I was recently asked what I have been doing lately around the Austin startup scene.  Life has been busy for sure as 2018 starts to warm up with activity and SXSW 2018 is just on the horizon.

Here is a summary of the places I am mentoring and talks I’m giving. I was recently asked to submit three ideas for training people to help them prepare themselves for employment in the coming decade of AI. I have included those outlines because I plan to use some of those ideas for a book proposal to Apress and I use the topics and concepts in my mentoring and consulting with businesses.

I Mentor in Austin at:

Capital Factory and Techranch.com.  You can find me on both of their SLACK systems.  My Capital Factory mentor page is here.

Summary of recent invited talks

Selling and Presenting your Ideas 

Summary: Whether you are hired full time with a firm, going for an entrepreneur startup or entering the gig economy you need to practice the art of delivering your ideas.  There are technology challenges and personal growth challenges to address. Here are some of the topics I enjoy discussing and helping teams improve.

Summary of presentation approaches past, present, and future

Learn the basics of selling ideas, products, and technology

Developing an Elevator Pitch and how it evolves in time

How to present your self and relate to any size audience (one and on and one on many)

Uncovering your roadblocks in being authentic in your delivery

Discovering the power of persuasion in the art of conversation

Dealing with Pressure and time constraints

Class projects with personal feedback

How to prepare for the impact of future technologies on individuals and society and business growth

Summary: This is an overview of all the key technologies for the coming decade of rapid change. I have been engaging in conversations with people to look for themes and new perspectives to help people understand the impact of the technologies society. Of course, startups and existing businesses are keen on finding a new competitive edge with this new Digital Transformation 2.0 wave that is coming. However, I want to know where the balance is between profit and social responsibilities.

Historical perspectives of the Internet and the changes coming in the next decade

Explanation of why the rate of change is so fast now and how it impacts us

Overview of technologies, challenges, and opportunities for the near future:

AR/VR

Blockchain – currency protocols and ledgers

Data science and BigData

Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence

Group discussions – how will rapid technology Impact you, your business and society and lifestyles

Group discussions – how to be employed in the come age of AI

Learn how Podcasting can Improve your Visibility and Credibility for startups

Summary:  The key outcome is for each person to understand why audio and video podcasting is critical to creating and growing market visibility for a startup, gig or on-going business. I have produced over 1300 shows since the late 1990’s.  Heck back then it wasn’t even called podcastings, just audio interviews.  I have developed a number of marketing and sales strategies to help businesses find a competitive edge by creating content that is closely tied to sales strategies.  I cover the following topics as time permits:

The history of podcasting, current resurgence, and future relevance

The importance of acoustics, music and sound effects on quality

The technology – recording, editing, and posting

The art of the interview – with and without recording equipment  (critical)

Podcasting show themes and storytelling – class examples

Thought leadership as a content strategy for entrepreneurs

How to use podcasting in social media to broaden your visibility

How to get invited on other shows to amplify your visibility

How to interleave your podcasting strategy carefully with sales and marketing strategies

Tom