Finding clarity of purpose at the ballpark

There is a point in everyone’s life when they realize that what they are doing is either the absolute right thing for them or it isn’t. It is what some would call a pivot point. Others call it a moment of clarity or an epiphany.

I believe that moment happened for me recently while at a baseball game. I was sitting in the stands talking with an old friend about a dream he has had for starting a business. The idea and the product are sound. There is a lot of upside to this idea.

As he started talking about how he would design and construct the product that was the cornerstone of this grand business dream, my mind began churning in a different direction. I was concerned with how to craft the perfect message that would resonate clearly and with the greatest impact for the intended target audience. And I was also thinking what exactly that intended target audience would be. I was putting the pieces together for a comprehensive Public Relations plan that would increase awareness of his product. It was easy to do and from his reaction to my ideas, I knew I was hitting the nail squarely on the head.

In that moment, it felt good to know that what I was doing was the exact right thing for me. In all honesty, this hasn’t been the case for some time.

A year ago, my professional life was thrown for a loop as I faced a turbulent storm that blindsided me. Today I can say that I have survived the turmoil, righted the ship, and came out the other side to a brighter future.

As I sat watching the ball game and talking about dreams, reality set in. I knew that the path before me was the one I am uniquely prepared to take. Knowledge like this provides clarity and assurance and it is energizing.

My hope is that each of you reading this has a similar moment in your lives. If you have had a moment like this, when and where was it? How did it change you?

Reflections on Fatherhood

This year marks the fourth year I’ve been able to celebrate Father’s Day. It’s been quite a journey.

There have been plenty of memorable moments, from baseball games and family dinners to playing backyard football and taking walks, as well as vacations and the many trips to the library, grocery store, and anywhere else we needed or wanted to go. It has been a life-changing experience that I learn from and enjoy more and more everyday.

I have two wonderful kids and a fantastic wife who have made being a father one of the greatest things I have ever done in my life.

On Father’s Day this year, I want to thank my family for the best, most cherished job title I’ll ever have–Dad.

Happy Father’s Day!

 

Everyone can use a celebration now and then

My son finished pre-school this week. His class had a special celebration to culminate the academic year. It was a special moment for him and for us.

Some people would argue that this pseudo-graduation ceremony is not a good idea because it promotes mediocrity. They will argue that having all of the pomp and circumstance dilutes the importance of the traditional graduations at the high school and college levels. These people would continue their argument by saying that to celebrate the end of pre-school, elementary or middle school is just poppycock, as the kids are just doing what they are supposed to do.

All of the points in this argument are wrong. Dead wrong.

As a parent of a child who went through a pre-school celebration, I think it was great that the school did this celebratory activity. For one, it honored the hard work of the children and demonstrated their growth over the last year. Secondly, it was an opportunity for the kids to publicly thank the support they received from their parents and families.

Additionally, the school built the entire year around the theme of being a bucket filler instead of a bucket dipper. And, from what I learned during the ceremony, being a bucket filler is pretty cool.

What gets me about the people who rail against having the celebrations like the one my son participated in, or even the graduations at the lower levels of education, is that I honestly don’t think any of them are parents. Being a parent of a young child changes your perspective. You want to cherish every moment because the kids really do grow up too fast. Time is not on your side, so it’s important to let the kids be little. It’s important to love them. It’s important to tell them you are proud of them.

Sure, there would be opportunities to do this without the celebrations. But it wouldn’t be as much fun. And you know, everyone can use a little celebration in their lives every now and then.

Why the media cover things they shouldn’t

There’s an old adage in the media business: If it bleeds, it leads. This catchy little phrase is the reason there are some many stories about car accidents and tragedies in the news every cycle. But should it be the driving force?

The argument is really about what is newsworthy. Although extremely subjective, what is newsworthy for most media outlets comes down to what the editors think their audience wants to see or hear. If enough people in the listening/viewing area are interested in a topic, or if it is a story that has a national angle that can be tied into something local, than that makes perfect fodder for the evening news. An accident, possibly with a fatality, is just icing on the cake, or so reporters would say if they were being honest.

As a newspaper reporter for more than 10 years, I learned about this driver first hand. It made me sick sometimes, especially when an editor would tell me “Yeah, it’s not really kind to print this story, but it sells papers.”

This leads me to a debate that has been raging online and in the news here locally over the last day or so. Basically, should the media cover the potential protests of the funeral of a young female soldier who died in Afghanistan. One reporter defended the decision to cover the protests if they are happening because just the proposition of these protests is “galvanizing people.” Others argue that the protesters do what they do to attract media attention in hopes that they’ll get on TV or in the paper. It helps them spread their message of hate.

There is a very slippery slope on this issue, but we all need to make a stand someplace. As a media person, I would understand why an event like this needs to be covered, but I would do my best to nullify the messages of the protesters by getting to the real story that has touched so many people. With death, the fastest way to overcome is to remember the positives of the person who has died.

When the family lay their daughter to rest on Saturday, my hope is that the protest was an empty threat and that the media lead with their hearts instead of just thinking about the bottom line and the lowest common denominator.

Thoughts on “Community”

Community.

It is an inspired expression of shared passion toward a cause.

Community grows from a unified vision into something positively impactful.

Community transcends–building on what has come before to enlighten what will be.

No matter the size of a community, it is what it is because of its members.

Community is one and it is many. It is in all of us, because it is all of us.

 

Spring forward to overcome the impending “Snowpocalypse”

Throughout the country this week, the lead story on most newscasts will be the terrible weather. In fact, if the NFL’s championship game wasn’t being played indoors, it would probably be played on a sheet of ice.

With all of the dreadful snow, sleet, ice, and whatnot that is coming our way, it seems like a perfect time to start thinking about the great spring beers that are out there. One of the best that I’ve tasted in recent years was really a surprise for me, especially since it’s a goat beer.

I’m talking about Genesee Brewing Company’s Bock Beer, which was brought back by popular demand last year. It is out again this year, and we couldn’t be luckier.

So, as the snow starts falling grab a can, kick back, and relax. It’ll be springtime in no time. Cheers!

The perception of reality

Throughout all of last week, there was a big discussion about Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler. Did he quit? Was he tough enough? Several NFL players, current and former, thought that he wasn’t. And they blitzed him about it on Twitter.

The reason that they said this was all about their perception of the situation. Throughout the week, everyone kept saying that “perception is reality.” That got me to thinking about what that phrase really means in terms of communication.

Communicating an idea and creating buy-in from others is about getting them to envision a scenario in the same way that you do. You are trying to get them to perceive your reality. It is all staging, so to speak. Once they see it the way that you do, then your reality becomes theirs and things can get done. Whether they be a project, a sale, a job, etc. The initial step is creating the reality that people will live in while the action is taking place, and this is all set up by the way we communicate our way of seeing things.

So, when Cutler was out of the game, but wasn’t on crutches and was just sitting there on the sideline, this triggered the NFL players to reference their reality and question what it was they were seeing. They perceived a change in their reality and they attacked. What actually occurred was slow in coming out from the Bears (an issue for another time), and thus there was no authoritative communication on the subject. The vacuum was filled by others with louder voices trying to insert their version of reality on the situation.

This situation is a good case study for communicators because it demonstrates the ability for a small, knowledgable group to overtake the conversation and create a version of reality that may or may not be verifiable.

What do you think? Have you ever been in a situation like this? If so, how did you shift the conversation back to your perception of reality?

The darkest January sky

Twenty-five years ago today, seven people who had a goal of touching the stars and bringing their experiences back to those of us on Earth lost their lives in NASA’s first and most tragic in-flight disaster.

The explosion of the Challenger space shuttle was a generational moment much like JFK’s assassination of the fall of the Twin Towers on September 11. The tragic nature of the moment–the loss of innocence, the questions raised about our path as a nation, and the need to rethink our hopes and dreams–brought us together as a nation. Living in that moment, we all shared in the experience, the shock, the grief, and the recovery.

I was eight when it happened, but hearing the radio communications today from that morning gave me the chills. The images are still jarring.

Even though I was young, I knew that this launch symbolized the hope the nation had in the future and that the explosion was extremely damaging in more ways than one.

Please, take a moment today to remember the courage of those seven astronauts and what occurred in January’s darkest sky.

NASA tribute to the Challenger crew: http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/dor11/

Top 4 communication don’ts for 2011

In the wake of the tragic shootings in Tucson earlier this month, I read and watched with great interest the media coverage about the influence political rhetoric may have had on the shooter. Now, with the State of the Union (#SOTU) just days away, there are several PR stunts that are taking place (like this) in an attempt to ratchet down the rhetoric and communicate a message of unity. I think this is actually a good thing. And it lead me to think about the communication trends that will flow throughout 2011.

So, without any further hesitation, here are the 6 things you should avoid this year in your communications:

1. Hate-filled political rhetoric. Simply put, when you spout hatred, the majority of people will turn you off immediately. Those that don’t are just looking to hear their own thoughts echoed back to them. Instead of building political arguments on crass emotional epitaphs, 2011 will be a year to use your brain to build political communications that are based on provable metrics. Of course, there will always be emotional messaging in politics, but making the case in support of one side or the other will be a lot easier if you can put out strong numbers that are then supported with a positive success story.
2. Splintered messaging. Keeping your message consistent across all communication channels will be the way to go this year. Don’t say one thing on Twitter and something entirely different on your blog. Instead create one message and format it for each communication vehicle. This will cut down on the noise that can interfere with message being decoded by your intended audience.
3. Crisis mode. Do you think that if BP and Toyota had it to do all over again, that they would get out in front of the story, trying to manage how it unfolds rather than communicating from a defensive position? I would hope so. But, maybe not. Maybe how they communicated was so ingrained in their corporate culture that looking like bungling dolts out of the gate was the only way they could come out of the gate. Instead, in 2011, organizations that go into crisis mode need to get their side of the story out first and fast. They need to be active in the social media sphere by interacting with the media and their audiences. What they don’t need is the public face of the organization speaking without a filter. Think before speaking, it really helps in a crisis.
4. Information overload. It seems like we’re hardwired now to constantly produce and receive communications. Are we? Bing.com’s commercials about search overload make a good point. There is too much needless information cluttering our communications. So, in 2011, don’t add to it. Remember the old adage: “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” In other words, Make sure that when you communicate, you’re adding value for your intended audience. You can do so by learning about your audience. What do they care about? What do they already know and what might be interesting to them? Find out the answers by interacting with your audience. Listen when you are doing this, and you’ll be amazed at what you’ll hear.

Well, there you go. My Top 4 communication don’ts for 2011. What do you think? Are there others that should be added to the list? I’m interested to hear your thoughts.

Know your story

Recent events in my life have given me the chance to take a hard look at my personal narrative. My story, which is made up of the many experiences I’ve had, from growing up in a small town to living halfway around the world in an entirely different culture. It includes working in a cubicle and coordinating Public Relations for a multi-state, multi-million dollar nonprofit organization. It is my story, and every day I am creating new chapters.

What is happening these days, however, is that the telling of the story-what is told to who when and how it’s told-is becoming fragmented. Social media has made it easier to connect with people, but with every tweet, Facebook wall post, or update on Foursquare, the people we’re talking to are only getting snippets of our larger story.

The question, then, is how do we maintain a consistent story across all interaction channels in order that we are telling our audiences our whole story? It boils down to knowing your story inside out. Know who you are and what you want people to know about you when they come in contact with you.

Another point to remember is that in knowing your story, you will be able to show consistency, but in an engaging way. This will help to ensure that the people you talk to will want to come back and talk with you more. The old saying – “If you build it, they will come” – is proven true in this case.

As you interact more with people, your story will grow. These people will actually become a part of your story on some level, and as such will help you to tell your story to others, much like a ripple in still water.

So, what’s your story?