How to cope with in person socials, a top tip for December, and more...

Welcome to this week's update. I've got some ideas for you on in person socials, another data insight from the World Cup, a reminder of today's webinar and a top tip as we get towards the end of the year.

Meet and Greet

In person events are definitely back! Big Data LDN was the first major event which I attended since lockdown, and there have been many other data forums and conferences since then. We are now moving into the Holiday Party season where it's great to not only catch up with old friends, but also to meet new people.

It's easy to stick with chatting to the same familiar people, so here are some tips from Sahil Bloom, who posts some fantastic content across LinkedIn and Twitter.

1. Ask a few engaging questions.

It’s good to have a few trusted questions in your back pocket. If a conversation is floundering, pull one out. Sahil suggests

• What are you working on that you’re most excited about?

• What’s your favourite book you’ve read recently?

2. Repeat & add on.

After you ask a question, listen intently to the person’s response.

When you have openings, repeat their response back to them in your own words and add on your own perspective or impression.

Make mental connections. It shows presence and independent thought.

3. Make situational eye contact.

Eye contact is funny. Too little and you look shaky. Too much and you look scary.

Sahil likes situational eye contact: Deep while they speak, organic while you speak.

It’s ok to gaze off while you think, but use eye contact to emphasize key points.

4. Say people’s names back to them.

When you’re talking to someone new, make a point of saying their name back to them naturally in conversation.

Two benefits here:

(1) You’ll remember their name.

(2) Everyone loves hearing their name.

You’ll immediately stand out in their mind.

Don't do this too much or it will appear forced. Strike a balance (1-2 times is a good rule of thumb).

5. Creative follow ups.

Sahil identifies creative areas for follow up coming out of a conversation. Then follows up on them.

"I used to talk about my favourite books with new people. Then I would send them a copy of it with a handwritten note to their office. I found many mentors that way."

LinkedIn post of the week

Everyone wants accurate data.

Until the data no longer fits with their understanding of what the right answer should be.

The background to this was a Japanese goal in their World Cup football match against Spain. The ball looked as if it had gone out of play, which would have caused the goal which followed to be disallowed.

However, the rules of football state that the whole ball must cross the line to be considered "over the line", and it appears that the slightest part of the side of the ball remained on the line.

There were some interesting insights in the comments

• The desire for consistency over accuracy

• The ability for different people to interpret the data with different outcomes (e.g. by looking at different images of the action)

• The tendency for people to want the data to support their pre-conceived views.

• The fact that people actually don't like the rule as it is written, but that understanding has only been exposed now that it is being applied precisely.

Writing this email five days on, both Japan and Spain lost their knockout matches and exited the tournament, so maybe it wasn't worth getting so excited about.

The post can be found here. What do you think?

Cyber week shopping tips

Our next session is online TODAY (Wednesday 7th) at 1230 GMT and is about Procurement, with expert Daniel Abda, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, and designer of the Procurement Organisation for the London 2012 Olympics.

It will be great for anyone that's interested in finding and bringing in a new tool or solution to their business. We'll be talking about

• How you can go about finding the right solution for your organisation

• If you have a procurement team in house, how to work with them effectively to avoid nasty surprises

• If you don't have your own procurement experts, what you should think about when talking to potential suppliers

Register here or, if the session isn't for you, let me know in the feedback form

Review your Data Quality Log

You do have one don't you?

The Data Quality Log is the way in which you track every data issue which you find out about, whether it's data that was found to be incorrect; data that was not refreshed or could not be accessed; or a problem which results in data needing to be manually moved or manipulated.

Basic trackers can be run in Excel or SharePoint, or you might have tools such as ServiceNow or Collibra available to you. Whatever you've got, December is a good time to review your log items and clear them down before the end of the year.

You may find that some issues have gone away because the output is no longer required; or a system change means that the data is obtained in a different way. If nothing else, the act of engaging with those raising the data issues - your stakeholders - is vital so that they are fully aware that you are on top of things.

Do you know someone that may find this email interesting or useful? If so, please forward it to them!

Have a wonderful week,

Charles