Trafcom News

Do you really need those slides?

These days I've been helping a client to change their boring PowerPoint deck into a compelling presentation. This assignment has inspired me to record this 14-minute podcast, wherein I share some tips for making your next presentation memorable. Check out the resources I’ve found for you:

Presentation Zen, a blog that offers many useful tips, advice and examples
Great Presentations Mean Business
Beyond Bullets by Cliff Atkinson

Visit the Trafcom News Podcast page to download the podcast and see the full shownotes. While you’re there, why not subscribe to the podcast on iTunes?

Using tech to talk during a crisis

Dave Fleet, who blogs at Fleet Street, does an excellent job of analyzing the use of new media in the communications around the terrible wildfires in California. Those who work in the public sector can learn a lot from Dave and from the other sources to which he links.

(Hey, Dave, maybe you could cover new-media crisis communications at the Talk is Cheap unconference in Toronto next month?)

Talk is Cheap and the food is free

Gary Schlee, who writes the wonderful A Class Act blog geared toward students in the Corporate Communications and Public Relations program at Toronto’s Centennial College, has come up with a very bright idea: Talk is Cheap.

Talk is Cheap is a social media unconference that Centennial will be hosting on November 15, partly funded by the Toronto chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). From the registrations so far, it looks as though seasoned communications practitioners and enthusiastic students will enjoy meeting and networking and learning from each other.

Check out Gary’s blog post for more information, and then get thee to the Wiki to sign up.

Key words: Free, unconference, great people and even food! So you can rush from work and not have to rely on that desiccated granola bar in your briefcase for sustenance.

See you there!

Excellent advice for public speakers: set a goal, don’t be too broad

Read this post from Heidi Miller. She’s right on the money.

Heidi, when I speak on a social-media panel this week, I will be sure to end with a call to action!

Darren Barefoot kicks off Third Tuesday Toronto

Darren Barefoot’s 1100 Stacies presentation  was a terrific start for Third Tuesday Toronto’s 2007-2008 season. Last night the social-media crowd at the Ground Hog Pub received Darren and his message warmly. Lots of questions followed his 45-minute talk because the audience was engaged and eager to learn more.  I wonder how many people woke up this morning feeling  inspired to look for creative ways to “do good.” I surely did (but why did it have to be at 5 o’clock?).

Thanks to CNW Group for sponsoring Third Tuesday Toronto this year by picking up the direct costs associated with running this event. In November, Jeremy Wright of B5 Media will be the guest speaker; in December it’s Richard Binhammer of Dell’s digital media group. As chief organizer Joe Thornley says: “Third Tuesday is a free monthly meetup for Toronto area communications and marketing folks interested in learning and sharing more about the practical applications of social media in business.” If you’re in Ottawa or Vancouver, you’re in luck; they have Third Tuesdays too.

If you haven’t yet experienced a Third Tuesday, check it out. You’ll meet interesting new people, renew old friendships and spark some fresh ideas.

(And yes, yesterday was Monday. Dates are chosen based on speaker availability.)

Squeezing the most value from your audio dollar

Yes, I’m a podcaster. But I know that a podcast is not the only answer to every communications question. Sometimes audio IS indeed the solution, but it’s not necessarily a podcast. OR, you want to use a podcast, but you’d also like to extract the most value from it. In my latest podcast, just 10 minutes,  I share some tips for accomplishing this, based on the experiences I’ve had with some recent projects.

You can download the MP3 file at the Trafcom News Podcast page or listen to the player right there. Let me know what you think!

Blogs/RSS, wikis, podcasts and social tagging: What's a communicator to do?

Are you a communicator?  Are you familiar with the capabilities of blogs/RSS, wikis, podcasts and social tagging? Do you understand their potential  within your organization?

Come to the October meeting of the Halton-Peel Communications Association  (HPCA) and hear from a panel of experts:  Dr. Joan Vinall-Cox, a dynamic and creative Web consultant, writing coach, and editor who is especially skilled at introducing people to the digital environment; Rob Clark, a web designer and social media consultant with a background in visual storytelling; and me. [I’m not linking to the HPCA Web site, which is being overhauled as we speak.]

Join us on Tuesday, October 23 in the auditorium of the Oakville Public Library on Navy Street in downtown Oakville, Ontario. Networking begins at 6:30 p.m. and our panel discussion starts at 7 p.m. Coffee, tea and light refreshments will be served. The library building is on Navy Street just north of Lakeshore Road, but parking is in the rear, off Water Street and south of Lakeshore. Note: This is not a technical presentation, but a business-oriented one.

RSVP to rsvp AT hpcaonline.org. This meeting is free for HPCA members; guests pay $20.   

Bryan’s social-media résumé makeover

Take a look at Bryan Person’s social-media résumé. I like its clarity of language,  organization and refreshing overall appearance. Do read the comments on Bryan's blog for insights from others.

In some industries, you may still need a traditional résumé. But if you’re entrenched in the social-media space and have a broad online presence, this type of CV might be right for you.

Nice work, Bryan.

If I knew then what I know now

In her Teaching PR blog, Karen Miller Russell tossed out a few blog topics for PR bloggers, all aimed at enlightening students. One of these was: “If I knew then what I know now.” How could I resist?

My full answer would be the length of the Encyclopedia Britannica or perhaps the whole of Wikipedia. However, I think I can share the Reader’s Digest condensed version in one quick post.

Here it is: When I first started working full-time, I thought my job was to work as hard as possible and to do everything perfectly. It didn’t take me long to discover that my REAL job was to make my boss look good.

I’m not trying to be glib here. Yes, you must accomplish your tasks on time and with competence, but no one expects you to be perfect. You’re going to make plenty of mistakes along the way. If you can support your boss’s efforts, however, you will do well and you will be recognized for doing well.

So how do you make your boss look good? Find out what makes him tick. Uncover her greatest needs in the organization and then try to help her meet them. Is Project A more important than Project B? Does he need assistance in a particular area to make HIS boss take notice?

If you make the move to your own business, as I have done, you need to transfer these skills to making your clients look good. (Yes, now I have 20 bosses to please.)

Here’s a question for the students: What do you think of this advice?

A modest proposal for the news release

Tod Maffin has put forth an idea for a new format for news releases. I love the way he has taken a stodgy, jargon-filled Bell Canada release and translated it into something clear, direct and meaningful.

This could work.

What do you think?