11 quick tips to make ‘walk-and-talk meetings’ work for you
This was my view the other morning as I talked to a supplier in India about service changes in 2021.
Just before that, I’d climbed up the hill while confirming the plans for an upcoming virtual-away-day with some colleagues.
Both these conversations achieved what I needed, and the specific outcomes were as good as what I would have achieved sitting in front of my screen at home.
However, I was a mile or so away from my desk getting the added benefit of exercise, fresh air, and the exhilaration of discovering this inspirational view.
Some home-office tips based on what works for me
So, in the UK we’re back into Lockdown 2.0 and realistically for office workers we don’t expect to be back in the office until well into next year. Even once we are in many cases it will never be five days a week again. That, combined with the fact that walk-and-talk meetings are going to be increasingly limited by the weather, temperature and lack of sunlight we really all need to have a great desk set up.
I’m no expert, beyond of course the 2000+ hours I’ve been doing it this year, but here are thoughts on what I’ve done…
There’s more to building a digital company than using the word ‘digital’.
How about this for the most boring opening sentence ever? “Last week I joined an event for insurance professionals talking about the challenge of legacy technology.”
Well, let me reassure you that the content was anything other than dull. In a small gathering arranged by The Insurance Network a truly passionate group of operations and technology leaders debated how to ensure a customer-centric digital approach even when there are real technology obstacles in place.
The event followed Chatham House rules so I’m not going to share specifics, but I was invited to share some opening thoughts to kick things off…
A SusTech 2030 interactive webinar
Learn how your personal investments can make a difference in the Climate Crisis
We’re delighted that Michael Heap will join us on Tuesday 8 June to talk about Show Me The Greens.
We want to show you exactly where your money is going, what it is funding and where it could be better invested if you care about preventing a climate catastrophe.
To register for the event please RSVP on this Zoom link. 6pm UK time on Tuesday 8 June. Free to join; everyone invited.
SusTech 2030
SusTech 2030 is a group of individuals working to ensure that technology and data play a key role in ensuring our sustainable future. We only formed in early…
Each one could be useful for you
I love running events. It’s been a tough 14 months not being able to gather people together. However, imagine the difference if the pandemic had occurred just five or ten years ago.
At least we’ve been able to take our communities on line!
Since Spring 2020 I’ve run almost 50 online events for both established and new groups, covering Quantum Computing, Bionic Underwriting, and Sustainable Technology. Below are steps I’ve taken: some based on arranging meetings in the real world pre-pandemic; some learned the hard way in this new paradigm.
Many of these could be of value to you whether…
Medium for beginners
I’m still learning but here are some of my tips
In my recent post Are You New to Writing on Medium? I explained a little about photos.
In almost everyone “how to do well on Medium” type article, the author will point out the importance of an image. After the headline, it is the image that captures attention. As we all sadly know, the best written articles won’t get you eyeballs if you can’t grab people’s attention. Thus I fully support these views on headlines and images
Great v Good Enough
I’ve not yet built a data-driven view of what the best images are. I’m both relatively new to Medium — only a couple…
Sustainable Technology (SusTech 2030)
Opportunities for London SMEs focused on zero carbon
An exciting-sounding opportunity for SMEs (<£43m and <250 employees) registered within London who are:
Innovating around low-carbon solutions that reduce emissions or mitigate the effects of climate change
From the website:
Sustainable Innovation connects London SMEs with University academics and expert consultants to bring new clean tech products and services to market.
Our cohort structure provides sustainable businesses the access to the expertise, facilities and support they require to succeed. Participants get the appropriate support for their stage of development.
The fixed timeline enables SMEs to understand what they will receive, what is required of them, and what progress they…
Here are five answers it took me weeks to find out
I spent the whole of September last year being muddled by Medium.
Here are some of the things I learnt over those first confusing weeks. Hopefully, they’ll help you if you’re at the start of your Medium journey.
1. No, there is no way of breaking down your daily analytics
Sure, the analytics screen for your post looks great, but you rapidly realize the actual insight you can gain is limited.
I spent days trying different approaches, loading different browsers, reviewing websites and Medium posts to no avail. You can not simply click a day and see what was viewed on that day.
I imagine this functionality will come soon, but right…
Some Realistic Life Management articles on the WFH / remote working topic
In this first of our Realistic Life Management newsletters, we focus on articles related to working from home. (For the master list of our RLM tips go here)
Work from home set-up
Of real relevance, as we move well past the 12-month anniversary of working from home is the question of how to ensure your work-from-home setup is still optimal. In Is Now the Time for a Work-From-Home Reset? we consider some of the steps you might take.
If you’ve never taken the opportunity to sort out your space then now may be the time! There’s been lots of interaction around our How complete…
Sharing our latest Work From Home and remote working stories
Lots of interest in a couple of posts recently. In particular regarding work-from-home set-ups. If you haven’t seen these take a look.
Of real relevance, as we move past the 12-month anniversary of working from home is the question of how to ensure your work-from-home setup is still optimal. In Is Now the Time for a Work-From-Home Reset? we consider some of the steps you might take.
If you’ve never taken the opportunity to sort out your space then it is never too late. There’s been lots of interaction around our How complete is your WFH set-up? …
Paolo Cuomo
I write on two themes: 1. Working-from-home, achievable improvements & realistic productivity lifehacks. 2. Tech for sustainability and digital transformation
