Thoughts of a Professional Public Speaker

Having some time off between speaking gigs, I have been reflecting a lot on how to level up what I do. I have been talking about analytics, data science and lately artificial intelligence all across the United States and the Philippines.

I’ve trained over 8,000 analysts, given over 200 talks and worked on over 50 big data projects the past several years. In that time I have learned a lot about how I deliver content and empower my audience.

I have heard at least 500 talk from other speakers and watched 100’s of video talks. So when I reflect on my speaking, I take all this in. I came up with these tips:

· Design each talk so that it mirrors what one would get from the 1st hour of coaching.

· As a speaker, you have about seven seconds to solidity first impressions, what do you do in your first 7 seconds?

· You need to be selective with your content. You can’t help everyone, so don’t try. Focus on giving content to those who are ready to make sense of it.

· I get paid for access to my brain. Think of coaching and training with an expert that way. How valuable is to have insight into the mind of an expert.

· What is your post interaction accountability? How are attendees held accountable to stick to their initial acknowledgement that this is an area where they need help?

· Meet with 2 people a day, follow up with each one personally. This is so much harder than it seems. Automate it, outsource it, do what it takes to keep it going.

· Develop a physical product you can giveaway that take people back to your story and ties them to an emotional experience. Something to do with being a self-taught data guy.

· Prior to the event, develop a purpose driven message. Create 2–3 talking points and a call to action (attend). Use both storytelling and story selling.

When I talk, it is always a process of evolution. Taking these steps to enhance my talks will allow me to deliver even more value, not just as a speaker, but a consultant, trainer and coach as well.

Daniel Meyer heads Sonic Analytics, an analytics firm with offices in Manila, the San Francisco Bay Area and as of February 2019, Ocala, FL. With over 20 years in Big Data, Dan is one of the most sought-after public speakers in Asia and offers big data coaching and analytics training seminars on both sides of the Pacific. Dan has also recently joined the Powerteam International family as a small business analytics resource speaker.

Sonic Analytics(www.sonicanalytics.com) brings big data analytics solutions like business intelligence, business dashboards and data storytelling to small and medium sized organizations looking to enhance their data-driven decision-making capabilities. We also advocate the use of analytics for civic responsibility through training, consulting and education.

As citizens of this great democracy, we need to look at the data (analytics), plan a course of action (strategy) and share our data-driven viewpoints (presentation). This approach to a data savvy work force starts in school. So, we started an internship program to empower our youth to use Analytics, plan Strategy and Present their insights… ASP!

When not training current and future analysts, you can find Dan championing the use of analytics to empower data-driven citizenship by volunteering his expertise with schools and non-profits dedicated to evidence-based social progress like Saint Leo University’s Women in STEAM 2020 Conference.

Best Advice Ever For a Newbie Data Scientist

“Data is hard to come by… so your goal should be to come across as the kind of data science-obsessed lunatic who will build your own goddamn dataset if that’s what it takes to get the job done.”

The above quote by Jeremie Harris of towardsdatascience.com is from his article: https://towardsdatascience.com/the-economics-of-getting-hired-as-a-data-scientist-e3882933b43c

It is probably the best advice I have ever come across by an aspiring data scientist.

As I tour around SE Asia and the United States talking about big data, A.I. and other geek stuff, I get asked quite often, “What skills do I need to be a data scientist.” People expect me to rattle off a series of apps, languages and programs that will help them get a good data science job. And I do often recommend they learn Python, Tableau, SQL etc.

However, my first bit of advice is to study the employer you want to work for. Find out what they need. Get curious so when you connect with the decision-makers and prepare for your interview make sure you know what you can do to help them.

Jeremie’s advice goes one better. Don’t just come ready to solve a problem, bring data with you.

The market has a lot of people trying to get started in data science so on the surface it can seem like a seller’s market. So many candidattes have a sense that they can just present themselves, their education and their skills on a piece of paper or with some kind of theoretical construct and people will be dying to hire them.

As W. Edwards Deming famously said, “In God We Trust, All Others Must Bring Data”.

Literally, apply that to your job search and I’d definitely be impressed.

Grab a Big Data Surfboard or Get Left Behind!

“Land was wealth 300 years ago. So, the person who owned the land owned the wealth. Later wealth was in factories and production, and America rose to dominance. The industrialist owned the wealth. Today, wealth is in information. And the person who has the most timely information owns the wealth. The problem is that information flies around the world at the speed of light. The new wealth cannot be contained by boundaries and borders as land and factories were. The changes will be faster and more dramatic. There will be a dramatic increase in number of new multimillionaires. There also will be those left behind.”

Two things strike me in this quote by Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad.

The first is that it incapsulates the world we live in now. A world where information is power. We see this in practice today as the biggest companies now are the ones who use data the same way companies 100 years ago used oil. Nothing new here.

The second thing is that those who control the information will be successful and more importantly those who do, not, will be left behind. This my biggest fear right now. Watching so many businesses being left behind because they don’t have control of information.

Experts have talked about Industry 4.0, the Information Age, the power of Big Data, etc. ad nauseum. But people are not talking much about those being left behind. At least not in the context of being data-driven.

The past two years we have talked a lot about the Trump voter, feeling left behind financially. But we aren’t talking much about the data starved companies that employed a lot of them.

We all know that automation, innovation and globalization combined to spell the end of a lot of companies. But we don’t really talk about how the same companies ultimately ended up failing because they didn’t understand how to use their data better.

Big Data represents a massive wave of disruption that will continue to smash companies like a tsunami. Only those who can ride the wave successfully will be prepared. Analytics is our surfboard to make sure our organization doesn’t get left behind and that we are able to surf the Big Data wave.

Those that master analytics are the new multimillionaire that Kiyosaki mentions. They use data science, build predictive models and have figured out machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The ones that are left behind are the ones still using MS Excel to do rudimentary reporting. Even ones who have started using some basic business intelligence tools and are gaining valuable insight from their data will struggle against the bigger, more data-driven competitors that make multimillionaires of the best data surfers.

One way to know if your organization is in trouble is ask this one simple question. Does the way data is used inside your business look like the way data is used in your personal life? Can we do at work what we can do with Facebook, Netflix, Amazon, Google, etc. at home?

In most cases there is probably a pretty big gap. We process data at work in batches, sometimes only at month end. The analysis takes days and the reports we use to make decisions are only looking at the past. We know who our customers have been, but we are guess who they will be in the future. We hire people not on who is likely to bring the most value to our business, but the one with the best resume and the best interview skills. Does any of this sound familiar?

If it does than that sound you hear in the background, getting louder and starting to impact what you do is the wave of disruption.

If you don’t want to be left behind, crushed by big data, and you want your organization to keep making millionaires than you had better start learning to surf and to do that, you will need a high-quality board.

Dan Meyer heads Sonic Analytics, an analytics advocacy with offices in Manila, the San Francisco Bay Area and as of February 2019, Ocala, FL. With over 20 years in Big Data, Dan is one of the most sought-after public speakers in Asia and has recently begun offering public training seminars in the United States. Dan has also recently joined the Powerteam International family as a small business analytics resource speaker.

Getting Buy In From the Top

One of the biggest reasons analytics projects fail is that they are not fully supported by senior management.

According to Gartner, more than half of all analytics projects failbecause they aren’t completed within budget or on schedule, or because they failto deliver the features and benefits that are optimistically agreed on at their outset.

I’ve seen a lot of studies like this, asking why big data projects fail, why companies come up short with their digital transformation efforts or why going out and hiring a rock star, data scientist fails to fix everything. Quite often it’s because the bosses never really believed that great analytics was going to be make much of a difference as compared to just basic analysis and reporting.

I’m fact, lack of management support, was among the top 3 reasons analytics projects fail in a survey I conducted of over 700 analytics professionals via LinkedIn a few years ago.

When someone in an organization identifies a need for better analytics, one of the first things they need to do is get buy in from the top.

In a lot of cases, people will just jump to the conclusion that this is a technical problem. One that can be fixed with a technical approach.

However, it’s often the case that the real problem is in the culture of the business. And when that’s the case, technical solutions usually fail.

I recently wrapped up an 18 month training project with Accenture’s operations in the Philippines. We trained over 400 Accenture team members in Applied Analytics at the request of their top brass. Their support was essential in getting the ball rolling, fine tuning the training curriculum and filling up each class with 25 analytics minded employees.

Wether it be sending people to a training, buying a new piece of technology or adding staff, you’ll need their support to make sure you are successful.

Why Manila Needs A Quantum Mastermind

Per wikipedia, a mastermind groupis a peer-to-peer mentoring concept used to help members solve their problems with input and advice from the other group members. The concept was coined in 1925 by author Napoleon Hillin his book The Law of Success, and described in more detail in his 1937 book, Think and Grow Rich. In his books, Hill discussed the idea of the Master Mind, which referred to two or more people coming together in harmony to solve problems.

I had never really heard of the this concept until I met Bill Walsh, America’s Small Business Expert at a Small Business Expo a few months ago. Meeting Bill was a game changer.

After listening to Bill talk to a group of entrepreneurs and small business owners for 45 minutes, I was shocked to see I had made 4 pages of notes. I immediately signed up to lead a mastermind in Orlando, Florida as I was in the early stages of expanding my business to the Sunshine State.

This is a big deal for me because as a data guy, I tend to execute my business decisions after pretty thorough analysis. But I saw an opportunity and I went for it. I had my first mastermind meeting after 45 days of planning and was successful in bringing together an initial groups of liked mind professionals committed to raising their game through collaboration and mind share.

And then it occurred to me, that if Masterminds are being successfully implemented across the U.S.. why not the Philippines?

Having devoted a huge % of the last decade to leading a charge to upskill the analytics talent in the Philippines, I should be doing the same with a mastermind.

The upward trajectory of small business and entrepreneurship in the Philippines continues to quicken. And in all my years training people to use analytics, I have worked with thousands of Filipinos working for small businesses or themselves looking to be more competitive. Analytics is a big part of leveling up your business. They’re are a lot more pieces to the puzzle of business success, but it occurred to me there was one key one missing.

Masterminds.

I learned back in 2011, that when it comes to economic opportunity in the Philippines, the sky is the limit. My adopted home is a land of almost unlimited potetnial.

So in partnership with Bill Walsh and Powerteam International I will be launching a series of Quantum Mastermind’s in Metro Manila and across the Philippines.

Dan Meyer heads Sonic Analytics, an analytics advocacy with offices in Manila, the San Francisco Bay Area and as of February 2019, Ocala, FL. With over 20 years in Big Data, Dan is one of the most sought-after public speakers in Asia and offers big data coaching and analytics training seminars in the United States. Dan has also recently joined the Powerteam International family as a small business analytics resource speaker.

When not training current and future analysts, you can find Dan championing the use of analytics to empower data-driven citizenship by volunteering his expertise with schools and non-profits dedicated to evidence-based social progress like the Analytics Association of the Philippines, Saint Leo University’s Women in Data + Science Program and the Data + Women of Tampa Meet Up Group.

Data Analytics 2.0: Data Management and Visualization – Sept 25-26 in Ortigas

WHEN: Sept 25-26, 2018, 2018 | 9:00AM – 5:00PM

WHERE:Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria

COURSE OVERVIEW: Analytics Expert Dan Meyer will be conducting a unique analytics training focusing on both Data Management and Visualization.

A presentation of the fundamental concepts and techniques in managing and presenting data for effective data-driven decision making.

LEARNING SESSION OBJECTIVES:

Apply cutting edge technologies to organize, interpret, and summarize Big Data in your business.
Create a process to analyze data and identify patterns not apparent at first glance
Understand the four primary roles in analytics; data steward, data manager, data scientist and data analyst.
Connect a data analysis tool such as MS Excel or Tableau to a database to be able to perform analysis on processed and stored data

IN THIS SESSION, YOUR ORGANIZATION WILL BE ABLE TO USE:

Attendees will learn how to identify the right data, how data can be efficiently stored, then transformed into a friendly form for analysis, and finally how data analysis can yield insights.
This training will also teach you variety of Data Visualization techniques using Tableau such as: heatmaps, and dashboards.
Alongside with Visualization, this training will also teach you how to present and tell story with your data.
Helping your managers, CEO, board of directors and even business owners make data-driven decisions.
Specific skills to effectively frame the problem you’re addressing to uncover key opportunities and drive growth
Critical marketing steps of orientation necessary before engaging tools and technology.
How to simply and quickly amplify decision making by separating the signal from the  noise

IN THIS SESSION, YOUR PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ABLE TO:

Learn the best practices for organizing, summarizing, and interpreting quantitative data
Create a repeatable process for analyzing your data
Shorten the time between analysis and action to avoid “analysis paralysis”
Know how to get from hard data to well-reasoned conclusions
Learn how to tell a story using data and learn how to present it visually appealing.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

Business Analysts, Data Analysts and other Analytics Professionals
Business professionals who are involved in day-to-day analysis of data.
Data analysts who are already performing analysis using spreadsheets but struggle with manual data processing.
Managers of analysts or staff who spend a significant amount of their time collecting, analyzing and reporting data.
IT and Development Staff that work closely with business leaders and decision-makers.
Academic Institution: Faculty Members, Research, Professors, Etc. who wish to further their knowledge in the area of Analytics (most especially Business Analytics).
Professionals who are looking into upskilling themselves in Analytics.
HR and Finance Professionals who are managing huge amount of data.

KEY TOPICS: DAY ONE – MANAGING DATA

SECTION ONE – Data Collection, Storage and Governance

Learn the process of gathering and measuring information on targeted variables to answer relevant questions and evaluate outcomes.

SECTION TWO – Data Driven Cultures

Per Gartner, “The data can only take an organization so far. The real drivers are the people.” We will assess your company’s culture.

SECTION THREE – Optimizing MS Excel

Most of us use MS Excel for the majority of the analytics, so learn some tips on how to optimize the use of the powerful tool.

SECTION FOUR –Data Preparation for Advanced Analytics

Learn why these 5 D’s are essential to data preparation for advanced analytics and data science.

KEY TOPICS: DAY TWO – PRESENTING DATA

SECTION FIVE – Business Intelligence Tools

Get hands on with using Tableau Public and find the right business intelligence tool for your business needs.

SECTION SIX – Data Visualization

Master the various types of data visuals so you always use the best visual to explain your data

SECTION SEVEN – Business Dashboards

Learn how to design impactful dashboards and build a business dashboard prototype

SECTION EIGHT – Data Storytelling

Apply the key elements of data storytelling to make more compelling analysis and reporting.

Dan Meyer heads Sonic Analytics, an analytics advocacy with offices in Manila and the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 20 years in Big Data, Dan is one of the most sought-after public speakers in Asia and has recently begun offering public training seminars in the United States.

What is Business Analytics? In Most Cases It’s Simply Excel & 3 Bullet Points

Business Analytics refers to the skills, technologies, practices for continuous iterative exploration and investigation of past business performance to gain insight, discover opportunities and/or drive business planning. *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analytics

The most common form of analytics is business analytics that are generally used by senior leaders and decision-makers to investigate problems, validate assumptions and to guide strategic planning.

Business analysts are therefore the most common type of analyst. If you do a job search on the title analyst, as many as half the posting will likely be business analysts. However, analytics can be used in an almost limitless number of business functions in specific areas like HR, recruitment, marketing, finance, and so on. Each one can have its very own analyst.

I was a business analyst for a large part of my career at Wells Fargo, but even before I had analyst in my title I was heavily involved in business analysis. Why?

Because I know how to use Excel.

It’s amazing how many people are scared of Excel. To many highly educated and successful business leaders across Corporate America, making a pivot table in Excel is like magic.

If you were able to take an honest survey of managers and supervisors across the country (world actually), you would probably be quite surprised by the high percentage who would prefer to find someone else to analyze their data.

That’s one of the biggest reasons business analysts are so prevalent.

Another is time.

I had a boss at one point that grilled into me the philosophy that no matter how much data you have, and how complex the analysis, it’s all worthless if you can’t boil it down to 2–3 bullet points.

That’s all he had time for.

3 Bullet Points!

So being a successful business analyst really require 2 skills; Excel and condensing data into 3 bullet points.

If you can do that, you’ll go far.

I did.

A business needs analysts to make sense of big data, manage the storage of the data, and know when to use which of the 4 types of analytics (descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive). To be effective, analysts need to have business intelligence tools to create data visualizations and build business dashboards.

I will cover all these concepts in more in upcoming my training classes. For a list of training events, please visit www.sonicanalytics.com

I’ll be conducting the following business analytics trainings over the next few months:

· June 5 in Ortigas (Metro Manila, Philippines)

· July 17, in Pleasant Hlll, CA (San Francisco Bay Area, US)

· August 22, in Bonifacio Global City (Metro Manila, Philippines)

· September 4, Rancho Cucamonga (North of Los Angeles, US)

Dan Meyer heads Sonic Analytics, an analytics training, consulting and outsourcing company with offices in Manila and the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 20 years in Big Data, Dan is one of the most sought after public speakers in Asia and has recently begun offering public training seminars in the United States.

We need to look at the data (analytics), plan a course of action (strategy) and share our data-driven viewpoints (presentation). So he has started an internship program under Sonic Analytics to empower the youth the use Analytic, plan Strategy and Present their views… ASP!

Getting Started With Analytics

The primary people responsible for conducting analytics on the massive amounts of data we have today are analysts.

Analysts are skilled in using various technologies and methodologies to identify, inventory and integrate large amounts of data quickly.

A general definition of an analyst is a person who analyzes or who is skilled in analysis. Analysts examine things carefully and in detail so as to identify causes, key factors, possible results, etc. generally using a process of identifying, inventorying and integrating data. *http://www.dictionary.com/analyst

I often hear that most analysts today feel like they are drowning in a sea of data. They need to know how to take control of their data and analysis to quickly answer business questions and make critical decisions. They want to confidently present results and solutions to their managers, colleagues and clients.

You most likely clicked to this page because you fit the description above. If that is the case, then you made a good decision. 😉

All kidding aside, I have designed a method to help you look at analytics in a way that will make data and analysis easier to understand and conduct. My trainings and published content will also instruct you on how to share data in a more dynamic and influential way.

Analysts have been around a long time, but recent technological advances have both allowed us to produce and capture more data as well as give us the ability to analyze immense data sets quickly. Thus we are amidst a huge boom in the applications of analytics and the need for analytics talent across the globe. Analytics is something just about every business leader is trying to figure out how to use more effectively in their business. To add to our challenge, the demand for good analysts is booming just as fast as the explosion in big data.

As a result, there is a huge shortage of people who are skilled in working with data to answer questions and solve problems. This is why you have seen the number of analyst job postings increasing at an amazing rate. In fact the quickening demand for analytics talent has made it very hard for most businesses to find good analysts.

If you are a business leader, manager, owner, and/or executive are not actively trying to surround yourself with analysts and if you are not infusing an analytics centric culture in your business, you will most likely soon see your business fail.

Keep in mind that analytics is about looking for patterns in data to help answer questions. Most businesses use analytics to help ensure more data-driven decision-making.

The primary people responsible for conducting analytics on the massive amounts of data we have today are analysts. Do you have analysts on your team?

Analysts are skilled in using various technologies and methodologies to identify, inventory and integrate large amounts of data quickly. Are you an analyst yourself?

If you answered yes to either question, but you feel you need more training for yourself or your team, you are not alone.

I will cover all these concepts in more in upcoming my training classes. The classes are designed specifcally for people new to analytics and for business leaders looking to upgrade the level of analytics in their business.

For a list of training events, please visit www.sonicanalytics.com

Upcoming Training Dates

· June 5 in Ortigas (Metro Manila, Philippines)

· July 17, in Pleasant Hlll, CA (San Francisco Bay Area, US)

· August 14, Rancho Cucamonga (North of Los Angeles, US)

· August 22, in Bonifacio Global City (Metro Manila, Philippines)

My goal with this series is to help you look at analytics in a way that will make data and analysis easier to understand and conduct.

The Data Analyst Era

FIRST THINGS FIRST,

Do you think this is still the career era for nurses? The era of Physical Therapist? The Networking era? The I.T eras? Why don’t you try to type in google right now and search “Most in demand jobs in the future” and you will mostly find “Analyst” on every job description in demand in the future. The worst case is that you will also discover the worst job in the future, if you have been caught on that category. I say we are here to save you.

We are here to help you start building your future right now

And be the first one to learn and know what is in demand. We are here to supply you knowledge and provide you a strong foundation in analytics. We have the same curiosity when it comes to analytics? Trust me, I’m not a big fan of numbers, but I’m wrong, I never thought analytics also plays a role in giving us a perception through data visualization with the right purpose of using numbers. Not just some numbers you need to compute instructed by your professors to do so.

It’s all about numbers but.

It also equips with visualization with easy number to analyze. If you notice right now visualization plays an important role in our digital age today. Because we prefer to see imagery instead of computation, we prefer reading pictures instead reading books. Analytics have the same concept and there is a huge shortage of people who are skilled in working with data to answer questions to solve problems.

Therefore, you have seen the number of analyst job postings increasing at an amazing rate. Then why not apply it into our career, use this as an asset for you to innovate.

For those who are interested in or just beginning a career in data analysis,

here’s a few tips to help you get started,

Be willing to learn,

Being a sponge in learning data analysis (and with any field) can only reap the benefits. With data analysis, it’s important to start small and learn the basics and foundations before moving on and tackling bigger things.

Building a solid foundation of education in the beginning helps you know the basics and allows you to work on building your skills and knowledge as you progress through your career.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions and get help

You can’t do it alone, and not seeing out help can cost you opportunities as you progress through your career. Reaching out isn’t a sign of defeat or being unknowledgeable, it shows that you’re passionate and want to learn more but need the proper guidance to get you there.

Becoming a data analyst is a great career option for those who love to work with numbers with the right tools (We will guide you) to help you and to help companies, organizations draw conclusions and arm them with the information they need to make for decision making.

If you’re a beginner,

Don’t worry, we are here to teach you the important fundamentals of data analytics step by step in a layman’s term.

Now, it’s your big chance to participate in our upcoming trainings which focuses more on teaching young professionals like you.

DMAIPH is proud to present this 3-day Data Analytics training that covers different aspects of data identification, collection, storage, transformation, and analysis and involve hands-on use of common data management and analysis tools such as Excel, SQL and in depth learning of the tool “Tableau”, this is also designed for those with little to no prior experience with these tools.

Analytics Experts Dan Meyer (DMAIPH) and Dominic Ligot (Cirrolytix) have joined forces to offer a unique training focusing on both the Analysis and the Management of Big Data.

Attendees will learn how to identify the right data, how data can be efficiently stored, then transformed into a friendly form for analysis, and finally how data analysis can yield insights.

Come and Join Us!

Data Analytics 3.0

February 20 – 22 | 9:00am to 5:00pm

For inquiries: info@sonicanalytics.com | marketing@sonicanalytics.com

| (02) 959 – 8017 | 0917-799-2827

Register Now!

DATA Analytics 3.0: Big Data, Data Value Chain and Data Visualization with Tableau – February 20-22, 2018