by Lisa Wedmann | Jul 25, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Communications, Latest, Management, Problem Solving
Writing communications for business is a lot like swimming, if you don’t know the water you better stay out.
How deep is the water? What’s the temperature? Jumping in cold water… brrrrrrr… jumping into hot …well, just ask a lobster. Rocks in the water? In case you didn’t notice, rocks don’t move. And what if someone else is already in the water? What if they get in your way, panic and try to pull you under?
There are many dangers in not knowing the water.
Writing business communications is similar. If you don’t know what you’re getting into you can get yourself in some serious trouble. Here’s how to avoid those common, sometimes dangerous, errors when writing business communications.
Communications Tip #1 HOW DEEP IS THE WATER?
Many communications are written without knowing the characteristics of the audience. Who is reading your communication? Is it your team member, your boss, your client or the CEO? Each of these communications need a different style and tone appropriate to the audience. Don’t think that one style of communication fits all. Each of these audiences requires a different degree of information.
Your CEO doesn’t need all the details. What the CEO needs is a high level summary of the important points. Your client needs something different as does your boss and your team members.
You must fit the style, tone and content of your communications to the audience.
Communications Tip #2: WHAT”S THE TEMPERATURE?
Is this a hot communication or cold? Is this high priority or low?
Be clear on the urgency of your communications. As in all things in life, timing is critical. Act and expect actions depending on the pressures of the situation.
Communications Tip #3: WHERE ARE THE ROCKS?
What is lying in wait for your communications?
Is there a chance your communication could be interpreted the wrong way? Could someone take the wrong action based on this misinterpretation? Could your communication get blocked?
And though seemingly innocent, you mustn’t overlook those nasty little fish that hover around rocks and cause you distraction?
Don’t assume that you can simply avoid issues without knowing the dangers. Know the danger of your words and write your communications with these risks in mind.
Communications Tip #4: IS ANYBODY ELSE IN THE WATER?
This is the tip that many tend to forget. Who else is in the water? Who are the other players? Are they sending communications for or against your needs? How can you take advantage of communications by others? Can you piggyback on their information?
Be aware of others, whether they support or negate your cause and determine your best approach.
STAY SAFE
In swimming and in business communications, play safe. Do the right thing, at the right time and you will enjoy your day and all going well, catch some additional rays.
by Lisa Wedmann | Jul 17, 2013 | Business Success, Communications, Creative, Design, Latest, Miriamisms
More Killer Tips on PowerPoint Templates and Backgrounds
This is the second time you are making a presentation to the same group. The guy yawning in the back of the room has perked up. The woman gazing at her nails looks up once or twice. At least this is an improvement. Last time she only looked at you in the beginning, after three minutes she was back to her nails.
But you notice another person that keeps looking at your slides. He looks at the slides, then he looks at his notes, then he looks at the slides again. You’re not sure what he’s doing but there is one thing you’re sure, he’s not listening to you.
What gives? You did what was important. You designed your PowerPoint presentation and you followed the formula correctly. (A recent blog I wrote Two Killer Tips for PowerPoint Presentations outlines this recommended formula.)
Is there anything else you can do to make your PowerPoint presentation more effective? Is there a way to design your PowerPoint slides to create greater interest in your presentation? Is there a way to make them look more professional? Absolutely. In addition to your personal presentation style there are many visual factors that contribute to the effectiveness of your PowerPoint presentation.
Keep Them Listening to You
No matter how animated you are and how much you engage your audience at some point during your presentation they will look at your slides. And when they look at your slides you need to make them as clear as possible so they can look quickly and get back to listening to you. How do you make your slides clear and quickly comprehensible.
Don’t let PowerPoint Templates Drive Your Content
Many businesses have a corporate PowerPoint template which you must use. In this case you don’t have any choice
But if you have flexibility to choose your own design, you may feel you should use PowerPoint templates to look professional. You are not the only who feels this way. Many people scan through the designs in PowerPoint templates to find the one they like best or if they want to be different they search on the web for that perfect PowerPoint design.
The danger with PowerPoint templates is the template starts to drive the content. It may be the size of the font, it may be the colours, it may be the format on the page. You may not be able to include charts the way you would like, insert a table or even add photos.
As you start working through the template you find you have to modify your content to fit the template. It doesn’t make sense to sacrifice the content of your presentation to fit the format of the design template.
You can change the format of the template to fit your requirements. But when you make changes to the template format the template loses its integrity since it is a departure from its design. Once the template loses integrity it degrades each time you deviate from its boundaries. Every time it is degraded you lose the cohesiveness of your presentation and the clarity of your slide.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you should never use PowerPoint templates.
When used properly, PowerPoint templates make it easy to format your material. They are consiste nt in look and feeland provide a theme to your presentation.
Three Words on PowerPoint Backgrounds
Here’s my thought on backgrounds. Don’t use them.
You might be surprised that I am taking such a hard line stance. The truth is you look like an amateur when your PowerPoint background colour is dark and your text is a colour. It is difficult to read yellow on a black background, yellow on a blue background or even worse red on a black background and your presentation is a toner hog to print.
When you think of your PowerPoint background colour think of Google or any of the search engines. The majority of the text is black on a white background. That’s what people see every day. Any other colour is a departure from the norm.
And in this case you want to be the norm. Don’t fight it. Keep your text black on a white background. Use colour sparingly.
Use PowerPoint Templates and Backgrounds with Care
PowerPoint templates and backgrounds can work for you but choose carefully. Don’t let them drive the content of your presentation. Form follows function (Louis Sullivan) function doesn’t follow form.
Remember you want that guy who keeps glancing up and down at your slides to absorb the material quickly so he can get back to focus on you.
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 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 Lisa Wedmann | Jun 27, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Creative, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
Which do you want to know first? The good news or the bad news? I like to hear bad news first in order to assess damage control. And I still have something to feel enthusiastic about since the good news is yet to come. so, since this is my blog… here’s the bad news… first. The bad news is that those who study how to go viral are almost unanimous in the conclusion that going viral is a result of synchronicity, that simultaneous occurrence of events that somehow appear related but have no understandable connection. It’s about being in the right place, at the right time with the right material and a little bit of luck.
THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT VIRAL MARKETING
However, where they do agree is that you can position yourself to be in the most fortuitous place to make going viral happen.
Below are a few viral marketing tactics that can help in your quest. They may seem elementary but they are the type of tactics that build a foundation and that is always a good place to start.
VIRAL MARKETING TACTICS
Think carefully about your topic.
First, understand that not everything has the ability to go viral.
I mean, come on now did you really think your thesis on Greek Social History would go viral? That means before we start fantasizing about our success we have to consider is it reasonable to expect that your project can go viral. You need to choose your topic carefully. At the same time, in all fairness, none of us know which things can and will go viral. I find it hard to believe that a 15 minute video of a women trying to parallel park went viral but it did.
Experiment, test and then test again.
Next, be prepared to experiment.
Try different approaches. Don’t be satisfied with one idea. Put two or three or more ideas out there and if you don’t get results, or as my Dad used to say, don’t flog a dead horse. Try a different approach. Experiment, test, refine, and then test again.
Turn the ordinary into extraordinary.
I never relate to those articles that tell me how easy it is to get that killer app or that killer eBook or that killer product and all you have to do is have a unique idea, or create memorable content. Duh. That’s what having a good product is all about. Face it guys, you are preaching to the converted.
But you can borrow from a few standard marketing techniques. Techniques such as turning the ordinary into something beautiful, take Apple and their visually beautiful line of products or Dove with their real beauty campaign.
Give your idea a partner.
Here’s an easy way to get that extra push. Pair your idea with something unrelated but totally relatable. A bit of an oxymoron? Not really. Think of Maxwell House Coffee and the positive little girl who loves her house and just about everything in it.
MORE GOOD NEWS ABOUT VIRAL MARKETING
Viral marketing makes your business visible.
There’s one more aspect of viral marketing that makes me want to stand up and jump HOORAY! When you create a viral marketing campaign you are creating awareness and increased visibility for your business.
Do you have any ideas on how to make a campaign go viral?
