More than just X’s and O’s

As I sat there and watched the back-up QB for the team I support toss a long ball down the field into the hands of a streaking receiver, I wondered about the communication underpinnings that made that thing of sports beauty possible.

If you follow the NFL religiously, or even if you’re just a casual fan, you’ve probably heard that quarterbacks need to feel comfortable and trusting of their receivers, otherwise they won’t throw them the ball all that often. Instead, the QB will look to someone he trusts to deposit the ball (this is often called a “check down.” Bills fans are keenly aware of this, especially this year). There is a reason for this, and I think a lot of it has to do with communication.

Take Peyton Manning, for example. He had a good relationship with his receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. He could throw up the ball with the faith that one of the two would be there to catch it when it came down. They worked at this, but the simple act of trusting the guy will be there where you put the ball takes communication, too.

On the opposite end, you can see when a quarterback and receiver don’t have good communication. Take T.O. and Buffalo’s Trent Edwards. It is painful to watch. There’s just no chemistry between the two, which is a direct result of the fact that there (more than likely) isn’t good communication between them.

This isn’t just the case in football, though. Communication is at the core of every sport. In baseball there is the nonverbal communication between pitcher and catcher. In NASCAR it’s interesting to listen to the radio communications between driver and crew chief.

So, the next time your favorite team has a big play, take a moment to think about how much communication went in to making it a success, or how a lack of communication caused the other team to collapse in that instant.

What is your favorite example of communication in sports?

Fully-charged review of Thom Singer’s “*Batteries Not Included: 66 Tips to Energize Your Career”

This is my first “official” book review, and it’s taken me a little longer than I had wanted to get it written and posted. The book I’m reviewing, had I read it prior to this review, would have encouraged me not to procrastinate. But alas, that was not to be.

The book, “*Batteries Not Included: 66 Tips to Energize Your Career” is authored by nationally recognized professional speaker Thom Singer. It is a part of New Year Publishing’s “Airplane Book Series,” meaning it “is designed to be read in a coffee shop or airplane.” However, I think it is much more than just a book to read while on a flight to your next destination and then never considered again.

Each of the passages in the book make you think. And if you want to get the most out of the book, that’s exactly what you’ll do as you read it—think about how what Thom writes about is impacting your life and how his advice can help to change that impact into a positive. That’s what is really great about this book. It looks at normal, every day situations that come up, both at and outside the office, and puts a positive spin on them. That is, I think, Thom’s underlying goal in this book, to demonstrate to the reader that as life runs your batteries down, there are simple, positive ways to recharge them and get the most out of life.

There are so many good passages in the book that exemplify and underline this point that it is hard to pick just one to talk about. However, tip #25 “Make an Impact” is a prime example that really speaks to how Thom communicates a message of positive action to his readers.

The tip begins with a very powerful statement: “You have the ability to impact the world around you.” Simple. To the point. But not always something we hear and acknowledge about ourselves and our place in this world. Each and every one of us has the ability to impact this world we live in, some how, some way.

Making an impact in this world. Think about that for a minute. It’s a big thing to tackle, right? Well, not really. Keep reading tip #25 and you see that Thom lays out a very simple way to break down the big into the small in order to then build up the big again.

Here’s what I mean. He writes: “Decide today that you are going to do more with your everyday life. Start small. Look at your current daily activities and find was to put a little something extra into how you tackle the little tasks. Become that person who is known for having that extra spring in their step, regardless of what they are doing. Leave the whining and complaining to someone else.”

In other words, take control of your actions, embrace the tasks you have, and always be bold.

In life, we often wonder why things don’t always go our way. Maybe what we should do when those thoughts enter our minds is to realize that we need to recharge our batteries so that we can tackle the things that are challenging us. Thom Singer’s book is the charger. Read it and your batteries will be charged and you’ll be ready to take on anything that is thrown at you.

Never forget the day the world stopped turning

Where were you on the morning of September 11, 2001?

For my generation, that question is akin to asking my parents where they were when they got the news JFK was shot.

It was a moment during which time stood still. And during those moments, we have time to take it all in.

This is how I remember it:

I was at work, waiting to go to a staff meeting. Our building was located downtown, not far from a Federal building. Teh staff meeting never happened that morning. What did happen was a relentless search for information. I remember hearing the news and trying to log on to CNN, Fox News, MSNBC. None of them would come up. Then I went down to the library and watched with a growing number of other employees the events unfold on live TV.

Then news came that we were to evacuate the building because authorities couldn’t rule out the nearby Federal building as a potential terrorist target.

I drove home listening to the radio in utter disbelief. When I got home, I turned on CNN and sat on the corner of the foot stool watching. Just watching. I called a few people to see if they were okay and to turn on the TV if they could.

In the ensuing days, my community had its annual late summer/fall festival. The gran parade was subdued. There were more people in line ot give blood than were at the craft booths most times. I was one of those people. I wanted to do something.

There are some commentators who say the country on September 10, 2001 was inherently different from the one that rose out of the World Trade Center rubble on September 12, 2001. I don’t know if that’s true.

What I do think is true is that those of us who had never been through a moment like that woke up after the events that morning turned a crystal-clear blue sky into a dust-filled tangle of bent iron, burning flesh, and utter chaos. I think we appreciate the people who put their lives on the line for others more. I think we took a moment to take stock of the things that are really important in life: family, friends, and freedom. I think we understood for the first time in our lives what sacrifice meant and why it is an integral part of the American story.

I also think that what happened is something that should never, ever be forgotten. I will never forget the events of that day and those that immediately followed and how they impacted me. My hope is that you will never forget, too.

Is this newsworthy?

In a recent post Heather Whaling on the prTini blog asked “What’s News?“

Since I started writing for the local newspaper over a decade ago, this has been a question that I’ve thought quite a bit about. Now, in my position as a nonprofit marketing coordinator, when I have to draft a news release I often have to sort through a barrage of flowery language to get to the core issues that could be considered real news.

 

Heather’s post intrigued me because she framed her question around the news of the day, or lack of it. Asking why Twitter got more “ink” than Gmail when both had service issues is an interesting way to bring the world of social media into the realm of the news gatekeeper.

 

I think it would be interesting to inquire of an assignment editor at CNN.com what the thought and decision process was leading up to the posting of the Twitter outage story.  Heather pinpoints the probable response–Twitter is new and exciting. Additionally, an outage effects a lot of people.  But to that point, so does a service outage of Gmail. The “new and exciting” thing is was will get the coverage, though, simply because it is new. You can’t have “News” without “New.”

 

Heather’s second example is the more interesting one, however. She asks how Sen. Ted Kennedy can posthumously become a bi-partisan mythical hero, when during his life he was the “poster child for ultra-liberal partisanship.”

 

She argues that his working with senators from the other side of the aisle while alive didn’t merit coverage, but when he died, that was the shining example of his public service career. It just doesn’t make sense.

However, looking at the context of the story, it does.

 

I think it was important for the news media to highlight the best qualities of Kennedy after he died. When someone of Kennedy’s stature dies, and for the reasons he died (brian cancer) the media can’t play up the controversy surrounding the individual. Instead, the news media has to search for the positive things to say. As the gatekeepers, they feel a responsibility to direct the course of the immediate conversation about how Kennedy will be crafted. They want to be the drivers.

 

With the growing influence of social media, however, the opportunity for news media gatekeepers to be the drivers on any story of interest’s immediate conversation  is quickly diminishing. That is why it is ever more important for any player in the mediasphere to find the news in a story and get it out there.

 

In other words, being newsworthy in the age of social media means being direct, interesting, and most importantly engaging.

 

Photo credit: mfopotos

How to creatively answer any kid question

When I was younger, my mom always says, I asked her how the moon stayed up in the sky.

“Elmer’s glue,” she said.

Driving to our kids’ daycare provider this morning to drop them off, my three-year-old son asked me what the hazy cloud blanketing the field was.

“Fog,” I said. “It’s what is left behind when the sky comes down and kisses the ground.”

He seemed to like that answer.

When a child asks “Why?” sometimes it is easier to just say anything to make him stop asking that question repeatedly.

With a little patience and some creativity, however, the answer you give can be one that creates a lasting memory because as the child grows, you can always tell the story of the day he asked what fog was and how you answered him.

Abuse of ADHD drugs on the rise

Flipping through the newspaper this morning, I was struck by a story about a study that indicates a staggering rise in the reported abuse of ADHD drugs

My first reaction was that this news wasn’t at all out of the ordinary. I give the editors of the paper credit for putting it in the paper. Drug abuse is an important issue, especially when there is an increase in the abuse of  safe (read: FDA-approved) drugs. However, the story was buried on the inside of the front section and squeezed in next to an ad for replacement windows. Such a placement tells me that the editors at the paper didn’t think too many people would buy a paper because of this story.

With the reduction in staff at most local papers, and more and more people moving online for their news, I know that the following suggestion might not carry much weight with news editors, but I’m going to put it out there any way.

This is the type of story that could make an impact in a community. It could really raise the consciousness level to a point where the issues causing the abuse and the infrastructure supporting it are brought to light. It would be perfect way for nonprofit service providers that help with all of the issues regarding drug abuse to enter the public sphere. Working with a reporter to create a follow-up story that localizes the issue and highlights how organizations in the community are helping to alleviate the issue and related issues is a fantastic way to build community awareness and support, both for the newspaper and any nonprofit service providers. The reason being is that readers like to know about what is happening in their community. They also like to read about success stories–people who hit rock bottom, sought out and got help, and are now recovering and finding success.

It is a redemption story.

I’m putting editors and reporters on notice: I’ll be on the lookout for this type of story for sure. I’ll buy more papers with this type of story in them.

Read the story that inspired this post here.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: What does it mean to you?

What does respect mean to you?

The other day, I was having a conversation with my organization’s webmaster about respect as it pertains to people out on the roadways. The conversation made me think about our culture and how respect manifests itself therein.

Over the past several years I believe there has been a severe erosion of respect in our culture. It has gotten to such a low point recently that I’m afraid we may never be able to build it back up.

Just a few examples that come to mind:

• The lack of respect for the purity of sport as evidenced by the numerous athletes found guilty of crimes and also of taking steroids to enhance performance
• The lack of respect for differing opinions in the health care debate
• The lack of respect for other drivers, safety, and the rules of the road as evidenced by the ever increasing number of people talking on their cell phone or texting while driving.

As a parent of two young children, I believe I’m tasked with showing them the importance of using your manners and of living a respectful life. But with all of the bad examples out there (myself included sometimes) I think I’m fighting an uphill battle.

Additionally, for anyone that works in the communications industry, whether in PR, Marketing, Advertising, etc., the importance of respect is reflected in the success of the efforts made on behalf of your clients, your organization, or yourself.

For instance, if you are tasked with pitching a story to the assignment editor at a local TV station, you will tend to have better results if that person respects you as a professional and as a source of valuable information. Additionally, in communicating with the assignment editor, using language that is respectful and also being mindful of his or her time will go a long way toward the success of your pitch.

It used to be that the golden rule–treating others as you yourself would liked to be treated–was the standard. It’s common sense, really.

However, I think as more and more people continually treat others with less and less respect, thereby getting less and less respect in return, the golden rule is really just gold plating covering up an otherwise crass culture.

5 ways to remove the stink from fund raising copy

Have you ever gotten one of those four or five-page fund raising letters in the mail? Have you ever read the thing the entire way through?

According to Frank Dickerson, who wrote a dissertation on how effectively fund raisers communicated with their audience, those four or five-page letters are even less interesting than government documents.

So, what can fund raisers do to capture our interest when sending out these appeal letters?

Here are 5 things that can instantly improve fund raising letters (or any similar communication, for that matter):

1. Focus on telling compelling, real stories.

Dickerson says: “For a fundraiser, the weight of raising money rest squarely on the power of words. Yes, there are those occasions when a person visits a charity, or sees a video about its work. But most potential donors decide to give based on what they read. And unfortunately, what they read is usually not that good.”

2. Choose your words wisely.

Dickerson says: “Fund-raising texts sounded cold and detached like doctoral dissertations rather than warm and friendly like personal conversations.”

3. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point.

No one wants to read four or five pages of incomprehensible gibberish just to get to the end and be asked to give money. This is especially true if it’s for a cause that they haven’t made an emotional connection to.

Instead, write a story that hits home for the reader right away with an “ask” at the end. And do it all on one page. And use pictures to tell the story, too.

 4. Make it memorable and remarkable.

Seth Godin said in his book Purple Cow that to be remarkable you have to be remarked about. Simply put, you’d remember a purple cow if you saw one in a pasture as you drove by. You remember certain ads and certain messages, like the 1984 Apple ad or Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech. There’s a reason. They have that special quality that makes them memorable and remarkable. And they were created out of passion for something, not because they had to be done. Purple Cows are about passion.

5. When it comes right down to it, the goal for fundraisers is to raise funds. To do that, the best tip I can give is to infuse fund raising writing with the passion for the cause.

America’s promise is not found in polls

A Rasmussen poll released on July 29 reports:

Nearly one-out-of-two U.S. voters (49%) now say the nation’s best days are in the past, a five-point jump from last month and the highest level of pessimism on this question in a year.

Read full story here.

It’s not hard to see why so many Americans would believe that the nation’s best days are behind it. For instance, there are more than 500,000 new jobless claims a week. That’s a staggering number that really highlights the connection between people’s financial outlook and how they perceive the future of the country.

There is an oft used cliché that perception is reality. As more and more people perceive that the United States is entering dismal days, it will be that the days are, in fact dismal. People won’t believe that there is a way out of the perceived predicament the county is in, and will therefore begin to settle for what is, instead of what could be.

In an America where a man was elected president on a message of hope, all that the people of the country are beginning to see is lost opportunity, so say the polls. However, the America in polls like this doesn’t really exist. Instead, all around you can see and America full of hope and opportunity. It is a country where with enough personal effort, and yes, a little bit of luck, a person can be or do anything. The possibilities truly are endless.

There has always been a strong PR campaign to raise awareness of why the United States is the great place it is. Is that campaign waning or losing its influence?

That is hard for me to believe, because the America PR campaign machine has been churning ever since the first colonists came over. To entice more people to make the potentially life-threatening journey to the “New World” all sorts of stories were told. It’s like in the classic kid’s film An American Tail. On the boat to America, all of the mice are singing “There are no cats in America, and the streets are paved with cheese.” Well, there were cats, and the streets were more brick than cheddar. But, through effort the mice were able to overcome the adversity they faced and achieve their American dream.

That is the beauty of America. That is what the PR has been about and why a poll out the other day with almost 50 percent doubting America is of no consequence. The spirit of this nation always overcomes the darkest of days. It has done it before, and there is no reason to think that it won’t do it again, no matter what the polls say.

Channeling social media success

A recent post on the Daily Dog says that Twitter is changing the landscape for small businesses–again.

The reason is that small businesses, which thrive on face-to-face and word of mouth communication to build relationships and increase sales, are using Twitter as their sole marketing tool.

In other words, without budgets for comprehensive marketing, PR, and advertising the small business sector of America is utilizing “free” social media tools to spread the word about their products and services. It seems to be working.

I agree the underlying reason for the success of this communication strategy (Use social media) and tactical implementation (Tweet info through Twitter) among the small business world is the intimacy of Twitter.

As we move forward in the world of marketing and communications, there is a well-documented movement away from mass media and toward targeted marketing, word of mouth, one-to-one PR, etc.

But the movement isn’t always an easy go.

Moving away from TV toward Twitter will take time because people need to become comfortable with the channels of communication that the social media tools provide. One of the reasons I’ve often heard for why people don’t “get” social media, and in particular Twitter, is that they are communicating through a channel that is foreign to them and actually separates them from the reality of conversing directly with a real person in a tangible, tactile way. It just doesn’t make sense to them why anyone they could talk to on the phone or in person would want to read a tweet they posted instead.

As more and more businesses, both large and small, begin realizing the potential to intimately communicate with people through social media tools, more and more people will become comfortable with the channels as well. This is a good thing. The tools provide a means to have real-time conversations and create opportunities for long-term relationship building. The shiny newness will wear off. It did for the telephone and the TV. It will do it for Twitter and Facebook, too. What will remain will be the thing that has been there all along: functionality.