I’ve had a breakthrough that I want to share.
Last Week I threw down a special challenge to some of our Board Members and Customer Stakeholders who we had struggled to get engaged in Online collaboration and Social Media.
3 Rules
- I’ll loan you an iPad for 12 Weeks.
- If it doesn’t change your life I will have it back. I will never mention Social Media to you again.
- But if you admit it changes your life and you prove you are tweeting , yammering and engaging with others online you get to keep it.
An hour before I gave this challenge we had debated every single reason NOT to engage in Social Media. The usual reasons were given: Viruses; Personal Data Privacy; Abusive Language; Louise Mensch; Piers Morgan. All valid reasons that I certainly couldn’t dispute.
Instead of presenting a counter-argument – we produced the iPads. And the challenge. Accept it – and you get to play with one. Immediately
Instantly – a room full of hardened cynics are transformed as they touch , poke and turn the iPads around in their hands. Apple understand design and they understand how we first learned to play as children. When we didn’t have any cynicism towards anything or anyone.
I’ll let you know how the challenge goes.
By the way , less than 24 hours later I had an email. From someone who just a few weeks ago told me they would NEVER engage in Social Media.
This is a bit of what it said:
Just wanted to say I’m a convert. It’s amazing. I’ve registered for Yammer. Can you send me that Beginners Guide to Twitter that you mentioned? P.S You won’t be getting your iPad back
Paul Taylor 
A perfect example which highlights how ‘on the go’ training goes a long way to engage people. Everbody is entitled to an opinion, and rightly so, but it’s only when people try things for themselves do they realise its true potential; whether that be the product, the service or the end user!
Looking forward to hearing how it goes…
whoooah slow down neddy,
I love the ipad as much as I love you, it’s quick, smart and cool… just like you but I don’t love social media (yet) Here because the world is pushing me, so I learnt loads and replied loads but I didn’t get what I really wanted to do done being
hooked in online. Does it matter? ….It does to me! Will I change? ….maybe!
Hey I love you too for comments like that! It’s a good point and I’m not asking anyone to love social media. Just to accept its happening. And to accept that any business that doesn’t have a presence on it won’t be a business for long.