place in the world of work – and especially so when running meetings.  I think one of the goals of every meeting should be to get as much done in as little time as possible.  To get the most out of every single meeting going forward, here are a few reminders:

  • Create a clear and concise agenda, including how the attendees can get in and out in a reasonable amount of time.
  • If the meeting is not a regular meeting, include your agenda in the invite.
  • Identify clear action items/tasks and the responsibilities for them.
  • Repeat and clarify each action item before the meeting adjourns.
  • Do not discuss details of work in status/summary meetings.
  • Minimize chit-chat and interruptions.

By establishing these practices, you will be able to cut your meeting times in half, feeling confident that you and your colleagues will be able to get more done.  And, who knows? They might just thank you for it.

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There’s a new partner in town

October 26, 2012 Announcement, Partners, Social Media

HootSuite - Social Media Management
The Tech Salon is proud to announce that we are now a HootSuite Pro Solution Partner.

HootSuite is a social media management system for businesses and organizations to collaboratively execute campaigns across multiple social networks from one secure, web-based dashboard. Key social network integrations include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+, plus a suite of social content apps for YouTube, Flickr, Instagram, Yammer, Tumblr and more.

Earlier this year HootSuite hit 4 million users, including 79 of the Fortune 100 companies. Along with HootSuite’s web platform, 20% of users access the dashboard through their mobiles including iPhone, Android, Blackberry and iPad. HootSuite also offers localized versions of their dashboard in six languages – English, French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese.

There are many benefits to HootSuite Pro
Engage: Optimize your audience engagement by creating search streams, scheduling messages and monitoring all of your social network profiles from one customizable web and mobile dashboard.

Collaborate: Invite clients and colleagues to participate in your social media management. Assign messages for follow up and share streams, helping you increase efficiency.

Analyze: Measure your efforts using over 40 social analytics modules to build and share custom reports. Or select from one of our pre-made templates for quick and easy reporting.

Secure: Share access with team members without compromising security. The team permission levels and advanced sharing options ensure you remain in control of your valuable social profiles and accounts.

Sign up for a 30-day free trial of HootSuite Pro now: http://hootsuite.com/p_1520/n12gho?d=upgrade.

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How do you unplug?

October 17, 2012 Creativity, gadgets, Productivity, Technology

There never seems to be enough time to keep up with every tech gadget, headline, video, or article.  All of these are vying for attention or time I do not have.   In addition, “[t]here is growing evidence that excessive time online makes us dumber, more depressed, and more prone to extreme behavior…. And yet, modern life demands that we stay plugged in, with work, entertainment, and varying degrees of social connection. All of this screen time is exhausting to our brain, which didn’t evolve in the company of gadgets, so how can we reclaim our sanity?”

Thomas Marks suggests eight ways to help us unplug.  Check them out at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thomas-mark/creative-activities-internet_b_1833797.html#slide=1433260.

I would add reading fiction, dining with friends, and meditating.  In which ways do you unplug?

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