Activities to do while practicing physical distancing

I thought I would share some ideas of activities to do while being safe & physical distancing while Covid-19 measures are in place. Please add more ideas in the comment section or drop me an email so I can add your suggestions -- to make this a sharing, caring and collaborative spot to exchange ideas.

• You can still be social -- yet virtually. By using facetime, zoom, skype, etc. 
• Stay socially connected while practicing physical distancing by saying hi to old and new friends through social media and share fun videos: facebook, twitter, instagram, etc.
• For now, we can still visit parks, by being 6 metres apart, so please try to visit Centennial Park and High Park and other parks
• Try Geocaching  https://www.geocaching.com/play just practice physical distancing and don't touch the Cach unless you have gloves
• Meditation and Mindfulness - I tried the Oprah and Deepak Chopra 21 day challenge - which was free at the time https://www.shape.com/lifestyle/take-oprah-and-deepaks-21-day-meditation-challenge
• Free museums, Opera, ballet and other concerts as well as cooking lessons 
• https://www.fastcompany.com/90478031/you-can-stream-the-met-opera-for-free-during-the-coronavirus-crisis-heres-how
• https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/coronavirus/royal-opera-house-launches-online-ballet-opera/
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/03/16/in-coronavirus-quarantine-you-can-virtually-tour-these-museums-from-home/#e4c67cb7a3a9
• https://www.thedailymeal.com/cook/online-cooking-classes-coronavirus
• If you have a Toronto Public Library card you can watch free movies and e-books https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/
• For those who like Golf -- practice your golf swing 
• watch some Youtube videos on experts to improve your swing 
• Even holding your golf clubs while watching tv for the grip is helpful. 
• Clean your golf clubs to get them ready when  the courses open up again.
• For those who like to watch horses run -- you can watch in the morning online the horses train live https://thestable.ca/media-center/?article=live-feed
• Listen to some classical musical 96.3 fm radio as it soothes the soul and you can live stream here http://classicalfm.ca/
• Try to keep a routine - as much as possible
• Watch YouTube videos on new hobbies (cooking, golf, card games, crafts)
• Art: Draw or paint, sing, dance ...whatever is your medium pick it up again
• Exercise: lots of youtube videos, dance, walk, push-ups, sit-ups 
• If you are an expert in something why not create informational youtube videos and upload on social media like facebook, linked-in, twitter, instagram, etc.
• If you have cards or old puzzles - bring them out and play again
• Do some spring cleaning and get rid of old stuff you no longer need or want. Kondo who is the clean-up and organizing queen gives some tips https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZjp55-QsAM
• Journal: dreams, hopes, challenges -- when you revisit it again a year from now it will be an interesting read.

FOR MY STUDENTS (FORMER AND CURRENT)

• Create or revise your social media presence (Linked-in, facebook) to make it professional 
• Research companies you want to work for in the future and connect via linked-in
• Read scholarly articles through harvard business review, forbes, Ivey etc. to get prepared for the upcoming semester
• Get your resume together and you can send it to me via email but please allow up to a week to review as it is exam time, etc.

Don't be too hard on yourself during these interesting (challenging) times. Are there any other ideas that helped you occupy yourself and keep one busy?

Please share on the comment section below

Hosting a Webinar: "Recruitment - The Future is Social"

I am so pleased to write in my post that I am co-hosting with my colleague Jonathan Holowka, www.byeka.ca, on how human resources can leverage social media on their recruitment initiatives.  

For those who are interested in learning how HR can leverage social media feel free to sign up for the free event through www.hr.com you can download the slide deck (.ppt) at a later date.

To join this FREE event on Tuesday, January 10th, 12:30-1:30pm "Recruitment-The Future is Social"  you may register by signing up at the following website http://bit.ly/wpUdEw  

http://www.hr.com/en/webcasts_events/webcasts/upcoming_webcasts/recruitment---the-future-is-social_gvy4l5kk.html

Social Media Etiquette

It must be a sign; in the last two minutes I read a twitter from Jonathan Holowka @jholowka about social media etiquette and then a post by Pam Moore on Twitter etiquette and how to get retweeted.  This inspired me to write something on common civility in life, work and social media. All are intertwined and it helps if we follow basic guidelines in our everyday interactions with others.  Both the blog and tweet resonated as etiquette takes common sense but sometimes we step over the line of what is inappropriate.

Here are some useful websites on social media etiquette.  If you know of any others please comment below.

This website had an interesting suggestion advising not to drink wine and tweet.  (I have to put my Bordeaux down now)
http://www.torontosun.com/2011/11/18/social-media-etiquette-lesson-2

Chris Brogan has a common sense approach to using social media - great job!
http://www.chrisbrogan.com/socialmediaetiquette/

Tamar Weinberg mentions some faux pas and provides correct usage on different social media platforms like Twitter, YouTube, etc.; a must read.
http://www.techipedia.com/2008/social-media-etiquette-handbook/

My social media motto is to: give, give and then give again.  My guidelines are to try to follow those who have similar interests, professional backgrounds, and potential clients/employers.  The reason I follow these individuals is that I want to know more about them and learn about their interests.  Hopefully, I can incorporate their passions to mine and vice versa.  It helps if you understand who your audience is and then cater to them.  What works for me is to pretend my followers are coming over to dinner and I am serving them a delicious meal, some good wine and [hopefully] interesting conversation.

Associations could benefit by getting on the social media bandwagon

Last night, I attended the AGM for one of my associations Canadian Association of Management Consultants (CMC) and spoke with a few board members, Glenn Yonemitsu and Lianti Müller, on social media and the importance of this medium for our longevity.  I offered some suggestions and volunteered to help provide advice on how CMC can leverage social media.  I have some experience helping associations; in the past I was on the recruitment and communications committees for the Human Resources Professional Association and most recently GoodYear Toastmasters.  (GYTM) Like most successful initiatives, I could not have done this alone.  I want to thank  board members of GYTM Promod Sharma and Jonathan Holowka for their support, expertise, and giving me a chance to update our Toastmaster's Twitter account @gytm81.   You may ask yourself why associations need to leverage social media.  The benefits for getting on the social media bandwagon are:  promoting the group, recruiting new members, exposure to a larger audience, announce events, showcase and engage members.

I know that social media can be intimidating and there are many platforms available but once you get onboard and practice your skills it becomes less daunting.  I have listened to a number of webinars, tried social media for myself and for my clients and have learned some skills by listening to experts.  Listed below are some valuable takeaways on leveraging social media properly for:  yourself, your business and associations.

1. Have a Plan

Your first stepping stone should be to have a plan on what your social media campaign will look like, who is your audience and who is going to manage this process.  I recommend using project management methodologies by considering scope of the project, timelines, costs and resources.

2. Social Media Etiquette

There are many faux pas that are done on social media. One of the main faux pas is not catering to your audience's needs.  Social media allows great exposure but it is not all about you.  You need to provide value to your audience by sharing information and giving accolades to other individuals' contributions.  (Examples of accolades are the links listed in this blog, and by adding other blogs to mine.)  I recommend you research other social media pet peeves via the web, twitter, friends, co-workers and family  -- these are lessons learned on the social media journey.

3. Give, Give, Give and Then Give Some More

I can not emphasize enough on the importance of sharing important content information, giving accolades to others, and giving your time to improve social media.  I had a very interesting conversation with Allan Wilson at last night's event on how social media reminds him of the 60's revolution.  Allan provided some insights of the 60s on how collaborative it was - it was a time of sharing communication.  I agree with Allan, social media has created a revolution on how we communicate and share ideas.  Associations can add enormous value by sharing information through social media platforms.

4. Understand Personal Branding

There are many personal branding gurus and I have learned from these experts that you have to be authentic in your message.  Your postings on Blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc. all need to reflect the same message and it has to be a 'true' reflection of who you are -  the 'real you'.  I found  William Arruda resonated for me and I hope that one day I can be as successful in my delivery as Shirley Williams.  Associations need to portray what they are, what they represent, and the benefits they provide to members.

5. Be Concise and Consistent

Another important tip that a social media expert, Promod Sharma, provided was to be concise with my delivery and be consistent.  Consistency does not mean tweeting 100 messages a day.  Rather you could post one tweet per hour or a blog per week.  You cannot start social media on a regular basis and then drop off the planet by not posting due to:  vacation, new job, etc.  You have to be committed and stay on course.  If you do not heed this rule then followers will think you are not genuine and lose interest very quickly.

6. Time Management Skills

These skill can not be underestimated; they apply to work, personal but also social media.  You will need to decide what is appropriate for your audience, manageable for you and your schedule.  I found it helpful to add timelines on my iPhone calendar as it synchronizes with my iPad and MacBookPro. [I am not being endorsed by Apple - just love their products.] I found the below website useful to determine when is the best time to reach out to your targeted audience.  http://mashable.com/2011/10/28/best-time-to-tweet/

7. Research - Stay Current

Get your research hat on as you are going on a whirlwind expedition to learn tips and tricks for using social media tools.  You need to stay current with all the available platforms, new technology devices, and popular websites.  Valuable sources of information are:  your local news, blogs, twitter, tv, websites such as http://socialmediatoday.com/ and attending social media networking events including Word 11 impact99.

8. Measure Success

There are many tools available to track your success on social media.  You will need to ask yourself what you consider success; increase hits (numbers), number of comments, valuable suggestions, people tweeting your website/blog, thumbs-up/Like/1+.   One tool that I find easy to use and measure is Klout but there is also Google Analytics.  Some tools are free and others have a cost such as HootSuite.

I would suggest that, without delay, you jump on the bandwagon with:  a plan in mind, share information, give accolades, stay current and measure your success. Trust me, you will find it is fun -- this is an exciting new journey and times we live in.

I hope you find this useful and any suggestions and recommendations are greatly appreciated.  Kindly sign up to get my blog by email and connect to the RSS feed. Both are located on the right.

 

Networking for Job Seekers

As the old adage goes "it is who you know" not "what you know" that gets you the job -- is partially true.  You still need to demonstrate how you add value to the company by providing examples of how you can save them money or make a profit.  It is important to know people as they are the gatekeepers that help you get into the door.  One way to find these gatekeepers is through networking.  Below are some opportunities for you to network:   in person, over the phone and using social media/web.

Social Media 101

• Start joining groups on social media such as Twitter, Linked-in but ensure the groups are related to your profession.
  • Add professional content and provide interesting links or articles.  It demonstrates that you are staying current and are a subject matter expert.
  • Do not post that you are at Starbucks waiting for your tall coffee--leave this trivia to celebrities.

Events

• Go to networking events for job seekers such as:  Happen, Eng (for HR), Earn, Meetup.com, even your association may have events.
  • If there is none available in your area consider creating one and add the meeting on Meetup.com and make the location neutral such as a coffee shop.
• Attend career fairs in-person and on-line even if it is not geared towards your profession.  It will keep your interviewing skills sharp and you never know who you will encounter at these events.

Pay it Forward

• Volunteer with your association; you have time and it will show you believe in the philosophy of giving "paying it forward" by giving to others.   [great movie]
• The HRPA has networking events for those who are in transition.

Keeping skills fresh

• Join Toastmasters as the presentation and leadership skills helps you practice and improves your confidence and self-esteem.
  • The great thing is that you can attend for free.
  • There is no obligation to join but I highly recommend joining a group that resonates with you.

Good luck on your job search!  Please add any networking places in the comments section below.