Blog to Podcast solution

I found this wonderful web tool that provides service of converting the blogs to podcast. Now readers of my blog have an option to listen to my blog.

Odiogo (http://www.odiogo.com/) is compatible with all blog engines that publish RSS feeds such as Typepad, Blogger, WordPress or Overblog. The generated MP3 files are stored on their servers. Weblog owner does not need to worry about technical integration tasks or bandwidth.

Not only is Odiogo free, it may be able to generate advertising revenues. Once your listenership reaches a significant level, you may qualify for a share of ad income!

Barriers to Communications

Barriers to Communications

1.     Physical – noise, distance, time, environment, physical medium

2.     Cultural - ethnic, religious, and social differences

3.     Perceptional - viewing what is said from your own mindset

4.     Words - we assign a meaning to a word often because of culture, experience, etc reasons which results in improper encoding of message

5.     Experiential - lack of similar experience

6.     Emotional - personal feelings at the moment or doing other things besides listening

7.     Linguistic - different languages or vocabulary

8.     Non-verbal - non-word messages

9.     Gestures - misunderstood gestures are a major barrier

10.  Variations in language - accent, dialect

 

Note: The most likely outcome of communication blocker and miscommunication are conflicts.

 

Any of the above barriers to communications can create interferences or disturbances and impact the effectiveness of the communication. Project Manager should look for such barriers and try to minimize (or better still, eliminate) the source/cause.

 

 

 

Note: This is an extract from my book “Project Communication Management Summarized”, you may read the book for complete context and content.

 

Linux solution to use exchange mail which works like outlook on windows

I have been looking for a Linux based solution to use exchange mail which can work as Outlook would on Windows environment. We need something that can fetch mails, lookup contact on the server, show calendar items as is and does not crash too often.

I tried to look for MS specific APIs to see if something can be built, however no solution yet. If you know of a solution, please do let me know. This could mean a new open source software with wraps the MS APIs to work on Linux environment.

Any ideas???

Understanding communication model and channels

Communication Model

In communication, there is always a sender and a receiver (maybe more than one in some cases). Both parties have their own experiences, their perceptions, their ideas, etc, hence they may experience, perceive, and interpret things differently. The same event will always be perceived a little different by each party.

A simple communication model in Figure 1 shows how the information travels from sender to receiver.

Figure 1

1.     Sender – Is an information source, who wants to initiate communication.

2.     Encode – Information is encoded into a message. Sender should make sure that he truly provides understandable information to another project team member. This means that sender must attempt to take the perspective and knowledge of the receiver into consideration and create and present a message that he or she is likely to interpret in the way intended.

3.     Medium – Messages may be sent using traditional mail, email, phone call, face-to-face or using gestures alone. Medium is the communication method used to transmit the message.

4.     Decode – Message is decoded to understand the information sent by sender. Sender uses his knowledge and understanding of the subject matter to decode this message, hence extra caution is required to interpret the message in right context (sender’s context).

5.     Receiver – The person to who the information is sent to.

6.     Feedback – Receiver sends a feedback to sender to acknowledge that the information is received and understood. Sender may have to act further to ensure that the receiver understood the message by eliciting feedback that helps sender to assess whether receiver interpreted the message as intended.

Sender may use symbols, signs, behavior, speech, writing, or signals to transfer the information in the message. The purpose is to ensure that both parties understand the perspective.

 

Communication channels

Communication will always involve more than one person. In the figure below, we can see the number of communication channels required to communicate with 5 team members in a team of 6.

Figure 2

The formula to calculate the total number of communication channels is: (n2- n)/2 or n (n-1)/2

n = total number of team members

Lets calculate the total number of communication channels for the figure above,

n = 6

6 (6 – 1)/2

6 (5)/2

30/2

Hence, there shall be 15 communication channels on this project of 6 people.

 

Success does not happen in isolation

There was a farmer who grew superior quality and award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won honor and prizes.

One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learn something interesting about how he grew it.

The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors'.

"How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?" the reporter asked.

"Why sir, "said the farmer, "didn't you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior,

sub-standard and poor quality corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn."

The farmer gave a superb insight into the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves.

So it is in the other dimensions! Those who choose to be at harmony must help their neighbors and colleagues to be at peace. Those who choose to

live well must help others to live well.

The value of a life is measured by the lives it touches.

SUCCESS DOES NOT HAPPEN IN ISOLATION. IT IS VERY OFTEN A PARTICIPATIVE AND COLLECTIVE PROCESS.