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

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3. How Do I Develop Myself?

Develop: de-vel-op, verb.

• to bring into being or activity; generate; evolve
• to bring out the capabilities or possibilities of; bring to a more advanced or effective state
• to make active or promote the growth of
• to increase value or change the use of

The verb develop has the Latin prefix “de” meaning “away” or “off,” which, in English, generally indicates removal or reversal.
Other words with this prefix include: destroy, deactivate, deplane, detach, and defuse.

So maybe the process of developing someone (like ourselves) to this “more effective or advanced state” doesn’t require the addition of new skills and abilities. Maybe the process of developing ourselves calls us to remove things, to take things away, to get out of our way, in order to use the skills and abilities we already have and just haven’t been able to use effectively yet.

Development isn’t a game of Pokemon. We don’t need to catch em all – be them courses, skills, or habits. (That’s a fun game though!)

Development is a game rooted in archeology, where we dig deep to find the monumental treasures that were already inside us!

(Seemed an appropriate post considering that I am presenting at the UBC SLC tonight from Denmark on “Getting Out Of Your Own Way” with Krystal Gabriel. Can’t wait to rock my first digital workshop with her! #outofmyway)

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- Introduced how Gen X, Millenials, and Gen C will change the landscape of the philanthropic world.
- Presented to Association of Fundraising Professionals: Vancouver Chapter.
(Note: the below presentation was used as a backdrop for the presentation and does not cover all content)

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- Introduced the 4 key principles to great networking: start with your inner circle; build trust; follow-up and refer; leave your mark.
- Presented to Sauder School of Business students at Frosh 2009
- Started with involving the crowd by having volunteers read out this introduction (You should read it top to bottom first, and then bottom to top to get the full effect)

This is the art of “networking”

I realize this may be a shock but
Networking is about creating positive relationships and friendships
Is a lie, and
Just getting a business card or adding them to LinkedIn will keep you connected
Every day I tell my friends and current colleagues that
They are not the most important people to be connected with
My professional network will know that
I have my priorities straight because
Making small talk and getting my name out there
Are way more successful than
Following-up and sharing value-added information
I tell you this
Networking is done everywhere
This is not true in my life
Connections are made at wine and cheese events or when looking for a job
Experts tell me
There will not be a need for connecting with people and employers online
We can’t believe that
We can be a part of changing this old school way of shmoozing
In the future
Selling yourself with an elevator pitch will be the norm
No longer can it be said that
Professors and alumni in your community are your best “ins”
It will be evident that
Your benevolence and goodwill towards others will not be needed
It is foolish to presume that
Those around you today are those that will help you find opportunities in the future
Before anything you must know

This is the way we network at Sauder.

And all of this will become your reality unless you choose to do the exact opposite.

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- Co-presented with Ryan Rodrigues, University of Western Ontario, at CCAE National 2009

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- Research on who Gen X & Gen Y are and how that affects our interactions with them in an institutional setting
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