Using technology to promote ideas: "Listening, really listening…"

A big part of why I took on writing this blog was so that it would expose me to "lay technology" — not the deep technical programming stuff that I am accustomed to working with, but rather 21^st Century mechanisms (like blogging) that were created specifically for non-technical people. Within that framework I have discovered a plethora of techniques, each one opening up another door to communication… So this is a story about my team and I having fun doing exactly that !!

Two months ago I was consulted by a couple of men on my team with a vision: Find a way to "tap into" the years of experience and wisdom locked up inside the head of a well-respected man within our circles(about what we call "enrollment" in Circles of Men — though it's more like "promotion") and come up with a way to share that knowledge within our community of people in a meaningful way. The first step was to gather a small circle of men and do a video taping of "a conversation" with our expert — part interview, part question-and-answer. After that, my friend and I worked on the technical aspects of sharing all this within our community, the results of which you see on the right. We decided to use YouTube primarily because it allows us to protect the video with (name, password) credentials, plus it has PlayLists which let us promote the sequence of video clips as a single entity. Likewise, for simplicity, a special-purpose dns lets one get there without having to remember anything difficult. A host of behind-the-scenes video and audio editing software was also used. We are just beginning this journey now that the material has been made available. Going forwards, I expect we will use even more on-line collaboration and communication software.   All 'n all… a truly great team effort that I am proud to be part of !!

What's all this for ?   To teach us how to listen — to really get where someone is coming from. "Enrollment is one very high-leverage way… to make an enormous difference in a person's life" and this multi-media presentation captures the wisdom of one of our masters so that a much broader community can maximize their learning from it.

The "techniques for enrollment" talk was ostensibly about the Sterling Men's Weekend put on by the Sterling Institute and to some extent, MDI's Legacy Discovery. But it's clear that many of the "$100-dollar tips" apply pervasively to most if not all enrollment conversations. If you are interested in pursuing this, contact me and we'll have a conversation.