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May 4th, 2010
By Barrett Whitener, Senior Health Communications Manager
When it’s time to give a talk, many speakers get a little nervous. But anxiety can become a real problem if it distracts you from the task of communicating. Here are six tips to help you use fear to your advantage:
 Acknowledge that you feel nervous. This simple step can loosen its grip on you and make it easier to focus on giving the best presentation possible.
- Realize that it’s not about you. The audience’s attention is on the content of the talk, not on you personally. Direct your energy to the same place: prepare the talk carefully and rehearse it at least once in its entirety.
- Be cognizant of the clock. Limit your content to what an audience can comfortably absorb in the time allotted. Don’t spend more than about 2 minutes on each slide (e.g., 10 minutes on five slides). You’ll avoid the trap of having to rush through the talk in an attempt to “get everything in”-a strategy likely to elevate your anxiety and overwhelm your listeners.
- Limit the text on your slides. Use brief titles and bullet points (not full sentences). Limiting the text will allow you to make more eye contact with the audience and speak to them more than to the screen. Maintaining this connection is crucial to the talk-everyone, including you, will feel more engaged by the content.
- Train your focus on the entire audience. Think of the audience as one big lawn, and “water the entire lawn” with eye contact and vocal energy. This perspective makes it easier to overlook distracting actions by individual blades of grass (e.g., someone leaves the room, never looks up from the computer, or listens to you raptly) and to continue communicating with purpose.
- Consult your “inner critic.” This observant viewer wants to help you improve. Before the presentation, ask your inner critic to take notes on what works well in the talk and what you can do better next time-but not to share those notes with you until you ask for them, sometime after the talk. Be sure to follow through and ask; you’ll find the notes surprisingly kind and helpful.
By regarding nervousness as an ally-as a source of both energy and learning-you can use it to continually improve your talks.
Tags: audience, communication, content, fear, nervousness, productivity
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April 2nd, 2010
By Stephen Murphy, Senior Vice President, Digital Strategy and Innovation
In an age of collaboration, crowd sourcing, and the rapid exchange of information, nothing is ever final. There is always something that another will be able to add. We must then ask what constitutes a final report, a final advert, a “final” anything. In a collaborative world, isn’t it presumptuous to talk about perfection?
Look at the way we interact with close friends. Our conversations have nothing to do with perfection, and there’s no expectation that anything said among friends has to be final. The friend model is relaxed, playful, and unself-conscious. There is no need for a plan. The idea is to enjoy the exchange, not to meet a standard. What friends say flows naturally, because each person wants to add something and keeps the conversation going. What friends do is support their relationship.
Consider brainstorming: The only rule is to invite all kinds of ideas. Getting outside the box means taking perfection off the table. Giving up control. Collaborating freely. Seeing where it goes. Isn’t that what Twitter is driving on a massive scale? the spinoff of ideas that generates more ideas, responses, and connections?
We all want to create outstanding processes and products, but the steps we take to get there don’t need to be perfect. Let’s accept that we’re taking risks and learning new ways of cooperating, collaborating, and elaborating in a world that has never moved so fast. Why not engage our clients in more open-ended conversations first, and worry about making it “final” later? So, next time you think about final, ask yourself: “Did I really tap the team as I could have in order to improve this product? Could I have crowd-sourced a solution? Could I have taken a risk along the way in order to build a better mousetrap?”
Perhaps there is no “final” anymore because knowledge is infinite. So, why do we think we can still package knowledge in a finite form? Let’s think, instead, of knowledge as extensible and infinite. Let’s deliver it in ways that others can benefit from it. Operating in a world set on perfection shuts off this continual stream of knowledge building. “Final” says, “I don’t want to hear anymore. You have nothing else to add. I don’t value your knowledge.”
By the way, this is not my final word. It’s simply the start of a conversation about new ways we can work in a new knowledge world, a world of sharing, where we add value to what others create. I would love to hear your thoughts about this–your “final” word.
Tags: collaboration, crowd sourcing, information, perfection, productivity
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November 11th, 2009
By Kim Callinan, Senior Vice President, Communications and Social Marketing
Last year’s election of a new President brought a new commitment to “reform government so that it is more efficient, more transparent, and more creative.” In the current climate, public information officers and administrators across the government have to think creatively about what this means for information centers and make prudent investments in emerging technologies. At the same time, one must balance the temptations to implement new features and technologies to “show we can do it” with a carefully thought out approach that keeps in mind the government’s mandate to deliver accurate, (and in the case of NIH, science-based) information to a diverse constituency base. Below are three ways to approach the challenges and opportunities that come with Web 2.0 and other technology-driven elements of open government.
- Maintain a customer-centric focus: The masses are diverse. Federal clearinghouse audiences for health information, for example, can include researchers, parents, medical and health professionals, patients, caregivers, advocacy groups, government agencies, and the media. A customer-centric focus that meets the needs of multiple audiences requires both vision and customer research that represents these audiences and the types of information they might want. One critical element to maintaining a customer-centric focus is making use of customer data. Investing in a data analytics package that provides near real-time information about your communications and information center activities will provide you with the tools to maintain your customer focus.
- Provide information resources anytime, anywhere, any way: Not only is the customer always right, but his or her expectations are rising. As more information is disseminated across a range of technologies, customers are becoming increasingly proactive about what they want, where they want it, and how they want to use it. One way to fulfill this need is to take a fresh look at your information. Instead of (or in addition to) publishing a lengthy report or brochure, try breaking up existing content into smaller pieces so it can be repurposed and provided to customers in whatever formats they want- email, text message, Twitter, RSS, etc.
- Engage diverse and underserved audiences: It is imperative for government clearinghouses to provide equal access to information and services. As we begin implementing the latest technologies, it’s important that we recognize which audiences the various tools will and will not reach. Effective approaches may include bridging the digital divide, hiring diverse individuals to staff call centers, developing culturally competent materials, and adopting cultural competency models in all aspects of service delivery.
The good news is that the new online communications tools that help to achieve President Obama’s vision of a collaborative and participatory government are also relatively inexpensive. In tough economic times, federal clearinghouses need to cultivate a healthy obsession with tech-driven efficiency as they adopt new ways of delivering information to the public. This obsession can result in greater reach, while achieving cost savings. At the same time, it is essential to also cultivate an informed perspective of ongoing change-to ensure that innovation leads to right-sized information and quality customer service.
Tags: clearinghouse, customer service, government, health information, obama
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October 14th, 2009
By Dan Johnson, Technical Assistant to the CEO
While early U.S. recovery efforts focused on bailing out banks, triage for the housing market, and other emergency measures, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act also includes significant funding for a national innovation strategy that takes the long view. More than $100 billion in Recovery Act funds is waiting in the wings to support technical innovation, sustainable growth, and job creation. The President described the thinking behind his new “Strategy for American Innovation” in a speech at Hudson Valley Community College, in Troy, New York, September 21.
The Administration offers a three-step strategy: “Invest in the building blocks of innovation; promote competitive markets that spur productive entrepreneurship; and catalyze breakthroughs for national priorities.”
The “building block” phase is designed to create a broad base for innovation through investments in fundamental research, future-focused education and workforce training, and the construction of physical infrastructure (such as next-generation mass transit, air traffic control, and electric grid). A fourth component, to develop an advanced information technology “ecosystem,” receives special emphasis. The budget supports increased research funding for the National Science Foundation and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop next-generation information and communications technology, including $7.1 billion for broadband expansion. Investments in information technology are linked to an Administration effort to ensure open Internet access and neutrality, recently announced by FCC Chair Julius Genachowski.
The Government agenda for investing in U.S. entrepreneurship includes an outward focus to promote American exports by ensuring fair and open international markets. It also emphasizes support of open U.S. capital markets that allocate resources domestically to fund the most promising ideas. It encourages fast-growing, highly innovative U.S. entrepreneurs, who have a high capacity to create new businesses and jobs that drive economic growth. Finally, the strategy supports both public sector and community innovation: greater openness, efficiency, and collaboration from a Government that can leverage information technology and the adoption of best practices identified through community initiatives.
The payoff will be breakthroughs in sectors of “exceptional national importance where the market is unlikely to produce desirable outcomes on its own,” according to the Administration. These include: clean energy initiatives (smart grid, energy efficiency, and renewable technologies such as wind and solar); advanced vehicle technologies (batteries, biofuels, advanced combustion, and electric cars); and health care technology (to reduce medical errors, lower costs, and improve quality of care). A fourth priority, addressing “grand challenges” of the 21st century, could generate other payoffs, such as educational software that provides effective individualized instruction and a cure for cancer via “smart” therapeutics capable of delivering drugs to tumor cells without harming healthy surrounding cells.
The report includes a top 12 list of sectors slated to receive Recovery Act funds, with renewable energy and energy efficiency ($30+ billion) taking a wide lead. Of great interest to IQ Solutions and the health knowledge community, though, is that health information technology and health research are ranked second and third, with a combined investment of just under $30 billion. That’s ahead of education and training, advanced vehicles and biofuels, smart grid interconnection and transmission, and six other high-priority areas. In a speech at the National Institutes of Health on September 30, President Obama noted that significant health investments will be directed toward “applying what scientists have learned through the Human Genome Project to help us understand, prevent, and treat various forms of cancer, heart diseases, and autism.”
Tags: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, competition, competitive markets, Entrepreneurship, Hudson Valley Community College, innovation, National Innovation Strategy, National Science Foundation, natonal priorities
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August 25th, 2009
By Judith B. Braslow
An intern program should be a win-win proposition for both your company and your interns. It all starts with at least one dedicated staffer who is willing to set goals, be a constant advocate for the process (within the company and out in the world), and can maintain the effort over time. I came to IQ Solutions as a senior consultant in 2002 after retiring from the Federal Government. In 2007, I launched the company’s first formal internship program. Since then, we have had a steady flow of talented interns each semester and during the summer session. Here are seven key steps I took to establish the program and guide its development.
Survey your senior staff. A good first step is to get some feedback from the vice presidents and directors of your company. Ask them how many interns they can use, what they need them to do, and for how many hours. What kinds of interns does the company want? A survey can help to introduce staff members to the idea of internships and get them thinking about how they could benefit. It will probably generate some positive responses and useful information, but not necessarily much guidance. Getting the program off the ground is up to you.
Sell the program internally. Interns bring energy and enthusiasm, but they’re also good for the bottom line. Significant turnover of junior-level staff has become a chronic problem for many companies. That turnover is costly, unproductive, and unnecessary. The real value of the internship program at IQ Solutions can be measured in (1) how many interns we hire as full-time employees and (2) how many we can retain as interns until new positions become available. That combined list gives us a very high return on our investment.
Support a paid internship program. While there’s nothing wrong with an unpaid internship or a volunteer program, offering paid internships sends a strong signal that your company views the interns and the internship program as a high priority. Students have an obvious interest in compensation, and that works both ways: Paid interns at IQ Solutions are expected to meet a high standard. (I am happy to report that our interns respond positively to that expectation with good productivity and initiative.) Paid internships also help to attract a large pool of talented students: We received more than 100 applications for the fall semester to fill a handful of positions.
Provide formal orientation and training. Our interns receive orientation on the first day of their program. It focuses on the work of the company as well as guidelines for the interns and their individual supervisors. Midway through the semester, we also conduct a two-hour training session that addresses specific subjects. This summer three staffers made presentations on the proposal process, the work of an information specialist, and “Tips for Interns: How To Be Successful in the Work Environment.” At the end of the internship, the students will make formal presentations focusing on their assigned projects and what they have learned, and make recommendations to iQ Solutions for improvements to the internship program.
Take supervision seriously. When we established our program, we created corporate guidelines and identified responsibilities for students and supervisors. Each of our students is assigned a direct supervisor who is tasked with introducing the intern to the way a large company such as IQ Solutions operates, making a range of opportunities available to the student, and recognizing that our interns are not here to provide clerical support. Each supervisor is key to the program’s credibility. He or she ensures that the assigned intern receives a high-quality work experience that is related to the student’s academic interests, enhances his or her classroom work, and is worthy of academic credit, should the student choose that option.
Offer an appealing variety of internships. An interesting mix of positions creates new avenues for students to enter the program. This summer, our interns worked in business operations, human resources, training, and communications and social marketing. They have also served as information specialists and librarians in our clearinghouse, resource center, and warehouse operations. In the past, we have assigned interns to the newsletter, SAMHSA News, the creative services division, and Web design.
Recruit tirelessly. At IQ Solutions, we promote our program in more than one way. Our most effective source for new interns has been referrals of current or previous interns and/or their faculty advisers. We also participate in university job fairs and post notices on numerous listservs. In addition, each semester, we circulate our internship program announcements to local (Mid-Atlantic) and national institutions. We reach out to academic faculty in human resources, communications and public health programs, library schools, web design programs, and business schools, including: American University, University of Baltimore, Boston University, Carnegie Mellon University, Catholic University, University of Delaware, Drexel University, Emory University, George Mason University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Howard University, Johns Hopkins University, Lehigh University, New York University, University of North Carolina, University of Maryland, University of Maryland Baltimore County, University of Southern California, Texas A&M, and Towson University. We are continually on the lookout for other institutions eager to have their students involved with IQ Solutions.
The IQ Solutions internship program is always evolving. Changes are made every semester, all designed to improve the program. Plans call for developing performance objectives and evaluations for interns, similar to what we do for our full time employees. Our principal goal for the program will continue to be to recruit new full-time employees to IQ Solutions-employees who have been tested and evaluated through a year-long program that cuts across all components of the company.
Tags: employee recruiting, intern recruitment, internship, internship program, training
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