You can’t make this up

Spotted on a corporate website where people can fill out comments/requests, etc. was this:

Message:

I am interesting in   a Spellchecker for our CTMS system. What is your recommendation?

What are we supposed to do with this?  What is the appropriate reply?  Come on FOCM’ers, reply with some suggested responses.  Perhaps to get you started:

We are most interesting to responding to your question about recommendationing spellchecked tool.
or
We recommending that spellcheckering be occurred not in but out of CTMS.  CTMS nown for bean bad speler.  CTMS come in last at speeling bea.

3 New FOCM Members 1 Night

On March 19, 2014 at Champps in King of Prussia, PA; 3 people received their membership cards.  As those of you who have witnessed the ceremony when just one person gets their card can attest, it is very emotional.  So just imagine a night when 3 people receive their cards.  The looks of sheer joy on these faces pretty much says it all.

Also attending and witnessing the events that night were: Rickie Stevens, Shannon McDonnell and others that were there but I have lost my notes to that event.  Maybe it’s time for a FOCM keeper of the minutes.

You will see that Debi Maloney, Lynn Tanattanawin and Rosie Filling all received their cards that special night.  As you can see, the best descriptions of their reaction to being inducted are: stunned; thrilled, shocked, confused, dumbstruck, speechless and “who are you and what is this card?”

Debi Maloney
Debi Maloney
Rosie Filling
Rosie Filling
Lynn Tanattanawin
Lynn Tanattanawin

Just Discovered Photos of FOCM Membership Ceremony

I do not know how I missed these photos of a ceremony that took place on March 12, 2014 in Boston.  While attending the ClinTech Summit, Garrett Smith and Vladimir Pyagay received their membership cards.  I know you’ll find this hard to believe, but they received their cards in a conference hotel bar.  A shock, I know.

Garrett Smith
Garrett Smith
Vladimir Pyagay
Vladimir Pyagay

More Quotes out of Context

Found this set of quotes from a meeting which yielded some excellent quotes.

If you quote me, I will shoot you.
– Ulrike Brenner

I’m going to keep my mouth shut, so I don’t end up in the quote show.
– Matt Clacy

This is a quote-free zone.
– Unidentified

Contracts people tend not to be flexible.
– Stephen Breen

Good ring tone Ann.
– Scott Nodolf to Ann Nightingale

Hello, there appears to be no activity ongoing at this meeting, good-bye.
– Teleconference Phone Robot

Do we have and I know we don’t.
– Stephen Breen

Check back for more postings. If your name is mentioned and you’d like it removed, please email me at chris@focmnetworking.com and I’ll give your request strong consideration and may even possibly act on it. Seriously, though I will remove it if you want me to.

Background: This all started at a US Sales meeting and in order to stay focused on what was being said, I started writing down the business cliches, like “let’s circle the wagons”, “let’s table that”, “always be closing” and then count how many times they were said. As I began paying attention, I would hear a phrase that was appropriate for the context in which it was said, but wow, it sure was amusing to see the phrase just sitting there by itself. That lead me to put them into a slide show show so the phrase was seen in its purest form along with the person who said it.  As this practice became known, the slide set became the unofficial and humorous wrap-up presentation, kind of a summary of the things stated over the course of the meeting.

Quotes out of context

Here is the next in the ongoing series of quotes taken out of context in business meetings:

It doesn’t mean I have to like it.
– Jim Ashby

You’re making the assumption they logged in during the last 7 days.
– Jessica McGeehan

If you want to touch your client.
– Brenda Van Houten

What Andrew said is perfect.
– Mark Matson

That would be ridiculously awesome.
– Paul Colombo

You have to quit and come back to get a new computer.
– Mark Matson

Say something naughty.
– Unidentified

ITG knows the bowel.
– Unidentified

She just needs to get in there and get her hands on it.
– Scott Nodolf

Check back for more postings. If your name is mentioned and you’d like it removed, please email me at chris@focmnetworking.com and I’ll give your request strong consideration and may even possibly act on it. Seriously, though I will remove it if you want me to.

Background: This all started at a US Sales meeting and in order to stay focused on what was being said, I started writing down the business cliches, like “let’s circle the wagons”, “let’s table that”, “always be closing” and then count how many times they were said. As I began paying attention, I would hear a phrase that was appropriate for the context in which it was said, but wow, it sure was amusing to see the phrase just sitting there by itself. That lead me to put them into a slide show show so the phrase was seen in its purest form along with the person who said it. AS this became known, the slide set became the unofficial and humorous wrap-up presentation, kind of a summary of the things stated over the course of the meeting.

Peter Holthe

Today marks the day that 55 years ago Peter Holthe was born.  Peter and I first met in/around 1998 while working at Quintiles.  We traveled the country talking about and demo’ing web-based electronic data capture systems for use in clinical trials.  As many of you know, FOCM has come to exist because of Peter.  The name, the pronunciation and the logo were his idea.

Words that come to mind to describe Peter: larger than life, bon vivant, gourmand, wickedly funny, witty, sharp as a stick, passionate.

The phrase “larger than life” – I’m not sure I knew what that meant until I got to know Peter.  For me, it means, the way he made life fuller, brighter, bigger and more fun.  His exuberant passion about golf, wine, food, plants, fishing, hunting and dogs (in other words – life and living it to the fullest) would exhaust normal people.  But when you were around him, you were energized by his enthusiasm.  Pranks and practical jokes were so well thought out in the blink of an eye.  After we no longer worked together, most of our contact was by phone.  He would make my day by adding laughter and insightful observations.   Peter lived a very full 50 years.  I miss him.

Happy Birthday my friend.

Holthe_FOCM_4Sep14

Networking in the Clinical Research Industry

See the link below for a blog I wrote on the website of my employer (Y-Prime).  For this blog, I focused on helping introverts become better networkers.  My co-presenter at the Drug Information Association annual meeting in June, Bob Muzerall was the source for some of the content.

http://blog.y-prime.com/networking-clinical-research