by Lisa Wedmann | Jul 8, 2013 | Administration, Advertising, Branding, Business Success, Latest, Management
Today I am sitting at my desk staring at my inbox full of emails. There are 30 emails waiting for me to open. I know each one of them is important and each one requires an answer. I have a meeting in 15 minutes. I don’t want to be late but there may be something urgent in one of those emails.
How do I know which emails to read?
Typically I scan the emails to look for subject lines of projects I know are urgent. This usually works. I find what I need immediately and the rest can wait until after my meeting.
But I pity my poor boss who mentioned in the meeting she has over 250 emails sitting in her inbox.
My first thought, did she read my emails from yesterday?
Then, that made me think.
Does she know which ones are urgent?
There must be others who are faced with this type of situation. I began to question myself, how can I get more attention for my emails at work? Is it because there simply isn’t enough time? Is there a way that time management at work will help?
Maybe, but there are other ways.
Time management is important but it is more a symptom and doesn’t get to the root cause. If your email is not working to get the attention you need here are a few suggestions.
My best tips on HOW TO WRITE EMAILS AT WORK
Choose your emails carefully
It’s mostly common sense but common sense seems to fly into cyberspace where email at work is concerned. And that is to choose your emails carefully. It stands to reason if you are known as that person who emails about everything, if you become the boy who cries wolf, your email will go to the bottom of the list.
If anything is the kiss of death in the email war, then this is it.
If you haven’t thought about it before now, your personal competence is being judged every time you write an email. If your email is convoluted then people will think you are convoluted. Either consciously or subconsciously they will label you as an unclear thinker. Not the type of person they want on their team.
Before you send an email consider its value and whether it will help to advance your cause if it doesn’t then don’t send it.
Prepare your subject line carefully
Be clear in what you want in the subject line and provide a deadline if possible.
For example, “Approval to proceed required by Thursday 2 pm” or “Feedback request by noon today”.
You can even use the subject line for a question. “Can we meet at 3 today?” “Our meeting today is changed to Friday”. Or what about a response to a question? “Yes I will be on Flight 429 leaving at 4.30.”
Aim for quick answers
I’m sure you do it yourself. You look for the easy emails and you answer them first. We tend to answer emails first that require a quick response or a quick answer.
Is there any way you can accomplish what you need by breaking it down to a very simple question?
If it is not a question and requires more detail, consider putting a 2 or 3 line summary at the top of the email and the balance of your content following. Often the extra information you provide is either background to the summary or to support your due diligence. If the reader is familiar with the subject they may not need this extra information or will skim it quickly after they read the summary. Either way, they have spent less time on the email and there’s a good chance you will get a faster response.
Pretend you are on your phone
You know you should keep it simple. You may try hard to keep it simple but it isn’t always easy particularly for those emails at work that are … well, more complicated. A simple trick is to pretend you are texting on your phone. What would your email look like then?
Limit yourself to one subject per email
When there is more than one subject per email it is difficult to respond to all the different subjects. Some may not have an answer, some need an urgent response and some are on hold. Then, when you receive the response to a multi-subject email you need to track which subjects had answers and which did not. It can become complex and almost overwhelming when there are too many subjects in one email. When we limit ourselves to one subject per email we make it easy for others to answer.
Turnaround is fair play
If you expect others to respond to your emails quickly then you must do the same in turn. Don’t be the bottleneck who holds up the email at work.
Writing the best emails
In the beginning you may feel that writing the best emails take more time since you will need to compose your thoughts, you will need to take those extra few minutes and think, really think before you hit the send button.
by Justin James | Jul 5, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Latest
Today, I find myself in an advertising agency on my first day at 3H Communications as an intern. Good for me! Let me back up a little and give you some background on well, me, the 3H Intern. Since the day I was old enough to understand that I needed money to live, I started asking myself the big question: How can I make money?
I eventually decided that I wanted to become an entrepreneur and start my business after finishing university. Now, I face only two problems:
1. I have no idea what I should be innovating , inventing or doing for my business, nor how to market what I was doing.
2. I need to be accepted to a university.
The combination of these two factors was rather daunting, until I heard of an interesting opportunity to gain in work training. This training provides a better understanding of the working world and can be used on a resume to help with future job and university applications. Through a Specialist High Skills Major business program at my school, I enrolled in a Co-op and was fortunate enough to be offered an internship at
3H Communications – a marketing advertising agency in downtown Oakville.
Excellent! Before I started working, I needed the proper attire. I visited a few stores and gathered the full ensemble: shoes, shirt, jacket, tie, and dress pants. Sweltering in the summer heat but looking professional, I approached the doors of 3H Communications Inc.
A day in the life of the 3H Intern:
The company is very impressive. There are talented writers, designers, and web developers working here, oozing talent and confidence. The workplace has a vibe of creativity and dedication, creating a stimulating work environment.
After a brief boardroom meeting, I was assigned a cozy office space to work in. My supervisor showed me what work I needed to complete, and as I tried to absorb all the instructions, I quickly turn into a Macklemore rap song. ‘All right. Okay. All—all right, okay.’
The day progressed and I learned much about effectively gathering data, evaluating consumer interest for a product and targeting the right demographics. In one day of work, I learned the equivalent of a semester’s teachings in school. I believe that co-op workplaces offer a great opportunity for aspiring teenagers because they can gain practical skills and information, which in business, proves to be more valuable than theoretical knowledge.
My experience as an intern is already phenomenal and I am only one day into my month-long co-op. Future ambitions aside, being an intern at 3H Communications Inc. is much more enjoyable than flipping burgers at McDonalds or one of the other limited jobs generally available to a 16-year-old.
Keep checking back here as I share experiences at 3H!
by Miriam Hara | Jul 5, 2013 | Advertising, Creative, Latest
What does a career in advertising really mean?
Advertising has always held some mystic for many creative and marketing types wannabes. Many people on the outside looking in think of the world of advertising as being the ultimate career in creativity. I’ll let you in on secret… in many cases, depending on what your creative type happens to be, it’s true! Advertising is the most creative aspect in marketing communications… even more so than public relations (PR) and brand marketing. Add to that, the very popular TV series of Mad Men to this caché… well, then you may very well have a rose coloured view of this career choice.
Those of us in the the field have a different and more realistic definition of advertising and what it means to be “working in” this crazy, hectic, exciting field. Through my 25 years of running a marketing creative agency, I have been fortunate to meet many interesting people and I have come to the realization that we all have certain traits and characteristics in common.
See if you too belong to the wonderful industry of advertising… can you can identify with any one of these character traits?
1) You love being around creative and the creative process: You don’t have to draw or write…You can easily be an advertising account executive.Just as long as you are part of “creating” something.
2) Passion rules the day: You love your job. In fact you can’t wait to get out of bed and to greet the day! You love the challenge of newness that every marketing mandate brings…and working out the issues. You love that what you do can potentially reach millions of people.
3) You’re an adrenaline junkie: Not death defying tricks here… only true and pure rush. Rush to meet impossible deadlines put out by most if not all advertisers…. and to ultimately excel in your creativity and performance while meeting those said impossible deadlines.
4) You think ‘What if”…constantly! Never mind about inside or outside the box. You’re a natural problem solver that always looks at the marketing brief differently. Innovation is your mind’s middle name whether it’s comes to coining a phrase or conceptualizing a storyboard or ad… you simply strive on creating breakthrough creative.
5) Work…. what’s that?: Not exactly like Character Trait #3, more like an extension. You actually have fun at what you do? In fact it’s like a calling. You think about projects, ideas and products all the time. Grocery shopping isn’t just about filling up the pantry. Rather it becomes a store-check to see what’s new and innovative in products or POP or contest promotions. If you do a lot of TV advertising, you can’t see a movie without acknowledging the camera angles,the lighting, the propping. It’s about you driving your car, noticing billboards and trying to ascertain what the brief was and if if the creative was well executed.
If you see yourself in any one of the above character traits, then advertising is in your future! I’d love to hear from any and all of you who share in the passion of creativity and advertising.
Live creatively and prosper!
by Miriam Hara | Jul 4, 2013 | Business Success, Latest
Getting in the door is the first step to success or failure. If you go into this meeting with a song and dance about why they should “buy” your service, then you’ve already lost them. This presentation is about your potential client or customer. Trust me, if they have given you the opportunity to present, then they already know that you can offer the service or product. You are in making the presentation to see if they can work with you. SO they need to like you and yes, trust you. Oh boy…how do you do that with a room full of strangers for an hour… and no cocktail in your hand!
When you are doing any types of sales, whether it’s service or product sales you must exercise a solid dose of patience. But finally, the time you have so long-awaited is here. You have finally gotten your foot…no your whole body in the door! YAY!… So now what do you do? You have to start prepping for that meeting. No,don’t stop reading, this is not about how to do a presentation. It is about how to be successful in presenting your business, give a presentation and own the presentation hour that you have been given.
Giving a presentation isn’t on everyone’s list of ‘the things I love most’… except if you’re a professional speaker or a professional sales person. Many of us have just fallen into “doing sales”, mainly because there isn’t anyone else to do it. This happens a lot in entrepreneurial businesses… that incidentally are very successful. That’s often the case because these people are passionate and it just gets very contagious!
There are a few keys to success that you should always keep in mind when presenting.
1) How to make a presentation always starts with your presentation ideas. Although you are presenting the services or products your business offers, there is merit in developing a “theme” or concept around your presentation. You need to engage your “audience” right away. You need to not only speak about what makes your business special you need to show them what makes it special…and that would be you.
2) There’s a ton of Powerpoint presentation tips, source them here. Keep it short. Keep it visual. Keep it exciting. This will set the rhythm of your presentation and provide a good background to what you are saying. Yes, background, not foreground!!!
3) Build in flexibility. When you present, it needs to be fluid. It can’t be a canned presentation. That comes often stilted and well, not very imaginative. By building flexibility in how you present provides you with the ability to ask questions, listen to the answers….and speak to their concerns during your presentation. You need to instill trust.
4) Practice your tone and your visual presence. A good Powerpoint presentation is only the beginning. When making oral presentations it’s all about the delivery not the subject matter. Think of being on stage and the spotlight is on you. People connect with people. You may be in the door to present a service or product they need, but ultimately they will buy because of you.
Ultimately, hitting a home run out of the park takes planning and preparation. You can’t wing it. It will show. Selling is all in the presentation and more importantly the presenter. I’d love to hear from you about some of your success stories. Share them here.
by Lisa Wedmann | Jul 3, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Latest
You are growing nervous by the minute. Your mouth is dry. You stumble on your words.
Talk about hot seat. It’s so hot your face is red from the heat.
The more you speak the more your boss looks disinterested.
Then to make matters worse, he tells you to book a meeting to present your PowerPoint material to the committee.
Your mind is racing. You’re not worried about your PowerPoint presentation. You know how to design an effective PowerPoint presentation and you know your material.
But you are worried about your ability to speak and capture your audience’s attention. You are anxious that you won’t present yourself in the best light.
According to one survey, over 74% of people suffer from some sort of glossophobia, the fear of speaking in public. Indeed they’d rather face death than speak in public. Or to paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld “most people at a funeral, would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy”.
If you find yourself like the majority of people…. how then can you conquer your fear of giving a PowerPoint presentation? What can you do to be more effective?
There are many tips out there to become an effective public speaker. Having sat in on many presentations over my career, here is my top tip on how to conquer your fear of giving a PowerPoint presentation.
MAKE IT EASY FOR YOUR AUDIENCE TO LIKE YOU
You never have a second chance to make a good first impression. And the window of opportunity to win your audience on your side is short. You need to capture their attention within the first 5 minutes.
As soon as you open your mouth your audience is judging you. They are judging your ability to keep them engaged.
And even though they may have different agendas, the majority of people in your audience want to like you. They want you to be interesting as well as be informative. They’re rooting for you. They want to be able to relate to you on a personal level. And once you are able to create that relationship you have overcome the biggest challenge.
MAKE THEM FEEL COMFORTABLE
One of the easiest ways to get your audience to like you is to make them feel comfortable.
How do you make them feel comfortable?
TELL A STORY
Just as in our personal relationships, when we tell a story about our lives we create a conversation. If we simply present facts, the relationship is one-sided. You tell, they listen. Not a good way to win people over to your side.
STORIES ARE ABOUT PEOPLE
The story needs a face.
Open your presentation with a situational anecdote supporting your content and how it relates to them. It could be a scenario that relates to your PowerPoint presentation material and their jobs, a situation that directly relates to your audience but told in a personal, narrative fashion. For example, “on my drive into work today I was listening to the news and that made me think about our situation and how….” or “I was tying my shoes the other day and ….. Seem silly?
Perhaps, but wouldn’t that peak your interest? Wouldn’t you want to pay attention and find out what happens next?
Speak directly about your material while you draw in the audience.
For a more informal approach, try a lighthearted view of a personal story on how you developed the material for your PowerPoint presentation or tell a joke.
It is this story that makes you human.
This is material that comes directly from your personal experiences. It doesn’t need to be rehearsed. You will be relaxed and comfortable since you know the story like the back of your hand. You are simply talking to a group of friends about a subject that interests them and you have information you want to provide.
When your audience feels you are relaxed they will relax and are receptive and open to hearing what more you have to say.
The key to conquering your fear of making a PowerPoint presentation. Be yourself.
XXX
Do you have any more tips on how to overcome the fear of making a PowerPoint Presentation? What works for you? What hasn’t worked for you? What’s your biggest fear in making a PowerPoint presentation?
by Miriam Hara | Jul 2, 2013 | Creative, Design, Latest
What is creativity? There’s a misconception on what or rather who can call himself or herself a “creative”. There are many types of creativity out there. You don’t necessarily need to draw and paint in order to be a creative being…. so if you don’t, don’t sell yourself short. I run a brand creative agency and I have found that being creative and owning the label of a ’Creative’ is much more than drawing or painting. Through the many years of running a creative agency with graphic designers, web developers, photographers and writers, there are many different creative personalities, but they often fall into a creative type. Here’s my informal list of creative types identifiers.
Which one (or two, or three) best defines your creative style?
The ‘Artiste’: True and tried, these creative types are what everyone naturally thinks of as “creative”. They can be artists, sculptures, glass blowers, graphic designers, animators, art directors, illustrators and painters. They use any medium from a paintbrush and easel to computers and software such as Indesign, Photoshop and Illustrator, to name a few.
The Physical Artist: Born to perform, these artists are actors, comedians and yes, even musicians. They are at the forefront of their creative expression…. seen on TV or in the movies and can be found in local bars and theatres.
The ‘Conceptual’: Give these people a brick of information, add to it restrictions and rules of what can be done and what can’t be done… and leave them alone. They’ll come up with ideas that speak volumes and words that rock your world. Their thinking is organized, concise and rational. They’ll be creative directors, writers and art directors.
The Stylists: These creative types are visual. They use material (from fabric to brick) and colour… and understand lines and space. They’ll be your Fashion designers, architects, interior designers and interior decorators.
The Imaginative: Creative thinkers they always ask the one important question: “what if”. This creative group loves problem solving and is often inventors and innovators… and they can be anything from urban planners to scientists and anything in-between.
The Linear: With the advent of technology, I would be amiss if I didn’t include this creative type. From understanding website navigation and user interaction to making sites look good and maintain functionality, this group of creative IT designers are as integral as conceptual thinkers and artists in the marketing field.
So what’s your creative type? Do you have one that I haven’t listed? I’d appreciate you defining your creative type here.
Look forward to hearing from you!
