‘Childish’ Behaviour
Posted on | November 17, 2009 | 3 Comments
I have a confession to make. A few days ago, I behaved in a way that I’m not proud to admit but i’m going to use it to make an important point about communication. I could have de-personalised the experience and talked about a mythical friend of mine but decided it is more important to draw personal conclusions than to spare my blushes. So here goes.
On a recent Sunday night I booked a course online. Not just any course but one with excellent presenters. To be honest, I expected it to be fully booked and I would have been fine with that. It wasn’t, so I went ahead and booked and began anticipating being away for a week amongst a small group with a chance to explore an area that has always been a passion of mine -crime fiction.
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Getting Social Media embedded in Business
Posted on | November 17, 2009 | No Comments
Every significant new technology to reach the workplace has the same reactions. Some love it and propose it as the answer to everything (but you have to truly believe) and others see it as the thin end of the wedge and nothing but moral and financial ruin can come from it.
Right now the technology in the spotlight is Social Media (and Twitter in particular).
The BBC reported (on October 26th) a survey commissioned by an IT vendor that claimed “Staff who use Twitter and other social networking sites while at work are costing UK businesses £1.38bn every year.”
“The popularity of social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook has grown considerably over the last couple of years, however with it has come the temptation to visit such sites during office hours,” said Philip Wicks from Morse. “When it comes to an office environment the use of these sites is clearly becoming a productivity black hole.” It added that companies should think about protecting the reputation of their brand.
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What’s Your Story Presentation
Posted on | October 22, 2009 | No Comments
As delivered to Business League Falmouth today.
Content, Conversation – and a question of ROI
Posted on | October 22, 2009 | 3 Comments
This has been a busy week and an interesting journey into the world of Social Media. I was glad to hear a consensus on the importance of having good content and on developing conversations and also in the development of communication that engages people around their own interests rather than forcing them to move to the agenda of the communicator.
On Friday, I went to Like Minds (#likeminds), a conference (or maybe an unconference) about ROI and Social Media. Social Media has a buzz about it and the event was at capacity (around 200). The speakers had come from the US, from London and from much nearer to the venue in the centre of Exeter. There were equally well-travelled people in the audience.
In the aftermath, there is much debate and not a little confusion about ROI. I thought Olivier Blanchard (@thebrandbuilder) explained ROI very well. It is about cost reduction or profit increase set against the costs of achieving that result. To me, ROI is a much more global concept and is best viewed across departmental or Company performance rather than against one activity.
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Looking Deeper to Generate Ideas
Posted on | October 21, 2009 | 1 Comment
In a recent article, I wrote about the need for regular content in order to tell your story to the audiences that you need to inform and influence. We all know that writing regularly is very important but people often ask me – ‘how can you generate good content when you can’t think what to say?’
You may know that barren feeling when clarity is elusive and inspiration disappears. Even professional writers know it. Whether you call it ‘writers block’ or something else, there is no point waiting for it to be replaced by inspiration. It needs to be stimulated by one of a number of methods.
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Cultivate your Network – Grow better business
Posted on | October 5, 2009 | No Comments
This article was written for Fresh Business Thinking back in March 2009. Recent events brought it back to mind and I thought it would be worth adding here.
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During an interview for another article this week, it became clear to me that gardening is a good metaphor for networking and that they are governed by some of the same natural laws. In my view, it is worthwhile paying some attention to them. I’d be interested in your own additions to this list
Starting Out
Getting the measure of a new networking group is like taking over a garden. You need to spend some time working out what is already in place, which parts are worth spending time on and which can be safely left to their own devices. Too often, people join networks and feel that they have to be listened to without realising that being listened to is what others there also need. If you aren’t listening to others, more than you are talking to begin with, you are missing vital information about the best ways to work within the group.
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What’s your story?
Posted on | September 16, 2009 | 2 Comments
Article first published in Fresh business Thinking on 10th September.
Marketing materials within business have a tendency to develop tactically over time. To support their activity, businesses develop brochures, leaflets, postcards and other printed material. Online it is a given that most businesses now have a website. Press Releases and articles are used to build business visibility and Social Media such as Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter are also being used by more and more businesses.
Often the responsibility for these different outputs is in different places and the business treats them as if they were separate entities, developed in isolation, often without coordination of message, of tone and of image.
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Tags: audience > Content Strategy > marketing > message
Virtual CEO Newsletter on Fresh Business Thinking
Posted on | September 10, 2009 | No Comments
The September Virtual CEO Newsletter was published today on Fresh Business Thinking. It contains three articles by my friend and client Brian Chernett of The Academy for Chief Executives and one from me on Content Strategy. I’ll repost that article on here later, but for now here are the links to the articles –
Changing Lives Through Business
10/09/09
By Brian Chernett
Life Changing is a phrase heard several times a night on TV at the moment. It is usually related to ‘reality’ television programmes as far apart as X Factor and Dragon’s Den. It is also heard in Police accident reports as ‘life changing injuries’. It has become just another clichéd phrase but I did wonder if what we do in business could also be considered to be life changing? And if it isn’t, should it be?
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Making a Business out of Networking
Posted on | August 23, 2009 | 1 Comment
This article first appeared in Fresh Business Thinking on 13th August 2009.
The idea of turning your need to network into a business is one that tempts many people but it is harder to do than it may appear. Many try and a few succeed. If you are considering networking as a business, here are a few things to consider before you jump in.
‘Build it and they will come’. I caught the final act of ‘Field of Dreams’ on one of the Digital channels last week and was reminded of the blind faith that the lead character, played by Kevin Costner, exhibits in building a ‘ghost’ team of baseball immortals. There is no question that it is a great thing to have faith and devotion to a goal but first it is worth understanding if it is the right goal and if it is worth pursuing.
As people leave corporate careers or start to look at new business directions, one of the first things they’ll need and one of the first things the advisors will suggest is to build a network. They often start by suggesting you make a list of everyone you know but sooner or later you’ll need to get out and seek out people that you don’t already know and where there may be a synergy. Some will take that literally and think that they will make a business from networking. I know this because new networking groups are appearing constantly – it is a boom time for networks. But is it a good business idea to start a new one?
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Member Profile for The Academy for Chief Executives
Posted on | August 17, 2009 | No Comments
I recently completed a Member Profile for The Academy for Chief Executives and it is now published on The Academy Site.
Bill Docherty was recently awarded the MBE for his services to business organisations on a voluntary basis and charitable causes. A former Tax Inspector and a qualified Chartered Accountant, Bill now works with businesses to enhance their performance and that of their staff. He was introduced to NLP through Tony Robbins and studied with Dr Richard Bandler, one of the co-founders of NLP.
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