If some is good, simple is better

Okay, so not the most original tagline, but I think it works.

One of my favorite things to do is to boil big, messy things down to their essence.  I am a simple-minded guy, and need to break it down as simply as possible.

Here is what I got:  this whole class is about simplifying things down as much as possible.  If your writing is more simple, it is better.  If your presentations are simple, they are better.  If the stupid grammar test was simple, it would have been better.  

For example.  The flip chart presentations.  They were, of necessity, very simple.  And I found that they were very effective.

I would be remiss if I didn't close with the wonderful acronym KISS: Keep it simple, stupid.

Sewell, out.

The Art of Purging

Since we often frequent dating and relationship topics in this particular class, I figured I could safely blog on dating and stuff like that this week.

First off, I am NOT a bonafide dater or anything like that. In fact, I would rather do homework and work than go on a date 9 times out of 10.  Also, my longboard needs loving, soo...I probably need to sort our some priorities.

That said, I heard a song this week that made me start thinking.  It is a song called "Says She Loves Me" by Aer.  The song opens with the line, "She only says she loves me when we're drinking."  Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know.  We don't (usually ;) ) drink.  But you get the point.

 When I heard this song, I was home in Arizona helping my family move, and we had to go through a ton of our stuff and purge.  For some reason, different members of my family had a hard time parting with stuff that had no real value.  We were holding onto it simply because we didn't want to let go.  Does that make sense?

So, back to the song.  I started taking inventory of the relationships in my life, past and present.  And I realized that there were some people that I was just fostering a relationship half-heartedly and just because I didn't want to let go.  I had this epiphany that this was not good for either party involved, just like keeping something because one does not want to let it go.


Going forward, I need to do a better job at letting things go that just don't help either party, wether the thing is animate or inanimate.




 



So, here is the video of the song for all y'all.


Rock on.


Nyal

Remote Meeting

OBG Consulting ROCKS at remote meetings.

Last Friday, we used freeconferencecall.com to have a conference call in order to hash out some items for our consulting project.

What we found was that we needed to set up some ground rules before the call.  For example: muting your phone while you are not talking, enunciating, and having a rough agenda.  As we agreed to and followed these rules, we found that the meeting was highly productive and organic.  There was a natural flow that happened between all of us that was very similar to meeting in person.


My conclusion is that we can use technology to essentially recreate in person meetings.  Like we did, there has to be rules to help smooth out remote meetings, but at the end of the day, these meetings are viable and highly productive.


Rock on.

"I said what they told me to say, and then from that they grade. Give up repeating the facts!" Electable -Jimmy Eat World

Okay, so I noticed that the easiest way to write these blog posts is just repeating what we were taught in class.  To be honest, I hate doing that because I feel like a parrot (hence, the quote from Jimmy Eat World").  So, I am going a different route this week.

After the presentation with Ms. Camacho, I realized there is such a thing as too much information.  Yes, all those resources have their place and can be highly valuable.  But, oftentimes, the resources we have available far, far exceed what we could possibly need for our purposes as students, future employees, or business leaders.  What we need is not more information, what we need is to better understand the information we do have.

So, here is a proposal for you, Professor Middleton (or whomever may read this):  Next semester, instead of training on how to get information, help us understand how to tear apart the information we have to make decisions and recommendations.  To be perfectly frank, computers can search for information and regurgitate it.  The essence of being human is acting and thinking; something computers will never be able to do.


By the way, this is in no way a criticism of the class, Ms. Camacho, or Professor Middleton.  Just some candid thoughts from a vocal student.

Rock on.

Nyal


PS-  Here is the song, y'all!!  Enjoy, it is one of my favorites.

 

Online Interviews

I have always flown by the seat of my pants, and just faked most situations.  To be honest, it works most of the time.  I am not sure if one would really call it a "talent", but it is something like unto a talent.  Maybe skill is a more appropriate word.  

Anyways, it didn't really work with these online interviews.  I thought I could just show up, fire up FaceTime, and wing it.  However, my lack of preparation shone through to my patient partner, Kim.  My internet connection was spotty, and my general appearance was less than perfect.

So, my biggest take away from this assignment is that I have to prepare for this type of stuff.  

No more winging it!

Rock on.

Nyal

DTRs suck

Coming to class this week, I didn't really think that I'd hear so many dating stories. Not that that is a bad thing. I actually kind of enjoyed it!

Recently, I've had a dating experience that helped me realize the importance of not being MISunderstood (DTR, anyone?) With this experience, I also realized that sometimes, folks don't necessarily want to understand at all. Regardless of the situation, I have come to realize that keeping it as simple as possible is absolutely key.

Now what? I'm applying the KSS (Keep. Stop. Start.) to all  of my more important communications. Wether they're spoken or written.  I definitely realized some areas of my communication that need to be fixed. But hey, I guess what that is what this whole experience is about, right?

That's about it for this week, thanks for reading.

Rock on.

Nyal

http://youtu.be/N7idhJ3FrgM

Way to go, Andy!

*Insert Clever Title Here*

Obviously, this week was highly instructive and we all realized a lot of specific things we could do to land that next job, internship, date, whatever.  But what I realized more than anything was that we need to be the next intern, employee, or significant other before we interview.

Tips and tricks are what posers do, principles are what the pros abide by.  This is not to say that pros don't use tips and tricks, but they see them as part of a greater picture.  Tips and tricks suggest what we should do.Principles dictate who we should be.

Obviously, extremist views that disallow one to have multiple points of view are unhealthy.  However, I firmly believe that the more we learn, understand, and live by principles, the more we will really become whatever or whoever it is we want to be.

So, go learn what it is that successful people in whatever you are applying to look for.  I know I am.


Rock on.

Nyal

Don't chase shiny objects

"HOLD THE LINE!"  I can't even tell you how many times my dad has said that to me.  Usually, it is said while we are biking and he wants to draft me.  Almost as frequently, it is said while I am driving as I have a tendency to "wander" (the lines are for the other guys, right?).  Ironically, he and I share similar driving habits; we wander.

I also sometimes wander in my goals.  I have set for myself some pretty specific and lofty goals, but sometimes I get distracted by other things.  This week, I got pretty distracted by a really cool idea one of my buddies had.  Like, it is a really cool idea.  And I convinced myself that it was somehow part of my goals.  So, I called my old man to tell him about the idea and he repeated his advice, "Hold the line."  He also warned against "chasing shiny objects." (ADD....what?) At first I was ticked and thought he should go fly a kite.  Then, I went to class on Thursday.

Admittedly, I was pretty bored during the class.  There was nothing "shiny" or exciting.  I caught myself thinking multiple times, "I already know all this.  Tell me something new!"  But then I had this realization that it was these "boring" principles that would keep me on track to the goals I have set.  

I guess that is my "now what" for this week.  Hold the line.  Stick to the basics.  Even if they are boring.  And don't chase shiny objects.  

Rock on.

Nyal

"I'm starting with the man in the mirror..."

Do any of y'all ever have those experiences where you realize that you are "that guy" that bugs you?  Like, the pedestrian that just walks in front of a car, or the driver that just buzzes the pedestrians out of spite?  I had a hard realization that I am "that guy"...or "those guys".  Paradoxically, I am both that driver and that pedestrian.

More on point, I realized while watching the GoReact video, I am the presenter that bugs me!  I feel like a walking contradiction.  It bugs me when guys wave their arms a lot.  Some is good and helpful, but I looked like a "deranged mental patient" (to quote the prolific George Costanza).  This reality was compounded by the fact that our video did not have sound, but I realized that I have got to do something about the arm waving.  

Now what?  A straitjacket.  In all seriousness, I think there is something healthy about recognizing our weaknesses and committing to make changes.  So, consider this blog post my commitment.  

Sewell, out!  

Rock on.

Nyal

It is a terrible quality video, but I felt a little like this guy, waving my arms about.

Everything always works in Theory

My dad always tells me, "Everything always works in theory."  The takeaway for me being that nothing really is fact until it is applied in a situation with gravity.

This week, it was great to learn about the principles of presentations, regardless of the medium of communication.  For the most part, I was mentally present and did what I could to apply the principles to our assignments.  To be totally honest, though, I just filed the information away.  That was until Wednesday.

For the past six months, I have been working with a company I co-founded.  We have launched six websites (BYU, U of U, ASU, U of A, Auburn, and Alabama) that aggregate college sports news from all relevant sources.  For example, our BYU site pulls articles from KSL, Desert News, SBNation blogs, Rivals.com, LoyalCougars.com, and many others.  We then sell ads on the pages to make some money.  Our success has been about what we expected, and now we are working our tails off to launch all the FBS schools (130+) by June 1, 2014.  One of the projects my team and I worked on this week is putting together an investor presentation.  Then, on Wednesday, I was told I will be required to raise some capital from some contacts I have in order for us to meet our June 1 launch date.  All this presentation stuff just got very real.

So, all this presentation theory just became immensely relevant to me.  I realized that I have to apply these principles of presentation in order to help raise the capital we need to realize the goals my team and I have for our company.

Rock on.

Nyal





I really like music, and I this song is applicable right now.  And, you can never really go wrong with some AWOLNATION.

Red Bull: Can you make it?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I could probably guess that you're thinking that the ubiquitous, wing-sprouting energy drink has NOTHING to do with what we learned this week in class.  And I guess you would probably be right.  However, I think I have a valid angle here.  Tell me what you think.

So, Red Bull frequently does these competitions where they recruit average Joes and Janes who think they can compete.  Right now, Red Bull is recruiting 100 teams of 3 to leave from one of 4 cities in Europe (London, Paris, Milan, or Vienna).  The teams are given a phone, some maps, an emergency fund of cash (use of which disqualifies the team), and a case of Red Bull. The team is given one week to get to the finish line in Berlin.

Here is my angle.  We have been working hard on presentation skills and such this week, and I realized that they are directly applicable to the application my team and I need to send in to the good folks at Red Bull.  A stellar presentation here exponentially increases our chances at an adventure of a lifetime.

Right now, my brother and I (we're the only members of the three person team so far.  We might have another girl to do it with us, but she has her capstone project due that week.  Lame.) are working hard to apply these presentation principles to our application.  We think we have a fighting chance.

Rock on.

False Securities and Alternate Realities

Right before I took the test this weekend, I called my saintly mother and explained to her that all of these grammar rules are made up.  First red flag.  Then, I felt strangely confident-euphoric might be the correct word, actually-going into the test.  Second red flag.  Lastly, I was highly distracted the entire time I was studying for the test.  Third, and final, red flag.

What I learned, and what I am continuing to learn, is that I need to identify these "false security" red flags before  I take tests, make commitments, or otherwise engage in activities of weight.  I understand that this will be at least a life long pursuit, but I can start now.

The first thing I have identified that is a sure sign I am falsely secure is living in an alternate reality.  Let me show you what I mean.  When I called my mom to tell her all the grammar rules are made up, part of me genuinely believed that.  Granted, it was a mostly lame attempt at hilarity, but there was an element of truth in my statement. 

Summed up, my takeaway from MCOM 320 this week is simple: I need to identify when I am in a false security mindset by identifying beforehand alternate realities.

I feel like I have a "ways to go" before I can identify false security before it is too late.  Enjoy the video, the band, the music.

Rock on.

So…how does it work?

This week, I had a kind of reality check.  Here are some details that will provide a bit of context:

• I am a pre-finance major
• I am looking for an internship this summer in finance
• I have an opportunity to meet with a pretty fantastic guy who is a co-founder and managing director at a mid-sized Venture Capital firm in Salt Lake (Signal Peak Ventures, if you're interested)

My purpose in meeting with him is to ask for an internship position with his firm or on the finance teams of one of his portfolio companies.  The reality check that I had was that I am asking for a position that does not exist when I have no "hard" finance skills.  I had this reality check right before we went around asking our classmates questions.  Obviously, I asked how I should go about my conversation with the gentleman I am meeting with.  The answer that I got was surprisingly consistent.  Surprising because I asked several different students from several different majors.  The answer I got?  Show how you can add value.

I guess I knew this, but it never really "clicked" until I had these conversations.  Now I could make some cliche comment saying how much this class will help me to add value in all my endeavors, and it would absolutely be true.  But I want to go beyond that.  I add value by who I am, not only by what I can do.  Another reality is that computers can do a lot of what we hire people to do.  They can make appointments, make trades, analyze, design, and on and on.  But for some reason we hire more expensive and less reliable humans.  Why?  Because we add value in who we are.  Our job then, is to find out what we can do to add value, and develop those gifts.

Rock on.

This song doesn't really have anything to do with anything, but it is a great cover!  Enjoy.

"You wanna kiss the sky? Better learn how to kneel." -Bono

Going into this week, and this class, I was rather cocky. In talking with friends who had taken the course, I had heard that it was tough, but I arrogantly thought that I would be able to breeze through.  I mean, I had a slew of fantastic English teachers in high school, what did I have to worry about?  Well, it turns out, a lot.

Now, I am at a point where I must make a decision.  I can either remain cocky or humble out a bit.  Experience tells me that “kicking against the pricks” yields nothing but frustration and bloody toes.  I believe I will choose to humble out and see what I can’t learn this semester. 

I realize that what I learned this week doesn’t really have a whole lot to do with grammar rules and participles and other semantics, but I feel like it is quite valuable, and I am committed to applying this lesson across all spheres of my life. 

Rock on.

Here is the song quoted in the title.  Enjoy.