The Power Of Words

Ever since childhood I have been an avid reader and been fascinated by words. From the creative delights of the Land of the Faraway Tree to the complexity of The Hobbit, I loved losing myself in a narrative.

Later in life, after reading my first copy of Think and Grow Rich, I began an even deeper appreciation and delving into the power of words. When words are read as not just a collection of symbols or characters, but as thoughts, emotions or sentiments, the real power of words can help, inspire, encourage, motivate and move us. In just the same way words can also move people, teams, communities and countries.

Think for a moment about a handwritten note you've received, perhaps it included words of love, of friendship, or an apology. Remember how you felt reading the words and feeling the sentiment behind them.

The importance of words comes in the form of a shared language and shared meaning. To become an exceptional leader you must be aware of the power of story and metaphor to convey your ideas and steer the change process. "Effective leaders...create communities out of words." Warren Bennis.

Take for example one of the greatest speeches of our modern time, one that inspired and motivated people - delivered by Martin Luther King. He didn't just have a dream, he described that dream in words, clever words, descriptive words, stories and metaphors that were so powerful they catalysed a social movement.

What words are you using in your life, business and career, what do they reflect about who you are and where you are going?

PR versus Search Engine Optimisation

Check out this interesting article on PR versus SEO...
http://holisticsearch.co.uk/2009/02/18/managing-reputation-seo-vs-pr-who-is-better-placed/

Cheers
Heidi

Social Media to help a social cause

Using social media today is all about looking to connect with people on a personal level, to move beyond one way communication to stimulate dialogue and a greater level of involvement and engagement.

A cute clip I came across recently from Haagen Dazs is a beaut example of a brand using 'social media marketing’ techniques for a social marketing cause.

It’s part of their Help the Honey Bees campaign and it is definitely worth a look.

Be well communicators
Heidi Alexandra Pollard

Using Twitter to find a job

Just came across this interesting article written by Thursday Bram on using Twitter for job hunting to see whole article http://www.lifehack.org/articles/money/taking-your-job-hunt-to-twitter.html
In summary:
Twitter can offer a quick way to learn about who actually has a job to fill and perhaps even help you get your application on the top of the pile.
It’s All About the Hashtags
There are three hashtags that can come in handy to someone on a search for a new job. Keeping an eye on #rtjobs, #jobangels and #jobs can give you a look at who’s looking to actively recruit on Twitter. Even recruiters from companies like AT&T have started posting job listings, often labeling them with #jobs.
To connect with me on Twitter visit http://twitter.com/Commscoach
Cheers
Heidi Alexandra Pollard
The Communicators' Coach

Social media as a business tool

An article by SMH/Age reporter Paul McIntyre recently suggests that with the Prime Minister of Australia on Twitter, blogging his way to the next election, that it's about time business sites up and gets more serious about harnessing the power of social media as a business tool.

All the evidence suggests it will be impossible to ignore.

Twitter, a micro-blogging venture in which users post views, or "tweets", to a maximum of 140 characters, is still tiny. But numbers are up more than 500 per cent this year in Australia, says Hitwise. And the time Twitterites spend with the application is greater than MySpace, Facebook and any of the big five online publishers, including ninemsn and Yahoo!7.

Twitter is just one emerging social media application, but combined with others (and there are hundreds) it is creating a boom for the PR industry because someone's got to interpret what's being said about companies and brands online.

However while technology may be helping media audiences gather news from sources outside the mainstream - eg blogs, social networks, podcasting, vodcasting, video-sharing sites, it can't deliver what companies need: automated insight about consumers.

Companies around the world over are starting to dabble with social media - and they have to or they will be left behind.

Here are some of its statistics on online users gathered this year:
Bloggers globally: 184 million;
Those who watch video clips online: 82.9 per cent;
Those who say they have joined a social network: 57 per cent;
Those who have uploaded photos to a network: 55 per cent;
Those who have uploaded videos to a network: 22 per cent;
Those who have uploaded a video clip to a video sharing website: 8.5 per cent.

These are global figures, but UM breaks out some numbers for Australian users: 62 per cent say they have read a blog, up from 21 per cent in 2006 and 55 per cent last year.

Most important point for companies: 34 per cent of bloggers say they post opinions about products or brands!

So the challenge for those of us in PR is not only to monitor these forums for information and discussions around our products or brand but how we engage and participate in the discussion.

Join in the Professional Communicators' Network Online Forum
The Professional Communicators' Network Online Forum is a global networking site connecting professionals from around the world and providing a platform to share what works. Joining is F.R. E.E. so get connected with like minded professionals and actively participate in the discussion.

Let us help you become a more effective communicator. http://affiliate.kickapps.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=4554367&as=80679

To read Paul McIntyre's original article visit http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/biztech/using-social-media-for-commercial-gain/2008/12/04/1228257189521.html

The Secret to Setting Powerful Goals in 2009

Do you set goals or make resolutions at the beginning of each year? With 2009 upon us now is the time to whip out a pen and paper or your Blackberry and make some plans before another digitally enhanced year speeds by!

Want to know the secret to setting goals that you will achieve? It's all to do with your unconscious mind and the way you frame your goals. You see when you talk about accomplishing something in the future, it will stay in the future in your mind.

For example here are some typical goals:
"I aim to increase my profits per client by 50%."
"I plan to delegate more and take more holidays in 2009."
Instead write them in the following manner:
"I increased profits per client by 50%."
"I outsourced all the administrative and operational functions of my business and took 6 weeks of holidays to travel."

See the difference? When you write your goals as accomplishments, you trick your subconscious mind into believing they've already happened.

Instead of thinking about all the obstacles between now and reaching your goals, visualize yourself already where you want to be. This minor shift in language will make a huge shift in setting up the mindset you need for success.

If you want 2009 to be more successful than 2008, you need to think differently and plan differently. You may need fresh ideas and different skills; to find new partners or associates, better ways to organize your business and even a coach or mentor.

Make a list of your accomplishments for this coming year. The act of writing them down and sharing them tricks your brain into making a commitment to reach them. Define what you'll have achieved 12 months from now written in the past tense, as if you'd already achieved them.
My secret weapon in ensuring my goals are powerful is to write them in the form of a gratitude letter. So each year I write my goals down in the form of a Gratitude Letter because as an author and communicator I find this narrative, descriptive form most powerful as it makes it tangible and gets my creative juices flowing.

I recommend you review your goals and plans regularly, daily if not weekly so as you reread them you can track your progress. It's easy to make resolutions. But it's hard to make them come true.

No wonder so many people make the same resolutions every year, without ever achieving them. Don't let yourself fall into this trap. This year 2009, right now, resolve to put your goals onto paper and, if you need to, hire a coach or find an accountability buddy to keep you on the track to success!

If you would like to download and read a copy of my special gratitude letter simply visit www.leadingvalue.net

The 'Embargo' argument

Last year, Chris Anderson of Wired magazine made news with the controversial decision to publish the email addresses of PR practitioners who consistently bombarded him with irrelevant pitches. Now, Michael Arrington of the TechCrunch blog has fired an opening salvo at companies that fail to enforce embargoes.

The latest article from Marketing Profs outlines his new approach:

"We've never broken an embargo at TechCrunch," he writes at a post titled "Death to the Embargo." "Not once. Today that ends. From now our new policy is to break every embargo. We'll happily agree to whatever you ask of us, and then we'll just do whatever we feel like right after that. We may break an embargo by one minute or three days. We'll choose at random."

In the last year, argues Arrington, companies desperate for attention have become especially aggressive in their pitching methods, for instance by providing embargoed announcements to just about anyone with a URL. While reputable outlets like TechCrunch hold the news until the embargo date, it looks as if they're being scooped on a regular basis by less scrupulous competitors. "The benefits are clear," he says. "[S]ites like Google News and TechMeme prioritize them first as having broken the story. Traffic and links flow in to whoever breaks an embargo first."

What do you think of Arrington's policy?

Cheers Heidi Alexandra Pollard, The Communicators' Coach