Social Networking--Connection and Communication?

Social Networking offers new opportunities in this age of global technology.  One of the challenges is that people who are connecting with each other using social networking sites may or may not be communicating.  Both are essential, as are the development of relationship and trust.

At least at present, social networking sites offer potential resources to help others with challenges.  This is a global connection and people can be helping each other from various points on the planet.

LinkedIn has helped me connect with resources in India and China, with French-speakers in Chicago, and with close friends and colleagues I had lost touch with many years ago.

The good news is that I am connecting and communicating with my network and am renewing relationships so that we can all benefit from what we do together.

What is the Value of Communicating Conversationally in Multiple Languages?

I enjoy communicating in conversations with people.  My fourth grade teacher introduced me to Spanish, then I was introduced to French the summer before I went into the fifth grade.  In college I took Italian so that I could be the graduate counsellor at the university's study center in Florence.  I became conversationally fluent in Spanish, French, and Italian--motivated to have conversations with natives speaking these languages.  I lived and worked in Italy for three-and-one-half years, in South America for six months, and used French in Vietnam.  I could read and interpret in all three languages.

The U.S. Army found value in my ability to communicate in these languages.  I had duty assignments where I was required to communicate in each of the three languages.  After leaving the Army for a career as an organizational change management consultant, I had to find or make opportunities to speak the languages.  I have been using Spanish extensively as a teacher of English language learners (ELLs) in Illinois for the past six years.

One way for me to maintain my conversational fluency is to play the French, Spanish, or (more rarely) Italian audio and/or closed caption tracks on DVD movies.  That was how I built my fluency when living in Italy and it still is a good way for me to be interested and force myself to understand--I don't want to miss the punch lines.

I also find it valuable to listen to audio books in the languages and, when possible, to read along while I listen.  This is the same approach I have found very helpful for English language learners to learn English--listen to a book being read to them by a native speaker and read along with the same unabridged book.

Recently I needed to brush-up on my French and I signed-up for an online language learning program that will provide a basic conversational review (or introduction) for French and Spanish--vocabulary, grammar, and other essentials.  The program I signed-up for offers English and eight other languages at the basic conversational (101) level and was very affordable.  I signed-up for one year of the service and expect to review both French and Spanish and possibly to learn one or more of the other languages if I have a chance to use them in conversation.

I have worked with other online programs in the past and found this program to be one of the best values for a basic conversational language learning program offering multiple languages for one fee.

I liked the program so much, I signed-up to enroll others who can benefit from what the program offers.

To go back to the original question, what is the value of communicating conversationally in multiple languages? 

In the United States I see people from other countries who are struggling to communicate in English and I know that, if they had taken an online course to prepare them for basic conversation in English they would be much more successful in day-to-day living in this country.

As a visitor to many countries--Central and South America, Europe, and Asia, I have seen and felt the difference when I could communicate conversationally with people in their native language--and have felt the challenges when I was in countries where I did not know much (or any) of the language.  I was facilitating a class in Hong Kong that was conducted in English because, with the exception of one or two people, English was the only common language spoken by everyone in the training.  That meant that I had to rely on others to help me get through the day-to-day living requirements while visiting in Hong Kong.

Businesses are sending employees to other countries and knowing the language of the country would be of real value to both the business  and the employee.  Some organizations recognize the value of multilingual conversational ability and others do not.  The individuals with the capabilities certainly appreciate the value.  I know some people from Europe who are fluent in nine or more languages.  Chinese and Russian seem so different from English that I am very impressed when people native in these languages speak fluently in English to make my life easier.

I enjoy speaking and understanding Spanish when I visit Spanish-speaking countries.  I enjoy speaking Italian in Italy.  My friends in France have advised me that I need a refresher course before I speak French with French-speaking people in Canada or in France.  OK--now I'm in the program.  :-)

Communication--Bridges and Barriers

Benjamin Franklin advocated a standard fee for postal service regardless of the distance involved.  The fee was for delivery, not transport.

In the past, telephone companies charged high fees to recover costs for undersea cable and satellites.  Today telecommunications is much more affordable and may more closely resemble the postal delivery concepts advocated by Benjamin Franklin.

U.S. Cellular offers free incoming wireless calls in the USA.  Most cellular services outside the USA offer free incoming wireless calls.  A friend who is positively addicted to his iPhone found out that AT&T charges US$2.50 per minute for wireless use (data or voice) from the Caribbean.  He sent a note on Facebook.com that he would be "out of touch" on his 10-day cruise.

MagicJack.com and many other Internet-based telephone service providers provide easy access for local and international calling and greatly reduced fees.  Skype (developed by eBay) now offers a free collaborative service that is similar to that provided by paid Webinar providers.

Free e-mail has had a significant impact on the United States Postal Service.  The Internet is a great bridge to communication, allowing people to connect all over the world.  Some of the fees charged by telephone and telecommunications companies are a barrier to this communication.

Most of us like staying connected.  We need to influence a lowering of fees and barriers to this connected communication.

Using Technology to Influence--A Matter of Timing

Hollywood movies and movie stars had a positive influence on military recruiting efforts at the beginning of World War II.  They were also involved in supporting the troops in the wars and "police actions" following World War II. 

With the advent of the Internet, YouTube and TeacherTube, among other sites, are hosts for a series of video shorts promoting all kinds of things.

Today, Techsmith.com has three great products that I use--SnagIt, Camtasia, and Jing.  I am learning to use these products to produce my own promotional videos. 

I am now looking at using this technology to introduce new ideas to potential clients and to others so that they can quickly capture the vision of what I am trying to tell them.  I'm still learning how to be effective.  Examples such as Jimmy Stewart's promotional video can give me a good example of what a great video looks like--even with technology from 1942.

"What's in it for me (WIIFM)?"--Theme song of education and business

"What's in it for me (WIIFM)?" is a theme of adult learning that also permeates K-12 education, business-to-business relationships, and business-to-consumer (and consumer-to-business) relationships.

Educators need to address the WIIFM concerns to get students ready to learn.  Business-to-business (B2B) sales must address those concerns as must business-to-consumer (B2C) sales.  President Obama faces these concerns in issues over health care (and everything else he is proposing.)  Members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives must address those issues for themselves and for their constituents (voters) in the votes they take "on the hill."

Is that so bad?  Abraham Maslow documented his "hierarchy of needs" (see slide 5) and talked about moving from survival to belonging to recognition to self-esteem to self-actualization.  WIIFM deals with levels one through four on this hierarchy.  Self-actualized people are seen as more altruistic--looking to add value to others.  We certainly need more people operating at these higher levels when the lower levels are met.

At the same time, when we want others to to connect with us or to become involved with us, we need to address the WIIFM concerns so that our target audience will find reasons to engage with us.  Our messages need to take these concerns into account.

How do we communicate value in a way that invites trust and openness?

The media is communicating that "our economy is coming back."  At the same time there is still double-digit unemployment.  The percent of growth of consumer buying (especially in the "back to school" season) was very low and was still growth.

As we invite others to collaborate and share value, we are challenged in choosing the most effective ways to build trust and openness with these people.  This can be even more challenging for business leaders in that many do not want anyone else to be aware that they could use some outside help.  (Actually, we all can--at least to gain more perspective and wisdom on the issues we are dealing with.)

Digital portfolios may be one way to build a bridge to communication.  Two of these digital portfolios are available at the website the title is connected to.  Even so, people need to go beyond the digital portfolios to begin to find the value that may be present in working with the professional offering the portfolios. 

This is a topic for discussion.  Blogs also serve as ways to get people more engaged with us and can lead to an increase of both openness and trust. 

Let's see what's next.

Social Networking--Contact Lists--Memory Loss--Communication and Pictures

Social Networking--Now the focus of multiple apps (iPhone/iPod Touch applications) and websites, used to be the exchange of business cards and numbers at a variety of informal "networking" meetings.

I have been involved in professional and volunteer organizations for more than 30 years.  Between 1998 and 2002, I was very active in such networking organizations as the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and several professional organizations.  I look at old resumes and remember the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD), the International Foundation of Action Learning (USA Chapter) (IFAL-USA), the American Red Cross (ARC), the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), the Organizational Development Network-Chicago (ODNC) and local chapters of the national associations.

In 2002 I became active in teaching K-12 (after 9-11-2001) and joined several professional education associations.  Depending on what I am doing, I am active in several and some drop out due to a change of focus in my activities.  (I'll give you a list of newer organizations later in this post.)  I also earned a post-doctoral Master of Arts in Teaching degree in 2008 and networked with colleagues and professors at several universities and colleges.

"In the old days" (2002) I would exchange business cards, e-mails, write down names and addresses and enter everything into my Yahoo Contact List--yes, I had fancy contact software and everything seemed to collect in the easy to use Yahoo Contact List.  Unfortunately I didn't have photos of the people I was entering in the list and I didn't make notes on where I knew everyone from.  I just tried to keep the contact information of name, telephone number, and e-mail.

Now we come to the "new days" (or today) with the Social Networking Sites.  I stayed clear of many for a variety of reasons.  I had been invited to LinkedIn a long time ago and had registered without doing anything more.  This summer I was invited to LinkedIn again and decided to create a profile.  One of the first things LinkedIn asked me to do was to import my contact lists to see who I knew already.  I had my trusty Yahoo Contact List (which I had also used to create my G-Mail contact list).  I imported the contact list, then checked-off to invite anyone on my Yahoo Contact List who was already a member of LinkedIn to join my network.  The first day I reconnected with several friends I had not seen in years and was very happy about the LinkedIn connection.  There are some good discussion groups there and I added a couple of my own.  The focus of LinkedIn seems to be professional and I enjoy having those connections and reconnecting with people I haven't touched base with in years.

As with many contact lists, some of my e-mails were outdated and some people had changed their names.  Some of my invitations "bounced" and others didn't remember that we had been connected. 

When I'm faced with someone trying to connect with me, I can honestly say, "I don't remember our connection.  Please remind me or tell me why you think we should connect now."

If people would do that with me on these social networking sites, I would really appreciate it.  It would allow me to connect "in the present" and to find even more value in the connection.
Some of the other organizations I have belonged to recently (some of which I still belong to) are the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), the National Middle School Association (NMSA), the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), the American Library Association (ALA) and several divisions and sections of the ALA--including the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) who have a group on LinkedIn.

The economy has an impact on the disposable income available for membership in professional associations.  Some of the contacts and friends made endure much longer than memberships.
I've posted a picture on this blog, so you can see who is writing.  You can also find pictures on my profiles at all of my Social Networking sites and on my own sites such as http://www.joelmonty.net, http://drm-resources.wikispaces.com, http://joelmonty.wikispaces.com.  I want people to know who they are connecting with.

I believe in social networking--and have for years.  "All of us are greater than some of us"--That's on the poster picture of a school of fish forming the image of a shark in the water.  It's probably copyrighted or I'd post a picture here.

Key Processes in Facilitating Change and Learning

In a conversation today about facilitating change and learning for an organization, I was reflecting on some key processes that I have found over the years to be especially helpful and wanted to use this post to keep them "top of mind" and to share them with others. The ideas came from multiple sources have have become a part of my organizational change toolkit that I bring with me when consulting, advising, or otherwise working on projects dealing with learning and change. (See the link at the title of this post and explore some of the stories on that website.)

1. "Begin with the End in Mind" (from Steven Covey's work)--what is the total process involved and what are the final results being produced? This can begin at a high level and may have to come down to a more detailed level when dealing with identifying changes that need to happen.

2. "What are the bottlenecks in the process?" (from Eli Goldratt's work)--What slows down or stops the process flow? What would happen "downstream" if the bottleneck were removed? Most organizations have multiple bottlenecks which are only discovered when one early in the process is removed and it slows down again at the next bottleneck.

3. "Is there a critical chain?" (from Eli Goldratt's work)--Do certain things have to be ready before other things? Does that happen? What can interfere? Do resources have to be mobilized or staged so that the process can pick-up what is needed when it is needed to carry on to the desired results?

4. "Follow the trail of the money" (from Jerry Maguire)--Where does the money come from? Where does it go? Where does the organization place its value--on customers, on suppliers, on employees? Where is the balance and/or the priority of the owners of the business?

5. "Are we trying to force solutions or to ask the right questions?" (from Action Learning)--Do we have a facilitator to help us keep on track asking the right questions? Do we have a group committed to following the action learning process to work through the process of changing the organization? Who composes the group? What questions are being asked?

6. "Do we know what we want or need to change and what we want or need to change to?"--(from Organizational Change literature)--How do we know that? Have we thought it through and tested our beliefs?

7. "Do we share a common vision of the change goal?" (from Jack Gibb's work with Trust)--(see http://joelmonty.wikispaces.com/file/view/Meta-Learning+Models.PDF and look for the Meta-Model on "Trust Dimensions in Team Performance")--Everyone working for the change needs to move through some dimensions of trust and get to a shared (collaborative) vision for the change. Then the group can develop a strategy and then tactics for how to achieve the change. Learning will be part of the strategy and tactics to develop or achieve the vision.

8. "Have we moved through the states of 'awareness--acceptance--action' with regard to the goal?" (from http://joelmonty.wikispaces.com/file/view/Meta-Learning+Models.PDF --see the "Personal Performance Change Curve" and the "Organizational Performance Change Curve")--Individuals and groups need to move through these stages to bring the change about. If a sufficient number of people have not progressed to the appropriate stage, the change will probably be rejected.

9. "What levels of trust and potentials for synergy exist with the change team?"-- (see the meta-models listed earlier in this blog)--Trust is, indeed, the glue that allows change to happen. If it is missing, the group has to work to re-establish it at a sufficiently high level to allow progress to the next step in the trust building and performance change processes.

10. "Are all stakeholders involved and invested?" -- (from organizational change literature)-- If a stakeholder has been missed or is not in agreement, the change can be blocked or sidetracked quickly.

11. "Is everyone communicating clearly with shared definitions of relevant ideas and terms?"--(from organizational change literature)--Regardless of languages spoken, are members of the team talking about the same things when they discuss the change--goal, strategies, tactics, results, learning.