Latest news with #virtual
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
The 4 Critical Parts Of Your LinkedIn Profile For Getting Noticed
Your LinkedIn profile plays many roles in your professional communication strategy. It helps you provide proof of performance, serves as the digital version of your CV or résumé, and helps you introduce yourself to network connections, employers, colleagues, clients, prospects, and potential hires. Your LinkedIn Profile Is Your Virtual First Impression In these days of all things virtual, your LinkedIn profile is often your first impression. That's why it's important to show up as your real, authentic self, so you can create meaningful connections with those who are researching you. When someone wants to learn about you in a professional capacity, they'll likely head over to LinkedIn, type your name into the search, and see what shows up. But even if they start their search on Google, they'll still end up on your LinkedIn profile because it will likely show up in one of the top three spots in Google search results. 4 LinkedIn Elements Deliver Your First Impression When they land on your profile, the first thing they'll see, right at the top, are your headline, headshot, and background (the cover image that sits behind your headline and headshot). Just below those elements is your About section, where you tell your story. Together, those four elements form your first impression and help viewers determine if they want to get to know you. Each of the four elements serves a different yet important function. The most compelling profiles are truly transparent, authentic, compelling, and clearly differentiated. Let's explore how each of these key LinkedIn elements contributes to making a magnetic, mesmerizing, and memorable first impression. Your LinkedIn Headline Makes You Relevant Your headline is designed to answer this simple question: What does this person do? It helps profile visitors quickly confirm that you are either the person they intended to meet, or that you are someone they'd like to meet. In addition to relevance, your headline plays another important role. It helps you get found. Including the keywords for which you want to be known in your headline will improve visibility in LinkedIn searches, helping you become known. While it's important to sprinkle keywords throughout your profile, the most strategic place to include them is your headline. Your LinkedIn Headshot Makes You Real In The Virtual World Let's face it, LinkedIn profiles without headshots raise eyebrows. We instinctively question their credibility. Your headshot helps to build trust by convincing profile viewers that you actually do exist. Having a headshot is absolutely essential. We know from LinkedIn that profiles with a photo receive 21 times more profile views and 9 times more connection requests. Strangely, many people still leave their headshot section blank. But not all headshots will help you impress those who are checking you out. In fact, some will actually work against you. To connect with people on a human level and deliver a positive first impression: And, of course, avoid common mistakes like using a group photo, cropping out another person, or posting an outdated image. Your headshot should reflect your current look. If someone couldn't identify you in a crowded Starbucks from your LinkedIn headshot, it's time to update your photo. Your LinkedIn Background Makes You Resonant Your background (also called cover image or cover photo) is an opportunity to share a visual (or visuals) that align with your message or target audience. Imagine adding a thousand words to your profile without using the 26 letters of the alphabet. Advertising executive Fred R. Barnard famously said, 'A picture is worth a thousand words.' But it's not a purely decorative endeavor. Choose an image that helps you exude your personal brand and inspires viewers to want to get to know you. The goal is to make viewers pause and take notice. This 1584 x 396 pixel piece of prime profile property provides a unique opportunity to help your profile stand out from all others. Use it to express who you are, what you stand for, and what makes you unique. Your LinkedIn About Makes You Relatable Your about makes you relatable because it combines the rational elements (your accomplishments, accolades, awards, etc.) with the emotional elements (your values, passions, purpose, and goals) of your brand. It's where your humanity meets your professionalism. And because of LinkedIn's search power, your About will likely be the most-read version of your bio. So, make it count. Write it in the first person to set up a conversation between you and the reader. Keep it clear and compelling. Let your audience see the real person behind the resume. In four upcoming articles, I will share more about these four essential elements, along with many stellar examples of headlines, headshots, backgrounds, and Abouts that you can use to inspire you to upgrade your LinkedIn profile and virtual first impression. Stay tuned! William Arruda is a keynote speaker, author, and personal branding pioneer. Join him for practical tips on using AI to uncover, express, and expand your personal brand in a free Maven Lightning Lesson. If you can't make it live, register to get the replay.
Globe and Mail
05-08-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Coursera to Participate in the KeyBanc Capital Markets' Technology Leadership Forum
Coursera, Inc. (NYSE: COUR), a leading global online learning platform, announces that Ken Hahn, Coursera's chief financial officer, is scheduled to participate in a fireside chat at the KeyBanc Capital Markets' Technology Leadership Forum on Monday, August 11, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. MT / 5:00 p.m. ET. A live webcast and archived replay of the virtual fireside chat will be available on Coursera's Investor Relations website at Disclosure Information In compliance with disclosure obligations under Regulation FD, Coursera announces material information to the public through a variety of means, including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ('SEC'), press releases, company blog posts, public conference calls, and webcasts, as well as via Coursera's investor relations website. About Coursera Coursera was launched in 2012 by Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller with a mission to provide universal access to world-class learning. It is now one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, with 183 million registered learners as of June 30, 2025. Coursera partners with over 350 leading university and industry partners to offer a broad catalog of content and credentials, including courses, Specializations, Professional Certificates, and degrees. Coursera's platform innovations enable instructors to deliver scalable, personalized, and verified learning experiences to their learners. Institutions worldwide rely on Coursera to upskill and reskill their employees, citizens, and students in high-demand fields such as GenAI, data science, technology, and business. Coursera is a Delaware public benefit corporation and a B Corp.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
AI development company is our Think Local/Buy Local business
This week's Think Local/ Buy Local business is Projekt Rising in Peterborough, and here, Tim Davies explains more. Would you like to feature as our Think Local/Buy Local business? (Image: Newsquest) What do you do? We are an AI consulting and development company. Where are you based? Stuart House, St John's Road, Peterborough (but we are fully virtual, so this is just a postal address). How can people contact you? 01733 964993 When did you set up the business? In March 2017 Why did you set up the business? For as long as I can remember I've been fascinated by technology. My dad was a computer consultant, so I got his hand me down computers and in 1991 I discovered that I could hack a computer game (Dune2) to create custom levels, it felt like magic and I was hooked on the power of computers and the ability to influence them. I was leading the International expansion of Upwork's Enterprise offering. It was an exciting business with the strapline the "Future of Work" - more exciting still to me though was that they hadn't started to engage with the next wave of technologies that to me really do represent the future of work. I could see the opportunity, the extraordinary potential of Agentic AI that would create unfair advantages in every corner of a company and enable clients to reimagine their growth. That window to capitalise on the arrival of these era defining technologies was too good to miss so I persuaded Oli (who had worked with me in a variety of roles across Caterpillar and Upwork) to take a bet on building the future. How many people do you have working for you? Five What do you consider to be your USP? The expert AI partner for SMEs, harnessing state-of-the-art technologies to drive transformative growth and multiply margins through affordable, bespoke, solutions that create unfair advantages in every corner of a business. The power to re-imagine potential. Why do you think it is important that people use local shops and businesses? There is so much potential for good by working with local businesses, money stays local and those businesses employ local people. Strong relationships, partnerships and friendships are enhanced by regular contact. Would you like your business to feature in our Think Local/Buy Local campaign? Contact: for details.
Associated Press
26-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Wellpin Introduces Smart Meeting Tools to Transform Time Management in the Workplace
You're in another meeting. - It seems important, but your mind is busy with deadlines, tasks, and personal errands. Sound familiar? Unfortunately, this happens all too often in modern business. Meetings drag on, participants show up late, conversations go off track, and in the end, there's no clear decision or outcome. The result: Wasted time, fatigue, and distraction instead of productive work. Meetings should help organize work, not get in the way. Today, we'll show you how to turn meetings into a powerful tool for efficiency — with smart time management and modern technologies that help you work faster, smarter, and achieve more. The Current State of Business Meetings: Common Challenges Professionals dedicate numerous weeks to meetings, which they believe could be better spent on their direct job responsibilities. Key facts: As a result, companies face major financial losses, employees experience excessive pressure, and have less time available to focus on their core responsibilities.. Virtual Meetings: A New Dimension of Challenges Offline meetings have long become a symbol of inefficiency: delays, long conversations going nowhere, shortage of meeting rooms, conflicting calendars, and wasted time on logistics. Often, half of the participants come unprepared, resulting in vague agreements and lost time. Online tools such as screen sharing, chat, automatic recording, and instant access to materials turn every meeting into a managed and productive process. Virtual meetings instill discipline, speed up decision-making, and teach respect for each other's time. In a world where speed is a key resource, the virtual format is not just convenient — it's essential. Standard Problems in Meeting Management Time management issues in meetings often stem from a lack of clear planning and preparation. When meetings are held without a specific agenda, they tend to drift aimlessly and fail to deliver meaningful results. Participants may go off-topic, and discussions can become disorganized and unproductive. Additionally, poor control over meeting duration frequently leads to sessions running overtime, which disrupts upcoming work responsibilities and undermines overall organizational discipline. To avoid these setbacks, it is useful to follow a few essential practices: Another common problem is the lack of proper documentation and follow-up tasks, which results in the meeting's progress quickly fading away. Without action items and accountability, decisions are easily forgotten and topics often resurface in future sessions. Moreover, inviting too many participants leads to reduced focus and more complex discussions, making it harder to reach conclusions efficiently. Time Management Strategies for More Efficient Meetings Organizations achieve better productivity and reduced employee stress when they adopt suitable time management methods to improve their meeting processes. The following essential methods create substantial improvements: Strategic Planning Before the Meeting An effective meeting starts long before participants gather. First, consider whether the goal can be achieved through email or online tools instead of a meeting. If a meeting is necessary, prepare a clear agenda with time limits for each topic, invite only those who are essential to the discussion, and share all relevant materials in advance so participants can arrive well-prepared. To improve time management in meetings, focus on three core strategies: The Wellpin scheduler meeting supports all of these strategies. It finds optimal time slots based on participant availability, provides personal booking pages to simplify scheduling, and automates the delivery of invitations, agendas, and reminders—helping teams save time and focus on what truly matters. The Role of Technology in Meeting Time Management The integration of modern technology tools boosts meeting efficiency through automatic task management and better coordination along with data-driven meeting pattern analysis. Organizations can transform their meeting processes through suitable technological solutions that schedule meetings and perform them while handling follow-up activities. These helpful suggestions can reduce stress in your professional life. Schedule Maker Applications Advanced scheduling applications go beyond basic calendar functions and significantly improve team time coordination. The Wellpin scheduler uses artificial intelligence to find optimal meeting times by analyzing participant availability, preferences, time zones, and existing commitments, eliminating traditional scheduling delays and helping to manage time effectively. Key solutions offered by Wellpin include: Wellpin also provides detailed analytics dashboards to track meeting frequency, duration, and participant data, helping organizations improve their meeting culture through time analysis and data-driven insights. These features enhance time management, simplify scheduling, and boost overall meeting efficiency. Meeting Productivity Tools Specialized applications can streamline various aspects of meetings, complementing scheduling platforms like Wellpin: Collaborative Note-Taking: Platforms that allow multiple participants to contribute to documentation simultaneously ensure comprehensive capture of discussions and decisions. When integrated with Wellpin's scheduling system, these notes can be automatically attached to meeting records for easy reference. Timer Applications: Visual countdown tools help facilitators manage agenda timing and keep discussions on track. Wellpin incorporates timing features that can be preset according to agenda items, with gentle notifications when time limits are approaching. Decision Documentation Systems: Software that tracks decisions, responsibilities, and deadlines ensures accountability and follow-through. Wellpin's follow-up capabilities allow meeting organizers to assign action items directly from the platform and track completion status. Meeting Templates: Wellpin offers customizable templates for recurring meetings, preserving agenda structures, participant lists, and resource requirements to maintain consistency and save preparation time. By leveraging comprehensive platforms like Wellpin alongside specialized meeting tools, organizations can create a technological ecosystem that supports efficient meetings from planning through execution to follow-up, ultimately reclaiming valuable time for productive work. This approach gives you more free time for personal activities and helps balance your work and school responsibilities. Conclusion Organizations can achieve substantial improvement by managing time during meetings effectively. Businesses that implement strategic planning with effective conduct protocols and thorough follow-up processes will transform meetings from necessary evils into productive tools that advance objectives and respect everyone's valuable time. Success in meeting efficiency requires organizations to treat it as an ongoing evaluation and refinement process. Organizations dedicated to this approach will achieve both time savings and better decision making and stronger team bonds while developing more engaging work environments. By focusing on one task at a time and implementing these suggestions, you can take advantage of these principles in all aspects of your life. Media Contact Company Name: Wellpin Contact Person: David Beckham Email: Send Email City: New York Country: United States Website: Press Release Distributed by To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: Wellpin Introduces Smart Meeting Tools to Transform Time Management in the Workplace
Washington Post
12-06-2025
- General
- Washington Post
After my dad died, I looked for signs of him everywhere
I lost my dad when I was 14, and he was 49. Childhood was confusing, but adulthood has been harder. There's a particular ache in never getting to know your parents as people — not just guardians — and that's a version of my father I'll never get to know. That loss has haunted me. In 2021, I co-founded a virtual grief group, The Dead Parent Club, with a friend. I'd never been drawn to any group activity — no sports league, no group therapy — but this was different. For the first time, I felt seen and understood. When one of our members introduced a book about receiving signs from the other side, I found myself more open than ever to shifting my perspective on what a connection to my dad might look like now.
