Amoungst a media tornado of not so positive stories it is always uplifting to find new technology or a new twist on an old favourite.
I started talked recently about the desire to increase the well being of men in business. Since the amazing article written in the Waikato times by Chris Williams about the shocking loss of a friend – not knowing that he was suffering from depression - a group of people keen to provide a space for men to feel safe in and talk about thisngs that concern them. This can be directly or third party but a space to share in a male way. At a recent meeting the ‘His Biz’ concept started to take shape.
If you want to know more then send me a message and I will get back a sap.
The new technology that excites me is Webinars – I attended my first webinar that was a group of people from all over NZ who previously may never have gotten together due to the geographic differences. It was a great way to share information and have a discussion real time, on-line. Amazing how web2 technology can be part of our lives but until we look for the differences we can still keep operating at a very basic level.
It doesn’t change the need to learn it just changes how you can do it from your own space.
I was very impressed with the presentation by ViAGO group on Wednesday 15th April – an amazing take on an old concept that essentially has not changed but has a new twist that makes the whole productivity initiative easier to digest. As part of this gig the participants were given a book called the Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt. It’s a very easy read but so far at page 60 a poignant message.
Have a great weekend at the H400 – go HOLDEN in Hamilton.
April 16, 2009 at 3:46 am |
Creating a space for men to go and talk about things in life that are bothering them is a good step towards trying to overcome the problem of men having less of a willingness to talk about their feelings. Something like this initiative should be beneficial to all men concerned and hopefully less incidents such as the one mentioned about Chris Williams’ friend will decline as men find different ways to cope with feelings of depression.
Webinar is an example of the type of communication that was discussed last week which was suggested by some as becoming somewhat of a problem. Here is one example where the use of technology is providing a form of communication that was not previously possible. The fact that one person can stay in the comforts of their own home/office whilst sharing and receiving many diverse opinions is excellent. We are able to expand our knowledge greatly via this form of communication than what was ever previously possible.
April 16, 2009 at 6:34 am |
I’ve talked to a lot of people, and I’m sure many more would agree with me and that is: many men find it hard to display emotions in a lot of different situations. This lack of emotion can lead to having low self-esteem, minimal assurance in the work they’re doing and the belief they’re receiving no support. Because they don’t show their emotions, they try to put on a facade that everything is okay (when it isn’t).
I read a good article in the Time’s magazine last night which is an excellent example to the issue. The article is about army recruiters in the American military force who have it so hard that four (male) army staff have died as a result of suicide (over the span of 3 years). In fact the article states “last year alone, the number of recruiters who killed themselves was triple the overall Army rate”. Okay, so granted a lot of it would have had to do with the work environment – superiors telling staff they needed to enlist at least 2 recruits a month or they’re going to get under constant grind. However, if there was a system set up so that recruiting officers (such as these men) could come together and talk about their issues then maybe this (suicide) would not have happened. It would at least change the way the superiors were acting anyway.
April 16, 2009 at 7:12 am |
These tpyes of communication tool ot website has benifits men’s left alot, most of all are positive sides, but still have some negative sides. like people are so closely talking to each other, and there are some bad people get the chance to cheat some one who is really trust them
April 16, 2009 at 7:32 pm |
I hadn’t realised there was a problem specific to men in business suffering from work-related depression. I suppose this could affect anyone, in any type of work.
I wonder if there is anything in particular, to do with the business environment, that would cause higher rates of depression than other careers. Is it just that more men currently are in the business world than women, that leads us to identify this as a male problem? It is a very interesting and sad problem, it sounds as if some research should be undertaken.
April 17, 2009 at 12:13 am |
Well, i dont think the “male talking space” could really help with working or living pressure unless it can ganrantee that all people there are fully trustable.
The web conference technology makes communication of people who are in different geographic areas much easier than before. Branch managers do not need to spend time and travelling cost on attending a meeting in the headquarter. the webinar also lift up the ability of managing and controlling for the BoDs as the information from the bottom hierarchy could be sent to the top immediately.
April 17, 2009 at 12:57 am |
If a man can not talk about his stress or workplace problems/ concerns with the people in his life that he values (eg. family/wife/partner) is it really going to help talking to people that dont know him. True, mentors can help. Rather than being ‘PC’ and accomodating the needs of people wanting to offload their problems to a ready ear, are we not better to look at identifying and solving the causes for the concern/stress/depression. Dumping problems only infects others, solving problems creates opportunities and ways forward.
April 17, 2009 at 2:20 am |
I have to say I’m a little sceptical about the male help group. I guess the theory is good but males aren’t too good at sharing feelings at the best of times. Not sure a room full of strangers will help that but maybe being in similar circumstances will open people up.
The idea of Webinars seems like a good one. Nothing beats being face to face but it sure cuts the geographical gap. In the future, if the concept catches on, it should save a lot in terms of time and travel costs.
April 17, 2009 at 2:44 am |
Creating space for male its great idea, but it all depends who you express your feelings to. I don’t think people would express their feelings to strangers, having said that, some people might do so and benefit the outcome.
I like the idea of Webinars it seems good one, because as it reduces cost of travelling and save time. While its simple face to face communication at the comfort of your house or office.
April 17, 2009 at 3:12 am |
Webinars are beneficiary to all people, especially those do not like talk in personal. You can give, receive and discuss information with all people with different geographic, it really save time and travel costs. This knowledge can be seen as a huge development in business, whatever meetings and presentations can be held online. What you basically need is a computer, and then you will see the whole world and communicate.
Everything has two sides. There is an issue, would all people willing to talk people online as same as people they know. Besides convinces, what you can see are strangers.
April 17, 2009 at 4:16 am |
The issue I see with providing a space for men to feel safe and talk in, is that if it is pushed as a place to talk about issues than it will probably be less than successful. This is due to two factors: The first is to do with the stereotypical male unwillingness to discuss feeling or appear weak and the second is (and this isn’t just a male thing) that, as you say, people often don’t know that they are depressed. Developing a group/space that can overcome these issues and any others will likely be difficult but is something that should be of high importance.
April 17, 2009 at 4:17 am |
Firstly, i think creat space for male is considerate, whatever in business or in famliy, male will have more pressure, but different guys have different feature. I think it depends on what kind of people.
Sencondly, i will like the Webinars, it is awesome idea. I have seen on some computer sales advertisment, i really like it, it is a good way to communicate to others. People can share their experiences, whatever happiness or saddness. Moreover, i think it is a good tool for business as well.
April 17, 2009 at 6:14 am |
Good on you Wayne for being a Holden man!
It’s good to know that a group is being proactive to help men, particularly those in business, deal with any problems that may arise by providing an arena to talk about these issues. Taking a proactive stance on this issue has a far reaching affect not only on these men but also the businesses they are apart of and of course their family and friends. Webinars sounds like a good initiative as it allows parties the opportunity to communicate with other parties that they would not normally communicate with. This can only be positive for broadening horizons and business relationships. Both these initiatives, mentioned by Wayne, can only have a positive affect on business especially in this economic climate when business needs all the help it can get.
April 17, 2009 at 7:23 am |
with the development of technology, the world becomes smaller and smaller. Everything can be carried out through internet. Webinars is a new tool for communicating, it may be a good initiative, because people can communicate with more people, and this makes less barriers among different communities.
Generally speaking, creating more space for male is reasonable, for male as the director for a family or maybe in business, there are various pressures for them to undertake. However, for some male, maybe such as group is not necessary, as they can manage both the work and life well and do not want to tell others about the pressure. Therefore, it depends on.
April 17, 2009 at 7:45 am |
The idea “his biz” is very good and wish it all the success. Men often find it hard to express their feelings and in a business environment men are affected with stress and that can lead to problems in their lives outside work. A group created for men with similiar problems may be a good area where they can express there feelings and help them to come to the terms with the situation they are in. At the same time they are building new relationships that can benefit them in their personal life and in their worklife.
April 17, 2009 at 9:06 am |
What a great event the Hamilton 400 is. I was privileged enough to be invited to a corporate site for the day. I am still bewildered at why Wellington or Auckland didn’t try harder to secure this fantastic event. Some very quick times were posted.
I have read the article in the paper written by Chris and think this is a very important issue. Recently I have heard of other suicides in Hamilton by men bundling up their emotions, depression and problems and as a result letting it take over. No one deserves to feel that they are in such a die straight situation to take their own life. I hope many business men take advantage of Hiz Biz.
The webinar sounds great. I hope we witness a lot more the positive scenarios as mentioned by Wayne. Personally I think that due to the current economic state we in fact will see more of this. People are forced to think out side the square, use the current resources they have and try to do something different. This is a great thing and I also look forward to more.
Do what you are good at. Take it home Ford.
April 17, 2009 at 11:41 am |
That is great!
According to your explanation, Companies will use webinar formats instead of hosting regular meetings where travel and trouble come into play will discover the financial advantages can be extremely high. This a pure effectiveness technology.
I think, if a company uses webinars’ technology, it will save companies money in many ways, for example:
Time – because webinar will instead of a face-to-face meeting
Customer satisfaction –because webinar will immediately get the customers’ feedback then attention to customers’ demand.
April 17, 2009 at 1:26 pm |
Internet really shorten the distance between people that people can contact every time and around whole world, but everything has two sides, people will live in the suppositional world, people may use the wrong position and gender to communicate with each other. Not just men have extra stresses from hard work and afford family, but also lots of women have different roles in recent society, such as worker, mother, daughter, and wife. We need to creat space for women.
April 18, 2009 at 3:04 am |
The new technology brings some huge benefits to people. Although I don’t join in Webinars before, I think it’s a useful thing in communication. I can meet many different people all over the world and discuss some questions on line with Webinars. I will be glad to try to use Webinar. Although the kind of technology shortens the distance between people in geography, it increases the distance between in people’s mental world. Providing space for men is a good way to reduce the pressure in their lives, a large number of men have more pressure than women in their lives. It will cause mental problems of men, and there are many accident happening. Therefore, the pressure should be solved.
April 18, 2009 at 7:05 am |
I am really interesting in Webinars. Our lives have been changed so quickly due to the Internet. Now, the new technique will start an other revoluation. New software and new ways to use the computers improves the level of the requirement of the computer. such as Windows Vista, it force people to update their graphic card of their computers. Now, Webinars will force these people who want to try new technique to update their computers again. On the other hand, Webinars make the communication much easier. People can find the love, business, friends online.
April 18, 2009 at 11:50 am |
I think Webinars is good way of attempt， because nowadays male do suffer a big stress from life and work. But men are not good at express their feelings. They donot even like to speak to the person they know how can they talk to strangers? And that maybe useless and a waste of time for them.
April 18, 2009 at 11:59 am |
Webinars is a great idea to make a space for men to kill stress. But sometimes the stress is not eyeable and even the man himself cannot understand what cause the stress. Therefore the Webinars is useless even at the emotional level.to see psychological doctor and to go to church is maybe a better way to kill the stress.
April 18, 2009 at 1:11 pm |
new technology make our life outlook, Webinars make a group of people from all over NZ who previously may never have gotten together to share information and have a discussion real time, on-line. web2 technology shorten our distance between us. it could save money and time for us. google map, it make me have a chance to have a look of your house whatever where you are. iphone can give a chance to make a video call. the new technoloay extend our life.
April 18, 2009 at 9:39 pm |
The continued development of technology within industries with such concepts as the webinars means that geographic location is becoming less and less of an issue. The world is getting smaller by the day. Technology like webinars will allow for companies to cut costs and allow for more seminars to take place and more information sharing as the costs of travel, venue and other costs are completly cut out or minimized.
The webinar concept combined with the His Biz idea is a great step forward in combating mens mental health problems. Having the freedom to get help while in your own home or somewhere you feel secure will hopefully encourage more men to take part as they feel more confident not having to physical attend.
April 18, 2009 at 11:09 pm |
I think having a forum whereby males can express their feelings, and relieve some of the pressures they may be feeling in their life can only be seen as a positive move. As long as it’s confidential I believe it will be used by more people than many people may realise. Contrary to some of the skeptical posts above, does it really matter that not everyone will use it? I’m sure there will be some people out there that won’t share their problems no matter how stressed or burnout them may be, but if it only acts to help one person then isn’t it still a success? If it saves this person then hasn’t it worked? This could be someone you no, your friend, brother or father, so being a skeptic isn’t going to help anyone. There need to be more programs like this, and i believe it is up to business to promote their use, to make them acceptable practice, as I am sure there will be some out there that will defiantly use them. To look at every problem from a purely economic view; is, in my opinion to be short sighted. Sure business is about making a profit, which is very important, but if it comes at the expense of a human being then surely there is a place for programs such as these. Good on you Wayne for promoting these types of initiatives!
April 19, 2009 at 12:28 am |
Webinar, a effective way for people to share information through internet. Even they are far away from others, living in different countries, they can have a discussion real time, on-line. Sharing experience is imorptant for business men, specially during finanical crisis. However, when they collaborate with others, the limited ways to communicate using email and phone. It may be hard to explian complex issues not by face to face communication.
April 19, 2009 at 12:38 am |
It is also that women may recognize their emotion more than men. Hence, they might be in the business and quit the business if they feel they are in the deep depression. Women also hangs out with friends and talk to them a lot about their business more than men, hence it reduced level of stress they meet.
I agree that creating a community online is a great thing that the web brings about. Sharing information is crucial nowadays. It helps both individuals and organisation in terms of looking for info or even sharing your info to other people.
April 19, 2009 at 4:08 am |
Webinar is so popular, the good example is this blog, people can share ideas at any time any place they like, those ideas are their real ideas because people do not have to concern the relationship, therefore the information gathered from webinar could be used and analyzed for business or any other purpose.
April 19, 2009 at 7:45 am |
First,I like the idea of Webinar, which offers opprtunities for everone to express their real feelings. We should thank the developing technology. However, this remind me of the article-”Lost-the art of talking?”.This “male talking space” will haelp men to increase their feeling expression. At the same time, the Webinar will, just like other electronic media, shrink our ability of face-to -face communication. Finding balance between the two is another problem we should consider.
April 19, 2009 at 9:57 am |
Web conferencing is defined that conducting live meetings or presentations via the Internet. And the key feature of a Webinar is its interactive elements–the ability to give, receive and discuss information, rather than just receive it. Webinar allows us to have more efficient and real time discussion, and this will reduces some barriers that come from conversation in face to face.
April 19, 2009 at 11:07 am |
It is wonderful idea taht providing a new tecgnology to increase space of male. As a result, male could make use of this new technology to share information and communicate with each other. Moreover, it is great to male to release their pressure from live and work by using this technology.
April 19, 2009 at 10:47 pm |
Creating an online community for men to talk freely is a great idea. It helps to promote the idea that it’s ok to discuss depression and any other factors which trouble people in todays world. I think this is crucial because things like depression have not been widely talked about.
‘Webinars’ are an excellent way to get information to a wide audience in an interactive and efficient way. I can definately see this tool being used progressively more in the future.
April 20, 2009 at 2:16 am |
I am sceptical of the effectiveness of having a ‘men space’, as men are less inclined to open up their feeling and problem especially to a roomful of strangers. A lot of them have suffered the effects of depression while not even recognising the signs of the illness.
Webinar technology can bring people together faster, and certainly has made ‘distance’ irrelevant. A webinar might not always replace the need for a face-to-face meeting. It can, however serve to speed up the exchange of information when there is a need for haste.
April 20, 2009 at 3:38 am |
The “men space” idea is a good one, but wouldn’t it be better if it was administered by the “samaritans” or a group who are qualified to help. The prospect of do gooders getting out of their depth with some-ones mental health is very real and dangerous.
Webinar and it’s associated technology are the future. However, having been a user of webcams, the technology and needs to be set up well to get full benefit. There’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to see or hear the person because the person moves away from the camera to the whiteboard etc. I also doubt you will ever be able to replace face to face meetings completely. People enjoy real life encounters more than cyber ones.
April 20, 2009 at 5:46 am |
The financial crisis has lasted for a long time. People have much more pressure during this period, especial men, because men are not likely to talk about their feelings as women. It is a good idea to provide space for men to let them talk about things related to them.
The new technology, such as webinar, is a good tool to accelerate communication and share information in business. It makes the communication much easier among people in different areas. I feel people are shy to talk about feeling when they are face to face talking. So webinar is a good facility to encourage communication.
April 20, 2009 at 6:13 am |
It is a good idea to provide space for men to talk about their feelings, especially in the economic depression period. They endure much more work pressure these days, because a lot of people lost their jobs due to the economic depression. Many businesses increase the requirements of workers’ condition. Men do not like to talk about their feelings. I think it is good idea to provide space for men to communicate in order to release their pressure.
Webinar makes communication easy and convenient than before. It saves travel time and money to make people in different areas get together to share information. It is a good tool to promote business development. I believe it will be widely used in the future.
April 21, 2009 at 2:09 am |
It’s a great idea to offer a space for men to talk about their feelings and such. But I am skeptical whether it would work out. If it is a direct face to face communication, a lot of guys are not the “sharing” kind so it would be a hard task to open up to strangers. But I guess if this space is in a form of a online community or such where it’s anonymous then it may work out. Webinars are great. Unlike other types of electronic communication methods, this allows for direct face to face communication so we won’t forget the lost art of talking.
April 21, 2009 at 12:43 pm |
Web conferencing which is a wonderful technology development can make our daily life more convenience. For example, Last semester, I enrolled a paper named STMG 391 which needs the group members having several meetings to discuss again and again to generate an ideal strategy. However, it was hard to set the meeting time due everyone has diffident papers and part-time jobs. To solve this problem, we started to use emails and online chatting software like MSN to discuss assignments. Benefits from the web conferencing were clear: 1, we had the discussion records; 2, it was consistent with everyone’s time table; 3, everyone can share own opinion without time and location constraint.
April 22, 2009 at 6:35 am |
I dont really think that a “men free talking space’ would do a great job on helping reduce depression.The reality is depression comes from everywhere especially in now days under the global financial crisis, and what business men should do is not talking to each other complain everything, in addition, a success businessman should never tell anyone about his thoughts. People who feel under bad depression could also try talk to family, friends, etc.
April 23, 2009 at 12:40 pm |
Webinars, a new technology, is is a tool by means of which people communicate ideas with each other and share information. It is convenience for people to communicate, even living in geographic differences. People can discuss topic and share information in a real time, on line. The activity of webinars is like brain storm, which is one kind of network exchanges the platforms rather than face to face. Sometimes, face to face is limited because of difference time and areas. Webinars is a great way to communicate with different people.
April 25, 2009 at 5:15 am |
I think that information technology has changed our lives, and to connect people around the world。In international organizations, information technology blur the difference between individuals and between different organizations to define the limits of time and space
April 26, 2009 at 3:34 am |
Webinar technology can search infomation faster and speed up the exchange of information. It certainly can make people comunicate online easily becasuse the webina is very convenience for people to communicate, even they are living with geographic differences. People can share the information and ideas with outhers and make comments in timen. However , the webinar can not replace the need for a face-to-face communication completely.
April 26, 2009 at 9:55 am |
Creating a space for male talking space is great. I do agree this will help men to reduce their burden. To overstock too much stress is not good for their health. From taking with others who are in the same situation will let them feel they’v got more motivity. They will have more courage to face the problems.
However, this group of men should be trustble.
April 28, 2009 at 1:49 am |
Hi Wayne
This support system for men is great often men get overlooked because of the perception that men do not like to share their feelings and communicate as openly as women about depression and other associated issues. It’s often easier to get a group of women together to talk about there issues then men. Therefore providing these services will hopefully enable them to share within an environment in which they are comfortable in, it’s a great initiative.
Technology is amazing and has become a part of every day life for most of us giving us the ability to do things we would not otherwise have been capable of so easily. Technology makes information sharing easier and enables communication to be done more efficiently and effectively between people in different geographical locations.
May 8, 2009 at 4:58 am |
The thing that males are working under pressure in the business world and they are less willingly to talk about thier feelings in the way females do are not, i guess, a stand-alone stuiation. Business men in my country have different ways to cope with the pressure and many of these are not healthy. By providing “a space for men to feel safe in and talk about thisngs that concern them” may not solve the problem since men in the business, in my opinion, are hard to feel safe among other business men, especailly when the time is difficult and many potential competitors may arise. Talking about matters and worries of work may not make them comfortable at all.
The best way to make them relax and feel safe is to let them know that they are not the only one struggling in this time and there are people out there that want to help them and actually doing something positive. Government is the one most of the men look up to when things go wrong.
June 4, 2009 at 12:58 pm |
Business man are well known for their busy schedule. Sometimes they even got no time to share their problems. thats why pressure are really hard to be business man.
Technology development hopefully could overcome this kind of problem, whether by connecting through the net, make people can stay connected and share the problem through the way today communications device haven’t achieve.
so less pressure and more solution can be achieved.