Posts about Meeting Culture

Two gargoyles symbolising, that avoiding unnecessary meetings can be such a relief.

TED Talk: David Grady on how to save the world from bad meetings

8.01.2015

The world over, businesses are being plagued by inefficient, tedious, overcrowded and often utterly superfluous meetings. The epidemic, that catapults myriads of workers into durable misery and plays havoc with their precious time, has sparked David Grady’s urge to help curb this rampant disease. Here are some of his ideas on how to become the master of your calendar again. His motto being: MAS – or no MAS?

Read article

Beautiful buildings along Neisstraße in Goerlitz.

Filming Location Goerlitz: George Clooney was here …

3.01.2015

Imagine, you were a citizen of a usually quaint pretty small town situated close to the Polish border and, all of a sudden, George Clooney crossed your path! Or one of the ‘Inglorious Basterds’. Or perhaps you would happen to bump into Bill Murray right in front of ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’. Theoretically, you could. Practically, although the mentioned protagonists were physically present, you would probably have had to be satisfied with a clandestine glimpse of the desired human objects (one of which was voted „sexiest man alive“ not too long ago) from afar. With film sets meticulously cordoned off and actors well protected against curious intruders at all times, one does not just walk into stars of such calibre at random! Not even in the narrow alleys of remote Goerlitz. Unless, of course, one becomes an extra in one of the productions – allowed to play an (in?)significant role within the twinkling orbit of much-admired international celebrities.

Read article

Toastmasters: Learning to speak in public.

Confident public speaking: Toastmasters International

20.11.2014

Heartbeat accelerating. Knees wobbly. Palms sweaty. Hands shaky. You are standing in front of your audience ready to deliver your talk. Ready? Of course you’re not ready! You are panic-stricken! You know that your trembling voice will give you away. You are afraid of failure and of exposing yourself to ridicule. You are dead-tired after a merciless night of restless tossing and turning resulting in your worst-ever bad-hair day. Your urge to escape is virtually untamable.

The fears of speaking in public (Glossophobia) are manifold. Fact is, that they won’t go away by allowing them to thrive. Yet, there’s remedy for the brave: Building up one’s confidence by adopting the proper techniques and by honing one’s communication, speaking and presentation skills, does work wonders! Good to know that even the best of speakers were once terrified novices who eventually succeeded in pacifying their jittery nervous system.

Read article

New York City: Opening party of the Duggal Greenhouse

New York City: The Duggal Greenhouse

27.10.2014

A number of nations of the civilised world are giving environmental issues top priority and have thus succeeded in reducing toxic emission and hazardous by-products, in trying to minimise waste in all areas and in saving rapidly dwindling resources. Albeit: It does not take a government to get the individual stone rolling. There are copy-worthy examples of farsighted doers who make the global climate challenge their own – hoping their commitment might be contagious. This is one:

The venue-turned Brooklyn Navy Yard building could easily claim celebrity status solely for its enviable setting and views. And even if just another desolate structure had merely been transformed from its sorry former state into a reusable, intelligently functional and highly modern company seat cum event location: the Duggal Greenhouse would shine brightly among the array of doomed premises successfully rescued from terminal decay. Yet, what renders the edifice truly unique is that the „green“ in front of the „house“ exceeds by far what the name would usually imply and that for once, the term „greenhouse effect“ offers a positive connotation.

Read article

The Cliffs of Moher - Ireland's most spectacular scenery

Virtual excursions in Ireland

13.10.2014

Forty Shades of Green on Google Street View

Not only the number of meeting variants is constantly growing, their degree of creativity increases as well. Ranging from the regular office get-together to the classical congress, popular in-between solutions like BarCamps, Open Spaces, casual World Cafés, Brownbag Sessions and whatnot, have been sprouting in mushroom-like fashion, only to be accompanied – or replaced – by the next unconventional novelty at the wink of an eye. But what if there isn’t time for an exchange face-to-face and/or the cost for it is unwarranted? In that case, one might want to opt for a virtual meeting instead. And, for the sake of the concept’s purity: Why not enhance it with a stressless, equally virtual „fringe programme“? An „excursion“ to the Cliffs of Moher on Ireland’s west coast could be a rewarding experience.

Read article