Month: December 2012

Communication Mediums

Garth Beyer

There is a general concept when devising a communications strategy to list all the different mediums that you wish to communicate through. Before and after doing so, you want to rate each medium on how effective you believe it will be pertaining to the goal you wish to reach through that medium.

Here is a long list of various mediums that you may be using or may think of using next.

Print it out, highlight the ones you use/want to use, and rate each one.

  • Email
  • Newsletter
  • Text messages
  • Facebook
  • Teleconference
  • Notice boards
  • Direct mailing
  • Mobile app
  • CEO briefing
  • Posters
  • Logo’d pens/pads/etc.,
  • Lunchtime meeting
  • Intranet article
  • Launch event
  • Videos
  • Blog
  • Press release
  • Team meeting
  • Podcast on intranet

Doing so allows you to monitor the effectiveness of your methods of communication. By evaluating your expectations and results, you will learn where to cut expenses and where to redirect them.

Note: Many mediums may feel broad. If that is the case, make note next to it what how you will actually use the medium. For example, will you use Facebook for advertising? For starting debates with followers? For sweepstakes? Identify exactly what you will do through each medium.

Outdo Yourself

Garth Beyer

New years is about goal setting.

Sure. Go for it. I love goals.

But here’s a twist for you this year.

Write out all the accomplishments of the year that you are proud of. Only write down what you would honestly consider a real accomplishment.

Now you have something to beat for next year. Now when you get the ol’ “who’s counting?” you can respond, “I am.”

 

Stay Positive & Compete With The Best

Garth E. Beyer

Take A Swing

Garth Beyer

You’re going to be criticized, judged, influenced, and swung at.

There’s no preventing it and there’s no reason to prevent it. Getting swung at will help you redirect what you want to say, what you mean, what you want the audience to understand. If you look at criticism as a opportunity to calibrate your crosshairs, then you can better succeed next time (There will always be a next time.)

However, the best of the best have a tough time handling brutal criticism. While there is no preventing it, you can weaken any future criticism.

Take a swing at yourself before anyone else gets a shot.

Look at your work from a critics point of view, from your audience’s point of view, from a random-person-just-coming-across-your-work’s point of view. Dont just criticize yourself before others do, make the adjustment so no one will criticize you the same way you just did. Run a self-evaluation before you release your work. It’s only then that you can really benefit from the input from your audience. If they make suggestions to what you already know, how do you learn anything new?

 

Stay Positive & Just Don’t Keep Swinging (everybody wants a turn)

Garth E. Beyer

Find Your Calm

Garth Beyer

Aside from when it’s frozen, I could tube on Lake Geneva endlessly. All the same, I could fish on Lake Michigan year round. Yet, YET! I need my happy time sitting on a bench beside a still pond, a serenely calm lake or a smooth flowing river.

We can’t have our yin without our yang. We all need our calm water.

Today seems as good as any to go find it.

 

Stay Positive & Work Smart, Rest Smarter

Garth E. Beyer