WebEx: Ideas in Motion

Tweeting, Posting, Searching: Is multi-tasking a virus or a human trait?

We are reposting from our archives today because based on what we are seeing on Twitter, the crisis is not over. Multi-tasking seems to be even more rampant now as we Tweet, post, search, and share like crazy! Do you have the virus? A study at The British Institute of Psychiatry showed that checking your email while performing another creative task decreases your IQ in the moment 10 points.

I've been in a good number of training sessions and meetings the past few weeks, so in catching up on my reading, I saw this apropos post from Nicholas Carr about the multitasking virus. Josh Waitzkin (of Searching for Bobby Fischer fame) initiated the discussion on Tim Ferriss' blog. Christine Rosen also weighs in at The New Atlantis.

The idea behind Josh Waitzkin's post, his experience watching today's students multitasking during a lecture from one of his favorite professors, has strong correlation to meeting behavior both in-person and online. We've all seen people bring their notebook PCs into a meeting. The rest of us are left wondering if they spend the time checking email, chatting in IM, and watching YouTube.

Bringing a notebook PC to a meeting is akin to chewing gum in same, so if you bring one, plan on sharing. Last week I participated in a couple meetings in which all the participants hunkered down for a couple hours at a stretch in a conference room to work on a project. We all brought our notebooks, but we actively used WebEx to share content, co-edit and transfer files. It definitely streamlined the process.

In fact, WebEx might help you reduce your need to multi-task! Because WebEx includes a visual component, we find people have an easier time focusing on the discussion than they do on a teleconference.

So is multi-tasking a virus? Do we need a cure? I'm not sure but I know I have it and no matter how hard I try - I can't seem to kick it!

Michael Caton is a Collaboration Evangelist at WebEx.

Update: Josh Waitzken published a great blog called, Seven Habits Essential for Tackling the Multitasking Virus that might help if you think you have a problem! In Auigust of this year, he wrote about his next visit to the same classroom one year later...things had not gotten any better.

  

Nominate Your Favorites for a LinkedIn European Business Awards

We know business folks work hard. We want to make sure they get rewarded.

That's why we are partnering with LinkedIn on the LinkedIn European Business Awards.The awards will recognize exceptional business success both on a personal and company wide level, specifically rewarding innovation and collaboration in business. The European Business Awards are open to all members of LinkedIn across Europe, with individuals and companies of any size eligible to enter. Entrants can either nominate themselves or others for the awards online. 

The awards will be judged by LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, PY Gerbeau, the famous French entrepreneur and business consultant, and James Campanini, the head of Cisco WebEx for EMEA and Latin America. 

The winner of each category will be awarded a live WebEx session with one of the judges, with the final overall winner receiving an expenses-paid trip to travel to London for their personal meeting with PY Gerbeau.

To win, professionals and businesses will have to demonstrate how they have found exceptional business success as a result of collaboration and sharing ideas and provide tangible proof of achievement.

Click in and add your recommendations! Winners will be announced in March 2010.

  

Tweeting @WebEx: Dispelling the Myths, a Few WebEx Secrets Revealed!

There’s nothing more revealing than a quick look at Twitter to see how the world is getting through their day using WebEx. Based on what we have been reading, we need to dispel a few myths.

There are a few problems we can’t solve – like this one:

Who schedules a WebEx for 5pm?!?!
 What is wrong with you? From @thatguyjr

There will always be people with bad timing and no understanding that many of us really do want to stop working at some point during the day! But here is a creative suggestion on how to avoid this problem:

WebEx is great. I can give control of my computer to someone else
 which prevents me from doing real work.. From @chrisdail

Mythbuster: You don’t have to give up control!
When you are in a WebEx and someone is sharing their desktop, just double click on the window and you will be able to control the size and shape of the window like you can in all other programs. Suddenly you can see the rest of your screen!

You can also use Alt+Tab to toggle through your programs and send your meeting to the back. Now you can multi-task while you are listening and waiting for your turn to present (just don’t close the WebEx browser tab by mistake or you’ll dump the meeting).

Mythbuster: You can share without revealing it all!
Here’s another common question that has an easy solution:

If only WebEx had a way to share slides without sharing your desktop..... From @frmist

With WebEx, you have a choice of sharing a document, an application or your desktop. All three modes can be very useful depending on what you are doing.

Document share is very focused, it’s only about the specific document you want people to see. Application share will let you change files within an application – say PowerPoint – you can quickly switch between different PowerPoint files and work away. Finally, desktop sharing is probably the most popular way to work with colleagues (in a non-presentation mode) because you can open any application or resource at any time.

The one big caveat is when you are desktop sharing, your guests will see anything that happens on your desktop – including an embarrassing instant message or when you  decide to check email. They will see it all! So choose your “share” state accordingly.

We’ll keep trolling on Twitter to see if we can provide more helpful tips for problems with easy answers. In the mean time, for problems like this one:

12:30PM and I am already entering my 4th WebEx
 session of the day... geez... @Marianokon

All we can say is @Marianokon, may we suggest investing in an iPhone so you can at least be mobile in your next WebEx meeting!
  

BETA: Totally Awesome and Fun - Can You Find Yourself?

Okay people, we want to light this up! 

It's still in beta but it's pretty cool. 

You can see yourself and the people you are meeting with via a WebEx Bird's Eye View! We have a big event happening on September 24th - with Steve Wozniak - and we think we'll be able to see everyone joining in.

So check it out. 

Register for the event.

Watch your WebEx meetings and have a little fun while you work!

Innovation: iPhone + WebEx + Flip Camera = Magic!

Okay - you can't do this today - but I am thinking soon enough!

Our friends over at Cisco Collaboration captured an awesome moment of what's being cooked up behind the scenes. You can read their blog entry to learn more about Cordell Ratzlaff, Director of Cisco’s User-Centered Design Team in the Voice Technology Group.

Watch this! They "wow" moment is at about the 1:30 mark. Even my 10-year old daughter let out a "whoop" when she saw what happens. 

Maybe it's time to actually get that darn iPhone!

Learn more about using WebEx on the iPhone today, right here.

 

How To Create a Culture of Collaboration

The re-reorganization
Companies today are not just reorganizing their org charts around people. They are reorganizing around ideas. A new collaboration culture is emerging out of necessity, as virtual task forces are being formed to solve problems and outrun the competition. Nimble teams need nimble collaboration tools.

Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Then why aren’t more CEOs racing to deploy new technologies to support these teams? Because many are not yet convinced that this stuff works. I hear it from frustrated middle managers all the time:

“Hey I get it, but the big boss doesn’t understand the benefits.”
“If our department head can’t physically see us in the office, she doesn’t trust that we’re working.”
“How do you maintain good relationships with customers if you can’t shake their hands?”

The leader sets the tone for the company culture, and culture drives technology adoption. But there has to be a measurable payoff for any technology to really stick.

Where innovation begins
It’s public knowledge that Cisco has saved millions of dollars in travel costs using its own products, especially WebEx and Telepresence.  I believe the widespread adoption has occurred for two reasons.

First, our CEO John Chambers has promoted online collaboration as a way to thrive during the tough economy.  Secondly, Cisco’s collaboration suite offers many choices for employees depending on the situation.   

Cisco’s Telepresence delivers "wow" factor impact with its “almost like being there” experience, (any CEO would personally love to have one in their office or boardroom.)  WebEx has a "wow" factor of a different kind – working in harmony with other Cisco collaboration products to bring web conferencing to the fingertips of every single employee.    

This is where I believe innovation really begins - not in the boardroom, but in the mind of the individual employee, toiling away on the road or in a quiet cubicle, often the closest person to your customer in the entire company.  

Innovation and proof can be stimulated at this level by letting the individual
- easily share great ideas

- work faster with a nimble team to make them better

- gain agreement with management

- streamline time to market

- publicly celebrate the team’s accomplishment.

Turning ideas into action
Company culture won’t change overnight. If your CEO is struggling with taking a giant leap into new collaboration technology, give them a few baby steps first. Pick a mission-critical business priority, align a creative, cross-functional team to it, and ask for a flexible collaboration platform to help bring your good ideas to life.  Measure your pilot, and then build on your success with a moderate expansion.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
This is viral adoption of the best kind – people seeing their colleagues use technology to help solve problems and create measurable value. If the CEO is presented with a low-risk, fast-ramp solution to transform the business culture… isn’t that an easy thing to embrace?

David Goad is a senior marketing manager with the Cisco Collaboration Software Group. davigoad@cisco.com.

Confessions of a WebEx Addict

WebEx is addictive. I’ve been a “user” for four years now and I have no intention of kicking the habit. In fact, I loved WebEx so much I joined the company in 2007 (just before we became a part of Cisco). Here’s why I’m hooked…

A habit for highly effective people
I have attended a lot of face-to-face meetings throughout my career, and this time-honored tradition goes on today. But until I discovered online meetings, I never realized how much the time, space and travel expense limitations of meetings can impact your business. Yet many professionals go on doing things this traditional way, insisting on face-to-face meetings for every business need.

Let’s face it, teams are globally dispersed and the world is moving too fast for the traditional approach. I now use WebEx on average 6 times a day, including online meetings, brainstorming, staff updates, all-hands meetings, vendor communication and impromptu problem-solving.

Sometimes the WebEx is combined with a face to face meeting, but 80% of the time I am at my desk. If I had to fly, drive or run down the stairs for every meeting, I couldn’t do it. The productivity gain from meeting online has been enormous for me, and I have not had to sacrifice any effectiveness in my communication.

I enjoy meeting people face to face or with Cisco Telepresence (an amazing immersive experience) but it’s not available at my fingertips all the time. For the job I do, give me WebEx and give it to me now.

Put the show in show-and-tell
Why not just use a conference call? I remember those too. Audio is fine, and it’s relatively inexpensive. Unless of course you count the cost of the long verbal explanations, the misunderstandings, wondering who’s talking, large media files blocked by email, and the inability to quickly get answers to critical questions. 

A picture is worth more than a thousand words. I say show me, don’t tell me. 

Even when I sit in a physical conference room, I will login to the available WebEx along with the remote participants (most meetings are a mix of face-to-face and online.) Instead of staring at tiny text on a blurry projection screen, I use the WebEx to see clearly on my laptop, and capture and share visual information immediately. No poor admin has to transcribe whiteboard notes to send to everyone the next day. I’m also a slow note-taker, so I like getting the network-based recording of the meeting so I can fill in the blanks later, jumping to just the parts I need. 

A new way of working
I am old enough to remember a business world where one person would speak and everyone was expected to pay full attention. This is still a good idea sometimes, like when your boss is presenting.

But let’s be honest. You get invited to some meetings with too many people and no clear agenda. Your role is not really defined and you sit there just in case you’re needed.

For me, the ability to work productively (multi-task) in a WebEx with my digital world at my fingertips is a godsend. I even find myself having sub-conversations around the topic being presented. It’s like kicking someone under the table and passing them a note (in chat) without getting caught. I get the info I need immediately, making me look like a superstar when I’m called on. Hey, you’re only as smart as your resources, right?

If you’ve been to a conference keynote lately, you’ll see the audience behaving the same way. They’ve got their iphones and laptops open, twittering to their social network about what’s being said. Information is flying faster than ever and the multi-tasking work style is being brought into the office by workers (especially Gen Y) at a rapid pace. I’m choosing to embrace reality and join the crowd on this one.

So yeah… I’m hooked on WebEx and I’m not sure I can live without it now.  I would survive if you took it away, but you better offer a 12-step program in your health plan.

Wanna try it?  Everyone’s doing it. Get a free trial of  WebEx and let it take you to the next level.

David Goad is a senior marketing manager with the Cisco Collaboration Software Group.

How-To Video: Attend a WebEx via Smartphone!

It's "How-To" Friday - okay, I made that up - but it's a good day to learn a new trick.

And when you do, you have an excuse for following this video on to YouTube when you are done! (If you don't know how to do that, just double click on the video - it will take you to YouTube and you are on your own for getting completely lost in skateboarding bulldogs and evil-eyed squirrels!)

So you were invited to a WebEx but you can't be at your desk? Worry no more, you can jump on with your SmartPhone - here's how!

Want more tips? Visit the WebEx YouTube channel for more!

Fuzzy Slippers? The Shower? Where do you get your best ideas?

There are two myths I want to debunk:

1)      I don’t own fuzzy slippers
2)      I don’t (usually) get my best ideas in the shower

But I do something that is increasingly common: I telecommute.

And telecommuting comes with a set of stereotypes (like the one about working in your fuzzy slippers), most of which are rooted in the 1960s-era concept that anyone doing any serious business did it in an office. But I work from lots of places, and the people I work with are scattered, quite literally, around the world.

My friend and colleague, Andrew Winston, asks “Will Video Conferencing Kill Business-Class Travel?” and he’s not the first to suggest that telework technologies will replace a lot of travel and commuting (and eliminate a significant volume of carbon emissions in the process). Web Worker Daily asks if this is “The End of Cubicle Dwelling?” concluding that many jobs can be easily (and maybe better) done from anywhere.

My colleagues here at Cisco also just released a study showing that tele-commuting increases productivity, flexibility and job satisfaction. 

Convinced? Good. Now back to my question.

If you’re like me, you have ideas. If you’re more like me, you love to talk with your colleagues, friends and other associates. And I know when I do, my ideas get better. New ideas get merged and hatched. And brilliant plans start to take shape. That’s how my ideas turn into initiatives that produce real results.

Sound familiar?

But when I’m sitting at my desk at home, there are no colleagues or friends there to talk with. Just me, my brilliant diagrams and my laptop.

And my WebEx account.

And that’s where things start to get interesting. I immediately reach the people – often scattered around the world - who really help make my ideas great. I can show them – not just tell them – my great idea, and every conversation helps turn those ideas into reality and results.

This is how I “pass the ball.” This is also how I make telecommuting work for me.

I’m not the only one. Take a look at this and this idea that people have shared on making telecommuting work.

Try it for yourself. And share your ideas on how you make telecommuting work for you.

And going back again to my original question: I don’t know about you, but I get ideas at the strangest times and in the most unusual places. But I know that wherever I am, I can act on them right then and there, and instead of letting them wither away in my head,  share them and let others help me make them better – and make them happen.

So, tell us, where do you get your best ideas?

Jeff Weinberger leads the Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives for Cisco’s Collaboration Software Group.

Spare the Air: It’s about more than cutting travel costs…

In this recent article in the San Jose Mercury News, companies are making serious decisions about cutting back on travel costs. They are using “big products” to solve “big problems.”

"In a trend that could transform the way companies do business, Cisco Systems has slashed its annual travel budget by two-thirds — from $750 million to $240 million — by using similar conferencing technology to replace air travel and hotel bills for its vast work force."

While this focus is on saving money – the issue of travel becomes even more pressing on a day like today when residents of the San Francisco Bay Area have been asked to work from home as we face yet another “Spare the Air” day due to excessive heat that traps gas-based emissions.

You don’t have to go “big” to save “big”

There is a low-cost solution to online collaboration that’s worth checking out – especially if you are trying to cut costs or be a good citizen – it’s WebEx. I am a recent convert. I admit, I really didn’t understand the true benefits until I starting using WebEx.

I used to get on the phone and talk with my colleagues while we all looked at the PowerPoint I emailed out. Sure we did okay, “Is everyone on slide 12 now?” I would ask and wait to get confirmation. We did what we had always done.

But then we signed up for the WebEx Free Trial and gave it a shot. What a difference. I had no idea I could see someone else’s desktop (or that they could see mine). I didn’t realize I could edit their document while we talked – or they could see me make the edits to the PowerPoint so they knew how to do it themselves next time.

An alternative to your daily routine

For those of us in the Bay Area, its Spare the Air. Where you live, it might be weather or traffic or simply the desire to work from home so you can spray the kids with the hose this afternoon. Any way you slice it, using WebEx can help you work smarter.

What have you got to gain? Give it a try.