Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.
From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.
Communiqué recently began working with Fierce, Inc., a leadership development and training company that empowers companies of all sizes and in a variety of industries to adapt to and thrive in the ever-evolving work environment. The company has worked alongside leading brands such as Starbucks, Costco and Walmart, igniting productive dialogue among employees and enriching relationships, as well as organizations’ cultures.
Last month, our team had the pleasure of joining Jim Sorensen, director of program development at Fierce, to take part in its award-winning training program. The day proved to be a success—chock-full of lessons for professional and personal relationships that, as Fierce founder Susan Scott mentions in her book Fierce Conversations, are both intuitive and revolutionary.
With the New Year in full swing, I want to share the key takeaways I garnered and the principles that I plan to incorporate into my 2016 professional—and even personal—development goals.
1. The conversation is the relationship—According to Scott, “our lives succeed or fail gradually, then suddenly, one conversation at a time.” So what does that mean to me?
Each conversation you have — or don’t have — is either building or deteriorating the relationship you have with that person, so in order to enrich these relationships we must engage in meaningful conversations—as the conversation is the relationship. So how exactly do you do this?
2. Ask meaningful questions and then actually listen— While many of us may believe we’re asking meaningful questions—and that may be true—often we lose sight of actually listening to the answer. When asking a question, you should be listening to learn, not to reply.
I think we’re all guilty of letting our thoughts wander during a conversation, nodding along absent mindedly or scanning emails while we talk on the phone. This is a great example of how easily we can get distracted and the person talking can often see or sense the inattention, negatively impacting the relationship.
To avoid impairing a relationship by not actively listening, you must invest in the conversation. Enlist others’ opinions. Bring your curiosity. Give your undivided attention. Ask thoughtful questions and listen to the answers. Look them in the eyes while listening. By doing so you’re building emotional capital with that person and investing in your relationship—and will likely learn some valuable things along the way.
3. Reevaluate your context filter— Personally, the lesson from the training that really spoke to me was to realistically evaluate situations. Sounds simple, but we often get wrapped up in our own “realities” and have difficultly stepping outside our own truths.
In her book, Scott contends “perhaps what we thought was the truth is no longer the truth in today’s environment” and challenges us to “interrogate reality.”
Our upbringing, culture, education and experiences inform our personal contexts. What this means in day-to-day life is that everyone sees the world through his/her own context. In order to build relationships and be successful in business, we must remove ourselves from our “realities” and “truths,” and welcome others’ insights and ideas to the table for a more well-rounded “truth.” Ask yourself who sees what I don’t see and seek out their perspective on the topic. By being flexible and open to others’ perspectives, you’ll give yourself and your business a competitive advantage—one that challenges reality.
The Fierce training truly opened my eyes to the powerful effect our day-to-day conversations have on our relationships. And, as Scott mentions in her book, these lessons are both commonsensical and revolutionary—Fierce conversations are unattainable and offer a fresh lens for building, maintaining and enriching relationships. I learned that by being authentic, curious and open to others’ perspectives, you can enhance your relationships and garner the most from both ends. These lessons only begin to touch upon all the applicable principles we learned, but nonetheless are crucial to enriching relationships and can easily be applied to professional relationships, as well as personal.
Whether or not you believe the practice of mindfulness can have significance in your day-to-day life, consider this: The field of public relations is arguably one of the most stressful jobs in existence. In fact, CareerCast listed the PR Executive as the sixth most stressful job in America last year just before corporate executive and newspaper reporter. And since PR pros work hand in hand with both journalists and executives, this combination can make for some pretty stressful situations and sleepless nights.
As a PR professional, each day you divide your time across different priorities and expectations, from managing budgets to addressing client needs and working with reporters on tight deadlines. This constant switching of your attention from one task to another over time activates your prefrontal cortex and causes your nervous system to constantly be on alert, forcing your mind to wander and ruminate about potential outcomes for a client and its impact in the press and for the agency.
But this is what PR work is all about. Sound judgment and critical thinking are important qualities in successful PR professionals and so is thoughtfully analyzing how news events will impact your client. You view your ability to multitask as a strength and what makes you so good at your job, and it is. But what if I told you that multitasking is in itself a myth – that people simply cannot focus on more than one task at a time?
And when you get home after work, is your mind still running on a treadmill? Does it take you minutes, or even hours, to decompress from your day of meetings? Do you have a hard time unplugging from your smartphone and mobile device as you sit down to eat dinner?
If so, then mindfulness may be something to explore.
Recently, the practice of mindfulness has moved from the fuzzy fringes and into the spotlight as a way to drive real and measurable impacts on employee happiness, businesses productivity, and the bottom line. Global companies like SAP, Google, Ford, Intel and Target have launched formal mindfulness training programs to help employees, managers, and the C-suite find a new way to get work done in today’s hectic and digitally infused workplace that demands our constant attention.
But what is mindfulness and how can it help you do your job better? Simply put, the practice of mindfulness is the ability to focus one’s attention at a particular task at hand, to act and think deliberately and without judgment. It’s this last part that is so difficult for PR folks – reserving judgment – especially since our profession requires us to analyze and assess everything that is presented to us on a daily basis.
Different from meditation that focuses on uncluttering the mind, mindfulness is about consciously drawing one’s attention to the present moment and noting without frustration or analysis, any mental meanderings that may occur. Mindful breathing is a critical component of this, as discussed in the book Perfect Breathing written by Al Lee and Don Campbell.
According to The Harvard Business Review, “As a leadership strategy, mindfulness helps people to be more effective by directing focus to the most pertinent task at hand. Deprogramming multitasking tendencies and intentionally focusing with full attention results in higher quality interactions and decisions. Mindful decision makers take the time to consider all of their options, and therefore make more-informed decisions. Managers who model and promote mindful practices with their teams create an environment of engagement.”
David Gelles, a reporter for The New York Times, first reported on the rise of corporate mindfulness programs in 2012 for The Financial Times, when he described a novel but promising initiative at General Mills. Since that time, similar training programs have been introduced at Ford, Google, Target, Adobe —and even Goldman Sachs and Davos.
Adoption within multinational corporations has since exploded, perhaps due to its potential to drive bottom line improvements by reducing costs related to employee healthcare. Aetna estimates that since instituting its mindfulness program, it has saved about $2,000 per employee in healthcare costs, and gained about $3,000 per employee in productivity. This is in and of itself difficult to ignore. The belief is that mindful employees are healthier, more focused, and thereby more effective and productive at work.
Here are companies that have implemented mindfulness programs:
- Google – Known for providing its employees with impressive perks, from free meals to massages and even swimming pools, in 2007 Google launched its mindfulness course “Search Inside Yourself.” The company believes this program teaches employees resilience and emotional intelligence to help them understand their own motivations, as well as those of their colleagues.
- Aetna – With the goals of reducing employee stress and improving how stressful situations were managed at work, Aetna conceived, developed, and launched two different but complimentary mindfulness programs in 2010 – Viniyoga Stress Reduction and Mindfulness at Work — in collaboration with Duke University, eMindful, and the American Viniyoga Institute. The programs were so successful that now they offer them to their customers.
- Intel – Launched its Awake@Intel mindfulness program in 2012 and as a result, employees reported an average two-point decrease in stress (on a 10 point scale) and a three-point increase in happiness and well-being. Additionally, they reported a two-point increase in mental clarity, creativity and quality of relationships at work.
- General Mills – One of the first companies to develop/initiate/implement a mindfulness program back in 2006, General Mills offers courses designed to improve employee focus and creativity. The company also offers weekly meditation and yoga classes, as well as a dedicated room for meditation within every building on campus.
So take a long breath and resist the temptation to reach for your smartphone to check your email every three minutes. Think about how you want to live and for that matter, how you want to live at work. Instead of switching from one task to another, plan your day and schedule blocks of time on your calendar to dedicate time to specific activities that require contemplative thought.
Talk to your colleagues, your employees, your leadership team and consider what your company can do to help promote the concept of mindfulness. In the meantime, check out this enlightening TEDx video on mindfulness technologies and time management.
Your teams and prefrontal cortex will thank you.
This fall, our client Darigold unveiled its line of naturally white cheddar cheeses, the company’s largest product launch in nearly a century. Using farmers’ fresh milk from local dairy farms and a milled-curd process, Darigold’s naturally white cheddar is exceptionally creamy and delicious.
Prior to the launch, our team had a chance to visit the Darigold plant in Sunnyside, WA to see where the magic happens and meet Darigold’s cheese master, Tom Rouleau. Each batch of Darigold’s naturally white cheddar is taste-tested to ensure it’s reached the right sharpness and flavor profile. The opportunity to taste-test the cheese alongside the cheese master gave us insight into what makes Darigold’s cheese special – the co-op’s rigorous commitment to quality and farm-fresh products, made in our backyard.
According to Rouleau, “Cheesemaking is a three-legged stool.” (The “legs” include the standardization of farm-fresh milk, the cheesemaking process itself and the slow, controlled fermentation of the cheese as it goes from curd to brick.) “You have to balance those three parts, and if those three aren’t all done right, the stool tips over.” This process – and the commitment to perfecting each batch—sets Darigold’s cheddar apart.
Naturally, people are excited about the debut of a delicious natural cheese. The cheese made headlines across Seattle, Portland and Spokane and was featured in popular Pacific Northwest parenting, lifestyle and food blogs. In case you missed it, here are a few highlights:
- The Puget Sound Business Journal (PSBJ) ran an article titled “Darigold seeks a wedge into market for natural cheese.” The PSBJ is the most widely read business periodical in the Seattle area and reaches an audience of more than 100,000 influential business decision makers weekly.
- One of Portland’s top morning shows, KPTV Fox 12 Good Day Oregon, aired a segment announcing the cheese launch.
- Spokane’s The Spokesman-Review covered the new cheese in its article, “Darigold gives Spokane first taste of new cheese.” The newspaper has a circulation of 295,622 readers.
- Our cheese has inspired the blogs Culinary Concoctions and Jojotastic to create original recipes and the blogs PDX Food Love and Country Cleaver have shared FRESH recipes with their readers.
- Prepared Foods let its 40,000 readers know Darigold’s white cheddar is available in its post, “Darigold Debuts All-White Cheddar.”
- Darigold’s cheese has also been featured in trade publications Cheese Market News, Dairy Foods Magazines, Daily Dose of Dairy, Perishable News, Prepared Foods and Refrigerated & Frozen Foods.
Additionally, we worked to amplify the cheese tasting events in the Seattle, Portland and Spokane markets, securing coverage in the following outlets:
- Downtown Spokane
- My Fox Spokane
- KHQ 6 Spokane
- Spokane 7
- The Pacific Northwest Inlander
- Downtown Spokane
- Visit Spokane
- KXLY Spokane
- Herald Net
- Peninsula Daily News
- Marysville Globe
- Courier Herald
- King 5
- Seattlepi.com
- The Issaquah Press
- Seattle’s Child
- Bellevue Reporter
- KIRO 7
- Ballard Greenlake News
- Travel Portland
- Willamette Week
- Good Day Oregon
- KATU Portland
- Portland Family
- NW Kids Magazine
- Metro Parents PDX
- King 5
- Eventful
- The Stranger
- Issaquah Press
- Herald Net
Darigold’s naturally white cheddar can be found at independent retailers such as QFC, Bales Marketplace, Haggen, Metropolitan Market and Rosauers Supermarkets throughout the Seattle, Portland and Spokane area with more stores on the way!
Most of my past writing has been focused on the changing role technology plays in the worlds of social media, marketing and advertising – but one industry that is ripe for innovation is the field of public relations. While PR teams are viewed by some as more focused on tactical execution, the value they provide is not in selling a client’s products or services, but in selling a story to press who are constantly bombarded with solicitations and emails throughout the day.
As PR professionals, we love the journalism profession and respect those in it. To maintain our edge and relevance, we are constantly reading, contemplating, analyzing and predicting how stories will unfold and shift over time, and how to position our clients to find a voice within the news cycles and story arcs.
The tools for PR have changed (remember MediaMap, anyone?) and there is a consolidation taking place within the fields of marketing, PR, advertising and social. This is evident when one examines the Lumascape for adtech. But within the category of PR tools, Cision truly dominates. In December, Cision announced it acquired PR Newswire (owned by UBM) for a whopping $841 million. Earlier in 2015, there was speculation in the market that UBM was courting potential suiters.
So what does this mean for the field of PR? Well, every PR person knows Cision and uses it on a daily basis. But what this acquisition signals could be a bit more complex than many might realize at first blush. Cision has been on a binge of acquiring companies over the last few years, including Gorkana and also Vocus back in 2015 for $446.5 million. Then the combined entities acquired Visible Technologies in September of 2014 to flesh out Cision’s social listening and analytics features.
And the PR tech stack is condensing even further. If you recall, the social listening company Sysomos was acquired by Marketwired back in 2010 but then became an independent company in March of 2015.
Now that Cision has acquired PR Newswire, they are apparently piecing together an end-to-end solution that combines media contact databases, social monitoring/analytics and now press release/newswire distribution. From my perspective, the only tool left to acquire is one that can monitor previous media coverage based on keywords and marry that with media contact information (ahem, IT database, or something similar beyond just the tech media).
So what does this mean for PR professionals around the globe that rely on accurate and intuitive tools to do their jobs better and more efficiently? Well, not much on the surface, but changes will be coming since Cision’s pricing model isn’t conducive for smaller firms. One tangible change is that PR Newswire’s “Web Only” release distribution will no longer be available after this acquisition.
So for a big picture take at the news, the PR tech industry is ripe for innovation and has been compressing for some time. The big fish right now are Cision and Meltwater along with other social tools like Sysomos. Indeed, the market is ripe for new players to enter the fray to innovate an industry that has otherwise been ignored by investors and the press.
Unlike the retail industry, PR professionals are usually able to snag a little down time around the holidays. Clients are on vacation; journalists are out of the office; and news is not the public’s top priority. So, for us, that means a little less billable work. But just because the work isn’t billable doesn’t mean it can’t be valuable. Below are a few ideas on how to make the most of your “down time” through the holidays and any other lulls you may experience throughout the year.
1. Networking and Relationship Building—Relationships are one of the most valuable assets you can cultivate. However, they require investment of time and energy, which are not always readily available. So when you do have the time, it is important to schedule in-person meetings with clients and other people in your industry to continue fostering your relationships. When you meet, focus on topics that aren’t business-related; be sure to learn new things about them, like their favorite hobbies, how their kids are doing, etc. Also, build new relationships! Maintaining previous relationships is always important, but building new ones is just as important. So reach out to someone you’ve been wanting to meet or reach out your contacts and ask if they know of anyone that you can build a beneficial relationship with.
2. Team Building—In this industry, and most other industries, your team is your differentiating factor. A well-functioning, talented team is what separates you from your competition, so it’s important to keep them motivated and happy. Plan a fun activity for your team to do together or order lunch into the office and spend time together that doesn’t center around client work. Not only will your team be able to let loose and have a little fun together, but it will emphasize that you appreciate and value their hard work.
3. Expand your Industry Knowledge—On a day-to-day basis it is hard to keep up with all the happenings in the world. Things seem to change constantly and with social media, we tend to know about it instantaneously. But how often can we really sit down and read several articles on a topic to truly understand its impact? Not that often. For example, how will the changing interest rates affect investments and venture capital firms? I’m not sure, but with a little extra time I can learn more on the topic and understand how my clients will be impacted by the change. Understanding this will allow me to make better-informed decisions around a client’s messaging and positioning and the counsel I provide to our clients.
4. Practice a Few Skills—There is always something that we can improve upon, but we are not necessarily diligent in practicing the skill that needs improving. For me, it’s writing. Writing is a skill that I can always improve and can practice in a lot of different ways. I can spend time developing blog posts, coming up with a few sample pitches for a variety of clients or writing a piece that highlights my personal perspective on a completely random topic. None of these pieces have to see the light of day, but developing them provides an opportunity to practice skills and garner feedback from colleagues.
It’s rare that we have extra time, so when it comes around it’s crucial we take advantage of it. Many things, like the ones listed above, fall short of being a top priority, yet are important aspects of success. So instead of letting extra time around the holiday season, or any other season, go to waste, use it as opportunity to make these items a priority again.
It’s that time of the year again! With 2015 now behind us, public relations professionals around the world are asking themselves, what’s next for 2016? Will developing creative, engaging content continue to rule the roost? How will social media communications evolve in the new year? And what are the things PR folks should be thinking about as they begin planning their next big campaign?
Below is a shortlist of trends in the communications world that are expected to either emerge or continue in 2016. As the year unfolds, be sure to check back in on the Communiqué PR blog to see if the predictions hold true or if something new and unimaginable takes a hold of the profession.
Content Amplification
Hours have been spent working to secure coverage for a client. Every key message painstakingly developed and rehearsed made it into the article. But nobody seems to be reading it.
Before any important piece of news or content is anticipated to be published, public relations professionals should be asking themselves how to increase its reach. In fact, specific content amplification plans are emerging as a norm for any comprehensive communications plan. Services such as Outbrain, which places links to earned coverage on popular websites for a fee, are expected to rise in 2016 and offer even more options to expand reach. How content is distributed and who it reaches may soon overtake unique monthly visitors and circulation as the most prized metric to measure success.
Mobile-Friendly
This is one that can be included in these types of articles for years to come (and should have been included in previous years). Basically, people today are digesting their news via mobile devices. Everyone has one and they aren’t going away anytime soon. Communications professionals need to understand this fact and what it means to the planning process.
For example, how does that new infographic look when viewed on a cell phone? If an image is being developed for Twitter, does it fit the dimensions needed to be seen in full? What about resolution? Can people read the text on a small screen?
These are just a few things to consider for any content being produced and distributed in 2016, but certainly not the only things. Creating mobile-friendly content today also has to account for the ever-evolving technology that is reaching consumers. Not only do people need to account for smartphones and the specific nuances of each model and operating system, but with the rise of tablets and wearable technology, it’s become critical to develop content that works across a wide variety of mobile devices along with desktops and laptops.
Integration
Communications professionals have come to realize integration provides a means to circumvent limitations faced with a singular approach and can ultimately improve results. From the onset, marketing and other vertical leads should be involved in all planning discussions. What are their priorities for the year? How can public relations help them achieve their goals? What properties do they have that can be leveraged in a communications campaign?
By integrating all communications efforts into one overriding strategy, every vertical will have a better understanding of each department’s priorities and ensure that its goals do not conflict with one another. With this understanding, communications professionals should take a step back before developing a plan to think about how an integrated approach will work and how to sell the ideas to all the different parties involved. Essentially, everyone involved in the plan should see how it benefits their area of focus to ensure buy-in and success of the proposed tactics.
Multimedia Announcements
Reporters are inundated with hundreds of press releases and pitches on a daily basis. Their time is limited, and getting them to look at a company’s latest announcement can be a struggle. Luckily, multimedia press releases continue to grow in popularity because they have that something extra that can grab the eye of a reporter.
Although nothing new, multimedia press releases are set to become standard in 2016. Including pictures, infographics, video, b-roll, social media links, etc. in major company announcements is a simple way to garner extra attention. The days of the long, three-page press release are nearing an end and in its place is a more visual and interesting representation of the same information.
But it doesn’t end with just press releases – using multimedia and different communication channels to reach reporters directly is quickly growing and being embraced by public relations professionals around the country. Sending direct messages to reporters via Twitter or Snapchat is becoming standard for many media specialists, and including embedded GIFs or video in standard pitch emails is a new, emerging trend.
Will these predictions hold true? Only time will tell. But one thing is for certain: Public relations will continue evolving and it is up to us as professionals to stay ahead of the curve or risk being left behind.