Matt Corker » Web 2.0

Lessons from Presenting via Skype for the UBC SLC

Matt Corker — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:09:22 +0000

On Saturday night, I took to the online airwaves to present two workshops on “Getting Out Of Your Own Way” for the UBC Student Leadership Conference with the best co-presenter I could have asked for, Krystal Gabriel. She was live and alive in Vancouver, while I was connecting in from Copenhagen via Skype. I loved it. It was different. It was challenging. It pushed me as a presenter. We won an award for it (#humbled). And, best of all, I learned a ton. Such as:

No matter how prepared I am, things can always go wrong.

30 minutes before the session, we are online, the sound works wonderfully, the video we are going to show is fully loaded, and we’re ready to begin. 5 minutes before the session, technology decides to stop working and I’m lost in cyberspace. Mini-”oh sh*t” moment, a few deep breathes, and we’re back online ready to make up the lost 5 minutes. “We got this,” I remind myself.

Seeing the audience is key.

Krystal faced the camera towards the live audience in Vancouver so I could actually see who we were presenting to. It made me feel less far away. Especially when I saw a familiar face or two in the crowd. (Thanks again familiar faces for being there by the way!)

There is no substitute for preparation.

Krystal and I spent enough time with the material itself and ran through the actual flow and dialogue of the presentation to ensure that, even if I couldn’t hear everything she was saying, I could know exactly where she was, what point she was driving home, and how to make a smooth transition into what I was supposed to say. The focus we put on this was much more intensive than either of us would do normally and the results were great.

It’s valuable to leave room to recover. And, whatever happens, it’s always recoverable.

While playing our video in session number 2, technology decided to play a game on us again and terminate my connection to Krystal. I looked at my blank screen and thought – “Well, the video is 2 minutes long. We have 2 minutes to get back online. Easy.” Switching presenters for different segments, playing videos, asking questions from the audience – all great things we added in just in case my connection went down and we needed to keep the flow of the presentation going. (Some may argue to include those in any presentation you give. I wouldn’t argue with them.) PS. Check out the video we used about what it looks like… and feels like… to get in our own way.

Do what makes a live presentation great.

Repeat the big points. Make them laugh to give their brain a break. Be vulnerable. Play fun music before and after the session. Have a dance party to said music. (Feedback said they liked that part ) Give them something they can use now. Leave space for silence (not hard to do when there is a slight delay in the conversation anyway due to it being online).

Follow and engage in the online conversation.

By following the hashtags of the conference, we were able to find out what people were tweeting about and incorporate that into our conversations (both on and offline). It made it feel more like I was actually a part of the conference and less like I was simply sitting in a room talking to a computer. It was also helpful to know where our audience was coming from so we could meet them with the right energy level.

Presenting with someone that loves it, rocks.

Krystal was a serious rock star. Not only does she love presenting (and can manage the bumps and hiccups along the way with complete ease), she loved the material as much as I did. We could have gone on for hours about the stuff we presented on. I know that if ever I come across a topic that I think “how will I EVER present this,” I know I am not the right person to be presenting on that topic. Listening to someone present what they are passionate about is friggin inspiring. Thanks Krystal for being the rock of the presentation and for inspiring me with your passion for living a really rad life!

(Digital high fives! Proof that we had a blast together!)

Thanks to all that made taking the plunge to online presenting great. Hope the rest of your day on Saturday was #awesome.

Pick of the Post: Karmin – Crash Your Party

Unique Ways to Stay Connected From A Distance

Matt Corker — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:22:49 +0000

If the, now finished(!!), banking saga taught me one thing, it is the power of staying connected. Staying connected to my faith, to the principles I live by, and also to the rad people in my life that make challenging times enjoyable. Besides the e-mail and Facebook updates, we’ve found some fun ways to stay connected from a distance. I thought I’d share some of my favourites:

1. Playing Scrabble
Board games and best friends. It’s hard to find a better combo. Zoe and I rock out games of scrabble together via the Scrabble Free app for iPhone. My joy of just finding a word amongst the letters has now turned into valiant attempts at composing saucy seven letter words to keep Zoe on her toes. I’m learning – and am currently in the lead in one of our games. (I’m going to intentionally leave out the fact that she has won ALL 9 games we’ve played back-to-back.) I think my Dad would have a hay-day with this app if he ever traded in Zach Morris’ phone for an iPhone.

2. Lose It! Weekly Summaries
If there is one thing that tops the chart of “things that are important to me” – it’s health. As part of a friends goal to run a half-marathon, he started tracking his food intake and exercise regime via the Lose It! app and added me to the weekly summary report to help hold him accountable. Every Sunday I got an update on how he was doing. This usually provoked a conversation about exercise tips, healthy snack ideas, or about how he was feeling about his progress to date. It’s cool to watch someone go after a goal. It’s even cooler to be a part of it.

3. YouTube Cover Video Showdown
YouTube is one of the many sources I find new tunes for my Picks of the Post. In my quest for new tunes, I’ve discovered some really rad cover songs that I think need to be shared. Enter in the YouTube Cover Video Showdown. My friend Woo selects a song, I find a cover of it and post it to her Facebook, she posts another cover of the same song in rebuttal, and our pal Darran gets to decide who found the best cover. The stakes are tied at 2-2 right now in true showdown fashion.

You can join in to if you want. Comment section – best cover of “Moves Like Jagger” – go! Here’s my entry:

4. Podcast Commentary
Felicia and I used to go to the same church in Vancouver. Now, she still attends and I listen to the podcast version of the sermon. Instead of talking about the service over brunch afterward, we’ve made a weekly Skype date to talk about what we got out of the message. It gives us an opportunity to engage in dialogue about something important to us AND get a weekly update all at the same time.

5. Breakfast Together
My favourite way to wake-up is to see a smiling face staring back at me. At 6:30 in the morning, I grab a bowl of cereal, my friends grab a bowl of ice cream (its dessert time on the west coast of Canada), and we laugh and update each other in between bites. It’s a perfect start to the day and a great reminder that even when they’re miles away, they’re still here.

Great friendships know no geographic boundary.

Pick of the Post: Mat Karney – Head Or Your Heart

The Web Designer Behind It All

Matt Corker — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:00:07 +0000

Some of you may have noticed a few changes with my site. An updated look-and-feel and sleeker navigation was just what the doctor ordered.

Now that the details are all ironed out, I want to give the artist behind all of this magic a shout out. Michael Strumberger (website, twitter) is a true craftsman. Rather than looking at websites as a way to organize content, he sees them as designable art pieces. He wanted to know about who I was so he could reflect that into his designs. Working with him was a breeze – so grounded, open, and transparent about all aspects of the project. Not only did he nail what I was looking for, he also delivered on time and under budget. A-freakin-mazing!

Once a contractor, now a friend. If anyone else is looking for a great revamp of their digital space, please look no further. Michael is the artist that will make your dreams a reality.

Pick of the Post: Chris Brown – Say It Wit Me

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Baby Boomer vs. Gen X vs. Millennial (in video form)

Matt Corker — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 07:17:38 +0000

Ever wonder the difference between baby boomers, generation x, and millennials? Wonder no more!

Box1824, a Brazilian research company specializing in behavioral sciences and consumer trends, has created the best video to date in describing the current generations in the workforce and how they relate to each other.

Not only is their content great, but the video itself features clips from movies, music videos, and YouTube memes in creative ways that kept me entertained while watching.

HUGE hat tip to Box1824! You’ve created something remarkable here:

We All Want to Be Young from box1824 on Vimeo.

Pick of the Post: Jeremy Fisher – Shine a Little Light (official music video)

When Your Community Doesn’t Agree

Matt Corker — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 14:56:41 +0000

When your community agrees with what you put out there, they create a shield against the naysayers. They rally the troops to support you. They rebut negative online comments. They stand beside you and for you.

When your community disagrees with what you put out there, you get a backlash from your biggest fans. They get angry. They creative negative online press. But worse, they leave you. And they encourage others to do the same.

After Lebron and Nike released this video, their “fans” created the one below. Are you feeling some backlash Lebron?

Pick of the Post: Katy Perry – Firework (official music video)

Goals, Goals, Goals!

Matt Corker — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 16:51:11 +0000

This past week was GOAL WEEK online on the lululemon athletica blog. Besides having an awesome goal setting tool online, they also wrote posts with tips on how to set goals and posted videos on the importance of having goals.

I was so stoked to participate in this. I wrote a post about loving your failures and had two awesome goal coaching sessions with some colleagues that have set some inspiring BHAGs (big, hairy, audacious goals).

Today, to cap it off, we did an online goal coaching session on the lululemon Facebook wall. It was amazing! Such awesome questions about how to set goals! I recommend taking a read through the conversations on the wall if you missed it.

However, after telling so many people to write down their goals, share them with great people, and ask for help in achieving them – I need to do the same. My best friends and I had a goal setting session by Lost Lake in Whistler a couple weekends ago where we set our 10 year vision and set goals that would help us get there. But in my notebook they have stayed. Until today.

My goals have been posted. I am sharing them with you, great people. And asking for your help in accomplishing them! I created a new page on my site where you can find the latest edit of them as well.

*sigh. There. That feels better.

From our Whistler goal setting session. Talk about a BHAG!

Pick of the post: Travie McCoy ft Bruno Mars – Billionaire (official music video) – SO appropriate!

Creating Art Collaboratively

Matt Corker — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:49:41 +0000

If you are looking to get into writing, acting, singing, or producing – you should probably watch this video. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is bringing a collaborative production company to the masses and calling it hitRECord. If this is how new movies, television programs, songs, and art will be made in the future … I can’t frickin wait! (Thanks SuperForest for the great find.)

Pick of the post: Leona Lewis & Jennifer Hudson – Love is Your Colour

Trailer for the new Facebook movie: “The Social Network”

Matt Corker — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:37:50 +0000

Justin Timberlake, social media, and the movie industry collide in a film about the early stages of Facebook!?! Are you kidding me! This is just grand! I have no words that can explain how excited I am for this…

Pick of the post: K’naan – Take a Minute (official music video)

What Linchpins Read

Matt Corker — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:16:40 +0000

Yesterday was Worldwide-Meet-The-Tribe-Of-Linchpins Day according to Seth Godin. Seth fans gathered together at over 790 meetups around the world and talked about his books/blog, shipping ideas, and many other topics of interest.

Chris Coldeway, another UBC Sauder alum and creator of redrovr, organized the Vancouver Meetup. My sis got up there and shared a bit about her time in NYC with Seth as part of his nanoMBA program. She was rad – as per always. Chris then led the attendees in creating smaller discussion groups where we talked about whatever topic someone wanted to take the lead on discussing. Didn’t like the conversation in that group? Implement the 2 feet rule! (You have two feet, so use them to walk to a new group.)

I wanted to know what these linchpins were reading so was excited to get some really rad folks at the table. This was the list that the 8+ of us created. I tried to organize them into some categories to help you pick out your next read:

Economics

Superfreakonomics – Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
Startup Nation – Dan Senor and Saul Singer

Fiction/Memoirs:

Swiss Family Robinson – Johann David Wyss
The Glass Castle – Jeannette Walls

Blogs:

43 Folders
Brains on Fire
Life without Pants
Backpocket COO
Freshness Factor Five Thousand (Jason Mraz)
Blocquote
Chase Jarvis
The Art of Non-Conformity

… as if my to read list wasn’t already long enough! Happy reading linchpins!

Pick of the post: Hannah Georgas – Bang Bang You’re Dead

Unplug. Just Do It!

Matt Corker — Fri, 21 May 2010 23:07:07 +0000

I sometimes feel like being in front of a computer/digitally connected all week feels like this…

Television is a drug. from Beth Fulton on Vimeo.

So I’m shutting ‘er down!

And with this spectacular sunshine peaking through the clouds, it’s a perfect time to completely unplug and spend the long weekend OFFLINE! I can hear my yoga mat and bike seat calling my name. And just in time too – this body’s battery needs some serious recharging.

I hope you too take some time to recharge this weekend. Give your eyes a rest, your heart a workout, and that smile a stage to shine from!

Unplug. Just do it!

Pick of the post: B.o.B. ft Hayley Williams – Airplanes