In the past few years I have enjoyed being on the speaker circuit, speaking at a variety of conferences, startup events and corporate strategy sessions. I'm a firm believer in learning by doing . My mantra is ideas into action. Therefore, my role in speaking is to inspire and catalyze. I know enough to know that our world is changing too quickly to be definitive about anything in tech or digital. However, there are certain fundamentals threaded through the issues impacting us today that require examination to understand our connected world. If you're looking for a 10 step one size fits all process, I'm not the speaker for you. If you are looking to infuse a deep understanding and excitement about the possibilities of tech conveyed in a practical, no nonsense and non-promotional way, drop me a note.
Here are two of the more popular talks I have been asked to present in the past year.
Creating Exceptional Customer Experiences in a Participatory World
In this talk, Deb Schultz integrates the current forces of social media, big data, open innovation and design thinking to shift your vantage point and spark novel thinking to develop successful experiences for the connected consumer.
In a new age no longer defined by mass production of goods and services, but rather by a greater emphasis on societal and community needs, we have been transitioning from traditional command and control hierarchies into a networked, participatory world.
In this increasingly connected environment, we need a new set of skills to create customer experiences that excite, engage and catalyze users. If information and data themselves are commodities, we must learn how to engage our customers in new ways. Innovative products and services cannot be developed behind closed doors anymore--they require an inclusive, collaborative approach.
Some of the questions covered by Deb include:
- Big data: How can new methods of visualizing data provide greater insight for customers and potentially new business models and services?
- Personalization & Customization: What does a customized product look like? What are the new technologies, challenges and opportunities for delivering a personal experience?
- Framework of Design Thinking: How to approach designing products and services with a holistic, process and service driven model in a competitive, innovative way.
- Participatory World: What does it mean to develop experiences in a world where customers are participating and the line between company & customer is not as obvious as it once was.
Forging A New Social Contract: The Impact of Digital Technologies on Business, Culture, and Society
The social web is now a teenager—awkward, arrogant, sarcastic, fearless, experimental, and open. It's shaking things up and having a major impact on our business, culture, social dynamics and etiquette.
In the past decade, the Internet has evolved from an information driven network into a more complex web that combines data, social media and real time collaborative tools. This power mix is driving a re-examination of our most ingrained civil structures. Individuals are empowering themselves and engaging with government, business and each other in new ways. The traditional top-down command and control hierarchies are being usurped by an emergent collective and participatory intelligence.
The result is a fundamental change in our assumptions of how society and business work. This shifting participatory world is forcing a renewed focus on human skills and a new focus on a collaborative and connected framework for success.
In this talk, I take a more nuanced view of the issues, and addresses the combination of design, technology and human skills needed to operate in this new environment. I examine the new social contracts being forged in today's digital economy and provide a framework for how to address and examine our shifting expectations.
I post many of my presentations on Slideshare. Here are some samples.