When starting at a company the best CEOs spend months simply listening and then work with teams to lay out 5 year plans in one year bite sized pieces. Your job is to chew on those pieces and create strategies with fellow employees to make these plans come to life. Don’t make the mistake to ignore historic views as, even the most disgruntled, über busy or apparently apathetic team member likely holds the key to the success of comms plans. Why? Communication without context is like giving a speech on the US national mall to Abe Lincoln’s statue – you’ll be do muni acting for communications sake. You need an audience to be engaged for your project to be successful and that takes time, understanding and a whole lot of time. So the next time you get a bright idea, ask yourself if you have the history, the pulse of a company and the support of those already communicating (or thinking they are) to ensure you have not just objectives and activities, but the context necessary for your comms plan to be a success.

Hugs. (read other posts for that context).

1. Long periods of silence when two or more are gathered for alleged social activity (offline socializing)

2. Being asked to “hold on one sec” while your companion checks their device – more than three times in an hour.

3. Said device, or worse devices, become your new alarm clock/ sleeping buddy/ last thing you check at night/ note book/ main communication tool. If you find yourself using said device in the bathroom…you may have an advanced case of tech addiction.

Tech addiction can have pronounced negative impacts on life. Indeed a diagnosis for tech addition is usually swiftly accompanied by:

1. The afflicted individual having few healthy off line activities. Activities such as hiking, biking, skiing or…worse…swimming have all ceased to even be considered.

2. Real life relationships have been diminished. Afflicted person blames the world’s lack of understanding of the importance of these tech devices as the reason.

3. Multiple device syndrome…person has more than 3 devices always connected to the web and always within 2 feet of individual. Person may also have financial trouble due to incessant app purchases…

Save yourself now! Pick up a hobby for every device you own…and make it an offline one. Have an offline conversation with those showing signs as soon as possible…sending them a message online may not be as effective as an offline hug…

Save yourselves!

*closes ipad…heads to bathroom to get ready for day…turns on Ihome to accompany getting ready…ensures mobile is charged…*

My inbox was riddled with great requests from colleagues in my field and in fields I interact with. Co-workers with whom I have met and worked with and even the odd consultant with whom I have done business. The decision to connect there was easy. Their networks will likely have future business leads for my consultancy and, chances are, we may have tips and advice we can swap digitally should we never be able to make it to the next “networking” meet up. But to the sad few that sent messages about appearance, who admitted to wanting to connect to get access to my contacts to “promote their business” or “link up for drinks”. Alas, with a furrowed brow, I clicked ignore.

In a world where lines are constantly blurred, the decision to keep your online life “professional” is hard enough. Why dilute the one site that can really help with that (LinkedIn) with watery connections? If you are connected on LinkedIn, see it as a professional link. Not all these folks may be drinking buddies, but chances are, your LinkedIn connections are people you may want to work with again.

Just my two cents. Happy New Year. Look out for more frequent blogs – that too is on the new year’s resolutions list (along with drinking more water and finding a way to be successful without working as hard…wish me luck on that last one!).

Hugs! (Professional ones).

Entrepreneurial Headaches Can be Eased by Social Media (photo: Mindsoup)

Digital media is the foundation of entrepreneurial success. The onset of digital media has allowed young professionals the opportunity to dabble in the “side business” without deviating from their day to day career. In essence, the access to niche markets, ease of market research and ability to measure success once could only be accessed by those few business folks with deep pockets for start up marketing costs. Now, digital media (the combination of mobile and social media) can bring business dreams alive.

Scared we would lose out on the Halloween hair buying rush (this does not exist by the way), I started the business’

A sample of the pictures posted.

A Photo from the ENV Clip In Extension Product Launch

Another friend saw the planned launch. She suggested I film it. She knew a friend who had a film business and could do good work for a small fee. I paid it (account in minus now). Two weeks later an informercial was posted on the Facebook page. People shared it. They liked the fact that a percentage of all profits (whenever they came) would be donated to cancer charities. My family liked that the concept was inspired by my mom. They pressed the like button. Their friends saw the posts = more awareness = more customers.

The above story is 100% true. It is shared to inspire other start up businesses (not hair please ). It is a case study that highlighting that social media helped a small business survive nearly crippling delays by creating an opportunity to build brand engagement even before the business opened the doors. The “Hair It Is” story shows that LISTENING to customers is key to business success and super easy due to social media.

What Powers You? (Photo: www.spring.org.uk)

Its official. I can’t live without connectivity and the ability to keep my mobile phone charged. When I got home to find my power was out (after a 12 hour day mind you), my first thought wasn’t – gee I hope my chicken stays frozen or hope when it comes back the surge doesn’t hurt my TV/ Fridge….NO NO….my first thought was “Crap! And my phone is on one bar of power.”

As I stood there on my staircase, laptop bag on shoulder and with my fading mobile in hand, I thought briefly on the fact that 10 years ago, getting home to find no electricity would likely inspire vexing thoughts of missing favourite television shows (I have always been a TV junkie) or terrible thoughts of icey showers (ok, just lukewarm as I live in the Caribbean). Instead, there I stood, irritated because my connectivity was at risk. I was more scared to bot be connected to Friends and Fam by mobile or via social media than I was about losing what is indeed about $1000 of meat and good cheese that I keep stocked in my freezer and fridge (Ok, its not a$1000 its more like $100 because I like to cook but have not been hitting the superamarket as I should).

That begs a question. What powers you? Is it emotional and physical connections or do digital connections work just as well? When your day ends and the chips are down – do you need a hug or a charged computer and fast wi fi connection?

In my life nothing substitutes the power of a good hug and understanding. Affection is my addiction. HOWEVER *clears throat* – in the hours it takes for real life connection to begin…PARTNERS!!! (Trinidad slang) I want my social media! *stomps foot…throws tantrum….remembers people state this behavior is typical of only children like me….wipes tears and regains educated posture…*

While human connectivity cannot be discounted, there are numerous studies on the supplementary nature of social media. Being “alone” has new meaning in a world that is “always” online. A study Kraut et. al in 2002 for example found that internet usage had positive impacts on well being and social involvement.

In times of power failure should we thus expect emotional break downs? My gander is yes.  I asked a group of friends (all female and all early 30s) what they could tolerate more – 3 days without water or 3 days without electricity/ internet. The results were clear – we are a bunch of dirty girls who like to stay powered up!

For all its worth, I prefer to have both water and electricity…*goes to online banking…must…stay…connected!*

The Definition of Friend Has Changed Since They Made the top TV Sitcom

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Worse. You are AT the event and a Blackberry is whipped out along with the question: What’s your BB pin – I’ll add you.

Five years ago there were close friends and best friends. Now there appears to be a conundrum caused by the question: To Add or Not To Add. What is a friend and how close do we have to be to add you to my social media world or (gasp) my smart phone messaging list.

Should you add this new person to become their friend?

Are they already a friend because you met them once?

My answer to both? Set rules for yourself and stick to them. The definition of friend has changed a lot since Jennifer Anniston and crew made it seem all fun and games on TV! Digital friends have more potential for ruining your reputation that genuine ones. With the click of a button you can begin digital assassination. With a mobile phone you can misconstrue text messages and take BBM/What’s App etc posts out of context to the detriment of the sender. So you need to set some ground rules and share them so people respect them.

If faced with the Facebook question of adding a person you barely know, consider sending a direct message (inbox message) saying: So great meeting you, I prefer to get to know people a little better before we become Facebook friends. Look forward to meeting up again soon! When next will you be hanging out?

Rude? No.

You acknowledged the friend request, stated your own personal policy and indicated you hoped to meet up again soon. Clear? Yes.

Will some be offended? Yes.

Should you care? No.

Why? If a person really wants to become your friend, they should respect your values. Being clear and upfront about your personal policy is a way of protecting your privacy and digital image. In the world of tomorrow, that image will be priceless. Don’t let fear of being honest cheat you of your future.

What about the add me to your BBM/ Smart phone question? Depends on how you operate your smart phone. In reality you shouldn’t be doing anything on your smartphone (especially Black Berry Messenger) you would not want your grandparents, boss or religious leader to see. If you don’t that’s a whole other risk. However, if you simply prefer a closer link consider saying:

Let’s exchange numbers. I prefer voice calls and texts. My number is…

Direct? Yes.

Opens up to further conversation? No.

What if they ask…? Say. Sorry, I really prefer just to exchange numbers.

Will they decline? No.

By offering your number first you take control of the conversation and show your being open to stay in touch. You also state two ways they can use the technology to stay in touch. Don’t be afraid to say no.

You don’t have to use these phrases verbatim. Just have a personal policy. Maybe you don’t want to be Facebook buddies with your boss or coworkers. I once had a team member that said “I don’t add co-workers to my Facebook”. I asked why. They explained. I had no choice but to respect it…It is after all – social media.

Don’t wait for the question to have a policy people – have your answer ready and don’t be afraid to use honesty to protect your digital integrity.

Educate & Empower with a Social Media Policy (Image: PR2020)

In preparation for an interview on cnc3 (Trinidad and Tobago television) today, I found that the question “should we allow employees to use social media at work” has a definite answer – YES! Actually the answer is more like: “DUH!  We’re already using social media everywhere we go so why should work be different.”

Next to the web, in today’s world, the “tool I can’t live without” for generations Y and Z is the smart phone. As smart phone prices plummet, so too do internet access rates while free wi-fi “hot spots” are cropping up faster than you blink (pun intended). As fast as you can make a phone call from these phones, you can access the web and, with an estimated one out of every 6 minutes online being spent using social media, guess where employees of all ages are headed when they access the web from their phones.

Enter the anti-social media policy. The workplace that bans access to these “dangerous” sites for fear that (alas) the rogue employee may use it inappropriately. Should that policy exist, more employees will be rogue that you can imagine and they’ll be doing it with the smart phones their companies probably pay the bill for.

A better choice? Be like the top 100 companies ranked by the Great Places to Work Institute – not only allow access to social media, but harness the power of social media for the good of your brand/ company. Social Media = trust to most millenials said Erin Leiberman Moran on Nasdaq TV. Monitoring time on social media is akin to monitoring the time spent in the lunchroom or in the bathroom.

And now for all your Caribbean based cynics…yes it can work here too. Ironically, in Trinidad & Tobago we still have companies that allow internet access based on “rank” in the company so the social media question seems far fetched. For these companies (listen up cynics who are undoubtedly reading this from a url blocking website or steeling time before heading to work), my advice is simple: Write a social media policy or die. I did not stutter.

Not having a social media conversation or policy is like allowing each employee to come to work each day with a weapon. Today’s weapon is not a gun or knife – its their social reach. With the average person on Facebook having 100 friends the reach of social media is exponential. In the words of Eric Qualman – do you like what they’re saying about your brand? He was referring to public, I’m positioning this to talk about employees. And NO the HR/privacy/confidentiality policy does not suitably cover it. Head to the US court system to see how that’s been working out for companies.

Instead of outlawing – educate and empower your staff. Teach them about the apparent “veil of privacy” offered by these sites. Remind them that Google searches find….EVERYTHING and what they don’t find, more advanced software can (enter FBI type searches). Remind them that what is done on their work computer can be seen, viewed, audited etc by your IT staff and if they don’t want it known, it should not be on social media.

No one wants the next Weinergate in their office (or school…*shudders*). No one wants to lose their job because of 140 characters. Educate. Empower. Embrace.

My last tips?

• For those young people seeking jobs...don’t be the next “Cisco Fatty”. If you want to work for a great company, follow their social media, participate when asked and share your digital resume.
• Your Blackberry/Iphone/Smartphone CAN hurt you. Maybe those nude photos you took with your Corporate Phone maybe shouldn’t be there. (bet the team in IT is already thinking how cute you looked in that Playboy outlet you tried out and took a phone picture of pre-halloween. Use your smart phone provided by work for work.
• Cull your friends list. If you have friends you don’t know – its time to cull the Facebook herd.
• Social media life is a reflection of offline life. You can’t hide who you are. How about you just think a bit more before you dance on a bar, get wasted or take those raunchy photos. If not, there’ll be other jobs out there….right??? *echos*

Effective Presentations Are About the Audience - NOT The Presenter

We’ve all been there. Presentations FILLED with information that is probably important. The presentation seems so boring though you can’t focus beyond the introduction and spend most of the time checking out the presenter’s clothes, teeth, eyes, underwear etc rather than focusing on the content of the presentation. To those presenters who have suffered the audience XRAY (where the audience literally looks at you with more detail than even an x ray scanner), I suggest you ask yourself just ONE question before you prepare your next presentation – WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO? Oh and one more question – WHY SHOULD THEY CARE?

Far too often presentations are developed focused solely on the importance of the content to be conveyed. While this approach may seem prudent, and YES much detail should be focused on accuracy and presentation style, such an approach is less the effective. Why? Today, tomorrow and forever audience really care about the W.I.I.F.M. – What’s In It For Me. Thus, unless you take significant time to to analyze your audience considering who they are, what they care about and why they should care about they content your are presenting and THEN tweak your presentation to suit that audience, chances are they’ll just be focused on YOU and miss all the important stuff you over populated those power point slides with.

Basic pre-presentation questions (beyond the alleged one I said presenters should ask themselves):

• Who is in the audience?
• What are their main concerns/ interests/ hobbies?
• Why should they care about what I am going to say?
• What examples of interest to THEM can I draw upon to help make my points more clear?
• What doubts are they likely to have about y subject matter?
• What about me/ in the room is likely to distract the audience?
• What statements will be most interesting to them?
• What should I NOT say as it is likely to offend them?

These are just a few. Master presenters cater their ENTIRE presentation to the needs/wants/ desires to their audience. Be a master presenter. Start by just answering – WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?

Go be better communicators

HUGS!

Time Matters when it comes to Social Media Updates

When it comes to social media usage, does time matter? This question dawns on me at 1.15am after crossing 2 time zones and one amazing vacation has left my body in a in time purgatory so to speak. Not having any clue what time it is made me wonder….does time matter when you are speaking to a potentially global audience.

Yes it does. While Facebook and Twitter have given the independent business person/ entrepreneur the opportunity to potentially avoid the cost of PR/ Marketing firms, those who know even basic PR will tell you, failure to understand the social media behavior and consumption patterns of your target audience can without question undermine the success of even the most shrewd social media campaign.

Here are the basic questions to ask when you are about to launch a new social media campaign/ update your business’ profile or seek to get even an iota of attention:

• Who do I want to see this information?: If you are targeting people under 18 years old…you can’t post at 11am – they may be in school. Targeting the working population? Will posting at 3pm be effective? Probably not. Design your social media updates an actions to match the times your audience is most likely to be consuming the media. Remember, while your audience may love themselves some Facebook, any won’t have access 24/7.
• What do I want them to do with this information?: Posting an image is great…but posting images that engage your audience is better. “Tag yourself in this product promo and get 10% off your purchases today”. The impact? Your image seen by every “friend” who tags themselves in the photo. Similarly for those who “Retweet”.
• Is my information interesting enough to generate “buzz” beyond 30 minutes if my sharing it? Be honest and be customer focused. If your information is not exciting to your audience, it will be  a bust. Great you have new products but what if you highlight reviews by customers instead of just saying “hey we have new products”. Social media is about engagement. Fail to engage your audience and you basically have a print ad in a new medium and…that really won’t “cut the mustard” as the ‘Brits’ say.
• How will I know my social media actions are successful?: If you don’t measure the impact of your social media efforts, you may as well ot use social media. Ask customers where they get information on your products/ services. Run campaigns JUST for your Facebook/ Twitter fans and measure how many people access your services as a result. If you don’t measure, you won’t know if social media is the best channel for your business.

SO timing is important but its not everything. Ask yourselves these questions before you launch you next social media effort. And if you need advice or assistance…ASK nah! Geez!

Hugs!

Want change - take some time to listen

Change communication is a specific area of expertise for Communication professionals. While there are numerous training courses on the subject, I dare say that experts in this field are developed as professionals  go through periods of organizational change and express a willingness to also listen and act on the advise of those who never have.

Confused?

Change happens. So does crap. They trick is to try to make sure when your company goes through organizational change, it is not a period of lots of organizational CRAP! Simple way to do this is to have those who experienced changes before, sit and talk with those who never have. Listening and sharing concerns, and views before the “change campaign” evolves.

Far too often, companies develop the strategies that will drive their organizations through periods of uncertainty/ new management/ new products etc without ever taking significant time to listen to the concerns of the actual employees that will actually work in to move the company forward.

Think of it this way. A car’s engine can be top notch. If you keep focusing on the engine and ignore the tires, at some point the car just won’t be able to move.

My suggestion for an equation to help with communication in times of transition?

30% listening to staff + 30% listening to external stakeholders  + 20% planning +15% execution +5% measurement

I’m not a math person, but that equation can be a great step in helping your organization move through periods of transition. Once communication is two way, open and honest, most companies can survive even  the most challenging of periods!

My mother used to say – listen twice as much as you speak and you’ll notice people will likely consider you more intelligent.

Denise’s loud mouth, opinionated daughter…over and out!