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Lesley_Crook_MVP
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Joined 5 years ago
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Re: Where are you (and your competitors) on the digital workplace journey?
Great post!! HR sector is equally as crucial as Comms folks for a great EEX. Plus Viva with Power BI, Power Automate, and now Copilot for streamlining mundane work in both these sectors. Me and Jamie met at M365 Conf in April 2023 in Vegas. At the event's end was an Ask Microsoft Anything (AMA) session. I asked if it was okay, and with support from MS, to create a Corp Comms/ACM network. I nearly fainted as I got a big round of applause, and at least ten audience members put their hands up, one of whom was Jamie. And MS SLT wholeheartedly agreed, let's do it. Since then, Jamie launched a group called "Adoption Masterminds," open to like-minded members. Contact Jamie to join - we meet and chat on Teams. And Liz Sundet, with allyship from Adam Harmetz, created this Corp Comms Hub. #WorkingOutLoud does make a difference. Please invite your colleagues, its early days here, but I think it will have plenty of legs!1.4KViews1like3CommentsRe: Where are you (and your competitors) on the digital workplace journey?
It is priceless and worth it! Thanks so much for sharing your #squigglycareer path, Simon, and looking forward to reading more. I went the other way around and back again with SharePoint internally, then WordPress for my MVP blog, and also social media marketing for businesses I have worked for -- but always in SharePoint along the way, collaborating with Files, and since Teams in Teams and creating noncomplex Sites particularly one-stop shops for customer user adoption training materials, etc.1.5KViews1like0CommentsWhere are you (and your competitors) on the digital workplace journey?
I don't expect anyone to read every word about my digital workplace journey in this https://www.boye-co.com/blog/2023/6/expert-of-the-month-lesley-crook, but it does explain how and why I moved from being an IC Pro 7 years ago to working as a Cloud Consultant/MVP. I have a passion for helping all kinds of organizations by assessing current IC frustration and challenges, then through learned expertise and knowledge, recommending/designing user adoption training with ADKAR change management. When ADKAR is managed well, you can tune a business culture without disrupting the workforce and swiftly improve productivity, engagement, and digital wellbeing. If you have the inclination more here. https://www.boye-co.com/blog/2023/6/expert-of-the-month-lesley-crook What has surprised me is that my journey has been surprisingly unique - and in this fast-moving social media influencer age, IC professionals have NOT taken more interest in not just writing comms but publishing, nurturing networks and keeping pace with new tech at their fingertips. But I guess that also goes down to your working relationships with your IT partners. I always prioritized this as an IC partner - asking for better tools to get the messages out. Often though staff seek out and use on a grand scale "Shadow IT" products instead like WhatsApp or personal SMS which contravenes most HR policies. I've become a "generalist specialist” with broad range of skills and knowledge and deep expertise in one or more specific areas. With the new Viva Amplify expected to be globally available Q4 this year with built-in grammar, AI writing suggestions, formats SharePoint News as a preview, to edit and approve, with a built in workflow approval process and more! I hope this inspires more to share their knowledge and bridge skills gaps between being a "journalist," business leader, or digital workplace SharePoint expert etc. Note: New license is just $2 per monthly user with other IC products like Viva Engage & Connections in the bundle. Am I unique? Where are you on your digital workplace journey. There are many experts here safely Working Out Loud offering kind and generous support. Are you a Generalist Specialist?Solved1.9KViews4likes8CommentsRe: When, if ever, should we use the S word?
When it's explained as part of some short sharp user adoption training why it is called SharePoint, then it can make good sense. However first, introduce your OneDrive (Your personal Content/Files) storage that you only have access to. Then when you need to share your work with colleagues then collaborate into SharePoint. The sharing point for collaboration that can be easily managed by uploading into a Teams Channel that is managed by a Security Group -- so the right people only see appropriate information >> will then surface via Delve >> ultimately Viva Topics >> more via Copilot eventually...1.3KViews1like0CommentsRe: Internal communications wrote with the help of Chat GPT
I use it somewhat every day in all my writing, be it in email, Word, etc. I consider Grammarly a fantastic Ai support tool when I am lazily typing too fast and make too many mistakes. Grammarly fixes and improves it "in the flow of my work". And my grammar. too. Love it and would happily switch from Grammarly to an M365 version which is kind of there with thesaurus and synonym suggestions. I downloaded Bing Ai when it was first available and don't think twice that is Ai it's just so helpful searching through a sea of MS Learning product information etc and more useful Searches.2.1KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Welcome to the Viva Engage Community
In my experience its best to have a real person managing this and have a real face and voice, perhaps have one or two marking each other to make authenticate posts. However in Viva Engage Premium Licence you can delegate posts to others so a senior comms leader might like to delegate posting to their subordinates.996Views1like1CommentViva people centric iconography - the meaning
The Viva Suite touches upon human expressions with soft-edged iconography and soothing tones of teal and purple, emotionally connected to security, trust, and loyalty desired in a thriving hybrid workplace. Designed on the https://www.microsoft.com/design/fluent/UI System. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2022/03/24/help-your-employees-thrive-with-microsoft-viva-in-the-hybrid-world/ representing a parent to all the modules, with a comforting blend of blue, teal, and purple. https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-viva/learning icon represents the turning of pages in a book with a growth mindset. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/viva/connections/viva-connections-overview icon forms an interlocking mark representing news, views, and resources reminiscent of a handshake. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/viva/insights/introduction icon embodies the aspects of humans and knowledge and is supported by the two shapes at the bottom, forming a foundation and support mechanism. https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-viva/topics icon has three circles coming together, integrating diverse ideas to enable seamless collaboration. And now 5 more … More thoughts on this in my https://vivavisionary.uk/2022/11/07/viva-icon-symbolism/ Be great to get your thoughts on the brand and is it too much "branding" and not enough reality?Viva the virtual new hire buddy!
I have some ideas on how the integrated modules in Viva can really help with the onboarding process in this https://tekkigurus.com/microsoft-viva-virtual-onboarding-buddy/Be great to get your thoughts on this. In the next few weeks will be working on a proof of concept with a customer. Hopefully, it turns into a Viva customer success story!1.3KViews2likes2CommentsRe: Introductions
Hello Melissa & World! Thank you for inviting me in. My name is Lesley Crook and I'm a Microsoft MVP of 7 years based in Brighton UK with my husband and 2 rescue doggies. I am the unintentional founder of the Viva Explorers. I regard myself as not too technical with a focus on employee engagement, user adoption and change management. Started with Yammer successes then Teams and now Viva! I love helping businesses to nurture Champion networks of which the Viva Explorers is and is gaining momentum from a high majority of the product groups but at this time predominately SharePoint expertise. I am see myself as a visionary and excited to see how Copilot is developing. I think the first application where this will really shine is Viva Amplify with writing guidance. To preview this Spring/Summer 2023. Here is a https://tekkigurus.com/microsoft-viva-virtual-onboarding-buddy/ I have written on how I see Viva as a very kind new hire buddy!5.6KViews11likes0Comments
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