The Conference Coach™

This is the complementary post to my CEO’s recent blog article on dodging the epic snow storm of Spring 2010.

One of the things I enjoy most about living in Colorado is that during certain times of the year we experience some very  “capable” weather. In the summer we get great thunderstorms and in the spring we experience snow storms that leave us stranded and up to our necks in cold. But what doesn’t kill us at least makes us strong or better yet makes us flexible.

So after a morning of pushing snow blowers and shoveling snow with the help of my neighbors I was able to clear our long and perilous driveway. A job well done. But if this wasn’t modern times the work wouldn’t be over. I’d need to get in my car and drive down icy roads to get to my office chair. Thankfully though we live in a world where communication and remote access has given us the ability to travel less and live safer.

As a conferencing company we work really hard to live what we preach and as for myself I typically employ three different tools as the foundation of my remote office.

1. Audio Conferencing – Allows me to host quick phone meetings with my coworkers. It is reservation-less so they only have to know the phone number and my conference id.
2. BaseCamp – Our project management and collaboration tool. This keeps us all on the same page and helps us to stay focused on the tasks ahead.
3. IM – By far the easiest way to communicate while I am developing. It’s a classic, but one that has never gotten old. Using Adium I am able to connect with all the different chat clients in the office.

If you run an office or work in one it’s time to start thinking differently. You don’t need to drive everyday, sitting in traffic and wasting time and you certainly don’t need face to face time in order to communicate effectively. With a simple stack of tools you can become a proud member of the club that works where they can when they can.