Contents
- Introduction to the January 2017 Knowledge Letter
- Who should you be talking with?
- Give people a say
- Zoom Meetings: For Virtual Cafés?
- Alternative facts are not really facts
- Gurteen Knowledge Tweets: January 2017
- Upcoming Knowledge Events
- Subscribing and Unsubscribing
- The Gurteen Knowledge Letter
Introduction to the January 2017 Knowledge Letter
A Happy Chinese New Year to you. And in Chinese: "Gong hei fat choy." or "Gong xi fa cai."
If you don't speak Chinese (and I don't though I wish I could speak a little), see here for a short lesson in the difference.
My wife Leni and I will be visiting Jakarta next week from 5th to 12th February. It is a personal trip rather than a business one but if anyone would like to meet me for coffee I have some free time. Unfortunately we do not have the time to stop off in Singapore.
Who should you be talking with?
The discussion on "What makes a powerful question?" in the Gurteen Knowledge Community group on Linkedin has pretty much wound down. But take a look if you have not already - there are some really useful insights there.
And take a look at David Griffith's recent post on Do you ignite knowledge wildfires? where he makes the point that Knowledge Management doesn't have to be about the theatre of action. A simple change to the way people ask questions can ignite knowledge wildfires and get everyone in the organisation practising Knowledge Management.
Who should you be talking with in your organization and what are the questions you should be exploring together?
Give people a say
I think the Knowledge Café is often at its best in organizations when it is used to convene conversations to give people “a say” in topics and issues that are relevant to them and where they can express their opinions freely.
This helps them make better sense of the issues and allows them to appreciate that other people have different perspectives to them. This helps build community.
I received an email in January 2017 from Samira Ahmed in the Group Learning Department of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation in which she explains how the Knowledge Management Team has used the Café in this way to great effect.
With her permission, I have posted it in my blook: Knowledge Cafés at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
A big thanks Samira.
Zoom Meetings: For Virtual Cafés?
I am experimenting with a potential Virtual Knowledge Cafe platform - Zoom Meetings. The experiment is confined to my local time zone right now but if all goes well I will open it up globally. (Download Zoom and connect with me if you wish to play with it.)
If you don't want to read too much - just watch these two videos and you will see why I think it will make a viable platform for Virtual Knowledge Cafes. Ignore the content - just see the format :-)
Now read on if you wish to know a little more. Zoom is a relatively new (January 2013) cloud-based video meeting system. You can read more about the company here.
Why Zoom?
It is inexpensive, easy to use, can handle the requisite number of users for a Knowledge Café. Not only can it be accessed through your Windows or Mac desktops but also through your Apple or Android smartphone or tablet. The quality seems good and I am told it is stable.
Critically it has a break-out room capability where the Café host can randomly assign participants to one of several break-out rooms for small group conversations.
I don't know of any other video meeting system that meets all these criteria. (break-out rooms, numbers and cost being key.)
There are two versions of Zoom, a free basic version and a pro version that costs $15 per month. The pro version can host up to 50 participants.
The free version contains many of the key features of the Pro system except meetings are limited to 40 minutes.
So to host a virtual Knowledge Café, only the Café host needs to subscribe to the Pro version of Zoom (to get past the 40 minute limitation). The Café participants need only the free Basic version.
As the Knowledge Café works best for less than 30 participants, 50 participants in not a limitation.
So all in all, it looks a viable technology platform for virtual Knowledge Cafés.
What will be interesting is how the dynamics differ to a face-to-face Café. I'll let you know how it goes.
Alternative facts are not really facts
I am sure most of you by now will have heard the phrase alternative facts. This is what Wikipedia says if you are not familiar with the term.
"Alternative facts is a phrase used by Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway during a Meet the Press interview, in which she defended White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer's false statements about the attendance at Donald Trump's inauguration as President of the United States."
You can see the interview here. It has of course caused quite an uproar and a lot of laughter.
But it is a serious issue as this TEDx talk by Sharyl Attkisson makes plain in explaining how fake grassroots movements funded by political, corporate, or other special interests very effectively manipulate and distort media messages.
It has always been the case but these days we need to be extra vigilant especially when republishing material through social media!
And take a look at this parody of the Kellyanne Conway interview if you want to really laugh - especially if you are a lover of the Cats Musical!
Alternative facts are not really facts. They are just facts you made up. Facts are facts!
Gurteen Knowledge Tweets: January 2017
Here are some of my more popular recent tweets. Take a look, if you are not a Tweeter, you will get a good idea of how I use it by browsing the list of micro-posts.
- Why Conversation, not Content, is King http://buff.ly/2jwaGoR
- Knowledge Management Summit Indonesia 2017 - call for papers http://buff.ly/2juK0rc
- Three Strategies for Creating a Culture of Everyday, Everywhere Experimentation http://buff.ly/2hj78ZA
- Relearning the Art of Asking Questions http://buff.ly/1TpFyTO
- We don't get the organizational culture we deserve–we get the culture we tolerate. http://buff.ly/25UnhFw
- Decisions Are Emotional, Not Logical: The Neuroscience behind Decision Making http://buff.ly/KEloGW
- Can Employees Really Speak Up Without Retribution? http://buff.ly/2eBMxz0
- The science of how we talk to ourselves in our heads http://buff.ly/2ij6Uym
If you like the Tweets then subscribe to my Tweet stream.
Upcoming Knowledge Events
Here are some of the major KM events taking place around the world in the coming months and ones in which I am actively involved. You will find a full list on my website where you can also subscribe to both regional e-mail alerts and RSS feeds which will keep you informed of new and upcoming events.
IntraTeam Event Copenhagen 2017
28 Feb - 02 Mar 2017, Copenhagen, Denmark
Henley Forum Annual Conference 2017
01 - 02 Mar 2017, Henley on Thames, United Kingdom
The Wheels of Knowledge Management
07 - 09 Mar 2017, Melbourne and Canberra, Australia
The AIIM Conference 2017
14 - 16 Mar 2017, Orlando, FL, United States
ISPIM Innovation Forum
19 - 22 Mar 2017, Toronto, Canada
9th European Conference on Intellectual Capital
06 - 07 Apr 2017, Lisbon, Portugal
5th International Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship 2017
26 - 27 Apr 2017, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
APQC's 2017 Knowledge Management Conference
27 - 28 Apr 2017, Houston, United States
12th International Conference on e-Learning
01 - 02 Jun 2017, Orlando, United States
KM UK 2017
14 - 15 Jun 2017, London, United Kingdom
ISPIM Innovation Conference
18 - 21 Jun 2017, Vienna, Austria
KM Conference 2017
21 - 24 Jun 2017, Novo Mesto, Slovenia
4th European Conference on Social Media
03 - 04 Jul 2017, Vilnius, Lithuania
18th European Conference on Knowledge Management
07 - 08 Sep 2017, Barcelona, Spain
12th European Conference On Innovation and Entrepreneurship 2017
21 - 22 Sep 2017, Paris, France
KMO 2017: the Twelfth International Conference on Knowledge Management in Organizations
21 Sep 2017 - 24 Dec 2016, Beijing, China
Subscribing and Unsubscribing
You may subscribe to this newsletter on my website. Or if you no longer wish to receive this newsletter or if you wish to modify your e-mail address or make other changes to your membership profile then please go to this page on my website.
The Gurteen Knowledge Letter
The Gurteen Knowledge-Letter is a free monthly e-mail based KM newsletter for knowledge workers. Its purpose is to help you better manage your knowledge and to stimulate thought and interest in such subjects as Knowledge Management, Learning, Creativity and the effective use of Internet technology. Archive copies are held on-line where you can register to receive the newsletter.
It is sponsored by the Henley Forum of the Henley Business School, Oxfordshire, England.
You may copy, reprint or forward all or part of this newsletter to friends, colleagues or customers, so long as any use is not for resale or profit and I am attributed. And if you have any queries please contact me.
David GURTEEN
Gurteen Knowledge
Fleet, United Kingdom
