One of our founders, Matt O'Neill, has recently launched a new service aimed at helping Marketing and Communications professionals communicate their messages in a compelling and memorable way. Why not check out the new website, infographic videos and see what they're doing?

Special thanks to Naomi Goodman of Hill and Knowlton for hosting!  

We just didn’t stop talking!

“There’s no guest speaker. There’s no PowerPoint”.

Apart from a brief introduction, this was an entirely participant driven meetup based loosely around ‘Professional Communication’. What’s on your mind at the moment? Got an idea you want to explore? Maybe something’s challenging you? Maybe something’s exciting you? Here’s the introduction presentation given by LCEG leader, Matt O’Neill on the night:

Click on forward arrow to activate presentation

Here’s how it worked at our last meetup...

On arrival, people armed with ideas, wrote topics they wanted to explore on large sheets of paper around the room. We had four topics because this suited the number of people who came along but you could have more.

Our chosen topics were:

1. Internal communication measurement
2. Collaboration
3. Gaining our seat at the top table
4. Behaviour change vs internal communication

Participants then joined one of the discussion groups. Discussion leaders wrote down the issues and solutions for their topic. Each participant had the chance to explore two of the topics in the one hour session.
 
There’s no right or wrong. It’s simply a good way to explore the things that matter to you with people who share your interests! It’s real vote with your feet’ stuff – a great way to find out what really matters to those you work with.

Here are the notes from our session:

‘Unconferencing’ is one variant of what’s known as 'Open Space’ events. ‘Open Space Technologies’ generally work on the principle that ideas, knowledge and solutions are best created by groups working together, thus producing more active participants.

If you're a communications professional living/working in the London area, why not join London Communicators and Engagement Group on LinkedIn? The group meets once a month to discuss industry related topics. It even has its own advertisement! ;o)

Euan has agreed to run a discussion for us looking at what’s changed over the last four years and how you can be more effective in your use of Social Media in organisational life.

Special thanks to Terri Wade and Justine Stevenson of Deutsche Bank for agreeing to host February’s meetup.

Location: Deutsche Bank, 1 Great Winchester Street, London EC2N 2DB
Closest tube: Liverpool Street / Moorgate


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Time: Arrive at 6:30pm, Tuesday 21st February. 7.00pm – 8.00pm main session.

Event Synopsis

After a brief introduction about the book, Euan will facilitate a group wide discussion about the challenges and opportunities offered through Social Media use.

Euan and I spoke briefly last week (24^th January) about what the meetup will cover. Take a look at the the brief recording we made. If you can’t see it below, click here:

In addition, we’ll be running a live ‘TwitterWall’ at the event. This means that any Tweets using ‘ #lcegsm ‘ will be displayed live over data projector. Unlike many events, this is one where you are encouraged to Tweet what you think whilst the facilitator is running discussions.

Deutsche Bank have kindly offered to lay on food and drink. Therefore, this meetup is free to attend.

If you’d like to attend, contact me here.

Also, check out this short summary video produced by Simply Communicate. Good work, guys!

Well done!

To see more photos from the event, click here.

A number of people requested a copy of Katherine’s slides. You can download them from here.

Special thanks to Deenita Pattni, XchangeTeam for being such a gracious host.

A few of you reading may even be familiar with our first “Pecha Kucha” exploration back in 2008.

It is a presentation technique recognised as stemming from the Japanese art movement as a way for artists to describe their projects quickly.

The principle is very simple – 20 slides x 20 seconds per slide. Presentations are never longer than 6m40s. Indeed, at Extra Group, we’ve used a variation of it in numerous client events to help focus presentations on the essentials.

The LCEG is revisiting Pecha Kucha next month to allow people to experience the format.

Special thanks to Katherine Dooley of Burson Marsteller for hosting the event.

Location: Burson-Marsteller, Level 6 South, Central Saint Giles, 1 St Giles High Street, London WC2H 8AG. Map

Tube: Tottenham Court Road / Holborn

Time: Arrive at 6.30pm, Tuesday 13th September. 7.00 – 8.00pm main session

Event synopsis:

“Pecha Kucha: The Return”

Although the format stays the same as our 2008 event, the topics are different! We have three presenters. Each is given 20 minutes, with 6m40s for presenting. The remainder 13m20s are set aside for Q & A.

Peter Baynham, Head of M&A, Mercer
“The Anatomy of a Corporate Merger – From pre-deal to post merger integration”

Deenita Pattni, Head of Editorial recruitment, XchangeTeam
“You’re hired! How to beat the competition and get the dream job!”

Nick Saalfeld, Director, YooDoo Media
"Build It And They Will Come?! Engagement Lessons for Communicators from an e-Learning Venture”

Cost: £10 cash contribution on the night. Receipts will be available.

If you’d like to come along, just drop me an email via “matt (at) eventextra (dot) net”, and i’ll add you to the list.

Most kind!

And they are right. So as well as linking directly with conferences with our EventExtra service, we now offer a new service, InsideExtra.

Extra Group will be comprised of two divisions:

1) InsideExtra - Set up to dovetail secure, online engagement and follow-through with innovative workshop formats to promote, encourage and deliver on internally led change.

Focuses on compliance, engagement, change management, mergers and acquisitions and senior leadership team issues.

2) EventExtra - Turns passive internal conference delegates into active and productive participants

Combines innovative in-event, outcome-driven workshop formats with online activities to properly prepare and engage participants before, during and after your conference.

These changes are taking place as demand for EventExtra’s processes and techniques has increased, but specifically as relates to change management issues.

At the recent Confex, at Earls Court, we were invited to bring along a client to speak about our service in support our presentation. At short notice our client was called away for another meeting, but he was able to record this short endorsement for the Confex audience explaining how his company benefitted from EventExtra support:

Don’t forget to check out ‘What makes the Perfect Internal Conference’ report. There’s loads of great ideas generated by 40 Communication professionals using a cut down version of our ‘Speedshop’ process.

Doug Shaw, What Goes Around Ltd
The Art of Engagement

Indranath Neogy, Throughline
LCEG Event: Engagement 

Sean Trainor, uber engagement
Engagement: the extra mile? raising a smile? or the consultants guile?

Scott McKenzie, Hill and Knowlton
Killing engagement. Post script.

Thanks for the write ups everyone. See you again soon!

UPDATE: Short trailer video from the event available to view below.

• Maybe you to want increase enterprise level selling?
• Maybe you are introducing a new process or embarking on a restructure. 
• Or, increasingly, you need to combine two or more cultures as a result of a merger or acquisition?

It's often said that best solutions come from within. The easy - but expensive - route is to delegate to external consultants who will draw most of their proposals from your own teams anyway. But the external route can also have a negative implication for the new and enlightened world of employee engagement.

High intensity, outcome-driven workshops

These days there is less time available for 2 or 3 day 'awayday' sessions in country house hotels. That's where EventExtra's Speedshops™ really come into their own.

FIND OUT MORE!

How does it work?

Specially trained EventExtra facilitators (1 per maximum group of 15 people) work with your teams using highly concentrated and focused conversations. First task is to quickly identify what the problems are, then examine how they could be solved before going on to reach total agreement on their recommendations for change. 

Often this is achieved within the framework of a broader theme, and quickly allows teams to identify shortcomings and blockers before going on to build a new way.   

EventExtra facilitators ensure all ideas put forward have the complete and total support of each group before being put forward as recommendations.  

Decision makers are then invited to hear the 100% bought into recommendations. At which point they either 'agree', 'defer to fixed date for review' or provide a reason to 'reject' any of the proposals raised. After all, it's not 100% buy-in until EVERYONE agrees and that includes management too! 

Speedshops™ work as quick way to identify the really key issues and work perfectly as a pre-cursor to deeper investigations and group working. 

• Rapid identification of core issues
• Solutions-focussed with 100% buy-in to outcomes
• Dynamic environment for single or multi-group sessions
• Perfect as part of an internal conference/meetings programme  

FIND OUT MORE