Ladies and gentlemen,

I've officially established the date and venue for the next GameTime Connections business relationship event.  Mark your calendars and sign up today.  There is a limited number of seats and we have a special early-bird rate for those who signed up or participated in the March event - $10 for the next week, before the rate returns to the $15 regular rate.  Follow this link to the main GameTime Connections page and sign up today!

Based on feedback from the last event, I expect that the event will fill up quickly.  I look forward to seeing your smiling faces, having fun AND networking at the same time - who knew?

Always have fun,
Jacob

My apologies in advance to those of you who were unable to attend tonight's GameTime Connections event, as this post might make you feel bad that you couldn't join us.  There were eighteen of us playing adaptations of Squint and Cranium to complement the structured networking activities of which we were taking part.  Through rotations between activities, every participant was able to meet and socialize a substantial amount with at least ten other participants.  The conversations ranged from a business focus to personal topics, demonstrating that guests were engaging both at a professional and a personal level.  Here is some feedback from post-event evaluations:

"Overall, very good!"
"It was a good 1st time event for me... thank you!"

Special thanks go out to Julie McGoogan, who ensured that the event ran smoothly, and to our two fine game/networking facilitators, Hope Bertram and Travis Downs.  Thank you to the three of you for supporting me in pulling off such a tremendously successful event.  Thanks also go out to Bella Rossa Restaurant, located at 23 W. Hubbard St., Chicago, IL 60610, for providing such a spectacular spread of pizzas, bruschetta, fried mushrooms and ravioli - all of the food was spectacular and we couldn't have had a more gracious event host for tonight's event.

Hello blogosphere,

I've been invited to call in to Job Talk Radio on AM 1530 WJJG at 4:40pm Central time to discuss GameTime 24x7, Ltd. and the GameTime Connections business relationship events.  Tune in this afternoon to show your support.  They also archive the shows, so as soon as the archive is up, I will add the link for those out of signal range.

Always have fun,
Jacob

After-blog mint: The audio recording for the radio show is now live.  My radio debut takes place in the last 10 minutes or so - click here to listen. 

Here's a quick one.  You only have to give it one try in the real world to see how it suits you and then share with me the results of your experience.  Before the activity, take a moment to review these questions:

• How many people do you see each day?  This includes people on the bus, train, street, coffee shop, office, etc.
• What percentage of those people are strangers?
• Of the strangers, what percentage do you speak with each day?
• Now, how many of the strangers do you believe could bring value into your life or vice-versa?

Why don't we talk to strangers?  Is it because years ago our parents told us not to?  Break the rules that say don't talk to strangers (unless you are under 18, in which case you should get your parent's permission first ).  Start a conversation with someone you have never met and explore what you have in common and where you might bring something into their life.  You'll be amazed how many people are just like us and would love the opportunity to actually engage in conversation with someone else.  Below are some pointers if you are at a loss on how to approach someone:

• Mention the [logo | sports team | funny saying] on their [shirt | hat | jacket | bag].
• Talk about the crazy weather we've been having this winter.
• Ask how they like the [book | magazine] they are reading (only if they are actually reading something).
• While waiting for the bus, ask if they think the CTA will ever run on schedule - you'll be amazed how easy it is to talk about the CTA (even easier than the weather).
• Ask if they think there will be a Cubs/Sox World Series this year.
• Come up with something on the spot to start a conversation.

You may find that not everyone wants to talk, but from my experience, you'll be at least equally surprised how many do and how much value they can bring into your life.