This episode is about the introduction and overview of the topics of the new digital4productivity podcast in 2023. Enjoy listening.
Further links
Introduction
It’s great to have you back again, and you may have wondered why it’s no longer called iPad4productivity, but Digital4productivity. The first thing to change is that it is, of course, a new year 2023, so first of all I would like to wish you a happy, new and successful new year. Above all, I hope that you stay healthy and that all your personal and professional wishes come true.
From iPad4productivity to Digital4productivity
And a new year is always an opportunity to think about what you do, how you do it and how you can develop further. And that’s exactly what I did, of course. And iPad4productivity has hopefully been your regular companion for almost 360 episodes on the topic of being more productive with the iPad. Yes, and as you may have noticed, yes, over the last few years I’ve not only done episodes on the iPad, but also looked left and right to see how you can become even more productive digitally. And those of you who use the iPad will certainly not only use the iPad as a rule, but also Microsoft 365, for example, like many of my customers. This has become another focus of my work over the last few years, because many of my customers who I have helped to become more productive with the iPad have said, “Mr. Jekel, we have come to know you as someone who is the translator between IT and management and who is the digital interpreter for us, who can explain things so simply that they really make us more productive, and we are currently introducing Microsoft 365, can we also use it for this?
New topics for the Digital4productivity podcast
And I’ve been using Microsoft 365 pretty much since the start, when it was still called Office 365, so of course I’m happy to help my customers. And you know, my podcast is first and foremost a podcast where I pass on my experiences from my own work and from projects with customers to you so that you simply don’t have to make the same mistakes as other people, some of which I made in the first projects, but so that you can take the shortcut. That’s the idea behind this podcast. And in addition to the iPad and Microsoft 365, there has of course been another big topic over the last two years, namely live streaming online events. Now you might say, what does the topic of livestreaming have to do with this topic of iPad 4 Productivity, with this podcast, what does it have to do with me? What we have noticed is that we had to go online during the pandemic and we offered livestreams very, very quickly, right up to major congresses. What we noticed was the following. We sometimes reached 500 people with face-to-face formats and 5,000 with online formats, i.e. up to ten times as many people. And we have more and more customers who say, hey, wait a minute, I have a sales team, for example, that I regularly bring into training sessions and meetings. And we now have customers who say, maybe I used to bring the sales team in every month, so I held twelve sales meetings, and now I only hold maybe six sales meetings and I do six of them virtually online in order to save on travel costs, reduce CO2 emissions and save money: Save travel costs, optimize CO2 footprint, to name just two key benefits.
The topic of digitalization is on everyone’s lips
In other words, the idea In the pandemic, we were also forced online in many areas. And I think it’s a good idea to keep the things that have worked well, even at the end of the pandemic and hopefully we’re through by now. And it doesn’t always have to be a complete sales TV, but sometimes little tips can help you shine even more in video conferences with your customers. For example, you know that I don’t like to do my video conferences on the iPad that often, but I love connecting the iPad to my computer and using the Thoughts app to write with the Apple Pencil, for example. And I then share this iPad with Teams or Zoom or another solution. So I’m happy to share my experiences on this again.
New topics for the Digital4productivity podcast
Yes, and not only is there this new podcast, but you can now also find the things I’ve been doing undercover to a certain extent on my new website. Logically, it’s also called Digital4productivity.de – with the one written through and this font is simply a four like the number, which is the name of the podcast, so Digital4productivity.de is the site. Take a look at it. On this page you will find exactly these four areas, namely to say 1) working with the iPad, 2) with Microsoft 365, 3) livestreaming online events and the topic 4) lectures on the subject of digitization. Because that’s exactly what this podcast is about. In other words, you will continue to hear from me about tips and tricks for being more productive with iPad and iPhone. You’ll get tips and tricks on the topic of Microsoft 365, as I said, previously under Office 365. You’ll get tips and tricks on the topic of how you can reach more people online and ultimately the topic of my lectures, namely using digitalization productively. Because, as you know, I always have two principles. One is to switch on the brain first, then the technology. And the second is to simply use technology. And that’s exactly what it’s all about. In other words, I will regularly question a bit of bullshit bingo here. So in the past, it was always this topic of AI, artificial intelligence, where AI was plastered on everything that didn’t have AI on it. And today, especially when it comes to metaverse, there’s a lot of marketing blah-blah, and you know, I’m someone who loves looking at technology myself. Virtual reality is one component of a future metaverse vision, and I attend a jourfix at least once a week where we discuss new platforms in this area with a group of like-minded people. And I am happy to pass this experience on to you. Because it is important for you as a manager that you always stay up to date on the topic: what new technologies are there on the market? Which ones can I already use today? Which ones should I look at today and which ones perhaps not yet? Yes, these are precisely the points and topics on which you can receive my support. So even beyond the podcast, of course, if you have iPads in your company or are considering introducing them as a consultant and trainer for the productive use of iPads, i.e. for users, but also the topic of mobile device management. And perhaps some of you have noticed that Microsoft 365 also offers mobile device management in the form of Intune, which is a great way to monitor and control iPads. And you usually already pay for this with your license anyway. And as you can see, this is another reason why Microsoft 365 is somehow more related to the iPad than you might think.
The topic of online events is becoming increasingly important Yes, then, as I said, if you also want to have the topic of sales TV or online events for your customers, for your sales partners, for your employees, I am of course happy to be at your disposal, on the one hand for the conception, on the other hand also for the implementation, and you know that I have a large network of speakers together with the Karin Burger team:We can do everything from Zoom calls to TV productions, as we have done for Toyota, Aldi and Hofer, for example, and we can also implement things for you online that you previously only knew from large face-to-face events. And last-but-not-least, of course, as a speaker on digitalization. Now you might say, that’s quite a lot to cover. Yes, on the one hand, it’s the topics that I’ve really been supporting my customers with for over 12 years. And of course, the pandemic has brought new things to the table, such as livestreaming. I’ve always done things online, but the consistency of livestreaming, including large, hybrid productions such as for Toyota, is of course new. Yes, and the common denominator is of course Digital4productivity, because I help my customers and you, dear listeners of the podcast, to become more productive through meaningful digitalization. And now you say, wait a minute, meaningful digitalization? Why more meaningful? Let me give you an example of digitalization that doesn’t make sense. I recently gave a seminar for DATEV. You may know that I use the iPad in my day-to-day work as an executive seminar for DATEV tax firms, among others, and I was in an event room, came in and there was a digital flipchart. You may be familiar with it. Fortunately, this time I had this pen with me. Last time, the pen was missing, so I couldn’t use it at all. Yes, then I switched it on. My handwriting looked really disastrous. Then I wanted to write something in the margin, then I could write right up to the edge. And in the end, it’s a one-to-one conversion that’s even worse than a paper flipchart. Because with paper, I have different colored pencils with me. I have prepared elements that I can simply stick on there. I can’t just stick the digital thing on there. And now you might say, yes, but if I have a larger room, I could somehow transfer that digitally, yes, but I can also do that with Thoughts or GoodNotes on the iPad. So for me, it’s not a particularly good example of digitization, so that’s why it’s always exactly the point to say. In this podcast, I would like to focus on what I also talk about a lot in my presentations, namely switching on your brain first, then technology. Because digitalization makes sense if it enables you to inspire your customers even more and generate even more profitable sales, and/or if it makes you more productive and gives you more time for customers.
Ultimately, this is what digitalization is all about.
The paperless office
This other topic that I keep hearing about, the paperless office, is not an end in itself for me either. For example, I print out lots and lots of paper and I keep storing it away. But what I do have is a paperless filing system. Why is that? I have a wastepaper basket. For one thing, I have a shredder and I have a double-sided feed scanner, which for me belongs on every desk. So I can quickly scan in the things I need and have access to them from all my devices, even when I’m not in the office, because I would only have access to the paper tray in the office and my assistant, who isn’t in the office with me, would also have access to these things. Then it becomes a shoe. So, another example, I often find that the paper notepad is then replaced by, for example, GoodNotes as an app. And then they say, I’m digital now. And then I ask, yes, and can you also access this note from your PC? And can your employees also access it or your secretariat, for example? Then people say, no, no, only I can access it. That’s another misunderstanding. So when I look at it, if I can always enter the notes on all my devices and always access them, across all platforms, that’s exactly what my podcast is about, then digitalization with a brain. I say, before we start with artificial intelligence, we should start with common sense first. And you don’t have to do everything digitally just because it can be done digitally. On the other hand, you also know my second saying, which is to simply use technology. And I don’t know if you have any idea how long OneNote has been around. OneNote has been around for exactly 20 years, since 2003, and I always find it amazing how little the existing technology is used. Because most of you who now use Microsoft or Microsoft 365 have had OneNote in every paid Microsoft edition since 2003. And for me, that’s a great example of a solution that is sometimes not so easy to access for the first time. So even Teams and this Microsoft 365 world can sometimes drive you crazy. A few months ago, I moved my Exchange email address from IONOS, from my website operator, to Microsoft 365 and it took me a week to get everything up and running. The good thing is, now I know how it works and now I also know the secret tricks, which I am of course happy to pass on to my customers and also, of course, as part of this podcast. So what are we going to look at in this podcast this year? If I look at these four topics, we will of course look at what’s new at Apple. For example, we expect a larger iPad Pro in 2023, which will be even more powerful and, above all, have an even larger screen.
And I also hope that with iOS 17 the performance of the device will be supported even more by the software. Because the iPad is more powerful than most laptops, but the software is still a bit limited and the idea is that hopefully iOS 17 will bring even more power to the software. Even when I look at the stage manager, this external screen support, it’s all still a bit like version 1.0 and we’ll see more of that this year. And when it comes to iPhones, there will almost certainly be a 15th generation iPhone with a USB-C port. Then, fortunately, you’ll only have one port. And if we’re lucky, Apple might even come out with XR glasses, i.e. virtual reality or augmented reality glasses. As you can see, there are also interfaces to the topic of online events, because we will of course also be talking about online events in virtual reality in this area.
Summary of the monthly updates of Microsoft 365
Yes, there’s a Microsoft 365 update every month and I’ve been a Microsoft cloud partner for years, so as a Microsoft partner we naturally always get an incredible amount of technical documentation, including great videos. But none of you are likely to watch the two or three hours of material every month. And that’s where I’ll give you the summary in my tried-and-tested, crisp, short form. And if you also want to introduce Microsoft 365 in your company, for example, then you are of course always welcome to use this podcast. And I’m also happy to come to your premises. So now in January, for example, I’m visiting several customers where we’re doing a starter workshop where we work out together which Microsoft 365 applications make sense in this company, in this law firm? Which ones are not useful? Which ones do we use? And then we do an online call once a month via Teams, where we go through the changes that are relevant for this company in a very specific, one-to-one, customer-specific way. But you’ll also get a general overview in this podcast.
The new “Lunch & Learn” format is here
Yes, on the subject of online events. If you haven’t already done so, you should take advantage of our regular invitations to Lunch & Learn. Because you know, together with the Karin Burger team, we have this public, I’ll call it SalesTV, so the idea of this SalesTV is that you can simply inform, motivate and support implementation in an hour like this. This is something that we have publicly with the Lunch&Learn format. And by the way, I’m always happy to answer any questions you may have. And you can take a look behind the scenes here in the podcast and say, okay, how can I implement these things in my company with or without our support? Yes, and last-but-not-least, I’m fortunately back on real stages again regularly after the pandemic. I love that too. And that’s where you’ll always get the nuggets from my keynotes on the topic of digitalization with understanding. By the way, you can also get that on LinkedIn. Keyword focus. You may have followed me a little on Instagram so far. You’ve seen me a lot on Facebook and you’ve also seen me on LinkedIn, and in 2023 I’m going to focus a lot on LinkedIn, because I’m realizing that, like you today, people are deciding to use LinkedIn more and more. That’s why you won’t see me active on the other platforms for the time being. Not on TicToc either, because I always say, okay, less is sometimes more. And if there’s simply time between projects, then I’d honestly prefer to use the time to catch up on the latest news about the iPad, the latest news about Microsoft 365, the latest news about online events and the latest digitalization trends so that I can pass them on to you. That’s why LinkedIn. And on LinkedIn there will be a short daily video impulse from me, where I will simply give you a little tip every now and then. In January now, because it’s such a classic, I’m simply going to give you a little impulse every day on the subject of how you can master the flood of emails. So if you don’t follow me on LinkedIn yet, then just follow Torsten Jekel, there’s only one on LinkedIn, as far as I know, and then you’ll find me wonderfully.
The newsletter – so you stay informed about new podcast episodes every time
Yes, if you say oh, am I missing it when there’s a new podcast episode here? It always comes out on Mondays and there’s always a written transcript on Tuesday. My assistant is always nice enough to prepare it for you. And then, if you are already registered in my free info mailing list, you will receive an email on Tuesday and otherwise you can simply click on the link in the show notes to sign up to be included in my info mailing list. Or you can write an email to t.jekel@jekelteam.de and then you will always receive an email with the latest podcast episode on Tuesday, where you will then have a link where you can go straight to the episode, where you can also read things quickly, where you have additional links.
Conclusion
Yes, in this sense I am also happy about your topic requests, about your feedback. Feedback is also welcome in the form of a positive rating on ApplePodcast and a comment. This helps other people like you to become aware of this podcast and makes me very happy. Yes, with this in mind, I look forward to having you on board again this year. When it’s all about switching on your brain first, then simply using technology and technology. See you next week. Yours, Thorsten Jekel.
Also available in: Deutsch