|
Careers
|
|
Written by By Gregg McLachlan
|
|
Wednesday, 03 February 2010 |
 Everyone makes mistakes. They usually occur during those days at work when you probably sum things up by saying, "I've had better days." You might use other words. #$@!^%$#.
How you deal with mistakes is the key to successfully moving forward. If you don't have an approach for coping with mistakes, you run the risk of impacting your performance, your employer's impression of you, and quite possibly your job security.
Here's a simple seven-step guide for coping with mistakes:
1. No waffles, please: If you make a mistake, acknowledge it. Don’t waffle. The quicker you accept it, the quicker you’ll be able to move forward with tips #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 and #7.
2. Remember your good stuff: A silly mistake – especially when it happens during a week where very little is going right – can leave you questioning your career. “Maybe I need to find another line of work,” you might say. Remember: Any career is like an RRSP. There will be some highs and some lows. You don’t measure an RRSP’s success based on one day. Same goes for your career. That’s why they call it a career.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Communications
|
|
Written by By Gregg McLachlan
|
|
Wednesday, 27 January 2010 |
Need attention? I mean, do you really really want to grab attention for your organization and its causes? Have you thought about doing something wacky? Something that really generates media buzz?
 If you've answered yes to most of the questions above, chances are that you've considered doing a publicity stunt. We've all seen such stunts before. Sometimes it's a pie in the face of a political figure. Other times it's someone chaining themselves to a tree. Common stunts involve disrupting a meeting, and using the timing to shout a message. Hanging banners from public buildings or visible landmarks is another popular publicity stunt. More recently, we've seen the emergence of 'quiet' stunts, whereby no words are spoken, but physical appearance is used to convey a theme.
The question is: Do any of these work? The short, simple answer is: yes. They typically generate media coverage. The bigger question is: Do they generate any lasting impact? That's still open to debate. I remember seeing media coverage of someone throwing a pie in the face of a government official recently at a press conference. The pie-thrower achieved her aim: she got 15 seconds of footage on the nightly TV news, and a sound bite showing her shouting her message. Yet, only days later, I can't remember the point the pie-thrower was trying to make. All I remember is the pie in the face of the politician. In that regard, this is one publicity stunt that had little lasting public impact as far as message retention. The success of disrupting a meeting is also tied to whom you're disrupting and where.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Communications
|
|
Written by By Gregg McLachlan
|
|
Wednesday, 20 January 2010 |
Cultivating a good working relationship with media is part of getting your stories out to the public. So, how can you  quickly harm that relationship? Here are five common ways, if repeated too often, that will send your media relationship toward a divorce:
1. Tell a reporter what notes to take: If the reporter isn't scribbling in his/her notebook as you're talking about a particular point, don't say: "Why aren't you writing that down! That's important!" The reporter is simply filtering what you're saying. That's why it's important to know how to sell your information as important so a reporter will want to report about it.
2. Ask to see a copy of the story before it runs: Oh, this one really jabs reporters because most take it as questioning their professionalism. Instead, if you want to doublecheck what you have told a reporter, ask him/her to read your quotes back to you. If you're worried about which other sources will be interviewed for the story, by all means, it's fair to ask the reporter. But never expect to see a story before it's published. You'll see it when readers do: as soon as it’s published. The quick message here: Have a plan before you do an interview so you're prepared. Repeat your key messages often so the reporter is sure to get it right.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Communications
|
|
Written by By Gregg McLachlan
|
|
Monday, 18 January 2010 |
At its very basic core, many communications plans are about getting your message out to the public. But this is where many  communications pitfalls occur within organizations and businesses. If 'reaching the public' is the generic root of your plan, you risk a lack of results due to having no focus for your plan. Yes, 'raising public awareness' is very likely an underlying component of many of your efforts. However, it's too ambiguous for being the basis of a plan. You need to drill down to more specific objectives.
Here’s a scenario that develops because there is no objective-based communication plan: A small, community-based environmental group is proposing a major stream rehabilitation project to improve fish habitat. The plan is pitched to a municipal council. The obstacle: Homeowners bordering the stream have united to block the plan because they say the stream is just fine, and such a project will lower property values.
In an attempt to now sway support after the rehabilitation project has already been pitched, the environmental group asks to meet with the editorial board at a newspaper. The reason: the group needs positive press to help 'raise public awareness' for the proposed project that's now being opposed by a homeowners’ coalition. What’s wrong? The environmental group is caught in reactive mode and now must scramble to try to win a conflict. If it’s lucky, the group now has a 50/50 chance.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Communications
|
|
Written by By Gregg McLachlan
|
|
Wednesday, 13 January 2010 |
If your organization is like most, you probably have interns at some point during the year. They arrive in  your workplace with enthusiasm (perhaps, some nervousness too) and the realization that, hey, it's not my professors that I have to impress anymore . . . it's the exec whose office is 10 feet from my desk and who's always calling staff in and shutting the door. Oh oh.
What happens next is key to your intern gaining valuable experience that will serve them well no matter where they end up in their future career path.
Here are 10 ways to ensure your intern(s) have a rewarding experience:
1. Prepare a roadmap: Sure, you probably covered this territory during the intern's job interview, but now that he/she has the internship, it's worth discussing goals and expectations again. He/she probably feels more relaxed and you both now share a partnership so prepare a roadmap for what you both hope to achieve. In other words, talk about expected results.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
