BOOK SUMMARY 410 Appvertising

BOOK SUMMARY 410

Appvertising

·         Summary written by: Fern Chang

"Apps are here to stay and they are changing the face of all businesses, big and small."

- Appvertising, page 80

Apps are applications or programs designed to run on mobile devices for the benefit of users. Apps are distributed over App stores, where they can be downloaded to users’ phones, tablets, music players or computers.

Apps were born in 2007 when Apple launched its first iPhone, but they were not initially part of Apple’s grand design. Developers were cracking the iPhone’s operating system (iOS) and developing apps for users by ‘jail-breaking’ their iPhones before Apple opened its official App Store on 10 July 2008, with about 550 apps. By March 2012, there were over 550,000 apps and 25 billion downloads.

Android is a strong contender, with 56% of market share in mobile phone sales in the first quarter of 2012. App potential of non-iOS smartphones grew because android apps run on a variety of devices while Apple apps are only for Apple devices. Google Play Store achieved 25 billion downloads with 675,000 apps in late September 2012.

The growth of mobile devices and apps has been exponential. By 2015, 91% of the top 100 global brands had an app. 79% of smartphone owners wake up and check their apps within 15 minutes.

In Appvertising: How Apps Are Changing the World, Stephen Molloy provides a comprehensive view of the app industry with advice for companies, entrepreneurs and developers. There are interviews with industry experts and in depth examples of apps, making this an interesting and informative read.

The Big Idea

Together we win

"Apps are produced with a unique win/win formula which benefits the user, the developer and the brand."- Appvertising, page 6

Consumers are more likely to have a smartphone with them at all times than any other accessory. People have embraced smartphone apps to save time, increase productivity and be entertained. Traditional ‘dead time’ like commuting and time spent waiting in queues are now filled with apps. There are apps for every purpose including banking, navigation, eBooks, music, news, information management, healthcare, and of course, communication.

Traditional industries such as music, movies, retail and travel are being disrupted by apps. Using the smartphone’s built in functions like GPS, cameras, wireless communication and cloud services, businesses such as Airbn, Uber, Facebook and Alibaba have been able to leverage the power of crowdsourcing to solve problems for consumers without carrying any assets of their own. It is said that a London taxi driver needs to memorize 25,000 streets while an Uber driver just needs a smartphone.

Entrepreneurs and developers who have good ideas and skills can develop an app relatively easily and affordably. App stores are cost effective platforms to market and promote apps.

App stores stand to gain from the sales of apps. For example, Apple charges 30% for each app sold on its app store. Apple realized quickly that apps also help to sell iPhones and iPads, and is supportive of app developers.

Insight #1

Appvertising – the next big trend

"The communication medium of the future is mobile and the advertising medium of the future is apps."- Appvertising, page 135

There are two key trends in smartphones with huge implications for marketers and businesses:

1. Mobile internet traffic exceeded PC internet traffic in 2014.

2. Customers are increasingly using their smartphones and tablets to search for information and take immediate action.

Mobile app advertising, or ‘appvertising’, is the use of apps to deliver branding, messages, content or functionality to reach target audiences using mobile devices or platforms. This is a way for companies to leverage the growing mobile platform to sell more products and services and generate a greater ROI for their advertising dollar. Examples are the Pizza Hut ordering app and Coca-Cola’s ‘Spin the bottle’ app.

86% of smartphone users multi-task with other media such as TV, music, video and the internet while using their smartphones. Therefore, the key to effective appvertising is interactivity in order to attract the attention of the consumer. It is also important to provide a seamless advertising message across all media.

The key types of appervertising to date are:

·         SMS text-based advertising

·         Location-based advertising

·         App-embedded advertising

·         Mobile display ads

·         Click-to-call ads

·         Social network mobile ads

Insight #2

How to create successful apps and promote them

"Ask anyone who has developed a successful app and they’ll tell you that it didn’t happen overnight."- Appvertising, page 158

Finnish computer game developer Rovio Entertainment had created 52 failed games and was facing bankruptcy before the remarkable success of Angry Birds. The eventual success  was all to do with persevering, promoting and updating.

Here’s some strategic approaches for creating an app:

Market research

·         Is there a market for the proposed app?

·         Do similar apps exist? Are there ways to do it better or address a different niche market?

·         Is the app suitable for the global market but customizable for different countries and cultures?

·         Does the app empower its users and expand its value the more it is used? An example of such an app is Evernote.

·         Identify trends in behaviour and create technologies to wrap around that. For example, there are preferences towards a rental economy and ‘on demand’ services.

Development

·         Decide on candidates for the development team.

·         Learn how to delegate and project manage app development.

Design

·         For an app to be successful and be featured on the App store, it must be of high quality, which can be measured by:

o    Ease of use.

o    Achievement of specific functions such as saving time, saving money, increasing productivity, or entertaining and informative.

·         Keep the app file size small (below 20MB) for ease of download over mobile data networks.

·         Icons and colours form the critical first impression. 51% of app themes are either blue or black. Try different colours to stand out.

·         Dive deep, not wide. Develop for one version first (iOS or Android) and get the experience right before applying to other platforms.

·         Avoid apps that are too complex.

·         Design the mobile experience based on the ‘Hook Model’—a four steps process to build customer habits.

o    Trigger

o    Action

o    Reward

o    Investment

Promotion

·         The first two weeks of the launch in the app store are critical. Be prepared with marketing strategies.

·         Price it right – understand how pricing will affect demand. Consider the freemium model, price adjustments or even free downloads.

Growth

·         Listen to feedback and keep tweaking and updating for target users.

·         Obtain insights on app performance using developer.yahoo.com (Flurry Analytics).

·         Cross promote to introduce new apps.

·         Keep evolving and innovating. Roll out different editions. For example, Angry Birds has Seasons, Friends and Space in their series.

·         Never give up, and be willing to start again.

Even though it seems there is an app for everything, in reality it is just the first generation of a new technology. Predictive personalisation ranging from retail to healthcare, mobile commerce and augmented reality are some of the emerging trends that will influence future app developments.

DIGITAL SPECIAL .....How digital reinventors are pulling away from the pack

How digital reinventors are pulling away from the pack

As digitization progresses, incumbents competing in new, digital ways are already outperforming those that continue to operate traditionally, a new survey finds.

Digitization is a long way from running out of steam, since the bulk of company revenues in most industries still come from traditional sources. Yet the results from the latest McKinsey Global Survey on digital strategy suggest that a digital divide is already taking shape. Companies competing in traditional ways (that is, without applying digital technologies and strategies in their businesses) have seen lower rates of revenue and earnings growth than have companies competing in digital ways—and those rates are tightly correlated with the level of digitalization, or digitization, in their respective sectors. But other players are seeing tremendous growth as digitization advances. The companies making digital moves—digital natives, industry incumbents competing in new and digital ways, and incumbents moving into new sectors—are out-performing their traditional-incumbent counterparts.

We call these companies digital reinventors. While most respondents say that their companies are making at least marginal investments in digital, we found last year that few had achieved top-quartile growth and high returns—not surprising, given the lukewarm response to digitization the average respondent reports in this year’s survey. Digital reinventors, in contrast, are embracing digital with both their investments and their strategic decision making. Our results indicate that companies in this group are not only investing more in digital but also investing and executing differently. The reinventors are investing at scale in technology, analytics, and digital talent—not just playing on the margins—and investing much more aggressively in business-model innovations or entirely new business models. They make more digital-related acquisitions and divestitures than traditional incumbents do; they are likelier to accelerate changes in their own businesses; and they are using more advanced, innovative technologies. The results indicate that their efforts are paying off: the reinventors are seeing larger gains in revenues and earnings than are traditional incumbents that have yet to embrace digitization.

Growing pressure on incumbents

As digitization continues to progress, its expected effects on revenues seem pronounced. When respondents were asked how much of their companies’ revenues would be at risk in the next three years if those companies took no further action to address digital pressures, they estimated that almost one-third could be lost or cannibalized. Consistent with our earlier researchshowing that increased levels of digitization produce shrinking profit and revenue pools at the industry level, the revenues at risk are even greater in the industries (high tech, as well as media and entertainment) experiencing the highest levels of digitization.

But the level of digitization is only part of the industry picture. Despite a common belief that digital natives are the greatest threat to an industry’s existing market share, the results indicate that incumbents competing in digital ways pose just as great a threat to other companies, if not a greater one. The correlation between the market share owned by digital natives and revenues at risk is on par with that of incumbents playing digitally.⁴This finding is consistent with other work suggesting that incumbents can have a strong effect on the market and on the pace of digital disruption in a given industry, and this effect is only magnified by the more powerful positioning of these incumbents. Since those competing in digital ways already own a larger market share than digital natives do, on average, they can also make larger shifts in the economics of their respective markets.

To date, the loss of revenues as digitization has expanded is already clear. Nearly 20 percent of all respondents report negative revenue growth in the past three years. But some companies can thrive in a more digitized landscape: specifically, those trying to reinvent themselves by embedding digital technologies in the core of their business models and by launching new digital businesses. Respondents at incumbents playing digitally are twice as likely as traditional incumbents to report exceptional financial growth (that is, an average compound annual growth rate of more than 25 percent) during this same period.

The typical response to digital is underwhelming

With so much revenue at stake from digitization, what have companies been doing in response? The results show that while most have a plan in place, it is tentative at best. Most respondents say their companies have invested only modestly in digitization. On average, the share of both revenues and full-time employees that incumbents are investing in digital initiatives is proportional to the revenues they are earning from digital. But according to respondents, much of their net gain in revenue growth has been cannibalized by their own digital versions of core products and services, so many companies appear to be treading water rather than moving forward. This suggests that companies may be underinvesting in digital—especially in industries where the highest-returning digital investments (for example, in the Internet of Things, automation, and predictive maintenance) do not directly drive frontline sales.

These lackluster results are not surprising when we look more closely at where the average company is investing. Respondents say their companies tend to invest only in the most proven digital technologies (big data, mobile, and traditional web technologies, for example). At the same time, more than half have made no changes to their business portfolios because of digitization, and less than 20 percent report either acquiring businesses to supplement their long-term digital strategies or divesting any of their current businesses. And only one-third say their companies have launched new digital businesses, while just over half report digitizing at least a few elements of their business models—an approach that appears to play around the edges of the business rather than involving more significant digital innovations or investments.

Of course, this changes when respondents perceive a greater risk to their core businesses. Respondents who believe that the greatest amount of these revenues may be at risk are far more likely than average to say their companies will need to make significant changes to their business models to remain economically viable. Most respondents—on average and across industries—say their companies should take a hybrid approach: transforming their core businesses while also creating new digital business models.

This is true even for respondents reporting the highest levels of revenues at risk, though tackling both the core business and new business models often involves a more complicated strategy and operating model than focusing on one or the other. Just 6 percent of all respondents say their companies must move to new, fully digital business models and leave the current ones behind. Only another 6 percent say their companies have already made the required changes to their business models to stay viable. Even among the most digitized industries, such as media and high tech, just one in ten respondents describes the current business model as viable in the long term.

What are digital reinventors doing differently?

But not every company is responding tentatively. Some, and not just the digital natives, are embracing digital change. To better understand how different companies—incumbent or otherwise—are competing, we asked respondents to identify the current position of their own companies (each in its primary industry): digital natives, incumbents competing in new ways through digitization, incumbents competing in new industries through digital moves and initiatives, and incumbents competing primarily in traditional, nondigital ways. Responses from the first three groups—which we call digital reinventors—indicate that these companies are all outperforming their traditional-incumbent peers in revenues and earnings. Digital natives have impressive growth rates but are starting from a much smaller market share; respondents at the digital natives say they command a median of only 5 percent of the markets of their industries. The incumbents competing digitally, by contrast, grow from a much larger base. Respondents from these companies report that they own a median of 20 percent of their core markets.

The practices of the reinventors differ from those of traditional incumbents in three critical areas: the approach to investments, the degree of innovation, and the application of digital technologies. The digital reinventors appear to be using these practices both to digitize their core businesses and to innovate through new business models.

Innovating the business model. 

Rather than just making minor modifications to traditional business models, the digital reinventors are more likely than other companies to have made significant changes to both their strategies and the very nature of their core businesses (that is, by digitizing the core more fully and innovating with completely new digital businesses). Digital reinventors are at least twice as likely as traditional incumbents to report modifying their long-term strategies in response to digital-related changes. And when asked about specific actions taken to address digitization, the reinventors are much more likely than their peers to have launched new businesses and to have built new digital business models for their core businesses. Most notably, they are almost seven times more likely than their traditional counterparts to have fully digitized their core business models.

Embedding technology innovatively and at scale. 

Our results indicate that the digital reinventors are more likely to use cutting-edge digital technologies—and to use them at scale—than are their counterparts, which tend to spread investments thinly across technologies, without scaling them up. Forty-four percent of incumbents playing digitally say their companies use design thinking at scale either across the organization or within functions or business units, but the same percentage of traditional incumbents haven’t even started to pilot it. Incumbents playing digitally are twice as likely as their traditional-incumbent counterparts to be using artificial-intelligence tools across the organization, a trend that is active across several of the more advanced technologies we asked about.

Investing more decisively. 

Responses show that the digital reinventors are likelier to invest more—and to invest more decisively—in digital than traditional incumbents are. The percentage of annual revenues invested by incumbents playing digitally (which have the greatest market share) is more than three times as high as that of traditional incumbents. But successful digitization is not only about spending more; the digital reinventors are making bolder investment moves, too. They are much more likely to divest business lines being made obsolete by digital, sometimes even before the full pain is felt. They are also more likely to make long-term digital acquisitions. Just 15 percent of respondents at traditional incumbents say their companies have, in the past three years, acquired new digital businesses that would be strategically important to their longer-term digital strategies even if these businesses did not contribute to short-term revenues. By contrast, 26 percent of respondents at the digital incumbents and 28 percent at incumbents moving into new sectors say they have made such acquisitions.

Digital reinventors don’t differ from their peers only in their use of cutting-edge tools and techniques. They also differ in how they deploy the basic digital technologies, such as big data, cloud computing, and the mobile Internet. Respondents at digital reinventors are more likely than those at traditional incumbents to report the organization-wide adoption of these technologies rather than their use in a single function or business unit or in a piloting stage.

And while investing in and scaling new technologies might sound expensive, digital reinventors are also coming out ahead on that front. The returns on their digital investments are double or more than what the traditional incumbents see on theirs, according to respondents.

Looking ahead

For the companies that are not yet digital reinventors, the survey results suggest three starting points for focusing digitization efforts:

·         Take a dual approach to business-model innovation. To find success and sustain growth, incumbents must do two things at once: digitize their core businesses while also innovating with new digital ones. Making small changes to the edges of your business model is insufficient in an increasingly digital world. To digitize the core while developing new digital businesses, a company needs a strategy much more complicated than it would need focusing on a single path. Digital strategies must create a road map for continuing to invest in and energize the core, while finding both the mind share and capital resources to innovate with new business models. Success at this game requires a tight link between strategies and the overall operating model (including IT’s operating model) to ensure realistic investment projections and estimates of time to impact.

·         Be bold in experimenting with new technologies. To make sure they get the most out of digital investments, companies need to scale up their technology investments once they have been tested. To keep pace with digital change, companies will also benefit from being more proactive in seeking and evaluating new technologies and digital advances for potential use. This requires a partnership with IT at a strategic level and continual efforts to educate business-unit leaders on the fundamentals of the latest digital technologies, so they understand how to embed those technologies at scale into their businesses to capture the value of digital.

·         Make decisive investments. Companies that invest boldly and at scale do better than companies that are tentative. Therefore, the more hesitant companies (more specifically, the traditional incumbents) need to recraft their investment decision-making processes and their overall cultures. To make more decisive—and effective—digital moves that will drive the business forward and capture the benefits of digitization at scale, they can take a venture-capitalist approach to investing. This means moving faster to both fund and defund initiatives and being more comfortable with changes to the overall business portfolio. Since the culture of many companies is risk averse and relatively siloed,⁵a bolder approach to investments will prove to be a significant challenge if traditional incumbents don’t address their culture directly. Incumbents must embrace a test-and-learn mind-set to help drive innovation and appropriate risk taking at all levels of the organization. Breaking down siloed mind-sets and behavior through more integrated, cross-functional teams—as well as a unified view of customers and what they need—can help foster a more agile culture, enabling companies to learn from experiments at a pace fast enough to respond to their rapidly changing markets.

·          

OCTOBER 2017 SURVEY https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/digital-mckinsey/our-insights/how-digital-reinventors-are-pulling-away-from-the-pack?cid=other-eml-alt-mip-mck-oth-1710

TECH SPECIAL...... THE UNDERUTILIZED OTG

THE UNDERUTILIZED OTG

Nope, not the oven-toaster-grill. We're talking about a feature that most Android phones have now, USB On-The-Go. It's really quite versatile with the right accessories but often forgotten about in the hoopla of specs and performance

Unshackle The Data

Thanks to apps like Shareit and Xender, it's easy to transfer content wirelessly between smart devices. But what if you want to copy a larger amount of data? Using an OTG adapter, you can now connect a USB flash drive, portable hard drive and even a microSD card to your smartphone. You can also get a dedicated USB OTG drive with a USB Type-A port on one side and a microUSBType-C port on the other side -you won't need an adapter for these.

Make Your Games Better

Playing games using a touch-screen is not everyone's cup of tea -especially third-party action or racing games. With OTG, you can connect a wired USB game controller to your smartphone and enjoy proper gaming. You should know that not all games support a USB controller. Those that do support usually require a one-time configuration of the controller (to map the buttons to certain actions). You can also get controllers with a dock to hold your phone for a superior gaming, for instance, Amkette's Evo Gamepad.

But Does Your Phone Support OTG?

There are a number of ways you can check. Some phone makers mention it on their website while some may have an option on the settings page to enable disable OTG. A simpler way is to use a free app like USB OTG Checker or USB OTG Tester. You can also use CPU-X by Pacific Developers that shows you detailed Android device information (it will show you support for USB OTGUSB host under the features section).

Real Thermal Imaging

FLIR, makers of thermal imaging cameras, make a USB OTG FLIR camera for Android smartphones.Just snap this 29 gram accessory on, download the FLIR app and you've got a contactless thermal camera.It's got its own battery so it doesn't consume power from the connected device. Just like the smartphone with FLIR camera built in (CAT S60), it uses MSX technology: blending images from a Lepton thermal camera and a VGA visible light camera. This means you can see detail plus temperature. It can measure from --20 to 120 degrees Celsius and can detect temperature differences as small as 0.1 degree Celsius.

Need Faster Internet?

Ethernet is mainly used on desktops for connectivity.

But you can even use it on your smartphone if faster speeds are required or WiFi is unavailable. You will need two things: a USB OTG adapter as well as a USB to Ethernet adapter. Connect both adapters together and plug-in the Ethernet cable. Make sure to switch off WiFi and your 3G4G data to force the phone to switch to the wired connection. Not all Ethernet adapters are compatible with all phones, so your results may vary.

Battery Capacity to Spare?

There are Android smartphones that come with large 4,000 or 5,000mAh batteries and support reverse charging (check with manufacturer for your smartphone model). On such phones, you can use an OTG cable to connect a second phone via charging cable and use the first phone like a portable power bank. If your fitness band runs out of power, you can also charge it up in the same way.

Make It a Mini Desktop

Just like gaming, this will help make things easier for people who don't like using the touchscreen for input. Using a USB OTG adapter, you can easily connect a wired keyboard or mouse to your smartphone for navigation and input. Android automatically detects a connected keyboard and does not require you to install any third-party drivers -you can just connect and start typing in any app. You can also take things a step further and use a wireless keyboard-mouse combo. These come with a single USB unifying dongle that can connect to the phone.

Printing Without a Computer

Most of us take the long way when we need to print something stored on the phone. You'll mail it to a PC connected to a printer first and then get the print. Unless you plan on getting a WiFi printer, the easier way is to use your smartphone's OTG. Just use the USB cable that came with the printer to connect your smartphone and a USB OTG adapter. Most new printers will automatically show up in the phone when you select the print command from the options menu.

Take Control of Your DSLR

Its only recently that DSLRs have begun to include WiFi for remote control and wireless transfer. Since one doesn't upgrade DSLRs often, you can still use your phone to control it using a wire. Connect the camera with your smartphone using the USB OTG adapter and the same data transfer cable that came with the DSLR. Install the free DSLR Control app from Play Store and it will let you control your Nikon or Canon DSLR's shutter, adjust settings and show you a live view. Do check if your DSLR model is supported in the app description on the Store before installing.

The Exploring Camera

Once the preserve of high-end endoscopic equipment, this affordable `pipe inspection OTG camera' costs just `500, is waterproof, has it's own adjustable LED light source and sends a live, colour video feed directly to your Android phone.

With the tiny hook or magnet (included accessories), you can use it to retrieve your keys or fallen objects from the tiniest of places. Apart from this tool, there are a bunch of other quirky USB accessories that you can use with OTG: a cigarette lighter, USB foot switch (for hands free control) and a micro electric shaver for instance.

Let There Be Light (And Wind)

Remember the USB-powered LED light and fan launched by Xiaomi earlier this year? Similar accessories are now available from a number of brands and that too at cheaper prices. You can now get USB OTG ready LED light and fans -these connect directly to your smartphone with micro USB. Alternatively, you can use an USB OTG adapter to use a LED lightfan that has a standard USB type A port.

Karan Bajaj and Hitesh Raj Bhagat

ET 27OCT17

MEETINGS SPECIAL ....Ask These 9 Questions Before Every Meeting To Avoid Wasting Time

Ask These 9 Questions Before Every Meeting To Avoid Wasting Time

A lot of meetings are pointless. But they don’t have to be.

Many activities suck up a lot of our time at work. And no activity feels more like a time suck than pointless meetings.

Of course, not all meetings are a waste of time. If done right, a meeting can solve problems or convey information without an endless Slack thread. The key is preparation, and asking yourself the right questions. Before you get your team together for another pointless meeting, ask the following questions to ensure that it’ll be the most productive use of everyone’s time.

1. DO I REALLY NEED TO HOLD THIS MEETING?

This question might seem really obvious to you, but some companies have regular check-ins without really thinking through why. As Laura Vanderkamp wrote in a previous article for Fast Company, recurring meetings often serve one purpose: “To make sure everyone is still doing her job.” But Vanderkamp argues that this shouldn’t be necessary if you have a high-functioning team. Not only are attendees missing out on valuable deep work time, Vanderkamp also pointed out that when they get back to their desk, there’s the “transition cycle” where workers check their emails and social media before diving into their projects.

2.  WHAT IS THE GOAL?

If it’s not just about checking in, go a step further and ask yourself–what do you hope to get out of it? In a 2016 Fast Company story, Stephanie Vozza cited a Microsoft study that revealed most meetings aren’t properly planned, and 67% are held without an agenda. You can’t make an agenda if you don’t know what you want to achieve. And without an agenda, there is a greater risk that your meetings will be wasted hours, Vozza wrote.

3.  HOW CAN I MAKE THIS MEETING MEMORABLE?

Let’s face it, as engaging as you might be as a facilitator, people zone out in work meetings. And sometimes they don’t always take notes and miss out on important information. You can prevent this from happening by including a unique element. It doesn’t have to be major–employee engagement software provider TINYpulse starts their staff meeting at 8.48 a.m., an odd but memorable time. E-commerce company Etailz does a Q&A at the end of the meeting, which turns into a stare off if no one says anything, as reported in a previous Fast Company story.

4. WHAT DO I NEED TO TELL ATTENDEES AHEAD OF THE MEETING?

There’s nothing worse than having unprepared attendees. But you can’t blame them for not having good ideas if you put them on the spot and didn’t give them enough time to prepare. In a previous Fast Companyarticle, Stephanie Vozza listed out the categories that meetings tend to fall under: information-share meetings, creative-discussions meetings, and consensus meetings. For creative discussions and consensus meetings, the more you warn participants about the issues or ideas you want to discuss, the better prepared they’ll be. If they’re hearing about them for the first time in the meeting, you’ll have to allocate extra time for clarifications.

5. WHO REALLY NEEDS TO BE AT THE MEETING?

You know how annoying it is when your inbox is clogged with emails you’ve unnecessarily been copied to? People also don’t want to spend their days on meetings if that means not getting their actual work done–or staying at the office later because of it. Jeff Bezos is famous for his “two-pizzas” rule when it comes to meetings. That is, he limits the number of attendees to the amount of people he can feed with two pizzas. As Lydia Dishman previously reported, “Meetings with a large group tend to get bogged down. Smaller groups are more efficient, especially when the right decision maker is sitting at the table.”

6.HOW CAN I TURN THE AGENDA ITEMS INTO ACTIONS?

Of course, meetings are for discussion, but if all you have in your “agenda” is “discuss x, y, z,” you might end the meeting and realize that no one knows what they should do next. In a previous article for Fast Company, author of Smart Leaders, Smarter Teams Roger M. Schwarz suggested turning items into questions. For example, instead of “discuss video schedule,” write “when will videos be completed?” This way, you’ll leave the meeting with clear next steps.

7. HOW CAN I MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IS INCLUDED?

If your meetings are dominated by one or two voices (and there are more attendees), that’s a drain on your productivity. After all, the whole point of meeting is to exchange ideas and thoughts. As Aleah Warren previously wrote for Fast Company, if organizations don’t ensure they include everyone, they’re missing out on diverse perspectives that could be extremely valuable to the team.

8. WHO IS THE BEST PERSON TO SPEAK ON EACH AGENDA ITEM?

Being useful in meetings doesn’t always mean knowing everything. In a previous article for Fast Company, copywriter and comedian Thom Crowley realized that being useful is about identifying what you don’tknow, and who is the best person to speak about that topic. He wrote, “Pretending to know a bunch of stuff I don’t know, or half-know, or think I might know takes up a good bit of brain space that I could otherwise use to apply the knowledge I already have to contribute something worthwhile.” Even if your made-up answer sounds impressive, it’s not going to help your team down the line when they realized that your answer did nothing to help their project whatsoever.

9. HOW CAN I ENSURE THAT THIS MEETING IS THE BEST USE OF EVERYONE’S TIME?

Meetings have opportunity costs. And too many nonessential ones drain a company’s progress and productivity. Ultimately, the key question is understanding whether it’s the best use of everyone’s limited time. As Shivani Siroya, CEO of fintech startup Tala, previously told Fast Company, “Walking into any meeting, it’s important to remember that everyone in the room is sacrificing part of his or her day to be there. And when you treat people’s time with the reverence it deserves, suddenly, meetings become a force for good in your day, rather than the thing you had to do.”

BY ANISA PURBASARI HORTON

https://www.fastcompany.com/40482980/ask-these-9-questions-before-every-meeting-to-avoid-wasting-time?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Fast%20Company%20Daily&position=9&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=10262017

FOODIE SPECIAL.... 7 WAY TO RELISH SWEET TREATS

7 WAY TO RELISH SWEET TREATS



Sweets and savouries form an integral part of our culinary culture. Here's how to give a modern twist to the age-old culinary traditions and relish the sweet indulgence

Feasting and festivities are two intrinsic Indian rituals that bring to the fore the love for food and celebrations. Every single festival, across religions and cultures, is an excuse to indulge in delicacies, prepared exclusively during that time of the year, which form the centerpiece of most celebrations; diets being all but forgotten.

Although cakes, cookies and pastries are making their presence felt in the dessert scene, the appeal of traditional sweets remains undiminished. However, with experimentation in shape, texture and fillings, the traditional sweets have undergone a significant makeover over the last few years. Thanks to globalisation, traditional sweet shops are upgrading their offerings accordingly. “People are lapping up fusion sweets and pastries. Traditional sweets with a modern spin like flavoured yogurts, baked sandesh and rasagolla, paan-flavoured candy floss and gourmet sweets are gaining huge popularity,“ says a sweet shop owner.However, with the sheer variety of gastronomical delights on offer, the appeal of traditional sweets like barfis, kheer, pedas, rabri, phirni, basundi, which are an integral part of the traditional dessert culture, will never fade.

Here, we explore how you can give a contemporary twist to the age-old staples that are commonly served in homes.

1 For those who cannot consume too much sugar andor oil for health reasons, experiment with alternative ingredients such as brown sugar, honey and maple syrup to dress up conventional desserts like jamuns and jalebis.

2 When making these goodies at home, be open-minded and experiment with diverse flavours and textures.

3 Consider adding healthy ingredients such as spinach puree to your conventional snacks, thus making for an interesting addition of green savouries in your snack plate.

4  Indulge in baked whole wheat karanjis and lapsi (or broken wheat) kheer to make healthier food choices.

5 For those who love their halwas and pedas in rich, attractive hues, try adding colour-inducing foods such as beetroot and carrots to increase the fibre intake. These culinary innovations will definitely be relished by health-conscious foodies.

6 Party foods like fancy appetisers, barbecue grills, and chaats with exotic presentations are gaining popularity. The concept of east meets west has evolved to another level and even sweets are a great platform to showcase and enjoy it. From chocolate flavoured mithais and jalebis, deconstructed to look like a boondi cake in a sea of pista rabdi, desserts are getting a designer twist, too.

7 Change cooking techniques: many Indian sweets can be baked instead of fried.

So go ahead and start experimenting!

Annabel Dsouza Oct 27 2017 : The Economic Times (Mumbai)

TRAVEL SPECIAL..... YACHTING IN STYLE - Set sail on a yacht

YACHTING IN STYLE - Set sail on a yacht





Monaco's azure waters invite the rich and famous for chic entertainment and relaxation

LEADING THE GOOD LIFE

Region: Monaco

Some places spell luxury and Monaco is one such address up the sleeves of the indulgent lot.Indian travellers find Monte Carlo (a distinctive spot) of much interest. The yacht shows in Monaco attract tourists from across the world where cutting edge new showboats are showcased.

A yachting cruise vacation is a big draw if you like to soak up the sun and enjoy luxurious hospitality. You can just take over the wheel or let a personal captain with crew extend their cruising services.

TOP ATTRACTIONS AROUND TOWN

Monte Carlo Casino and Opera House: Built in 1893 by Charles Garnier, the architect of the Paris Opera House, this spot has marble paved atrium, surrounded with 28 Ionic columns made of onyx. It gives access to the Opera Hall, which is entirely decorated in red and gold, with bas-reliefs and sculptures.

Prince's Palace: Guardian of an ancient tradition, this Palace located in a unique setting upon the `Rock' of Monaco, was built on the site of a fortress erected by the Genoese in 1215. Today the splendour of this Palace can be admired by all, such as its Italian-style gallery and its 15th century frescoes and its Louis XVth Lounge.

Oceanographic Museum: With its international reputation for excellence, this museum is dedicated to marine science and oceanography. Its collections of marine fauna collected by Monaco's pioneering Navigator Prince Prince Albert 1 are unique. After your yachting spree, unwind by indulging in the shows of Monaco. In fact, the clubbing culture is quite evident in this Principality . The choice is varied where you can go partying at a chic club and dance until dawn amidst the vibe around the Riviera. Chink glasses with new friends at live music venues and chitchat about your yachting experience. The casinos are famed for big bets that are placed and you can try your lady luck.

Note: Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival is upcoming from Nov 16 till Dec 2, 2017 -Here, you can celebrate Monaco's deep connection to music that has been shaped by 150 years of love, musical greats and legendary artistes. Plan your yachting vacation around the famed jazz fest.

Oct 26 2017 : The Economic Times (Mumbai)

GADGET SPECIAL .... 8 headphones that will add pacy music to your stride

8 headphones that will add pacy music to your stride



Going beyond audio playback, some of these running headphones also feature heart-rate monitors, and voice-powered AI personal trainers

Monster iSport Victory inear Bluetooth headphones

What these earphones lack in highend features, they make up for in comfort, durability and affordability. With a secure fit aided by the rubberised `wings' and amultitude of bud options, the iSport Victory stays locked in. They're sweat resistant and, at 15 g, they are the lightest buds you can buy.

Battery life: 10 hours | Heart rate monitor: No | On-ear controls: Yes (on the neckband)

BTS Pro wireless sports headphones

This on-ear option comes from a little-known startup 66 Audio, which offer a 40+ hours of continuous playback from a single charge, along with a wireless range of 100 feet. For runners who like as much control over their audio as they do for fitness, the Motion Control app enables easy control of the sound output.

Battery life: 40 hours | Heart rate monitor: No | Onear controls: Yes

Aftershokz Trekz titanium headphones

This is a superb wireless option for urban runners. Sound is delivered through your cheekbones, thanks to bone conducting tech which leaves your ears open, free to hear the traffic around you. If you run with a partner, it also means you can still enjoy a chat along the way.

Battery life: Six hours | Heart rate monitor: No | On-ear controls: Yes

Jaybird X3 wireless Bluetooth headphones

The compact, durable and affordable Jaybird X2 in-ear buds are mighty popular among runners.Despite being slightly smaller, the new Jaybird X3 has retained the sweat-proof design and great sound.Greater control over the audio is also possible due to a new companion MySound app.

Battery life: Eight hours | Heart rate monitor: No | On-ear controls: Yes

KuaiFit Sport headphones

Whoever came up with the expression `jack of all trades, master of none' never used the KuaiFit Sport headphones. With 8GB of storage they're a music player, fitness tracker, heart rate monitor, real-time running coach and a pair of wireless headphones all in one.

Battery life: Seven hours | Heart rate monitor: Yes | On-ear controls: Yes

Bose SoundSport wireless headphones

With the trademark sound of the US audio giant, these lightweight buds offer a comfortable and secure fit thanks to the StayHear+ tips. The Bose Connect app also enables music sharing with more than one set of buds, which is perfect if you're out running with a friend.

Battery life: Six hours | Heart rate monitor: Yes, with Pulse variant On-ear controls: Yes (in the neckband)

Under Armour JBL Sport wireless headphones

Under Armour's foray into headphones entrusts the audio tech to a worthy partner: JBL. With a built-in heart rate monitor you can finally ditch the chest strap, while also summoning voice updates on your progress with a tap on the right bud. The over-the-ear buds also feature 5.8mm dynamic drivers and JBL's PureBass Performance tech on board.

Battery life: Five hours | Heart rate monitor: Yes | On-ear controls: Yes

Beats PowerBeats 3

Beats PowerBeats 3 The PowerBeats 3 running headphones aim to keep your tunes pumping while you are running. They may come with a steep price, but offer a lot for runners, and especially for Apple users. With a 12-hour battery life and quick charging, it will not run out of power in the middle of anything short of an ultra-marathon.

Battery life: 12 hours | Heart rate monitor: No | On-ear controls: Yes

techradar.com