tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-122012132024-03-07T23:08:33.861-05:00don't get caughtMessage development, social media strategies, and speaker/media training for individuals and groups, so you don't get caught unprepared, speechless or without a message. I'm Washington, DC-based communications consultant Denise Graveline. Want to pick my brain or get a sense of how I work? Do it here.eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.comBlogger1882130tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-62873761555742787282020-10-01T07:17:00.004-04:002020-10-01T07:17:42.639-04:00A Message From Denise Graveline's Family<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">Hello,</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong>Please don’t be alarmed. This is a message from Denise Graveline's family.</strong></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">Before Denise sadly passed away in 2018, you opted to receive updates from her storytelling and speaker coaching blogs.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">As her family, we commissioned a memorial website to be made as a full collection of her blog posts and works, allowing friends, fans and followers to read, remember and share their memories of Denise.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">It has been indexed and categorised so please do play around with the search function and see what hidden treasures you can unearth.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><strong>You can find the new website here: <a class="ng-scope" data-link-id="421087922" href="https://www.denisegraveline.org" style="color: #f04736; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.denisegraveline.org</a>.</strong></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">If you have memories of time spent with Denise or have been helped by her, we'd love you to share your memories within the 'Memories' section of the new website.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">Likewise, Denise had a collection of unpublished work which we shall be releasing over the coming months - so we encourage you to check back regularly.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">We hope you enjoy this beautiful memorial to our Denise.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">Denise started her blogs to help people, particularly women, find - and use - their voice. We want her voice to live on and to continue doing just that. We would love it if you shared this collection of her written work with women you know (and men) who might benefit from her wisdom, knowledge and insight.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">Warm wishes,</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong>Joe Graveline And Family</strong><br /><strong>(Brother to Denise)</strong></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">P.S. Lastly, if you would like to link to any of her work, please review the copyright info on the site, so all are clear about acceptable use.</p>Hastingsbiz.co.uk Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10224301340493975623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-902594938971294142017-10-25T05:15:00.000-04:002017-10-25T05:15:01.204-04:00Tell It Better: Using stories to get more out of your negotiations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr1wv5Iu-V3KEZ5SP-z7cUKqraGCfXlojXQkD2oXNaz9XKU2HsgsamDlANeyh9XbourqSxX8NIznILCltiM-53VRGKzbPkbOKaw6i-ZUwJr88V8iX5LPfVjolZTHrSBbZxKMoc/s1600/33584677495_3c96711cbd_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr1wv5Iu-V3KEZ5SP-z7cUKqraGCfXlojXQkD2oXNaz9XKU2HsgsamDlANeyh9XbourqSxX8NIznILCltiM-53VRGKzbPkbOKaw6i-ZUwJr88V8iX5LPfVjolZTHrSBbZxKMoc/s320/33584677495_3c96711cbd_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I've trained a lot of executives in using a conversational or "TED style" in their presentations, which incorporates lots of storytelling skills. But the skeptics among them think that storytelling equals showing off. When it comes to "real" business--like negotiation with a client, customer, or supplier, say--storytelling doesn't belong, they believe. Howard Baker once said, "The most difficult thing in any negotiation, almost, is making sure that you strip it of the emotion and deal with the facts." And that thinking has carried the day for a long time.<br />
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But what if I told you that storytelling can unlock what's on the mind of your negotiation partner?<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In Harvard Business Review's <a href="https://hbr.org/2016/06/the-secret-to-negotiating-is-reading-peoples-faces">The secret to negotiation is reading people's faces</a>, it's acknowledged that many negotiations turn on emotional responses. But, as the author notes, "<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">experienced negotiators know how to mask their true feelings...Or they’re able to convincingly fake an emotion if they think it will help them advance their own interests." She tested micro-expressions--those lasting just 1/25th of a second--and people's ability to read them.</span></span><br />
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The trick is to get your negotiation partner to give up some facial expressions, to give you a clue as to her thinking. And one of the tools the article recommends is storytelling. This is one case when your being talkative is going to help:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Negotiators have an easier time controlling their expressions when they’re talking. So don’t ask too many open questions. Instead describe what you want or share an anecdote about another negotiating partner who shared concerns similar to theirs and watch how they respond as they listen. Their guard will lower a little and you’ll be able to see their honest reactions to what you’re saying — knowledge to guide the rest of the conversation.</blockquote>
You're looking for those little involuntary facial movements when you watch their reactions. Use your storytelling to fish for insights the next time you negotiate.<br />
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<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/148114704@N05/33584677495/in/photolist-TaLfxH-RraB9w-TrTahT-SanEjd-Saqts7-Sd3jiv-SRWf2f-6Y3FKp-QNH434-Tdad4o-Sai3PU-TojZMy-TrSFTV-SEGUd2-jC3Csk-4XVi8T-6EgMrN-4x8NtR-dcwuGX-4biTto-83qooj-dAsX4M-mKLfb2-9i3CGz-TdaiwY-HwpLY-axbrLg-Sd2SkP-r8p5Ud-4fQrFZ-4NmMcd-fbp1uN-4JKe9x-omiDN-obKUK9-UQuPrZ-4YkkW2-8gMXU3-4pxDZ5-TrZbtD-4ua4Z1-f8VmKq-hVWLKx-eitMFk-7gUnxA-6WgzE1-jiAJ4S-jtWS23-TrVFXg-Sd3s38">perzon seo</a>)</i><br />
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<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-42785275917789715442017-10-20T05:15:00.000-04:002017-10-20T05:15:00.363-04:00The weekend read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0PrPLN-WDOyoLuIHQNYlTWsFnCFVejn37Wq4k9R3jrq8hA6u8PRADgH9JeJha8tko8-gV0BMM6VIKD-1xR7o93Px51lohyphenhyphenOOmyk7uJwrCFC0tgqHtpAszvf4YG32l8Ge6IaiY/s1600/7176367881_57bb1b5d7e_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0PrPLN-WDOyoLuIHQNYlTWsFnCFVejn37Wq4k9R3jrq8hA6u8PRADgH9JeJha8tko8-gV0BMM6VIKD-1xR7o93Px51lohyphenhyphenOOmyk7uJwrCFC0tgqHtpAszvf4YG32l8Ge6IaiY/s320/7176367881_57bb1b5d7e_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Let's have a double shot and power through this Friday, shall we communicators? After all, the weekend is just ahead. Savor your shots with my finds of the week, shared via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">@dontgetcaught on Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught on Facebook</a>, and curated here for you. Caffeine FTW...<br />
<ul>
<li><b>The singing barista? </b>Working on being the next James Corden or your own version of carpool karaoke? There's a <a href="http://amzn.to/2sOmrPZ">new dash camera that won't break the bank.</a></li>
<li><b>Fly over the coffee: </b>Facebook wants to get 1 billion people using virtual reality. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-facebooks-oculus-go-santa-cruz-headsets-plan-to-make-vr-mainstream-2017-10">Here's how</a>.</li>
<li><b>More reality than virtual: </b>Veteran newsman Jack Shafer writes persuasively here: <a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/10/12/normalized-trump-journalism-media-215702">I've normalized Trump</a>.</li>
<li><b>Piping hot milestone:</b> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/12/nyregion/uber-taxis-new-york-city.html">Uber has surpassed the yellow cab in New York City.</a></li>
<li><b>You're too young to drink coffee: </b><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/southern-rail-put-a-15-year-old-in-charge-of-its-twitter-and-it-went-surprisingly-well-2017-7?utm_content=buffer75a58&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer&r=UK&IR=T">Britain's most hated rail line put a 15-year-old in charge of its social media</a>. I just love this example, and apparently, teenagers are braver than most professional marketers. Read and learn, old ones...</li>
<li><b>White coffee? Brown? </b>Super-useful <a href="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/marketer-color-theory/">tutorial on color theory</a>, just for marketers. Read before you put any more graphics or slides together, darlings.</li>
<li><b>Everyone wants your coffee: </b><a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2017/10/the-sonder-breakthrough.html">Seeking sonder</a> is a great reminder on a Friday, via Seth Godin.</li>
<li><b>Week in review: </b>On this blog, I shared <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2017/10/al-franken-on-interview-pivot-when-it.html">Al Franken on the interview pivot: When it works, or not.</a></li>
</ul>
<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/brianpdx/7176367881/in/photolist-bW9L9H-nQjpSq-bW9MmR-9vKV3p-athMJ5-k1hAQF-qBxcJa-mDJP1k-dBuxQQ-gF2SSk-UPbX9E-h2yVom-jvVDXq-3inAet-dLXpeW-pkn5Uo-ndCN3r-aBRHHC-jKLC8r-q98UnN-naM4D8-DXpLCD-aWpnjP-TuxNXn-bnZcRd-Fj7gQM-db7sYL-4wDTbn-9xUBm8-6YHqYL-5D9N2G-pYjwFL-URmyx6-dzbX6C-nKKnhk-qfJcSr-dzTUh8-TPwSjv-aBJSkE-mSaqN4-nnF2T2-r5Pb6t-4EaXuw-ak3bTV-dTyJuW-DsmL1E-pTibW6-PvmTe-otHbqV-SPnLXq">brian</a></i>)<br />
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<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-50481431066808772792017-10-13T05:15:00.000-04:002017-10-13T05:15:00.317-04:00The weekend read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCgDCGoBEBXIq1E8S1vmsDeO1BasrDsxQ0d4Nhy0FE8f2V0G_zeQ5501A7GYNJI45Y1xhZ2brvrs_xgIkDgm9dGOBRRLqinLAkltAkX3Tv8DesSJx-BtGRGI1GRqn8nFa7GKI/s1600/32145174363_be2d9a283d_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCgDCGoBEBXIq1E8S1vmsDeO1BasrDsxQ0d4Nhy0FE8f2V0G_zeQ5501A7GYNJI45Y1xhZ2brvrs_xgIkDgm9dGOBRRLqinLAkltAkX3Tv8DesSJx-BtGRGI1GRqn8nFa7GKI/s320/32145174363_be2d9a283d_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Been sawing wood at work this week, communicators? Time to stack it up and light a fire with my finds of the week, shared via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">@dontgetcaught on Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught on Facebook</a>, and curated here for you. What better way to greet the weekend than with a roaring fire?<br />
<ul>
<li><b>The fire doesn't go that far: </b><a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/08/31/smartphones-help-blacks-hispanics-bridge-some-but-not-all-digital-gaps-with-whites/">Smartphones help blacks and Hispanics bridge data gaps with whites</a>...some of them, anyway.</li>
<li><b>Not on fire: </b>The <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/10/the-share-of-women-in-newsrooms-has-increased-barely-1-percentage-point-since-2001-asne-data-shows/">percentage of women in newsrooms</a> is up just 1 percentage point since 2001.</li>
<li><b>Can you binge-watch a fire? </b><a href="https://lifehacker.com/hulu-drops-prices-just-as-netflix-raises-theirs-1819314197">Netflix raised, and Hulu dropped, prices.</a></li>
<li><b>Come sit here by the fire:</b> Pitching a sponsor to get support for a blog post? <a href="https://problogger.com/pitching-a-sponsored-post/">Great tutorial here.</a></li>
<li><b>Throw another log on the fire:</b> With all our technology, and all the recent floods, it's alarming to learn of out-of-date flood maps. Good stuff <a href="http://googlemapsmania.blogspot.com/2017/10/beware-out-of-date-flood-maps.html">here from Google Maps Mania blog</a>.</li>
<li><b><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=russian+for+firewood&oq=russian+for+firewood&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3.8792j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8">дрова</a>: </b>Doesn't matter who they're aiming for. <a href="http://mashable.com/2017/10/09/russia-ads-internet-facebook-google-twitter/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial#r7gW61L4wkqD">All those Russian ads on the Internet are connected.</a></li>
<li><b>No hot air involved: </b>A disaster can be a great time to experiment. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-project-loon-balloons-internet-cell-puerto-rico-2017-10">Google's doing that with high-altitude balloons</a> in order to restore Internet and cellphone service to Puerto Rico.</li>
<li><b>Picture a roaring fire: </b>Anyone can <a href="https://lifehacker.com/now-everyone-can-shoot-and-share-360-pics-on-facebook-1798453100">shoot and share 360 pictures on Facebook</a>.</li>
<li><b>Good news: It's a fire we want:</b> These data on <a href="http://www.journalism.org/2017/09/07/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2017/">news use across social platforms</a> confirm the continued dominance of the 500-pound gorilla, Facebook.</li>
<li><b>Week in review: </b>On this blog, I shared <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2017/10/i-know-what-he-looks-like-in.html">I know what he looks like in a windbreaker: Reforming image after disaster.</a></li>
</ul>
<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nine2ninetysix/32145174363/in/photolist-QYyqqc-Uy9zs2-8ySufC-TSNFT1-JZ48kU-qf2tLc-9AeJaJ-9W1RTd-5E61NN-oZ8g13-RQRSsa-jXq9Hn-pMEbwU-Fjyoyh-2fvtTc-TvnZxJ-5mEtvZ-Sbcga2-6pQ9d3-UDprqX-nz4MKn-jRNoSZ-oH1Qg4-7Cgjqd-8XaCRY-o8mBdr-i8xCPK-Ug2smQ-TkKuxj-BLx1W-ugQyGJ-bUCnBH-dTLhCx-r5yQVE-5L62fg-q8A86a-9AAShQ-e8T6Km-bep5m6-srndK4-5m84Se-SLFXtK-8MuKtt-e8T6FW-poYGRc-TaxFLS-kh3hDe-4HXiMS-cS3Wxf-StnDkH">Harry McGregor</a></i>)<br />
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<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-45364795547575773782017-10-11T04:37:00.000-04:002017-10-11T06:29:36.725-04:00"I know what he looks like in a windbreaker:" Image after disaster<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvrv3NEU31qEyWxayR-T-XfVpEIdp2TQqhmObFJrttq3qR9zMkGHEBOwiHjTdr2oZL5N2OhwJ9DmsGmobvCMsZgTQZDE7mFylIDgqcN5kfirGLZ3_BUEg9RT0kj2kEg48abNL/s1600/a1271-22_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="305" data-original-width="450" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvrv3NEU31qEyWxayR-T-XfVpEIdp2TQqhmObFJrttq3qR9zMkGHEBOwiHjTdr2oZL5N2OhwJ9DmsGmobvCMsZgTQZDE7mFylIDgqcN5kfirGLZ3_BUEg9RT0kj2kEg48abNL/s320/a1271-22_small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I heard a little death knell in coverage of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/06/arts/music/lin-manuel-miranda-puerto-rico-relief-song.html">Lin-Manuel Miranda's effort to raise funds for Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurrican Maria</a>, or what sounded like it. It may be that we've moved past, as a nation, the carefully sculpted image of the public executive in the wake of a disaster. From the New York Times:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Mr. Miranda was too busy completing the track to engage with Mr. Trump’s visit to the island on Tuesday. “If he’s announcing that he’s going to do an unprecedented push for aid, great,” he said. “Short of that I don’t need to watch. I know what he looks like in a windbreaker.”</blockquote>
The windbreaker is a shorthand reference to a phenomenon that's only been around since 1965, according to the <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/whistlestop/2017/10/president_lyndon_johnson_responded_to_hurricane_betsy_and_began_a_new_tradition.html">Responder in Chief episode of John Dickerson's Whistlestop podcast</a>. It's a great look at how the idea of the U.S. president as "action hero" evolved, starting with Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1965 after Hurricane Betsy hit New Orleans, pictured above. Johnson blurted out a promise of assistance, the locals were very greatful, and the congressional delegation from the area had another chit called in--because that's what prompted this visit, an unwitting model. Before this, there were none of the high-profile visits to which we have become accustomed.<br />
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You'll note that LBJ is in an ordinary suit, but this was not to last. Over the past 40+ years, advisers have advised their public executives to make appearances in disasters dressed for the occasion: windbreaker, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/11/03/brown.fema.emails/">rolled-up sleeves</a>, caps, appropriate shoes. I've certainly done it, and it makes sense that the responder-in-chief, be it a state official or U.S. President, dress appropriately.<br />
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The entire form seems to have <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/JumpingTheShark">jumped the shark</a> this week, or at least turned a corner, with the U.S. President releasing a video supercut of highlights of his visit to Puerto Rico, and, apparently not happy with the response to his action-hero effort, this tweet:<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Nobody could have done what I’ve done for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PuertoRico?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PuertoRico</a> with so little appreciation. So much work! <a href="https://t.co/k2jAkIpfjI">pic.twitter.com/k2jAkIpfjI</a></div>
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/917172144710103040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
I like the context provided by Dickerson's podcast, which walks you right through how we got here today, and how different our expectations of public officials were once upon a time...as well as how important it has always been to the forgotten people on the ground that there be some level of response. Especially interesting is how the phenomenon was fueled by television optics over the years.<br />
<br />
That visual aspect of post-disaster PR could next involve VR, virtual reality. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg highlighted that in a tech demo, <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2017/10/10/zuckerberg-facebook-spaces-vr-puerto-rico/">using VR to "visit" Puerto Rico post-hurricane</a>. But he was <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2017/10/10/mark-zuckerberg-apologizes-for-insensitive-vr-tour-of-puerto-ric/">widely criticized for insensitivity</a> in doing so, and had to apologize. Perhaps the incident confirms that the public prefers "boots on the ground" approaches still, even from non-public-officials.<br />
<br />
No matter what technology is involved, without a substantive response behind all that window- and action hero-dressing, you can expect responses like Miranda's. Applying a windbreaker does not an action hero make. So before you stock your CEO's office closet with outdoor gear, work on the substance of your response--and your statements--first. Otherwise, you're just a windbreaker.<br />
<i><br /></i><i>(<a href="http://www.lbjlibrary.net/collections/photo-archive.html">LBJ Library photo</a> of President Lyndon B. Johnson, Cong. Hale Boggs, and Sen. Russell Long surveying damage to New Orleans by Hurricane Betsy, 1965. Photo A1271-22 by Yoichi Okamoto)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-84605244579366757372017-10-06T05:15:00.000-04:002017-10-06T05:15:00.176-04:00The weekend read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TKhH1g5G7Jc2OTf_3NKcOcLX6O2KWzo9SM0prtzyYhsu0EjFOXb1DuTDBU_g646z1ppqUu7tzQfHbEayjkeICCRtGytLSSYU9YFgUaZ-wfnO_ZozCYzMHGgBAn37ldsTdSVb/s1600/13275406174_e3d52b82d0_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TKhH1g5G7Jc2OTf_3NKcOcLX6O2KWzo9SM0prtzyYhsu0EjFOXb1DuTDBU_g646z1ppqUu7tzQfHbEayjkeICCRtGytLSSYU9YFgUaZ-wfnO_ZozCYzMHGgBAn37ldsTdSVb/s320/13275406174_e3d52b82d0_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Turn down the heat on the week that was, communicators, and start prepping for the weekend. You can start with my finds of the week, shared via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">@dontgetcaught on Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught on Facebook</a>, and curated here for you. Stir, simmer, and boil your way into the weekend:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>No more knife cuts:</b> Google's going to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-stop-first-click-free-wont-punish-news-paywalls-2017-10">stop punishing paywall sites in its search engine results</a>, and is issuing <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/business/media/google-subscriptions-publishers.html">tools to help publishers get subscriptions</a>.</li>
<li><b>'Gram crackers: </b>The Culinary Institute of America will <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/dining/food-photography-culinary-schools-instagram.html">add food photography to chefs' training</a>.</li>
<li><b>Recipe book: </b><a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/10/work-in-a-digital-innovation-role-in-local-news-or-trying-to-transform-your-newsroom-use-this-new-trove-of-free-resources-for-publishers/">Better News is a new collection of free resources for publishers</a> trying to find their way in the mobile and digital space. Don't know whether to launch that podcast or how to change up your article formats? These guides are a place to start. </li>
<li><b>I've had this dish before: </b>The U.S. president seems to have plagiarized quite a bit of a speech from the movie Legally Blonde--<a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNH-jrZ2svj2TBOb9RI8BGD_2IJ9MQ&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&ei=vpTSWejWOZiAhwGuxp3IDw&url=http://www.closerweekly.com/posts/donald-trump-legally-blonde-speech-reese-witherspoon-143202">Elle Woods's commencement speech</a>.</li>
<li><b>Butter and salt, please: </b><a href="https://food52.com/blog/20616-rising-sales-of-popcorn-third-wave-of-popularity">Popcorn sales</a> are something else you can chalk up to Netflix and binge-watching.</li>
<li><b>Who messed up my kitchen? </b><a href="https://whatever.scalzi.com/2017/10/02/2017-word-counts-and-writing-process/">John Scalzi has some wisdom on how the Trump era's screwing up your creative process</a> and what you need to do about that: "In effect, I have to learn how to change my swing in order to work effectively in this chaotic new environment." I like <a href="https://www.themarysue.com/john-scalzi-writing/">how The Mary Sue analyzed his smart piece.</a></li>
<li><b>Picture this dish: </b><a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/in-the-age-of-instagram-murals-take-on-new-meaning">A mural might make a difference to your social media strategy</a> in the age of Instagram.</li>
<li><b>It makes the dough rise:</b> Here's a look at <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/300816">why crowdfunding is so successful for startup growth</a>. The World Bank says "global investment in crowdfunding will hit $93 billion by 2025." </li>
<li><b>Don't like the menu? </b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/business/reddit-limits-noxious-content-by-giving-trolls-fewer-places-to-gather.html">Reddit's limiting trolling</a> by reducing their options to gather.</li>
<li><b>A riskier recipe: </b>Advertisers used to shy from social issues and controversy. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/01/business/media/advertising-week-politics.html">That's changing.</a></li>
<li><b>Week in review: </b>On this blog, I shared another post in my <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/search/label/Tell%20it%20better%20series">Tell It Better storytelling series</a>: <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2017/10/tell-it-better-what-if-you-only-have.html">What if you only have six seconds to tell that story?</a></li>
</ul>
<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/kurmanphotos/13275406174/in/photolist-me6VKm-fK8Z7T-SKY1eZ-SXht6B-688NpQ-SnqHSy-STH4dw-5zhinw-adoKXk-4BNjgq-pyfTeP-267cop-TiKXmj-cnzt7W-pQ9AFF-SHwYCq-rcqLXN-boRVys-SKYdbp-dqPsaj-rjscGC-SEkSXh-wrspox-5ABxCh-7GQgbj-inMvyT-6nP8Vv-JxswB-cMpRMG-22jS3k-aMeoQ-SHxdkq-b5nSyv-dotbm-boRV9W-5NWyuv-ciQ5VC-5NWwSi-RHmpBV-bjagRD-hjETx-qKvrL3-isF4KZ-j43DLj-djhDnj-cn2wxA-f5HbRU-SnqN1U-8VY5cH-fgoiFg">Kurman Communications</a></i>)<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-72402926057818413162017-10-04T04:27:00.000-04:002017-10-04T04:27:14.126-04:00Tell it better: What if you only have six seconds for that story?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxXm7E2haZJdjqn37cBZMyNxw2ZzzXL3ztEppBGPSTRRvyPwZcGqmjt90AEt5oQkdR8n0E4Il97AJ0ZmVed_UgX_lJGRhOCmG0Khsx0rsV2KWcnUKDlrwhfX5eA2ZXwG5EWFK/s1600/3642425935_cfec6feca7_q.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="150" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxXm7E2haZJdjqn37cBZMyNxw2ZzzXL3ztEppBGPSTRRvyPwZcGqmjt90AEt5oQkdR8n0E4Il97AJ0ZmVed_UgX_lJGRhOCmG0Khsx0rsV2KWcnUKDlrwhfX5eA2ZXwG5EWFK/s200/3642425935_cfec6feca7_q.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I'm always telling the speakers I coach to slow down--ask anybody backstage at TEDMED, or quiz my coaching clients. But a recent disclosure over the summer may have many storytellers thinking they need to speed up.<br />
<br />
At the Cannes Lions advertising festival back in June, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/25/business/media/at-cannes-the-great-gusher-of-content-comes-with-warning-signs.html?ref=todayspaper">New York Times reporter Jim Rutenberg came away with an insight to make any storyteller pause</a>: You really only have six seconds to tell your story. Here's how he described it:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A clarifying moment for me came Tuesday when Fox’s president of ad revenue,
Joe Marchese, joined YouTube executives at Google’s popup beach club here to
announce that Fox would heed YouTube’s call to reduce the length of commercials to
six seconds from the standard 30. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“What’s really scarce is attention,” and people are being more selective with it,
the YouTube managing director Debbie Weinstein told reporters. Six seconds, her
colleague Tara Walpert Levy said, was “just short enough and yet long enough” to
get a story told.</blockquote>
Advertising often plays the role of bellwether for storytelling, since--as Rutenberg notes--advertisers are quick to stop paying for ads if they feel no one's watching them. And that's what is happening with the 30-second variety.<br />
<br />
Before storytellers yelp too much, we've been moving in this direction for some time. Back in 2011, <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2011/01/but-theres-more-i-had-to-say-soundbite.html">the "modern" soundbite in media interviews shrank to nine seconds</a>, and on The Eloquent Woman blog, I recently wrote about <a href="http://eloquentwoman.blogspot.com/2017/03/trends-in-shorter-talks-from-ted-talks.html">trends in shorter talks</a>, starting with two-minute talks at TEDMED, the popularity of the five-minute talk, and TED's consideration of a shorter-than-18-minute top limit. Those short limits to attention also are why TED talks "jump right in" to the story at the start--why waste time? Limiting the number of words in a story severely--say, to six words--has been a longtime, if small, trend, <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2014/02/what-hemingway-wrought-word-limited.html">inspired by Ernest Hemingway.</a> And if you use my rule of thumb of 120 words per minute, six seconds yields 12 words, a veritable bonanza.<br />
<br />
You don't have to wonder what that six-second story looks like. YouTube challenged advertisers earlier this year to <a href="https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/youtube-bumper-ads-six-second-storytelling/">make some six-second ads, and the results are here</a>, along with the producers' tips.<br />
<br />
You may not be making ads, but that shorter attention span--and the selectivity of your audience in how they spend it--is worth *your* attention, communicators. How are you asking your audiences to spend that precious commodity?<br />
<br />
<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/rsdio/3642425935/in/photolist-6xSoka-6xQPdi-62n3eY-81m4L5-5Z6Arf-62hNF6-Efo8P-6WaWeq-7cSrgy-h4vYQc-qDkDsE-ihux5T-496LU-mFUttz-f86ro1-CTvd9-quT3C8-99eAKF-6Z8ZSB-LU6ZM-6cyvEr-8esu9R-bopgYj-6ZpvD-UXWpBv-4nSYYn-UXWorV-iLxovd-wmwLoT-i9NnnB-8HmCDA-fJVySg-oWRqrL-75m8Sb-cizMFU-r55uzA-gmD3Ge-csysU5-5FnsNq-cX8f9y-3w2hL-64euRJ-4V92Su-6g4eby-eh7TYt-3ERSv4-bRnUkx-kUgTuz-ENp4TM-iyQpBa">Casey Marshall</a>)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-5018754943045215772017-09-29T05:15:00.000-04:002017-09-29T05:15:00.148-04:00The weekend read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_6AhxtiJtK7jp1LxlV4hw00yRTnpjSFp556Qq4DeMF0DTnc03a1DnqVRvMJ_cWGwioviKv_YcwHLk-eGcThS9KAXby8Y3D3VWRfyXvraFCUYJtpTQtv2pmzo0wbYUsqjf_WXT/s1600/16366774119_853cbbd676_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_6AhxtiJtK7jp1LxlV4hw00yRTnpjSFp556Qq4DeMF0DTnc03a1DnqVRvMJ_cWGwioviKv_YcwHLk-eGcThS9KAXby8Y3D3VWRfyXvraFCUYJtpTQtv2pmzo0wbYUsqjf_WXT/s320/16366774119_853cbbd676_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
You're the apple of my eye, communicators. Time to take a bite out of my finds of the week, shared via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">@dontgetcaught on Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught on Facebook</a>, and curated here for you. Welcome to the weekend:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Bobbing for apples? </b>You can now <a href="http://mashable.com/2017/09/19/ebooks-google-search-libraries-reading/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial">use Google to search for ebooks in your local public library's collection.</a></li>
<li><b>Another part of the food chain: </b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/us/politics/obamacare-repeal-susan-collins-dead.html?action=Click&contentCollection=BreakingNews&contentID=65874052&pgtype=Homepage">"Fried chicken shops are now the most important tool in demographics." </a>How often do you see that? Only on Maps Mania blog, with a serious piece on mapping class divides via the food chain.</li>
<li><b>An orchard full: </b><a href="http://mashable.com/2017/09/25/instagram-800-million/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial">Instagram now has 800 million monthly active users</a>, which is bad news for Snapchat.</li>
<li><b>Turn left at the orchard: </b>Self-driving cars, and their ability to let you use screens more while driving, could spell trouble for public radio. <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/09/self-driving-cars-are-coming-faster-than-you-think-what-will-that-mean-for-public-radio/">Find out how they're planning ahead</a>.</li>
<li><b>The apple(s) of your eye: </b>Most advertisers just repurpose teevee ads for YouTube, but the service thinks they can do better, rolling out a new tool to create unlimited targeted ads: "<a href="http://director%20mix%20is%20built%20to%20let%20a%20marketer%20upload%20multiple%20ad%20building%20blocks%2C%20like%20different%20cuts%20of%20commercial%20video%20footage%2C%20voiceovers%2C%20and%20copy%20variations%20%E2%80%93%20and%20the%20tool%20will%20automatically%20create%20thousands%20of%20ads/">Director Mix</a> is built to let a marketer upload multiple ad building blocks, like different cuts of commercial video footage, voiceovers, and copy variations – and the tool will automatically create thousands of ads."</li>
<li><b>Rotten apple:</b> Twitter is rolling out the ability to make <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/technology/twitter-280-characters.html?_r=0">tweets 280 characters instead of 140.</a></li>
<li><b>Ripe for the picking: </b>Great <a href="http://www.journalism.org/fact-sheet/local-tv-news/">resource from Pew here on local TV news</a>, loaded with data.</li>
<li><b>Week in review: </b>On this blog, I asked <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2017/09/does-your-communications-office-need.html">Does your communications office need a hackathon?</a></li>
</ul>
<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/santea/16366774119/in/photolist-qWgZJF-ewhZMs-d43gFE-s38QvJ-7dtMFy-Sjms63-9cYfci-5ddh2J-o8w33i-8ayboc-deTPkW-bsQea-SsiERh-9XzRzZ-vyNgv4-e4hYSw-8Azunf-4tNR3b-nrkDs-oQrreE-USZ8xk-6uFg4y-7oxNeB-qFSiN6-8HMU3G-6yPust-qC1Tqa-S8emsD-UtpfHA-diudRd-99MHtC-UcSne7-rwvEPS-oDnb8J-6vscdW-bp4xvY-Un45HE-iFrV6q-hzCbpo-cVW2P1-5bQukT-p2HwxZ-qJjF4-gr3UEE-4hNzuu-aoNV7Z-84idKL-G5ih5c-6ALaGA-6M9WPf">Alexander Lyubavin</a></i>)<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-1403704259557985442017-09-27T04:04:00.000-04:002017-09-27T04:04:52.310-04:00Does your communications office need a hackathon?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1iBeYxItKLBqW7EI3P2VxWUaEwcFR4w3TQD3i3LKt8EvNWa9Y1Aeh5VV5o2TAaEOwt3UO2aKDBI-Twq09otGgnrsrHhHyCiU246oCw8FYPzlkNqQyu6t8_pppdnrFy-z37-5/s1600/1393811350_2280cecf0e_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="640" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1iBeYxItKLBqW7EI3P2VxWUaEwcFR4w3TQD3i3LKt8EvNWa9Y1Aeh5VV5o2TAaEOwt3UO2aKDBI-Twq09otGgnrsrHhHyCiU246oCw8FYPzlkNqQyu6t8_pppdnrFy-z37-5/s320/1393811350_2280cecf0e_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Hackathons are legendary in the tech world. Starting out as all-night code marathons, they've evolved into multi-day events or gotten more focused as department-wide, rather than company-wide, efforts. And I think communications and public affairs offices should strongly consider their own versions of a hackathon on a regular basis.<br />
<br />
You'll find background on <a href="http://he%20best%20hackathon%20projects%20come%20about%20when%20someone%20in%20the%20company%20identifies%20a%20problem%2C%20and%20recruits%20others%20to%20work%20on%20it%20with%20them./">how the hackathon has evolved at Facebook in this article</a>, but the main idea is expressed in this quote from the article: "The best hackathon projects come about when someone in the company identifies a problem, and recruits others to work on it with them."<br />
<br />
For a busy comms shop, it seems to me the best hackathon ideas will let your team tackle problems that have been like sand in your shoe all year, the ones no one seems to have time to address. You can come up with pilot projects to test out ideas short-term and measure their effectiveness, even use the hackathon as a pivot point, a marker where you change your policies or practices in large or small. And no, it doesn't need to be an all-nighter. But a couple of days devoted to considering new options and problem-solving projects could advance your communications in a way nothing else can.<br />
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Planning a communications hackathon also means your team can create a wish list throughout the year and earmark problems to be addressed then. Remember, the best hackathon projects stem from passion, so let your team show what it's passionate about in the projects that get chosen. This is more hands-on than a staff retreat, but it's a great team-building opportunity--and I'd add a session for each person or team to share their hacked project with the full team, for bragging rights, and to seed even more ideas.<br />
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<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/andreweland/1393811350/in/photolist-38aDyb-38aD2Y-qxcwT-LEqKea-3863Zi-bjHbxZ-dsbUem-dsbLai-dsbPhN-dsbHs4-dsbK5B-dsbNaL-dsbDHk-dsbEQV-g4WzLh-gLC1qE-g4Wvk3-g4WtLa-g4WvAn-g4WvkH-g4Wrbv-dsbUm1-eeShQ1-dsbFxM-dsbNSY-dsbFUt-g4WwA9-g4Wzn1-g4Wywm-g4X6Gg-g4Wrwk-g4WrEg-dsbJB6-eeLLD4-dsbMLy-g4WEv5-g4WzQ3-dsbJc6-SgKybG-dsbR4C-eeLnLM-g4WuRs-eeSv85-g4XaAP-g4Wriz-ea798n-9wVMrV-g4WB7o-gRbCY8-g4WwMv">Andrew Eland</a>)</i><br />
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<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-34111984678352835972017-09-22T05:16:00.000-04:002017-09-22T05:16:00.166-04:00The weekend read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUTewSZdJBETQG_ZmW-nmcX9bDAtGr6H21oCRU837EKHiFv9uK16MismpPnjpxlYMZ9BD4PALVTTWatVr13ELOrpdWeMRgxegPZu7LFw8twe9cDzDr06aY7kRXEKdE1bzhURp/s1600/4062088787_005e512e12_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUTewSZdJBETQG_ZmW-nmcX9bDAtGr6H21oCRU837EKHiFv9uK16MismpPnjpxlYMZ9BD4PALVTTWatVr13ELOrpdWeMRgxegPZu7LFw8twe9cDzDr06aY7kRXEKdE1bzhURp/s320/4062088787_005e512e12_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Next time you ride into Washington, DC, learn this bit of local lore we like to share with tourists: We have lots of statues of generals on horseback, mostly of Civil War generals, mostly Union generals (by the by). Nearly all of them face toward the White House, no matter where they are in the city. So no matter who's in power, it can be said that if you're looking at a horse's ass, you're looking at the White House. Better ride on to my finds of the week, shared via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">@dontgetcaught on Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught on Facebook</a>, and curated here for you. Giddyup, weekend:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Let's count the statues: </b>Save and share this big report on what Google has learned about data journalism, a trove of info. <a href="https://www.blog.google/topics/journalism-news/data-journalism-2017/">Summary is here</a>, and <a href="https://newslab.withgoogle.com/assets/docs/data-journalism-in-2017.pdf">the full report is here</a>.</li>
<li><b>While you're in town to protest, lunch here: </b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/food/wp/2017/06/01/more-restaurants-are-lining-up-behind-social-and-political-causes-and-its-paying-off/">More restaurants are aligning with social and political causes</a>, and it pays off for them. Heads up, nonprofit communicators.</li>
<li><b>No pony in here:</b> If you've envied special services for publishers on Facebook, and their revenues, don't. <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/09/are-publishers-making-money-on-facebook-not-really-a-new-report-finds/">A new report suggests they aren't making money.</a></li>
<li><b>All the king's horses, all at once:</b> You've wondered: Here are all the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/reasons-why-americans-binge-watch-tv-shows-chart-2017-9">reasons Americans state for binge-watching streaming teevee.</a></li>
<li><b>Print the map of the statues: </b>If you're a web designer, business owner, or hire a printer at any point, this book--still in Kickstarter stage--on <a href="http://www.swiss-miss.com/2017/09/how-to-design-for-print-work-with-printers-control-costs.html">how to design for print, work with printers, and control costs</a> is for you.</li>
<li><b>That statue joke works no matter who's in office:</b> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/business/media/insurance-ads-humor.html">Humor in insurance ads</a>? It's a verifiable trend, but requires creatives to really walk a fine line. Some useful lessons here.</li>
<li><b>At least statues don't talk: </b>Once you turn on audio for a video on <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2017/09/17/instagram-autoplays-video-sound-once-turned-on/">Instagram, it will auto-play audio for all videos</a>. Fair warning. And in podcasting audio, here are some useful insights on <a href="https://problogger.com/podcast/creating-a-successful-podcast/">creating a successful podcast.</a></li>
<li><b>I recognize that statue:</b> <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/theres-no-hiding-from-facial-recognition-technologycharts-2017-9">Biometrics like face recognition are coming to your smartphone</a>, no matter what you say.</li>
<li><b>Maybe horseback riding:</b> A <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/generation-z-sex-alcohol-driving-study-2017-9">40-year study comparing teenager habits from 1976 to 2016</a> shows that today's teens were "found to be less likely to drive, work for pay, go on dates, have sex, or go out without their parents."</li>
<li><b>More than a statue: </b>Google appears to be phasing in <a href="http://mashable.com/2017/09/15/google-maps-video-local-guides/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial">video of your destination on Google Maps</a>, opening up a whole new avenue, so to speak, in online video options.</li>
<li><b>If you're looking...</b>This newspaper totted up all the <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2017/07/19/six-months-of-spelling-mistakes-from-the-trump-white-house-analysis.html">spelling mistakes from six months of the Trump White House</a> and explains why it matters.</li>
<li><b>Rear view: </b>If you're presenting globally, weed out all these <a href="https://www.grammarly.com/blog/sports-words/">sports terms only Americans use.</a></li>
<li><b>Week in review: </b>On this blog, I shared <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2017/09/public-trust-rumor-fighting-and-fake.html">Public trust, rumor-fighting, and fake news: What comms pros can do</a>. It's a meaty post, with lots of new research and tactics you can use.</li>
</ul>
<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/31246066@N04/4062088787/in/photolist-7bXgtz-U3q4na-QWwxKP-S7z1Pj-S85NL5-5xEPEA-aCqmet-5snqqi-QPvem9-kXF4Gn-pYoxsC-aF7zNJ-5ymB55-UgGn1L-5WouUv-5yH7Fa-aSmZj2-5vNM7G-pELHEN-RASN2y-oPk92E-5vNydU-RABqde-5vJnPt-daKsbm-RgHyMQ-aAkPmM-5Er6t7-aCc94E-gTD1Cj-5Ef4wN-5xqThE-dZBmt3-PWhfP9-5Ay43J-g91LiY-ULs9g7-5trtPS-pb3pJe-5vNLrh-Sje1ZX-749nn7-pg9dYL-MFSDnL-5vKiqD-Ueukjs-5vMGnC-91K2Z7-QVwsDJ-SPiBy4">Ian Sane</a>, not of a statue in Washington.</i>)<br />
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<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-78470680234383437262017-09-20T05:15:00.000-04:002017-09-20T05:15:06.007-04:00Public trust, rumor-fighting, and fake news: What comms pros can do<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcSkwPsnlPIL09tZQKykMHuPj96FTuq_s4fNmAcM2fqf-KTkTuAmsVtJheev8oUHrMU02LBm89VdJEPMC0JqD1iZcUzJBf-0jt2wCrQIjw70CjEDO-Ia4Zy2Vcd9DeZlKgmz8K/s1600/19221748_1548720128485266_7725683685936033131_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1143" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcSkwPsnlPIL09tZQKykMHuPj96FTuq_s4fNmAcM2fqf-KTkTuAmsVtJheev8oUHrMU02LBm89VdJEPMC0JqD1iZcUzJBf-0jt2wCrQIjw70CjEDO-Ia4Zy2Vcd9DeZlKgmz8K/s320/19221748_1548720128485266_7725683685936033131_o.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
In a world where the President of the United States keeps contradicting or changing his facts, and declaring others' facts as "fake news" when he disagrees with them, communications pros have their work cut out for them. Social media fans the flames of this particular communications dumpster fire: Opposing sides swing into action, spreading rumors. There are honest, or not-so-honest mistakes, and then there's <a href="http://money.cnn.com/interactive/media/the-macedonia-story/">the fake news industrial complex at work</a>. Rumors get sticky and persistent and won't go away. They move faster than you do, as Winston Churchill noted long ago, when he said, "A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."<br />
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But those are just the symptoms. Most important is the underlying condition: Those public audiences with whom you are trying to build trust and credibility are questioning everyone and everything, or just checking out.<br />
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The Pew Research Center has <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/09/11/how-people-approach-facts-and-information/">new data out on how people approach facts and info</a>, in a treasure trove of a report--it is extensive, takes the time to delineate different types of public audiences, and then breaks down how they approach, view, and handle information from a variety of sources and institutions. This is a must-read for the smart communications pro, something for your team to absorb and study, and perhaps share with your internal and external clients to educate them, as well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjKpJ0DYAere-gG7Pvf8Te3CfoOTZnRm0G0G-8YNYoAFw97DcN1t1W9ypl0yIyZYQId2AwYAbUbsAnYumgpNzYEJKOfrmHMCGPiBSKEWartwz0DGbmhoORtLjRQ6XkiWXd0lD/s1600/PI_2017.09.11_FactsAndInfo_1-02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="420" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjKpJ0DYAere-gG7Pvf8Te3CfoOTZnRm0G0G-8YNYoAFw97DcN1t1W9ypl0yIyZYQId2AwYAbUbsAnYumgpNzYEJKOfrmHMCGPiBSKEWartwz0DGbmhoORtLjRQ6XkiWXd0lD/s320/PI_2017.09.11_FactsAndInfo_1-02.png" width="314" /></a>Unfortunately, it's also a demonstration of Americans' distrust of information from a variety of sources. It's great news for libraries and health providers, which top the list--although with just about 40 percent each of the survey respondents, so not an overwhelming majority. Fully 30 percent of respondents said they don't trust any source "a lot." Social media? Right at the bottom, even though other surveys--including some from Pew--continue to show that we consult social media for news more than other sources. Everyone else: You've got some work to do to earn the public trust. This is not a non-issue for you and your communications strategy.<br />
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Social media sites are not unaware of the problem. Facebook, among others, has started initiatives to sort out fake vs. real news, collaborating with Snopes.com and the Associated Press. One part of the initiative is to add a "disputed" tag to spurious reports on Facebook. But nothing's perfect. A new study of the disputed tags suggest limited effectiveness, and even a backfire effect with two particular demographics. From Politico's coverage:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3035384">The study</a>, reported for the first time by POLITICO, found that tagging false news stories as “disputed by third party fact-checkers” has only a small impact on whether readers perceive their headlines as true. Overall, the existence of “disputed” tags made participants just 3.7 percentage points more likely to correctly judge headlines as false, the study said. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The researchers also found that, for some groups—particularly, Trump supporters and adults under 26—flagging bogus stories could actually end up increasing the likelihood that users will believe fake news.</blockquote>
NiemanLab's <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/08/when-it-comes-to-the-academic-study-of-fake-news-bullshit-receptivity-is-a-thing/">coverage</a> notes <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/08/when-it-comes-to-the-academic-study-of-fake-news-bullshit-receptivity-is-a-thing/">another useful study</a> from the same authors that looks at the cognitive psychological profiles of people with what they call high "bullshit receptivity" to fake news. You just can't educate yourself enough about your audiences and how they approach and handle news, and trust.<br />
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One way to learn is to watch what journalists do, living as they do in the land of fact-checking--then review your own comms shop's procedures for fact-checking (you do have some, don't you?) to be sure they are on point for today. <a href="http://the1a.org/shows/2017-09-13/facts-and-friction">A useful discussion on NPR's 1A called "Facts and Friction"</a> recently brought together fact-checking experts from the Washington Post, The Atlantic, Snopes.com, and a media literacy association to discuss the finer points. You'll find out why the Post does not generally use the word "lie" when someone makes a false statement, among other gems. There's audio and a transcript, as well as links to related coverage, at the link, so pass it around the office.<br />
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Rumors are another variant. Call them homegrown fake news: With all the big news events happening recently, particularly the hurricanes and floods--two destabilizing events that cut off information flows and boost rumors--rumors are rife in the absence of other info, and word of mouth re-proves just how efficient it can be, with or without social media.<br />
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Pro communicators can find some good examples of efforts by official institutions to tamp down rumors and refute them. I've found two good examples. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has set up a <a href="http://lifehacker.com/fact-check-hurricane-rumors-on-femas-website-1803065872">"rumor control" portion of its website to refute hurricane-related rumors</a> for all the storms in play right now. The Miami Airport's doing something similar, <a href="http://mashable.com/2017/09/10/miami-airport-hurricane-irma-twitter/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial">but on Twitter.</a><br />
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Dispelling myths and rumors, we already know, requires more than setting up a website these days. If you are following this model, you need to publicize, publicize, publicize. It's a great opportunity to pitch stories to relevant reporters about the myths and rumors you are hearing, and the facts. You can clearly amplify the resource on social media, in speeches, and in media interviews. And you may need to do this over a long period of time, just for the record. Remember, the more you blog and post about your rumor-fighting site, the higher it gets in the search engines. And if you couch the rumors as questions, so much the better: That's search-engine gold, as you know.<br />
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The New York Times also shared<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/18/business/media/fight-fake-news.html"> tactics for combating fake news that emerged from a meta-analysis of thousands of psychological studies</a>, so frame your responses using these evidence-based approaches. As the headline notes, it ain't easy to do.<br />
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There are plenty of sites, and we've covered some, that have already established ongoing myth-busting or rumor busting in their particular areas--like <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2015/08/abraham-lincoln-and-mark-twain-called.html">inaccurate quotes attributed to great people in history.</a> We may be entering a time when every institution looking to maintain a public trust will need such a permanent section on its website, and in its promotional rotation on social media. If you have good examples to share, I'm happy to round them up. Share on the social sites below or email me at eloquentwoman AT gmail.<br />
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(<a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/09/11/the-elements-of-the-information-engagement-typology/">Pew Research Center chart</a> from the report)</div>
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<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i></div>
eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-40553764140968760032017-09-15T05:15:00.000-04:002017-09-15T05:15:00.161-04:00The weekend read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1xJbTtgsxqdzANpIzXyA-2wNJ8WPy6Wog9ydaJZAxHVcV6RPuUhd7mBQpfSgCFduqdeRdUaMuMmU5kUoLUQy3QX__rF6IUOq-sdSEefLpNLjL2yQ5J2w28cq2fJ4jvcPqytZ/s1600/2189444805_2637eb704e_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1xJbTtgsxqdzANpIzXyA-2wNJ8WPy6Wog9ydaJZAxHVcV6RPuUhd7mBQpfSgCFduqdeRdUaMuMmU5kUoLUQy3QX__rF6IUOq-sdSEefLpNLjL2yQ5J2w28cq2fJ4jvcPqytZ/s320/2189444805_2637eb704e_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
No erasers for these chalk marks--just my finds of the week, shared via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">@dontgetcaught on Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught on Facebook</a>, and curated here for you. Chalk the week up to a job well done, and read on:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Chalky: </b>If you're pitching the Wall Street Journal, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/sep/10/the-wall-street-journals-trump-problem?CMP=fb_gu">this article about its "Trump problem" is a must-read.</a></li>
<li><b>Like chalk and cheese: </b>It's not just young men: Pew has new data on the <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/09/11/younger-men-play-video-games-but-so-do-a-diverse-group-of-other-americans/">diverse groups playing video games.</a></li>
<li><b>Secret chalk message: </b>News org Honolulu Civil Beat is <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/09/honolulu-civil-beat-wants-to-use-its-bot-to-deepen-ties-with-readers-and-find-some-new-stories-too/">using Facebook Messenger to talk to readers--and get their tips</a>. Useful example here.</li>
<li><b>Fake chalk:</b> For language nerds, speechwriters, and those who focus on public speaking and message framing: <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2017/09/14/550689593/what-should-we-make-of-trump-s-speech-patterns-and-our-responses-to-them">What should we make of Trump's speech patterns and our reactions to them?</a></li>
<li><b>A soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock:</b> <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/npr-extra/2017/09/07/549124200/andrea-kissack-named-npr-chief-science-editor">Andrea Kissack is the new NPR chief science editor,</a> taking over from the legendary Anne Gudenkauf. In other personnel news, <a href="http://theslot.jezebel.com/hope-hicks-is-now-the-official-tight-lipped-white-house-1803782720">Hope Hicks is now officially the White House communications director</a>. She is the fourth incumbent in that job since January.</li>
<li><b>Watch my chalk dust: </b>Twitter is testing an alarming feature that <a href="http://mashable.com/2017/09/11/twitter-tweetstorm-function/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial">"lets users publish a string of tweets all in one go,"</a> making tweetstorms and rants easier. Please don't tell the guy at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.</li>
<li><b>The local sidewalk artist:</b> Folks are <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/09/people-are-watching-a-lot-less-tv-news-especially-local-tv-as-they-get-more-news-online/">watching a lot less teevee news, especially local teevee news</a>.</li>
<li><b>More elaborate chalk work: </b><a href="http://mashable.com/2017/09/08/google-mobile-search-tabs/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial">Mobile search results on Google are getting tabs</a> to show more info on movies, books, TV, and stocks.</li>
<li><b>Chalk paint: </b>Jeff Bezos has ordered a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-wants-amazon-to-get-its-own-game-of-thrones-2017-9">big strategy shift for Amazon's original TV offerings</a>, with Game of Thrones firmly in mind...and of course, he has the budget to do it. Not to be outdone, <a href="http://mashable.com/2017/09/08/facebook-1-billion-dollars-video/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial">Facebook is dropping $1 billion on original video content.</a></li>
<li><b>Out on the sidewalk:</b> A good look at <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/10/business/media/hurricane-irma-broadcasts-safety.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0">why reporters stand out in dangerous conditions for live reporting during hurricanes and storms</a>. The gem here: Like so much else in live TV reporting, Dan Rather was first to do this.</li>
<li><b>Week in review: </b>On this blog, I shared <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2017/09/do-pro-communicators-plagiarize-guide.html">Do pro communicators plagiarize? A guide to changing course.</a></li>
</ul>
<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stupidmommy/2189444805/in/photolist-TeDS9R-dzSemg-dzXG4s-4Q8N1i-4PouSg-bw4yDf-f3h4hS-673nXn-CLZ93-4Nmjzj-7vz9jH-9yFuus-aAN8qe-88biBa-9Ruc5A-bnsNn4-7vD3No-63yF8-bAToaV-5B8eEa-fQFMP-DTu4B-6ozmf-4Nh73a-87pQ1p-e2MNRK-5GPASc-dudubr-98vCHF-87tFbw-8RJrX1-4kttEn-7y78iR-FMUBk-2Yws9B-qBKM8-9FQDmm-tVFB2y-9pyWUe">stupidmommy</a></i>)<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-11632995096655573642017-09-13T05:15:00.002-04:002017-09-13T05:15:04.037-04:00Do pro communicators plagiarize? A guide to changing course<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0YJoxjnS6odmlA5i8SAhNshnjqodmqdP2IUAiiKVRqLd6g9ZXYn8f8DaqWq_IJpXLbGJy5SqiCOBdLIfTYMnjf7V1cbUOFmigkAg3CdDWllP2r3wgYL2kTe_x3Q0QQAJ0hYP9/s1600/16223632164_afdb7c353b_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="640" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0YJoxjnS6odmlA5i8SAhNshnjqodmqdP2IUAiiKVRqLd6g9ZXYn8f8DaqWq_IJpXLbGJy5SqiCOBdLIfTYMnjf7V1cbUOFmigkAg3CdDWllP2r3wgYL2kTe_x3Q0QQAJ0hYP9/s320/16223632164_afdb7c353b_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
In <a href="http://www.prnewsonline.com/how-communicators-can-avoid-plagiarizing-others-and-themselves/">How communicators can stop plagiarizing others and themselves</a>, comms pros will find a useful and straightforward look at an issue we talk about in others, but don't necessarily police in ourselves. Whether it's due to ignorance, cut-and-paste habits, moving too fast, or any other reason, communications shops that work with words are bound to experience plagiarism--not by others, but by their own actions.<br />
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Rather than plagiarize this very good article, I'll just call it a must-read. Give your staff the simple tests in it; make the plagiarism discussion at least an annual, formal ritual in your office; <a href="https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/10/29/skills-and-strategies-understanding-plagiarism-in-a-digital-age/">share tools and resources your team can easily put to use</a> to prevent plagiarizing. This is time well spent. Note that the article was prompted when the White House was discovered to have lifted lines for a press release from one written by industry lobbyists--not an unheard-of occurrence in Washington, if rare. Your own releases and reports could face similar scrutiny, and should pass muster. (A hat tip to <a href="https://www.twitter.com/ivanoransky">Ivan Oransky</a> for sharing this very useful piece with me.)<br />
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<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-81223243077683752632017-09-08T05:16:00.000-04:002017-09-08T05:16:00.150-04:00The weekend read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05DgkoHJ7mNRWSA1PEg9SnYzQWvWW9BJFhobO4nUnTuA3NWLr109kToxLjKoCuPUjcDEwjdlBWPcmYSCJQNSu4VK4QccCX7YdO2j9zL38AfLbCigZL9irvmTNNrm7xTl8gRm0/s1600/7420991330_6faa223a77_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="640" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05DgkoHJ7mNRWSA1PEg9SnYzQWvWW9BJFhobO4nUnTuA3NWLr109kToxLjKoCuPUjcDEwjdlBWPcmYSCJQNSu4VK4QccCX7YdO2j9zL38AfLbCigZL9irvmTNNrm7xTl8gRm0/s320/7420991330_6faa223a77_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
That was just a nightmare you had about homework, communicators. We're past that now. But if you want to get smarter by Monday, try my finds of the week, shared via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">@dontgetcaught on Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught on Facebook</a>, and curated here for you. I promise plenty of good chemistry:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Before you had homework: </b>The New Yorker took a wistful and funny look at <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/06/26/before-the-internet">Before the Internet</a>.</li>
<li><b>Chalk talk? </b>Chris Brogan's got a useful post on <a href="http://chrisbrogan.com/facebook-live/">What launching a Facebook Live show taught me about media.</a></li>
<li><b>Like passing notes in class? </b>Here's a great tutorial on <a href="https://netnaturalist.com/2017/07/05/crossposting-videos-on-facebook/">how two Facebook pages can cross-post one another's videos.</a> Thanks, <a href="https://www.twitter.com/DanielleBrigida">Danielle Brigida</a>!</li>
<li><b>One less big book to carry: </b><a href="https://www.engadget.com/2017/09/06/rip-yellow-pages/">The internet has killed the yellow pages</a>. Where's my *finally* button?</li>
<li><b>Lunch money: </b>The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-price-hits-4800-for-the-first-time-2017-9">price of a Bitcoin hit $4,800</a> recently, a big step for what some see as the future of currency.</li>
<li><b>Point to it on the map:</b> Digital maps are great, but sometimes you just wanna know how far it is from point A to point B, otherwise known as "as the crow flies." <a href="http://lifehacker.com/sweet-google-maps-trick-lets-you-measure-distances-as-1801025845">Now you can do that on Google Maps</a>, using a neat trick.</li>
<li><b>Recess: </b>A Canadian sports media licensor is now <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/canadian-sports-media-company-sendtonews-is-throwing-newspapers-a-lifeline-2017-8">offering newspapers customized sports sections.</a></li>
<li><b>Can I have your lunch money?</b> <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/09/the-new-york-times-is-building-out-a-new-philanthropic-arm-in-search-of-nonprofit-funding-for-its-journalism/">The New York Times is building a philanthropic arm</a> to support journalism with donations.</li>
<li><b>Google your homework:</b> Here are the <a href="http://lifehacker.com/these-are-the-most-googled-how-to-s-1798704418">most Googled "how-to" questions</a>, and yes, toilet repairs are right up there.</li>
<li><b>Stale lunch:</b> This historian makes a case for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/02/opinion/sunday/instagram-your-leftovers-history-depends-on-it.html?ref=todayspaper">why you shouldn't just capture the final food product on Instagram</a>, in aid of historians, but makes some compelling suggestions for how food posts could be more interesting.</li>
<li><b>Stand in the corner: </b>I blogged recently on <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2017/05/have-you-ignored-federal-guidance-on.html">how you can find out whether you're violating federal social media rules.</a> Turns out <a href="http://socialmediaexplorer.com/content-sections/news-and-noise/93-celebrity-influencers-violating-ftc-guidelines-infographic/">93 percent of celebrity accounts do so,</a> according to the Federal Trade Commission.</li>
<li><b>Week in review: </b>On this blog, I shared <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2017/09/for-obamacare-insurance-plans-get-word.html">For Obamacare insurance plans, a get-the-word-out challenge begins.</a></li>
</ul>
<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69125796@N00/7420991330/in/photolist-ciLwbo-798Ank-h2AAk4-TeDS9R-dFp3se-9Y27Rv-o3adUV-8RA2zK-UEanRt-j62Xc3-aBQ8d-dzmDr1-S9f6J9-8R8E1F-dxCG1J-skJ1yq-dzmGaW-o59kFv-bjvhVc-o7wEN-jsn8HZ-8DBeHu-r9aMDu-h2zehB-qzBPMx-798A3P-4qdQKD-benZ4e-8zHNZp-cdjgxm-BARFx-gPuoXR-r97898-4qhRYG-798Ba8-5CT7MP-7GZYbZ-5WjszQ-97dMdh-4qdMVX-asBQTF-pcHtd5-S6qvTf-bmL6Cr-9e7gju-cXtkFU-THyJDu-7wZZCb-jwSEj7-UeRHwb">starman series</a></i>)<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-56348882649062218902017-09-06T05:22:00.000-04:002017-09-06T05:22:01.657-04:00For Obamacare insurance plans, a get-the-word-out challenge begins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7To4m0n1pHZY3s8MRjqHlLenSHtqeyHYaaiiZDdxm_MPWNx4Upm0lk7mBalC5sVYbpm2V95sNaMEBh_oGGLi90SYHMrNQSK05x9WYkjigZz5BdNfY9ER3QRXAym_prUTuSlfz/s1600/15507397036_9d5838ac73_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="640" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7To4m0n1pHZY3s8MRjqHlLenSHtqeyHYaaiiZDdxm_MPWNx4Upm0lk7mBalC5sVYbpm2V95sNaMEBh_oGGLi90SYHMrNQSK05x9WYkjigZz5BdNfY9ER3QRXAym_prUTuSlfz/s320/15507397036_9d5838ac73_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
When the health insurance exchanges for Obamacare first emerged, I heard from many that were puzzling over how best and whether to use social media to inform potential enrollees--after all, insurance isn't all that Instagrammable at first glance.<br />
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But with the <a href="http://theslot.jezebel.com/trump-administration-slashes-obamacare-outreach-funding-1798687615">Trump administration slashing outreach funds to inform citizens about their options under Obamacare insurance plans by 90 percent, </a>a get-the-word-out challenge has begun, and those exchanges that laid some groundwork stand in good stead to meet the challenge.<br />
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The cuts are steep: The ad budget goes from $100 million to $10 million, and in-person enrollment visits are cut 41 percent. I'm not a big believer in the nonprofit world taking up the slack when the government fails to meet its obligations, but I like people to know about their options more.<br />
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So what's an exchange to do? Here are a few thoughts to get you started on ramping up your outreach:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Assess what you are doing now:</b> Make this a new baseline, even if your numbers are small. Eventually, the ability to document how many people you reached during this time will be not only newsworthy but useful in defending the program. Think ahead to what you will want to be able to demonstrate.</li>
<li><b>What needs to shift?</b> Are you in the right social media channels for your audiences? Do you need to add or subtract anything? Where does it make the most sense to put your efforts right now? Are there new options since your last campaign to consider?</li>
<li><b>Use the cuts to spice up your approach:</b> Call it the insurance option they don't want you to know about, and don't be afraid to note that the ad budget's been cut and you need everyone to get the word out. Pushing the rhetoric up a notch might help catch attention just now. Do continue to share benefits others have found under the program to encourage enrollees: short videos, photos with long captions, guest posts.</li>
<li><b>What new communication partners can you call on to help spread the word?</b> Craft a simple public service announcement and send it to area businesses, media outlets, nonprofits, and other groups--all of them have an interest in having healthy employees and customers. Add a note that the marketing budget from the government has been cut severely and that you need the help. Make your simple announcement in several formats--video, audio, text, scripts to be read--and provide contact information. Make all that shareable, and let your potential partners know which formats they have at their fingertips. Ask for social media as well as traditional media shares.</li>
<li><b>Ask enrollees to share their experiences and your recruitment messages:</b> They know best how well the program works, so ask them to post those experiences and share your social media messages with their circles.</li>
<li><b>Go to your donors:</b> Having served in both sectors, I am not a fan of private philanthropy picking up the slack for the government, but now is a time to ask donors for small focused amounts for publicity and advertising. Facebook ads, billboards, sponsored posts all can be sponsored by your donors. Or ask for funds to improve your videos and get them placed more widely. A donor can maximize her funds by supporting a "clinic" on effective video or a tutorial on Facebook ads for several exchanges at once.</li>
<li><b>Consider limited-budget Facebook ads: </b>You'd be surprised how well-targeted and inexpensive boosted posts and standard ads are on Facebook--try $25 or $50 or $100 to start. You can kill the ad or pause it at any time, and you can get very specific in terms of demographics and geographic reach so the effort is highly targeted. A worthy experiment at this particular time.</li>
<li><b>It's a great time to become a local news angle:</b> The federal budget cut gives you the perfect hook to call local TV and radio stations and newspapers to plead your case. Have your numbers ready on what you were able to do with the funding, and what the cuts mean going forward. Use any interview to note not only how individuals can get info, but that you need those aforementioned partners to help get the word out. Get in touch with the same outlets midway through the enrollment cycle for an update, and a week or two before the end of the cycle for an "ending soon" call to action. Have some prepared enrollees willing to talk to the media, if possible</li>
<li><b>Call on board members and volunteers to recruit help: </b>All hands on deck: Ask board members and volunteers for ideas, to call their contacts, and to work on media appearances or other tasks. Provide them with talking points and prep for interviews. Many board members have contacts who can let you take over their ads for a day or who can work you into their marketing for a short time, so ask.</li>
</ul>
<div>
If exchanges wish to share other ideas at the links below, please do and I'll round them up in another post. Share this one with an exchange near you!</div>
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<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/clender/15507397036/in/photolist-pCksSq-dmHvny-6UcR7N-gVy8Th-8VMCG4-cnsMNN-cnDTcJ-84kGbE-SVt7Gh-7qhGmV-gpkZGR-h3f3kj-cpQJao-cpQ6DC-cpPNUA-cnWhWS-cT1JCE-cSP1gf-cpPvFA-jQz3yz-hSm6ef-cnWhNL-cnWhTC-omHEf7-7Ryc5m-cosT91-hCBxKH-cq3Atj-hCAGNW-buat7C-btV6vW-bH5fue-bGz6X2-m9UD2C-6U7R8g-8NV1Re-qxwd1r-cnWi1Q-7AUP6D-btV58U-7RycWE-bGPUDR-hCAAnu-hCAexf-hCBvyD-hCBu4K-hCBxht-hCzX54-hCAbLy-hCAg6f">Carl Lender</a>)</i><br />
<br />
<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-43386973444672897172017-09-01T05:15:00.000-04:002017-09-01T05:15:00.165-04:00The weekend read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-z3Nb7G6_J2EG-pbzaigNAPwu590QHrcL9P56vwTqomCWTC-L-Ahy_Ox_OIRwStKYQVLjNLRXb0CA3i0-HvO7_h1N5F0JXrSqu9B5x_pEKK5k_hROP7hAqf_1vgh4cPEZKDJL/s1600/234385749_001f594815_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-z3Nb7G6_J2EG-pbzaigNAPwu590QHrcL9P56vwTqomCWTC-L-Ahy_Ox_OIRwStKYQVLjNLRXb0CA3i0-HvO7_h1N5F0JXrSqu9B5x_pEKK5k_hROP7hAqf_1vgh4cPEZKDJL/s320/234385749_001f594815_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Ride's over. Summer's done. And it's Labor Day weekend, a good time to salute the work you do, communicators. Get off the whirligig week and check out my finds, shared via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">@dontgetcaught on Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught on Facebook</a>, and curated here for you. Last chance for cotton candy:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Strong man? </b>Here's a fun animation of linguist <a href="https://www.facebook.com/165643503477608/videos/1587180324657245/">George Lakoff's breakdown of Trump's tweets and tactics for shifting the media conversation</a>.</li>
<li><b>Tilt-a-whirl:</b> Members of Congress on the far ends of the ideological spectrum <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/08/21/highly-ideological-members-of-congress-have-more-facebook-followers-than-moderates-do/">have more Facebook followers.</a></li>
<li><b>A new midway: </b>This contest to <a href="https://food52.com/blog/20405-ikea-fourth-season-home-tour-series">get a room in your home redesigned by IKEA</a> is also a clever social media engagement strategy.</li>
<li><b>Stayed too long at the fair: </b>Millennials are making things tough for advertisers by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-watching-less-tv-than-previous-generations-chart-2017-8">watching less teevee.</a></li>
<li><b>You ride the same five rides, every time:</b> <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/half-of-digital-media-time-is-spent-in-five-apps-2017-8">Half of all digital media time is spent in just five apps</a>.</li>
<li><b>Photo booth: </b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/25/business/media/lash-boost-eyelash-enhancer-marketing.html">Selfies (sell-fies?) are the new Tupperware party.</a></li>
<li><b>You must be this high to enjoy the ride: </b><a href="https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/25/youtube-isolating-offensive-videos/">YouTube is reining in offensive videos</a>, which can't run ads or be shared.</li>
<li><b>Carnival barker: </b>"If you announce things six or seven times, getting louder each time, don't be surprised if your customers ignore the first few announcements. You've trained them to expect you'll yell if it's important." <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2017/06/training-customers-vs-teaching-people-a-lesson.html">Wisdom from Seth Godin.</a></li>
<li><b>Video game? </b>That 800-pound-gorilla, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-could-spend-up-to-3-million-an-episode-on-tv-shows-2017-6">Facebook, is getting into teevee production in a big fat way.</a></li>
<li><b>Week in review: </b>On this blog, I shared <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2017/08/steal-this-idea-do-you-have-free-to-use.html">Steal this idea: Do you have a 'free to use and reuse' page?</a></li>
</ul>
<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/alive_in_calgary/234385749/in/photolist-mHhHB-fKJ8p3-qv9Vcv-naGD22-fKroxt-fKJc6h-oHvkoH-5i8wSo-cAoiWN-8yCLYz-mx16GQ-RoTMwA-ajDwp1-2xYKud-6WjuKh-5i4Gq6-CNkrNA-mwYg3P-mwYgq2-d7rhNs-atf8b7-atfdwW-fNmTuT-9jDN9c-b2Q8ki-aCPKdC-aCLZaa-fKrfWz-fKJbYs-oZjTkN-fKJ2sW-8dvc8J-311Wbr-fKJcjq-dm6pEC-fKryAP-jxUQG9-fKrzZF-mEs1ew-fKrtVg-aqth5d-fKrGgt-DntsQt-9oq9gd-fSZMfZ-fNmTAF-fKHWoQ-mwYLsD-d834oC-dJFFdz">Alive in Calgary</a>)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-64823389502297162142017-08-30T05:15:00.001-04:002017-08-30T05:15:03.252-04:00Steal this idea: Do you have a "free to use and reuse" page?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjycBebiCwSn-nYQXbadURtMAXuC7jPwP3A68s06IXAQrgH4aZnCem4NqlEwpv21cYpD40ncCzjMX9k4jB_jINIS3JFioNfZwCU49fpph8rojhVTwIpR6aGzBpy_0sHeXcZgD84/s1600/Screenshot+2017-06-11+at+7.15.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjycBebiCwSn-nYQXbadURtMAXuC7jPwP3A68s06IXAQrgH4aZnCem4NqlEwpv21cYpD40ncCzjMX9k4jB_jINIS3JFioNfZwCU49fpph8rojhVTwIpR6aGzBpy_0sHeXcZgD84/s400/Screenshot+2017-06-11+at+7.15.22+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
Big libraries, museums, universities, and more are busy digitizing and releasing copyright-free content from their archives, an important aspect of social media and publishing today. These newly digitized collections get shared in Pinterest boards and on Facebook pages, on Instagram and blogs. But a simple, straightforward idea I found on the <a href="https://www.loc.gov/">Library of Congress website</a> is one you should steal if you also have copyright-free material digitally available: A "free to use and reuse" page.<br />
<br />
The Library of Congress has long been in the forefront of using social media and sharing, from <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2013/01/five-years-in-data-lessons-from-library.html">creating a photo commons on Flickr </a>and asking the public to help identify photos, to using a blog post instead of a press release to announce that effort. But this new idea is both useful and delightfully simple. You can see the <a href="https://www.loc.gov/#reuse">"free to use and reuse" feature on the library home page</a>, highlighting some of the freely available content; the library is quick to point out that it has just a fraction of the copyright-free content in its collections. <a href="http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2017/05/free-to-use-and-reuse-gorgeous-gardens-breakthrough-buildings-and-notable-designs/">This blog post shares more of the free collection,</a> and notes that the home page feature on free-to-use content will change monthly.<br />
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As one who's switched from stock photos to Creative Commons licensed photos or freely available art, this is welcome news for me--and a great idea for you to steal. Every type of organization has some information that's freely available. Why not make it obvious and available?<br />
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<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-70957836593132693712017-08-25T05:15:00.000-04:002017-08-25T05:15:04.731-04:00The weekend read<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88X4M2Co3EH5gNvxAW8ypFqyOj5quo9-NT5sq1nCdQ4qqU_vFSZxS-klEv_RzV5ct8v3xpBZwqovl75ZqTxsJooT310g61-J7L4er4qrjREjaeeL33kWTvUyYpioWqaW4CCpz/s1600/33738689802_6ecaafa20c_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="640" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88X4M2Co3EH5gNvxAW8ypFqyOj5quo9-NT5sq1nCdQ4qqU_vFSZxS-klEv_RzV5ct8v3xpBZwqovl75ZqTxsJooT310g61-J7L4er4qrjREjaeeL33kWTvUyYpioWqaW4CCpz/s320/33738689802_6ecaafa20c_z.jpg" width="320" /></a>Let's put what's left of this week on that plane called Misery, communicators, and ship it off to the furthest desert island. Then we can focus on my finds of the week, shared via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">@dontgetcaught on Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught on Facebook</a>, and curated here for you. Misery does love company, you know:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Let's commiserate:</b> Heads up, reputation managers. <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/295233">Facebook and Google are getting in the game...</a></li>
<li><b>Your colleagues will be miserable: </b>LinkedIn's app now lets you <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/18/linkedin-app-video-update/">record and share video of, say, meetings.</a></li>
<li><b>What does misery look like? </b>You can <a href="http://lifehacker.com/search-flickr-better-with-google-images-1797978498">search for Flickr photos better on Google Images</a>.</li>
<li><b>Put them out of their misery:</b> If you thought you'd shut down hate groups on your site, be careful, <a href="http://mashable.com/2017/08/18/electronic-frontier-foundation-eff-tech-hate-speech/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial">warns the Electronic Frontier Foundation.</a></li>
<li><b>Making the competition miserable: </b><a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/08/the-ap-makes-the-case-that-wire-stories-do-better-on-facebook-than-individual-publications-stories/">Associated Press says its stories do better on Facebook.</a></li>
<li><b>No misery for these companies: </b><a href="http://socialmediaexplorer.com/content-sections/tools-and-tips/social-media-beats-native-advertising-e-commerce/">Social media beats native advertising</a> for e-commerce business. Just another plus in your social-media strategy.</li>
<li><b>What could go wrong? </b>YouTube is expanding a <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2017/08/18/youtube-tv-expanding-through-partnership-with.html?ana=RSS%26s=article_search">partnership with Sinclair Broadcasting</a>. </li>
<li><b>Converting the miserable viewer: </b>"All too often, brands commit the deadly sin of creating content for themselves, not the viewer. Missing the mark in any area in the buyer’s cycle will almost always lead to disconnect further down the road." A thoughtful look at <a href="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-strategy/how-to-turn-video-content-into-conversions/">providing video content with impact.</a></li>
<li><b>Week in review: </b>On this blog, I shared another post in our <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/search/label/Tell%20it%20better%20series">Tell It Better storytelling series</a>, this time, <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2017/08/tell-it-better-story-in-tweet-that.html">A story in a tweet that makes the customer a hero.</a></li>
</ul>
<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/33738689802/">Library of Congress</a></i>)<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-12496394711156373812017-08-23T05:15:00.000-04:002017-08-23T05:15:01.421-04:00Tell It Better: A story in a tweet that makes the customer the hero<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RYOaDxmBkBvTmll4iGVSVmY4CTQKw5dsK4JKjfOjpSCn9-Omhe1uuKzotmD7Lrspx0DigLWXA4E7w-RCM4NaPiV34gZ_FaS7F_SGmkgVmT-37uE770E1YxwBT-JGzGOw6txk/s1600/2932363100_5bf7ff5820_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RYOaDxmBkBvTmll4iGVSVmY4CTQKw5dsK4JKjfOjpSCn9-Omhe1uuKzotmD7Lrspx0DigLWXA4E7w-RCM4NaPiV34gZ_FaS7F_SGmkgVmT-37uE770E1YxwBT-JGzGOw6txk/s320/2932363100_5bf7ff5820_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
As I pointed out in <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2016/08/tell-it-better-whos-hero-when.html">Who's the hero when storytelling your customer's journey?</a>, part of this <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/search/label/Tell%20it%20better%20series">Tell It Better storytelling series</a>, the story about your customer's "journey" needs to put the customer front and center. And now I can share a great example in the form of a Tweet from Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk to the customers for his electric cars.<br />
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Here's the tweet:
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Wanted to say thanks to all that own or ordered a Tesla. It matters to us that you took a risk on a new car company. We won't forget.</div>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/882007043472728064">July 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
Let's break down the story: Here, Musk is the storyteller or observer, expressing appreciation--something any storyteller can do to enhance the story by witnessing its excitement, value, or impact. That's expressed three times in this little story: In the thanks, in "it matters to us," and in "We won't forget." The phrase "you took a risk on a new car company" is a compact hero's journey that puts the customer squarely in the hero's seat. Risk and challenge, and the implied false starts and failures on the road to success, are all stalwart parts of any good story with a hero. They're implied here in the word "risk." Best of all, in the great tradition of storytelling, concluding with "We won't forget" suggests "this is a favorite story, so we will be telling it over and over."<br />
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Twitter being Twitter, you can see the tens of thousands of likes and retweets, with many customers proudly posting pictures of their Teslas. Beautiful, emotional, free advertising and customer testimonials, all out of a tweet that is well shy of 140 characters.<br />
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In <a href="https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/this-tweet-from-elon-musk-to-tesla-customers-is-a-.html?cid=cp01002fastco">Elon Musk just sent a beautiful message to Tesla customers</a>, the emotional intelligence behind the tweet is analyzed, with an emphasis on the appreciation of the customer. That's precisely what we do in traditional storytelling with the hero of the story, and a great reminder that, in telling the story of your product or service, it's the customer--not your company, not your product, not your service--that is the hero you are appreciating. Psychologically, that's a significant shift in focus and approach. If your corporate storytelling can share how and why you appreciate your customers, you'll be that much further ahead in connecting with them through that story.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/samfelder/2932363100/in/photolist-5t88ou-BNTx5-qDvmxJ-bVU3Ma-jR1PuL-4tcXMJ-5eTnPX-qP93Kz-kwLaSj-6Jjd63-6Ma1p7-FGKgE-8GYRfX-67auJT-gwmAC2-TQEGCb-dZ4MiH-rm8AQJ-5uwPcR-dXcNjW-9zbF88-ejRdSX-5eDv32-5q3Sy1-gwmN7H-5mxhSH-8rKvQt-TEEZYK-79tMEC-f1hz3D-g1EDcJ-qJVDac-dJYKnC-SpzCg7-cTfrdU-f3X5Ra-4mgnQ3-6Mvord-7ztfud-h8bbvp-68GVhT-ciZHPf-cuYoEC-D1Ho92-7xA6MC-tD7Cxk-iFiov3-oeHXc1-dXcNjY-dX78Vv">Sam Felder</a>)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-6112815119730436702017-08-18T05:15:00.000-04:002017-08-18T05:15:01.124-04:00The weekend read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiP8u28mh4YXmp8hZJNofubobDfWC3OF9xQ97jHUSNCl-Egq7WtYgmU_2zKrBELjYJlgDaPI-0V_I9VU4abhvJ5Aq4gwx5-vf3OuJVThLdRfE9-HmwxCs201lqBYxczrUtW7iV/s1600/8444483813_d2085a2521_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="640" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiP8u28mh4YXmp8hZJNofubobDfWC3OF9xQ97jHUSNCl-Egq7WtYgmU_2zKrBELjYJlgDaPI-0V_I9VU4abhvJ5Aq4gwx5-vf3OuJVThLdRfE9-HmwxCs201lqBYxczrUtW7iV/s320/8444483813_d2085a2521_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
What's that I see? Looks an awful lot like a weekend, communicators, despite the glare of the week. Shade your eyes and check out my finds of the week, shared via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">@dontgetcaught on Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught on Facebook</a>, and curated here for you. You look good in shades:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Not just shades: </b><a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/06/tv-visually-impaired-blind-audio-description">How do you watch peak TV if you're blind?</a> It's taken way too long for this to arrive, but new developments make it worth knowing about...</li>
<li><b>Shady: </b>Pew offers a report on <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/08/10/the-fate-of-online-trust-in-the-next-decade/">the fate of online trust</a>, a must-read.</li>
<li><b>Anna Wintour wears shades: </b><a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/digital-scorecard/why-is-google-digitising-the-worlds-fashion-archives">Google is digitizing the fashion archives</a>, another passion project.</li>
<li><b>I wear my sunglasses at night:</b> The New York Times looks at <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/13/technology/the-messy-confusing-future-of-tv-its-here.html">the messy, confusing future of teevee</a>, aka now.</li>
<li><b>Get special shades for this:</b> <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/14/cnn-solar-eclipse-360-degree-4k-livestream/">CNN will livestream the solar eclipse</a> in 360-degree 4K video.</li>
<li><b>Shade your eyes from this:</b> Kinda can't publish enough tips on <a href="http://mashable.com/2017/08/12/how-to-turn-off-autoplay/">how to turn off auto-play videos on Facebook or Twitter.</a></li>
<li><b>Sunshine, not shade: </b>IFTTT released its <a href="https://ifttt.com/blog/2017/06/introducing-the-data-access-project">Data Access Project</a>, with recipes that make it easy to access government data. But there's nothing to stop *you* from creating your own recipes to make your agency, nonprofit, or company data more readily available.</li>
<li><b>I think these are headsets: </b>A big new virtual reality conference is <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/14/nyvr-expo/">coming to New York City this fall</a>.</li>
<li><b>Week in review: </b>On this blog, I shared <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2017/08/using-blog-hiatus-to-well-blog.html">Using a blog hiatus to, well, blog.</a></li>
</ul>
<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/shelingraziela/8444483813/in/photolist-dSdbQv-p3kys-7VNqNv-7f9jpb-9LWfJo-9XKmyW-6dsEYV-7LAzua-8xBtdd-DBCV8-5Y4z3U-7mPdgV-8zkavK-mAPJP-kVz8v-cmHfhQ-cWrXN9-8gv3Cm-5PvEpH-8ddLWx-6qbwbG-82C9B9-r3TMim-Uw1p2v-6qv77C-83pJwV-abGU4k-2oFujm-9j8HQd-f6x51N-6jPxD7-bj1wUe-f83ck2-fyRZrH-ffyCFL-56bjZn-btFQ6w-8Dt2MJ-e7D2jm-76LnQe-4Mu4dU-fNfHVV-eS3G37-8dj3yV-7ecjdy-SjvDJw-c71ytA-cN9sv7-aetaKF-6qafC">Shélin Graziela</a></i>)<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-64615737229414292672017-08-16T05:15:00.001-04:002017-10-22T17:17:45.413-04:00Using a blog hiatus to, well, blog<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRaT3ITepheG0lUHlol5Vw6mVrd1_T0vB8a84B25Z_gtwnnPL-ArzHMP3hwcllQgKHfcBLcpzXpjCc2-wO1z1wEKvgIiCpcrGUKgr8iUS9Ssfew6_B6pk0Zf-QEHL-oqd4VyM5/s1600/4263193267_fb5cee0c57_z+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRaT3ITepheG0lUHlol5Vw6mVrd1_T0vB8a84B25Z_gtwnnPL-ArzHMP3hwcllQgKHfcBLcpzXpjCc2-wO1z1wEKvgIiCpcrGUKgr8iUS9Ssfew6_B6pk0Zf-QEHL-oqd4VyM5/s320/4263193267_fb5cee0c57_z+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This will sound like a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/opinion/the-gop-rejects-conservatism.html">busman's holiday</a>, but bear with me.<br />
<br />
I took a blog and social media hiatus in the month of June, and one common reaction was, "Have a wonderful break!" or "Enjoy that long vacation!" But I didn't enter into it as a vacation. For one thing, I worked all of that month. I just didn't publish and didn't post on social sites, professionally or personally. But I did use part of the hiatus--a relatively small part, as it turns out--to get my two blogs populated for much of the rest of the year.<br />
<br />
Wait, what? You heard me. I put in a small amount of time, and wound up being able to fill most of my blog schedule--two posts a week on one blog, three on the other--for the rest of 2017. As I came out of the hiatus, I had 109 posts either half set up or completely written on my two blogs, and that leaves just about two dozen or fewer posts to do for the rest of the year. A month after my hiatus was over, both blogs were fully scheduled with posts.<br />
<br />
Here's how I tackled the task:<br />
<ol>
<li><b>I started with the highly formatted posts: </b>I have two weekly features, one on each blog, that round up posts I've shared on Facebook and posts on those blogs. They each have a specific format, so I scheduled weekly posts; put in the shell text that's the same each time; found and added photos and graphics. Then I got into my <a href="https://www.evernote.com/">Evernote</a> notebooks for these posts and set up posts on each blog's Facebook page, with links to those articles in the shell posts. This was fairly mechanical, and therefore fast.</li>
<li><b>I set up time-focused or calendar-specific posts:</b> At the end of December, I do some "top 10 for the year" posts about the most-read posts on each blog. At Thanksgiving, I write posts thanking my clients and readers. Those are easy to set up now.</li>
<li><b>I dug into my queue of draft post ideas and my Evernote story ideas file: </b>I tag specific notes in Evernote as "story ideas," and I got in there and cleaned up that file, then wrote up the remaining ideas. </li>
<li><b>I got my virtual assistant to research missing pieces:</b> Some of my posts rely on texts or transcripts of speeches, or videos of speech delivery, so I tasked <a href="https://www.fancyhands.com/">FancyHands</a> with running those down. Once available, I could write the related posts.</li>
<li><b>I farmed out a couple of posts to my freelancer writer, and invited a couple of guest posts. </b>Those went right into the queue when they were received.</li>
<li><b>As new ideas popped up, I wrote them up.</b> That's one of the luxuries of taking yourself off of a regular publishing schedule for a bit: You can get to the writing faster. This alone helped me fill up the queues for the blogs.</li>
<li><b>I left some room for flex:</b> I know I'll have more ideas in the next six months, and having the blog queues well-stocked helps me when it comes to doing of-the-moment posts that can't be planned--and I've already done some of those, moving the scheduled posts further out in the queue. It's a great mix of timeliness and planning.</li>
</ol>
If you're going to try this, it helps to understand the editorial plan for your blog. On my blogs, I know which type of post appears on which day of the week, what the format is for series posts, and the goals for each post. That makes it easier to understand the overall vision, and fulfill it. Recurring posts or a series may seem onerous when you are thinking them up, but if you set them up right, they are easy to put together.<br />
<br />
I liked this catch-up approach so much I may try it again later this year. If I were just starting a blog, I'd hold off first publication while spending a month populating that blog for the next six months. Not having to worry about posts appearing currently freed me up to think more and better about the posts I was prepping ahead of time. Getting long-saved story ideas onto the blogs was a delight. And having it all (well, nearly all) prepped this far means my next six months will be that much easier...well worth the month-long hiatus.<br />
<br />
<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/anonymouscollective/4263193267/in/photolist-7uHYQc-VAFFgp-7xT3vr-7CNLff-savGm8-5q5cfF-je4Yt9-74JKGT-8QwmRC-qv6VBF-oXv6Ka-TfQjhM-qQ5Qrt-ced3tj-qtueLZ-UfjXBN-eHMZuf-bGW3Hk-nwaacC-oJtg3m-5SA2sa-oA2yDw-beKfrV-7Cs7Eu-p7KtXR-c47A5o-3qTLZW-dzMxoi-8nP5VB-a1vKe3-GSAPBG-nFehUv-nvw38r-7FSdEa-6g4Nf5-5YHbSV-fabGTd-62Yv2h-5LseAB-dFnCpE-je55K7-4mkPs9-aueEyS-dUz2aD-9A3tjS-GR8eh-nnvHs-7LGYx5-je1UoD-cyMdBw">Anonymous Account</a>)</i><br />
<br />
<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-56801004248928804792017-08-11T05:15:00.000-04:002017-08-11T05:15:01.426-04:00The weekend read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_9HVMsnpx2Gs8Ece_nXxvQr6pKDwIfGNbMnorSCxsl8H0tQ3yG8oejM78HeNSaT0UJiNqiVKAfrqvKGktPfyZ2uRl9VUhQM-woEEvHcvHMk-WzIrhvJYK8A4n_CX-Wb_mDSq/s1600/32901255093_10a841c052_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_9HVMsnpx2Gs8Ece_nXxvQr6pKDwIfGNbMnorSCxsl8H0tQ3yG8oejM78HeNSaT0UJiNqiVKAfrqvKGktPfyZ2uRl9VUhQM-woEEvHcvHMk-WzIrhvJYK8A4n_CX-Wb_mDSq/s320/32901255093_10a841c052_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Some things just work better in pairs. Flip flops, for instance. Or Fridays, paired with my communications finds of the week, shared via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">@dontgetcaught on Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught on Facebook</a>, and curated here for you. Let's bury our toes in the weekend, shall we?<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Toe the transparency line: </b>Up to 94% of consumers in one study said they were <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/295739">more likely to be loyal to a transparent brand</a>. Examples include Buffer, Whole Foods Market, and Patagonia.</li>
<li><b>No flip-flopping: </b><a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/07/31/millennials-and-gen-xers-outvoted-boomers-and-older-generations-in-2016-election/">Millennials and GenXers outvoted Boomers</a> and older generations in the 2016 U.S. election.</li>
<li><b>Flip-floptimal:</b> Good explainer/checklist here on <a href="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-strategy/optimize-your-facebook-page/">8 ways to optimize your Facebook page</a>.</li>
<li><b>That's a lot of toes:</b> You are <a href="http://mashable.com/2017/08/07/3-billion-global-social-media-users/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial">one of 3 billion people on social media</a>--now 40 percent of the world population, most on mobile devices.</li>
<li><b>Watch your toes:</b> <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/09/facebook-watch-tv-video/">Facebook Watch, a new video platform, launched this week</a>. It's rolling out to some users now, and will replace the "video" tab eventually.</li>
<li><b>More than a stubbed toe: </b>Almost half the money being raised through crowdfunding--nearly $1 billion--is for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/crowdfunding-for-medical-expenses-2017-6">individuals' medical expenses</a>. If you work in a healthcare institution, might want to check Kickstarter to see if yours is mentioned...</li>
<li><b>Right foot, left foot: </b>The New York Times has an interesting look at <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/03/magazine/for-the-new-far-right-youtube-has-become-the-new-talk-radio.html?_r=0">the new far right and its use of YouTube as talk radio.</a></li>
<li><b>Good pair: </b>LinkedIn will now help you <a href="http://lifehacker.com/now-you-can-find-a-mentor-using-linkedin-1797553251">find a mentor</a>.</li>
<li><b>Week in review: </b>On this blog, I shared <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2017/07/bill-clinton-demos-public-speaking-15.html">Bill Clinton demos the 15-percent-less rule in public speaking</a>. </li>
</ul>
<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zeevveez/32901255093/in/photolist-S8nwSR-bgwSUt-2eaUrR-UnRHKj-Tu6xmV-VkHUpF-j9eyzA-UXtgrg-bqnQa-SJ6GwA-SMiMLq-8W86tS-f7SMEM-8giPCy-eRrkkd-92bGLX-nAbYek-5dU9RD-5dU9yn-67UDHm-5dU3nH-78Uoyy-rdV7bF-7CDovA-51X8dD-axBLCc-U5jXZ1-894uN9-5umS7z-7CAbuT-f6q5zJ-TqWvqg-nN2P9y-9umZJQ-7DutNC-V8HBWx-6gQbNy-aipvtk-787Svn-egxJP1-cXyEfy-8wiqQD-azfSnv-f7QoVx-5dTTMD-a24cSu-2tUoSw-c7MhLj-6geTdu-bqQ8aC">zeevveez</a></i>)<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-87426734589381104242017-08-09T05:15:00.001-04:002017-08-09T05:15:03.496-04:00Bill Clinton demos the public speaking 15-percent-less rule<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LuYRRfZ_0q53o-UsSQvFo9zRcrCXkVCRxY802yR2trWUJ2nBdfoiUfw3JiWAI4YwqbsK4C-PTK5gPr0Ysj55tgeeX0xcEl-lxfBHU8KaXiu_B_0EZHVx5kAG_9415lKm1LR4/s1600/Screenshot+2017-07-04+at+7.01.38+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="663" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LuYRRfZ_0q53o-UsSQvFo9zRcrCXkVCRxY802yR2trWUJ2nBdfoiUfw3JiWAI4YwqbsK4C-PTK5gPr0Ysj55tgeeX0xcEl-lxfBHU8KaXiu_B_0EZHVx5kAG_9415lKm1LR4/s320/Screenshot+2017-07-04+at+7.01.38+AM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2016/11/the-15-percent-less-rule-lifesaver-for.html">The 15 percent less rule, a lifesaver for speeches and media interviews</a>, is among the most-read posts on this blog, and I'm not surprised: It's the tactic I recommend most to speakers who routinely blow through their time limits and those who don't let the reporter get a word or question in edgewise during an interview. In that post, I used a famous example: Former U.S. President Bill Clinton:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It's said that former U.S. President Bill Clinton--famous for talking well past his assigned time slot, earlier in his career--has been able to rein himself in with what I call the "15 percent rule." The rule: You plan to fill 85 percent of the time allotted. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
That leaves 15 percent of your time as a cushion to ensure you don't exceed the limit. But the benefits go further, and Clinton uses it as time in which he can make an aside, or do some back-and-forth with the audience extemporaneously, based on where he feels the audience is emotionally, on the spot.</blockquote>
<div>
The genius of the rule is that it allows all that extemporaneous charm while still keeping you on time, the best of both worlds.<br />
<br />
Recently, President Clinton gave remarks at a memorial service for Helmut Kohl, the former Chancellor of Germany, and demonstrated the rule--but at the start of his speech, not at the end or midway. And he announces to the audience that he's doing it, perhaps to underscore the emotion he felt on the occasion.<br />
<br />
I've had the <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gmPYy30EyMb5xDPpNrxd2Ir0r-BS3uxAM00aSSyGIaE/edit?usp=sharing">speech transcribed here</a>, but here are the beginning and the early off-the-cuff paragraph. And yes, the extemporaneous bit constitutes a little under 15 percent of the total.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Maike, thank you for giving the me opportunity to say a few words. Thank you to Peter, Walter, Helmut’s family. To the leaders of Europe and the European Union, Chancellor Merkel, President Macron, other prime ministers and officials who are here, I ask you to think about something not in my notes. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I was looking around this crowd today, at all of us who used to be in office. All of us who came. Why? Because Helmut Kohl gave us the chance to be involved in something bigger than ourselves. Bigger than our terms of office. Bigger than our fleeting careers. Because all of us sooner or later will be in a coffin like that. And the only gift we can leave behind is a better future for our children, and the freedom to make their own choices, including their own mistakes. </blockquote>
<div>
As a practical matter, and particularly if you know your remarks by heart, it's much easier to put the 15 percent interpolation at the beginning or end of your existing remarks, as Clinton did here. And he goes a step further: Clinton echoes this late-inserted theme later in his remarks, so seamlessly that you might be forgiven for assuming it was there in the first place. Three paragraphs from the end:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
But in his big, highly political, often overbearing leadership there was a germ of understanding that the cancers of the 20th century were all born of people who believed domination was better than cooperation. That’s why we’re all here. All of us old guys that used to be wanted to come back and say thank you for giving us a chance to be part of something bigger than ourselves.</blockquote>
The 15 percent rule should not be deployed as a "give them an inch and they'll take a mile" tactic. It's not a wide-open door, but a judicious margin. Here, it's essentially one paragraph added to well-planned remarks--but it's a paragraph that adds immediacy and emotion and an overarching theme to tie the remarks together. Not bad for 15 percent.<br />
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<div>
The speech is just 11 minutes and 1100 words, which means it's delivered at a brisk pace--perhaps not unwelcome at a memorial service. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bses9QRRyIk">Watch it here</a> or below, and get inspiration for your own 15 percent.</div>
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<i><br /></i><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bses9QRRyIk" width="450"></iframe>
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<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-59721602759916715592017-08-04T05:15:00.000-04:002017-08-04T05:15:00.181-04:00The weekend read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllercQjwxOvARg42FSyOpv75jIZ6h2QpyDi5tsVtxiJ_ajtNwebL6fIVHaxMfKgBS0dtWpC3xkaQ6BMQtx2IbET0iKBGDmxiaQILkkFFo_bS1I4JdKPe95nE_5v8KUfihs7fA/s1600/7186766491_35087c0e83_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllercQjwxOvARg42FSyOpv75jIZ6h2QpyDi5tsVtxiJ_ajtNwebL6fIVHaxMfKgBS0dtWpC3xkaQ6BMQtx2IbET0iKBGDmxiaQILkkFFo_bS1I4JdKPe95nE_5v8KUfihs7fA/s320/7186766491_35087c0e83_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
There's a lot of hot air in Washington, communicators...in every sense. Let's stop creating more hot air and check out my finds of the week, shared via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">@dontgetcaught on Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught on Facebook</a>, and curated here for you. Time to recess for the weekend:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Hot comments:</b> Instead of a deskful of moderators, The New York Times is looking at <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/06/the-new-york-times-with-a-little-help-from-automation-is-aiming-to-open-up-most-articles-to-comments/">using automation--and opening up more articles to comments</a>.</li>
<li><b>Hot gossip: </b>In a deep convo with many people? <a href="http://mashable.com/2017/07/30/how-to-use-whatsapp-on-your-computer/">Use WhatsApp on your desktop computer.</a></li>
<li><b>Hot tip:</b> You've already posted a <a href="http://mashable.com/2017/08/01/plandid-instagram-trend/">plandid</a>.</li>
<li><b>Get it while it's hot: </b>Sign up for this <a href="http://phandroid.com/2017/07/28/google-plus-beta/">Google+ beta test</a> to try new features.</li>
<li><b>Hot ticket: </b><a href="http://mashable.com/2017/07/26/facebook-2-billion-people-plus-10-million/">2 billion people now use Facebook monthly</a>.</li>
<li><b>Not such a hot idea: </b><a href="http://mashable.com/2017/07/29/twitter-99-subscription-disaster/">Twitter wants to test a $99 subscription</a> that will "boost your overall presence on the site, ensuring your tweets appear in your followers' feeds more often, and your profile surfaces more often in searches." Ugh.</li>
<li><b>Heat-seeking: </b>I needed this: How to <a href="https://www.labnol.org/internet/google-drive-search-tips/29508/">search Google Drive like a pro.</a></li>
<li><b>Heating up:</b> If your audience includes older Americans, don't ignore mobile news--<a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/06/85-percent-of-americans-use-mobile-devices-to-access-news-and-seniors-are-driving-that-number-up/">they're all over it.</a></li>
<li><b>This heatwave is brought to you by...</b>It's the law to disclose ads and sponsors in your social posts. Now <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2017/06/14/instagram-is-making-it-harder-for-users-to-be-shills-on-the-sly/">Instagram is making it harder to circumvent that.</a></li>
<li><b>Week in review: </b>On this blog, I shared the <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2017/08/new-ap-stylebook-puts-focus-on-data.html">new AP Stylebook's focus on data journalism</a>. </li>
</ul>
<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/theclf/7186766491/in/photolist-bX54i6-787n1f-c4kAz-eZ1NFu-5w9K8Q-4PeJ6U-8RGXst-a6Y8Lb-pamrgA-eg66fz-ihck1Y-9cqCma-dEFkGg-84VeBR-9VxXGB-8ZeB5E-dnd27f-6x1UiB-83Vxea-9if11N-5UK27x-49v9iU-TaTsf-4PDdu9-boW9pt-8RF33g-hRakT1-5FYsdK-pUmZES-4k4Gh-8rJFCt-5vU1UE-8kSrPS-iK8uEG-6zwr2n-5kWkRr-x4XLQ-RaFvRa-qccsEx-fHDpaT-5zJVR3-8bs9GG-c85Sd-83Fegh-FGLVt-mqXvg-7pR63z-7yXYDB-924YPQ-9jAyq8">Conservation Law Foundation</a></i>)<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-48282070719436764392017-08-02T05:15:00.000-04:002017-08-02T05:15:00.178-04:00New AP Stylebook puts focus on data journalism<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG72bfxpLQfAXq8m1HtUh35SQY3t1KMhAfjaunI_jaZcM-fm7wZMeVdnxl_kqHaBOLz2RLouO2jVEKXtE6z8_zpwOhqhMIu2wlkTxlIK49wBEte7_my9FHPUthn7mipBzy5kC9/s1600/31Gt7K6Q0ML._SY346_+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="230" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG72bfxpLQfAXq8m1HtUh35SQY3t1KMhAfjaunI_jaZcM-fm7wZMeVdnxl_kqHaBOLz2RLouO2jVEKXtE6z8_zpwOhqhMIu2wlkTxlIK49wBEte7_my9FHPUthn7mipBzy5kC9/s320/31Gt7K6Q0ML._SY346_+%25281%2529.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<a href="http://amzn.to/2s1GEwi">The Associated Press Stylebook 2017</a> is just out, and in addition to ensuring that your press materials meet the style guide most commonly used by reporters, there's new content on data journalism that make this even more of a must for the office bookshelf.<br />
<br />
As AP puts it, “Government agencies, businesses and other organizations alike all communicate in the language of data and statistics. To cover them, journalists must become conversant in that language as well.”<i><br /></i>
The guidelines cover research and reporting with data; scraping it (a last resort only); and publishing it. Of interest to communications pros is the advice to journos to give the readers access to the source data, something you should start anticipating as a request if you're sitting on data. Thank goodness that's easier than ever these days. Nieman Lab has a <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/05/the-ap-stylebook-now-includes-new-guidelines-on-data-requesting-it-scraping-it-reporting-on-it-and-publishing-it/">rundown on the data journalism changes here.</a><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-67892117869962180472017-07-28T05:15:00.000-04:002017-07-28T05:15:00.159-04:00The weekend read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXqQgHuUmslPMkzdVC3JaqFkcgqoCt1llgYrFSxcBEh8q_K4Dm4xMAyCnVxbWvbhKi5H9SYkk79ky53UC7g1xeXYBDezoMDMo7sEZ-JeJejGXZnkTBYi1Cux0ZseKmszFR3bj/s1600/32954829460_8796b481b3_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXqQgHuUmslPMkzdVC3JaqFkcgqoCt1llgYrFSxcBEh8q_K4Dm4xMAyCnVxbWvbhKi5H9SYkk79ky53UC7g1xeXYBDezoMDMo7sEZ-JeJejGXZnkTBYi1Cux0ZseKmszFR3bj/s320/32954829460_8796b481b3_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
It's Friday, communicators. Time to make a splash of a different sort, starting with my finds of the week, shared via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">@dontgetcaught on Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught on Facebook</a>, and curated here for you. Life's a beach:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Empty beach: </b>The Wall Street Journal put up the paywall for readers who found its articles in Google search results...and <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-05/wsj-ends-google-users-free-ride-then-fades-in-search-results">its SEO suffered.</a></li>
<li><b>Ocean waves are my kind of auto-play:</b> Google's apparently <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2017/07/24/gmail-smart-reply-spanish/">testing auto-play videos in search results</a>.</li>
<li><b>Ola del océano:</b> Those auto-suggested smart replies in Gmail <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2017/07/24/gmail-smart-reply-spanish/">now can be sent in Spanish.</a></li>
<li><b>Next wave:</b> Catching up with the 21st century, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nielsens-tv-ratings-starts-counting-hulu-and-youtubes-new-tv-services-2017-7">Nielsen ratings will finally extend to cover Hulu's and YouTube's streaming services</a>--just the live stuff.</li>
<li><b>Snap that wave:</b> Here are workarounds that let you <a href="http://lifehacker.com/use-instagram-on-any-computer-like-you-would-on-a-smart-1797184613">use Instagram on a desktop as you would on a mobile device.</a></li>
<li><b>Waves of history:</b> The 1935 Boy Scout Jamboree in Washington had to be canceled due to an outbreak of infantile paralysis. So then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt <a href="http://bit.ly/2eLeSmU">gave this radio speech instead.</a></li>
<li><b>Pail and shovel gone:</b> <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2017/07/21/youtube-kills-the-video-editing-tools-you-never-used/">YouTube's killing its video editing tools</a>, exiting a now-crowded field.</li>
<li><b>Royal splash: </b>The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (aka William and Kate) and Prince Harry are looking for a <a href="http://mashable.com/2017/07/24/royal-family-comms-officer/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial">senior communications officer focused on the work of their foundation.</a></li>
<li><b>Waves of regret and anxiety:</b> Vanity Fair has a deep dive on <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/07/the-agony-and-the-anxiety-of-the-new-york-times?mbid=nl_CH_5977793eb5f53c646c2dea9f&CNDID=48153929">the mood inside the New York Times.</a></li>
<li><b>Don't share the map of my secret beach: </b>Y<a href="http://lifehacker.com/tell-your-roomba-to-stop-sharing-a-map-of-your-home-1797238670">ou can hack your Roomba so it won't send maps of your home to iRobot</a>, the manufacturer, which plans to sell them.</li>
<li><b>Ocean spray? </b>Facebook says people watching TV <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-tv-advertising-impact-2017-6">can't stop looking at Facebook during commercials.</a></li>
<li><b>The wave: </b>Voice assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home could <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40423049/on-amazon-echo-and-google-home-notifications-could-be-brilliant-or-brutal">reform notifications...or ruin them.</a></li>
<li><b>Week in review: </b>On this blog, I shared <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2017/07/why-tip-more-pitch-less-also-works-for.html">Why "tip more, pitch less" also works for freelance media coverage.</a></li>
</ul>
<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/97309140@N03/32954829460/in/photolist-Sd77EQ-6S5nBz-eDQoHv-2ha5yw-GuugRt-qDhjsP-5dngXb-apvNDC-9iUJjW-bpXpZ9-9BMjXJ-TfzF9e-Rt1yWS-Uvno2q-SJA6UF-TtFAgw-cAWhyE-QNvvqD-nBPBJy-i5oZMW-p3ppjT-RzpDLX-ML8nXc-RySX1h-ntdQ7P-naxQF9-Sd33iJ-8rgfXN-SaKQNm-rAoSeA-oZLb3e-p1i9r-RBk3Qy-9odb1S-T5ViL9-UECvi4-nBQjy6-p7HJav-Rk9xAJ-gxFekY-acj54L-CccZx-nUiVzX-bWTJPa-RmxsA1-TtNsg9-s8YMQe-q39ezT-mjXVY-dzkENP">The Sands Kenya</a></i>)<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-48284137567764649342017-07-26T05:15:00.000-04:002017-07-26T07:16:01.394-04:00Why "tip more, pitch less" also works for freelance media coverage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8PGFX1j9xy63YGZwZM7RtNmSf339WQ0g7-CQb5LR3kX2g9rgNY_UHu-lYPpewgmf8f-r7sHSZF-YmfARAp6B8k7RJMLr_rlM8aVDzpdjh7DtcfJNEOKtVX6peNERjymBZUfw/s1600/15040443090_9a5cb2e895_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8PGFX1j9xy63YGZwZM7RtNmSf339WQ0g7-CQb5LR3kX2g9rgNY_UHu-lYPpewgmf8f-r7sHSZF-YmfARAp6B8k7RJMLr_rlM8aVDzpdjh7DtcfJNEOKtVX6peNERjymBZUfw/s320/15040443090_9a5cb2e895_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2011/02/pr-media-relations-folks-tip-more-pitch.html">PR, media relations folks: Tip more, pitch less to reach reporters</a> is among the most-read posts on this blog. That's in part because reporter <a href="https://www.twitter.com/ivanoransky">Ivan Oransky</a> sometimes sees fit to quote it when he's speaking to audiences of scientists and communications pros, most recently at the FASEB and NIH-sponsored <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23basicbiocomm&src=typd">#BasicBioComm</a> workshop:<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
great tip for scientists from <a href="https://twitter.com/ivanoransky">@ivanoransky</a>, quoting <a href="https://twitter.com/dontgetcaught">@dontgetcaught</a>: tip more, pitch less <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/basicbiocomm?src=hash">#basicbiocomm</a></div>
— Erika Check Hayden (@Erika_Check) <a href="https://twitter.com/Erika_Check/status/877917021769314305">June 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
I shared the post with people discussing it on Twitter at that conference, and got a great tip I can share with comms pros from a freelance journalist, <a href="https://www.twitter.com/Bryson_M">Bryson Masse</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
But a tip means I can basically do your work for you and pitch an editor with whom I've already formed a relationship. So love those tips— Bryson Masse (@Bryson_M) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bryson_M/status/881304304115691521">July 2, 2017</a></div>
</blockquote>
Having been a freelance journalist myself, I can attest to that! Unfortunately, many communications pros tend to see freelancers as "more work" or less return on investment, a truly out-of-date point of view in this gig economy. And they feel the same way about tips vs. pitching: It's easier to blast-email or mass-pitch an established list of journos, or so it seems.<br />
<br />
But over time, that effort really doesn't get you more coverage, nor coverage of quality. And every company or organization has stories to tell that are more complex and less obvious than a press release can convey. For those, you need to <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2016/06/building-relationships-with-reporters.html">build relationships with reporters</a> and behave in ways that make you a trusted source, not a press release vending machine. You can get a head start by using my <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2012/03/8-things-to-do-in-media-interview-so.html">8 things to do in a media interview so you get called again</a>. And in the well-worn "tip more, pitch less" post, I make the case for giving up some of the "standard" media relations activities that are labor-intensive and time-consuming, so that you'll have more time for these more fruitful engagements.<br />
<br />
Media relations pros ask me all the time, "How can I build relationships with reporters?" I'll just keep saying <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2011/02/pr-media-relations-folks-tip-more-pitch.html">tip more, pitch less</a>, until y'all hear it.<br />
<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tyronemitchell/15040443090/in/photolist-mddy73-a5F41C-84t1rv-a5Ccbe-52AhRA-eZ1gSc-4U9dVN-7QBYwg-6ZGARz-663ojD-4BYVQG-8aeY4U-52Apzo-a66FQC-52wch8-JzwD9u-7Y5Jnq-52AnjY-6oSKyQ-KKvjTY-KD2615-52Au1o-JRWHWk-KD26cY-4mT4G-iCyoD-7Ncgza-GD9FXn-U9muTT-TypL9W-M14z21-U9mxfB-Ucpazj-MRdiTn-x14vM7-rS7mZ3-oV5cJj-pcxBVv-oV4bsm-d78hks-9Zn5MV-9X71qm-8QVMjr-8QYSCh-8QYSwS-8QYSr5-72xew2-4KDAhY-phfKg-ikZBp">Tyrone Islington Photography</a>)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-3517406585326410082017-07-21T05:15:00.000-04:002017-07-21T05:15:00.156-04:00The weekend read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lqz9kOZKxFodnSCV5D-L-ZSCP7mL4hCeV0s4BJ1SjaSHtXiJaIlyuXgTPi5d_OBKajUoFvdeIr_Oc26qKozwUZBNZm79SZ3cNKOiuhrSW03YpCFqSkruOX7V-NQMN5f_c_7v/s1600/8664380053_6fdc2b1072_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lqz9kOZKxFodnSCV5D-L-ZSCP7mL4hCeV0s4BJ1SjaSHtXiJaIlyuXgTPi5d_OBKajUoFvdeIr_Oc26qKozwUZBNZm79SZ3cNKOiuhrSW03YpCFqSkruOX7V-NQMN5f_c_7v/s320/8664380053_6fdc2b1072_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I *was* going to be working in San Francisco this week, but a last-minute cancellation--which came as my plane arrived--had me cancelling and rescheduling the entire week. I just stayed in the airport and got on a later flight home. But the weekend can stay on schedule, communicators. Time to check out my finds of the week, shared via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">@dontgetcaught on Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught on Facebook</a>, and curated here for you:
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Don't cancel your writing, part 1: </b>Great stuff from Seth Godin, on <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2017/02/but-thats-not-what-i-meant.html">why we write...</a></li>
<li><b>Un-canceled viewing: </b>Amazon, Google, and Apple don't lead in popularity of their streaming devices. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/roku-vs-fire-tv-chromecast-apple-streaming-media-player-market-share-2017-7">That honor goes to Roku.</a></li>
<li><b>Cancel that tweet:</b> <a href="https://t.co/RjwG3qlfps">Embargo Watch looked at the American Diabetes Association effort</a> to get attendees to take down social-media-shared pics of slides at its conference, and using a have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too embargo policy for meeting papers. Not a role model for you.</li>
<li><b>Don't cancel your writing, part 2:</b> Someone other than me is <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/295734">advocating that solopreneurs become published writers.</a></li>
<li><b>Cancel that long interview:</b> <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/07/nbc-news-invents-the-script-for-a-twice-daily-snapchat-news-show/">NBC News has developed morning and evening news shows for Snapchat</a>. They're two to three minutes long.</li>
<li><b>Where's that cancel button? </b>Those annoying auto-play videos that are everywhere may soon be <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-web-is-littered-with-videos-that-play-automatically-that-nobody-asked-for-2017-7">blockable on certain browsers.</a> But for now, the even more annoying auto-audio option on auto-play videos is rolling out on Facebook, so <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jul/19/facebook-users-complain-autoplaying-videos-sound-how-to-turn-it-off?CMP=fb_gu">here's how to turn it off.</a></li>
<li><b>Canceled out by language: </b>Here's a look at <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/17/opinion/donald-trump-english-language-.html?smid=tw-share">how Trump savagely mauls the English language</a>, and why that's important to the truth.</li>
<li><b>Cancel that search result: </b>If you see an incorrect Google search result, <a href="http://lifehacker.com/see-an-incorrect-google-result-here-s-how-to-fix-it-1796933442">here's how to fix it.</a></li>
<li><b>Are you cancelling my free reads?</b> <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/facebook-stock-price-is-edging-higher-after-announcing-a-paid-news-feature-2017-7-1002187155">Facebook announced it will offer news orgs the chance to put content on FB behind a paywall</a> after, say, 10 free reads. </li>
<li><b>Cancel firing the fact-checker: </b>Yikes: <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-40598465/fake-obama-created-using-ai-tool-to-make-phoney-speeches">Artificial intelligence can be used to alter a video of a speech to include content the speaker never said</a>, just one more thing to monitor. The researchers used an Obama speech to demo the possibilities.</li>
<li><b>A YUGE cancellation: </b><a href="https://www.rawstory.com/2017/06/sean-spicer-regularly-uses-the-stupefying-form-of-speech-that-george-orwell-called-duckspeak/">George Orwell called it "duckspeak,"</a> and some think Sean Spicer is the current master of this linguistic form.</li>
<li><b>Week in review: </b>On this blog, I shared <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2017/07/tell-it-better-storytelling-to-prompt.html">Storytelling to prompt donations and shift power</a>, another entry in our <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/search/label/Tell%20it%20better%20series">Tell It Better series on storytelling</a>.</li>
</ul>
<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/atgw/8664380053/in/photolist-ecDdjZ-dWeKJ6-auw3c2-fvyzq9-axmEGZ-axXXpn-y96Gm-VaGs1v-tz4ue-drvz5m-V5xj6E-agDC8z-bphUJv-5WTWTp-7uuCwC-8h1KRe-eX3CGJ-99vSWf-e99dHx-qA35KD-6ZMtrP-8Dj5Ei-7uqKSe-7uuCyW-aCRBoD-BjYPu-8ebN7J-aD1Sb5-bZsyy-3Lurhq-7uuCv1-ah7HMw-pKJ2kj-pjEuoa-2bq5x-UktmQh-ghZBLL-7uuCjo-WrYvcE-dJuCj4-dVy7PS-4vikF6-RMtapr-ddKvUr-RC7Fqz-UXLwdT-ftqE1w-a66Nu-VtdgZW-b7mDET">atgw</a></i>)<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-47291945382158936522017-07-19T05:15:00.001-04:002017-07-19T07:42:25.947-04:00Tell it better: Storytelling to prompt donations and shift power<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCzd4Mf1zFRi4kslLGaZTInBIKNdN3gzlwpfjijPjO1bdapDcUXlqvge0havdpEhoVSqobEXWhMZJwoMMIYmZX631cQ9sNrcvyzGkpXFg8FESl8wsuMCITUmv9RjJGBWzEET4/s1600/268022096_e52a1c90e6_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCzd4Mf1zFRi4kslLGaZTInBIKNdN3gzlwpfjijPjO1bdapDcUXlqvge0havdpEhoVSqobEXWhMZJwoMMIYmZX631cQ9sNrcvyzGkpXFg8FESl8wsuMCITUmv9RjJGBWzEET4/s320/268022096_e52a1c90e6_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="tr_bq">
Many of my clients want to use storytelling to help raise funds from donors. When I'm working with a group to coach them in storytelling with talks in the style of TED conferences, I challenge them to craft talks without "selling from the stage," as is the custom at TED. That means no asking during the talk, but instead using the talk to tell a story that resonates with the prospective donor and prompts more conversation leading to a donation.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
So I was intrigued by the research described in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/12/opinion/sunday/how-to-get-the-wealthy-to-donate.html">How to get the wealthy to donate</a>, in which the researchers describe how their experiments failed to get wealthy people to donate when they stressed that the donation would achieve common goals for all. What? In fact, donors responded better when the story was about them:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When wealthier people — those with incomes higher than $90,000 — were greeted by the message that framed charitable giving as an opportunity for individual achievement, they were significantly more likely to click “Donate Today” than when they encountered the message that stressed common goals.</blockquote>
<div>
On the TED ideas blog, Citizen University CEO Eric Liu, writing on <a href="http://ideas.ted.com/how-to-get-power/">How to get power</a>, talks about storytelling as a tool to change the power dynamic--and tells you how to move from the story about the donor to your need today. He shares storytelling lessons from community organizer Marshall Ganz as a formula:<br />
<blockquote>
Everywhere he goes, Ganz uses a method for organizing that centers on three nested narratives: <b>the story of self, the story of us, and the story of now. </b>He teaches organizers entering into any setting to start not with policy proposals or high concepts like justice but with biographies — their own, and those of the people they hope to mobilize. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
What are the stories you tell about yourself? Why do you tell them that way? How can we find connections across our stories of origin that build trust and common cause? That work then flows into the story of us: the collective narratives of challenge, choice and purpose that emerge from any community — that, in fact, help define it. This is how in a place like New Orleans after the flood or Detroit after the crash, residents can develop a shared identity of resilience and reinvention. It’s how anti–Common Core activists nationwide have been able to forge a cross-ideological crusade of parents and teachers tired of standardized-testing regimes that crush creativity and stifle liberty.<br />
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Once that shared narrative is activated, the organizer can connect it to the fierce urgency of now: a story about why this is the “movement moment,” when individual and collective motivations converge, and when action is needed and possible. Why this and no other time is the time for change. This is how “Yes We Can” became more than a slogan in 2008, as “Morning in America” did in 1980. Or “Make America Great Again” did in 2016.</blockquote>
Liu notes that the most crucial of the three is the "story of us," adding, "This is more than stepping into someone else’s shoes — it’s stepping into the story of how someone else came to be wearing those shoes." So you can have your story about "collective motivations," as long as you merge it with the motivations of the individual.<br />
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<a href="https://insidetimshead.wordpress.com/2017/03/04/the-struggle-is-real-the-heros-journey-and-higher-ed-storytelling/">SUNY Oswego's Tim Nekritz reflects on this for university communicators</a>, using his own experiences as an alumni donor: "As I prepare to send a check to one of my alma maters, thinking of the journey and how it helped along the way, I realize that the more challenges I faced and how much the school helped has really played into why I give." It's a good discussion of applying the hero's journey to this process. Just as in <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2016/08/tell-it-better-whos-hero-when.html">Who's the hero when storytelling your customer's journey?</a>, in which it's not the product but the customer who needs to be the hero, your donor needs to be the hero when you're telling the story of a gift or donation, and the story needs to be their story.<br />
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<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mindfulone/268022096/in/photolist-pFFCC-6bjcxE-97J6FP-4JMr8u-ojFFzb-6APVdX-spPZM8-o3edVp-5dAg1n-ojFFF3-6QkFm5-eSeyH5-7Vv4ks-sq7su1-nkVMV7-7apimN-8dgmhP-9VEE7N-cTxnV-a2DPqg-6AUazG-aAiJ1o-sLH8ez-nW7Vxq-TEN4BM-qJ3NMM-e27LMa-5LxmKc-e27LNc-5zPNcD-6DAsvm-5Kqjer-9Y259C-4CBnqW-9Y25aS-5FCm4q-7Q794d-uktjX8-5ofP9U-5F6RTP-5vPDHR-5u4Vfk-5rMPM1-natPdf-5jhTmb-4iRB5L-5gSJtz-syW9C5-5iFJBL-kgmyHY">Kathryn Harper</a>)</i><br />
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<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i></div>
eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12201213.post-91243519762356672582017-07-14T05:15:00.000-04:002017-07-14T05:15:00.173-04:00The weekend read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5t0iP7BOq_6VRwVP1LXDyhgh_osrsnXe_TT98iEfRyaOeK-ngxu9TuHTth2D31d-IEqJwXTDJtha1nSz5wqOL1iV9Hs4er3Yl-6aoz3QGkpY7DQpb6z5RlRSVKSnJ2cqgMLxW/s1600/16825155261_e8c70aefbd_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="640" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5t0iP7BOq_6VRwVP1LXDyhgh_osrsnXe_TT98iEfRyaOeK-ngxu9TuHTth2D31d-IEqJwXTDJtha1nSz5wqOL1iV9Hs4er3Yl-6aoz3QGkpY7DQpb6z5RlRSVKSnJ2cqgMLxW/s320/16825155261_e8c70aefbd_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
See that hammock in the distance? It's a smart plan for the weekend. So are my finds of the week, shared via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">@dontgetcaught on Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught on Facebook</a>, and curated here for you. Time to work, slowly, on getting smarter by Monday:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>I miss the hammock: </b>The White House seems hell-bent on killing the press conference. The Washington Post asks: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/a-beltway-tradition-is-on-life-support-will-we-miss-the-white-house-briefing-if-it-dies/2017/06/01/9b53101e-46e0-11e7-98cd-af64b4fe2dfc_story.html?utm_term=.c22746447b72">Will we miss it?</a></li>
<li><b>For contemplation: </b>This week, Donald Trump Jr. pulled a fast one on the New York Times, releasing emails they'd alerted him they would be reporting on, when they called him for comment. Here's precisely <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/business/media/how-trump-jrs-transparency-erodes-trust-with-the-media.html">why that short-term strategy wasn't so smart, media relations types.</a> As former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said, "You get one mulligan to do it this way, and he just took it." You also can <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/us/politics/russia-trump.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur">read the behind-the-scenes furor here</a>, because, of course, it was leaked.</li>
<li><b>Look at the whale:</b> Just in case you need it, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/07/science/humpback-whale-video-camera.html?smid=fb-nytscience&smtyp=cur">here's how to attach a video camera to a humpback whale.</a></li>
<li><b>A mirage? </b>Check out the <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/06/pr-pitches-are-the-worst-this-agency-is-trying-to-make-them-better-and-i-i-like-it/">PR agency whose approach to pitches made a reporter actually enjoy the process</a>. Good ideas to steal for your comms office...</li>
<li><b>Face the ocean or face the beach?</b> This article explains <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/09/technology/facebook-video-stars.html">why some online video stars prefer Facebook to YouTube</a>.</li>
<li><b>(Not) camera shy:</b> Even if you think you're experienced, find some good tips and reminders in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-tips-and-tricks-2017-7">How to use YouTube like a pro.</a></li>
<li><b>Not a secret beach:</b> Social channels have long sought audiences by making deals with real-life events that have audiences already gathered, hence the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-snap-twitter-fox-world-cup-2017-7">bidding war going on between Facebook, Snap, and Twitter</a> to share footage from the next World Cup tournament.</li>
<li><b>Hiding behind that palm tree: </b>TV networks have been misspelling the names of their low-rating shows--those on holidays or those pre-empted by news--to make sure they don't count in Nielsen ratings. <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/07/networks-misspellings-ratings-television-nightly-news?mbid=nl_CH_595fdb15cfd9536ab4c3119b&CNDID=48153929&spMailingID=11427745&spUserID=MTc0NjAyNDAzNDY5S0&spJobID=1200612804&spReportId=MTIwMDYxMjgwNAS2">But that's changing</a>.</li>
<li><b>Back to work?</b> There's an <a href="http://bit.ly/2uZbec3">executive communications job, heavy on the speechwriting</a>, open at UPS in Brussels.</li>
<li><b>Week in review: </b>On this blog, I shared <a href="http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2017/07/results-of-my-month-long-social-media.html">A lookback at my month-long social media hiatus.</a> Guess that means it's really over...</li>
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<i>(Creative Commons licensed photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/smilla4/16825155261/in/photolist-rCMjtP-eMQnmT-U1gKyS-6M6XFu-qhqyw6-qLzLAU-r3tvcg-UPotMY-4BnHVA-FV9yQQ-SK8vd1-Si2Neu-Shqf6W-TQ2KsB-RBpDAz-S64S95-v8uzG-9swzmo-Ssu2Bj-SjnXJ8-Smk7U6-TcVmMH-SSwSp3-SqPiM5-oPiDLv-225vW-oCcKxL-U4GXpq-VgWHta-UGugQL-K4wRU-48w8W9-Syk9tW-4q4DuZ-Ttzpsq-RDRLk4-n6WCgq-67ARBe-RQXQS4-SvakhD-opNSrz-TnEfp7-T2cigw-dCeRtF-oTGyqJ-6HRDUs-UerPVh-csjdou-55fhhv-cjUdKS">smilla4</a></i>)<br />
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<i>Don't get caught unprepared, speechless, or without a message, but do catch me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/dontgetcaught">Twitter</a>, on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DeniseGraveline">Google+</a>, and on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dontgetcaught">don't get caught page on Facebook</a>--all great places to add your comments to the discussion. <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001dLsZf5Cw4pNoKPvdqjSP0nhBUWoYrSykcHDawco40rCJW9yvEKi3ETdXbADxC__yobyPW1Ej_neCsRxB1BxadhYmOOaR1tsE">Subscribe to my monthly newsletter,</a> </i>Speakers & Communicators,<i> to make sure you don't miss a thing on my blogs and get the first news about new workshops and projects.</i>eloquentwomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12736800559249302802noreply@blogger.com0