Poll Everywhere

I used a really fun, free, interactive tool called Poll Everywhere in my recent presentation. It was surprisingly easy to use, though I highly suggest a few trial runs prior to using it in a live polling session. You can see it used in my presentation in the clip below.

The tool is free to use, and creating an account only takes a minute. There are several types of poll options, such as open ended, multiple choice, or Yes/No. For a fee, you can get easy to use responses (e.g., text Yes to 22-333) instead of numerical options (e.g., 12653291).

There's a plug-in to PowerPoint that allows you to present right from your slideshow.

I had a lot of fun presenting with this tool. Let me know if you give it a shot!

Google Voice explained

One of my previous employers offered an excellent perk, a phone and data plan. While I often used the smartphone for business, I decided to also have the phone double as my personal phone. I did not make this decision lightly, but keeping track of 2 phones, 2 chargers, 2 calendars, etc. convinced me to integrate my work and personal identities, so to speak.

Unfortunately, I made a rookie mistake that I hope I can help you avoid. I transferred my personal mobile phone number to this company. Luckily, my SVP at the time generously signed the paperwork to transfer it back to my personal use when I left the company. However, if I had known about Google Voice, I could have avoided this.

For just $20, you can transfer your personal phone number to Google Voice. This service allows, among many other features, call forwarding. I recommend getting a new mobile number through your employer's phone plan and letting Google Voice call that number. This way, you don't have to re-circulate a new phone number. It also allows you to differentiate between personal and work calls.

You can send unlimited text messages via email or the Google Voice web site and make free calls via Gmail to any North American number. There is even a setting that allows you to send calls to your number to an office phone during weekdays and a mobile or home phone during other time windows.

A tangent on switching employers. "But I love my company, so I don't need to worry about the mobile number release," you might say. You may love your employer, but turnover is so common that you should be protected, even if a future move is unlikely. What if your spouse gets a job across the country, for instance? Also, Forbes ran an article recently showing that salaries tend to remain stagnant if you stay at the same company. I have not found this to be the case universally, but it's important to know the research and your market value. Make sure to check out my post on compensation equity.

Blowout

I gave an important presentation at work this weekend and wanted to look my best. So I took a suggestion from a colleague and a local mom friend, who both recommended a blowout.

A blowout in my mom dictionary means something very different. But it turns out a blowout is a thing you can do to get your hair washed, dried and styled, not cut or colored. So I decided to give it a try yesterday.

What do you think?

I really liked the result. But given that it's expensive, $40 plus tip, and time consuming, I think I'll save it for special occasions.

I went to Drybar in Chestnut Hill. There's also one on Newbury St. Be Styled is another blowout chain, also in Chestnut Hill, as is Blo. Finally, Hairo on Newbury seems popular.

Happy styling!

Regain a bit of privacy at work

I rely on my iPhone to keep me organized. Pop-up reminders of upcoming appointments, meetings, and tasks keep me on track each day. I've chosen to integrate, rather than separate, my personal and professional lives. So my appointments for doctor's visits and jogs in the Arboretum go into my Outlook calendar, and my phone reminds me of them all. I've cracked the corny joke a few times that if my iPhone told me to jump off a bridge, I'd probably look around for the nearest one.

If you're choosing this work-life integration strategy, you might not want to disclose your upcoming podiatry appointment to your colleagues. Here's a quick tip to ensure that you are keeping your personal stuff out of work. From the File tab, open your Outlook Options and select Calendar. Click on Free/Busy Options ... and set your Permission Level to Free/Busy time. This will allow your colleagues to see when you are available without the details of what you might be working on at that time.

Colleagues in a previous job made fun of me for entering "take vitamins" as a reminder in my calendar. I agree it's a bit obsessive, but you wouldn't believe the streak I'm on taking my vitamins thanks to the alert. So go ahead, fill your calendar up with little reminders, and enjoy your organization transformation.