Crash of the Introvert

You've heard of the Clash of the Titans, right? Well, this is nothing like that.

Today about 1pm I crashed.

No worries, not while on the bike! My mind and body crashed. It has been a very full two days of talks, networking, more talks, more networking, and people, people, people. It has been am amazing two days and I have enjoyed them. I feel lucky to have connected with so many wonderful and smart people.

And now I have crashed. I am a strong introvert by nature (which means I derive energy from introversion) and this is a common thing for introverts who extrovert for longer periods of time.

The crash.

Thanks to everyone who made the last two days great and very much worth feeling like a zombie with a lobotomy on a Valium this afternoon.

And did I mention that I met Kevin Eikenberry? He was at the ASTD conference wowing people with advance news about his upcoming book about remarkable leadership. I had the pleasure of looking at the manuscript a couple months ago and it will be a great one. He also has a learning system. Kevin and I had chatted and emailed many times but this was the first time we met in person.  What a cool, cool, guy!

Kevin and I talked about our perceptions about how many training and development professionals are savvy to the uses of blogs and podcasts. I said virtually none. He was a bit more optimistic. Here's why I say this: last year I spoke at ASTD and mentioned the uses of blogging and podcasting for training and development. Virtually no one knew what I was talking about.

This year feels much the same with one exception - more people know what they do not know and seem a bit more curious. When a woman in a breakout session recognized me as the speaker of an earlier session and asked me about podcasts, four other people who overheard the conversation asked me for my card so they could listen to my podcasts (as a sample of a simple way to do it).

So the curiosity is rising, but the use does not seem common yet. As I mentioned in my sessions this year, I think blogs and podcasts can enhance training impact and interest (and they are free - woo-hoo, more money for Krispy Kremes). Both are created in a natural voice and most are produced by passionate and provocative professionals.  Want a great starter list of business blogs? Check out the blogroll on my main blog, Management Craft (scroll down on the left hand column).

But I don't need to tell you this, right, because you are reading THIS blog. Thanks very much, by the way, I feel like I have a bunch of pals on this tour with me.

One last question: How does the story about Paris Hilton feeling cold in jail make it onto CNN? How is that Wolf and Anderson even utter her name? Nothing against Paris, it just strikes me as odd that the channel that is supposedly all about real news would give something like this air time. Is there nothing else going on in the world worth sharing instead?

Give the girl a blanket and lets move on to things that matter. Hey Anderson, you are better than this! CNN is on my mind because the ASTD conference was right next to the CNN HQ. I imagined Anderson sitting at an oval conference table planning the day's broadcast..... "so what's this about Paris being cold? Do we have someone we can pull from somewhere to get a live report? Let's pull Bob out of New Hampshire so he can cover it... Who do we have who can comment on the average daily temperature and apparent lack of adequate blankets? What about the precedence for suing for cruel treatment based on slow-onset hyperthermia? Let's ask Sanjay to comment." 

I kid, of course.

Comments

[Phil Gerbyshak]

Sorry to hear you crashed Lisa, but glad it wasn't on the bike. I'm sure you'll be recharged soon, and I look forward to you helping us breakthrough in Milwaukee!

Safe travels and hope YOU are warm. I'd much rather get weather updates about you than Paris Hilton any day!

[Scot Herrick]

Interest in blogs and podcasts will increase because the mainstream media now thinks Paris is a person instead of a city. ;>)

It's tough to be always on and good that you are getting the crashing break.

[Lisa Haneberg]

Scot - yes this is a concern because my cat is named Paris (after the city, of course).

Phil - I am hoping that my weather updates from hear on out will be very uneventful. What's with all the tornados in north central states? I hope things calm down up there before I get there.