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Cures for the common meeting-itis

Meetings seem to be a way of life. Whether in person or on the phone, are you sick of meetings? Do you find yourself wondering how much you actually get done? Are there lots of people discussing, but little decision-making or action-taking? This is a hot topic showing up in my personal conversations and in blogs from Seth Godin and Sasha Dichter recently. So, even though this is a little long, I thought it worthwhile to share some of their tips along with my own so that your meetings CAN be productive.

1. Understand that all problems are not the same. So why are your meetings? Does every issue deserve an hour?
2. Have an agenda and require preparation. Give people things to read or do before the meeting, and if they don’t, kick them out.
3. If in person, remove all the chairs from the conference room.
4. Stress punctuality. If someone is more than two minutes later than the last person to the meeting, they have to pay a $10 fine to the beverage fund.
5. Bring an egg timer to the meeting. When it goes off, you’re done. Not your fault, it’s the timer’s.
6. The organizer of the meeting is required to send a short email summary, with action items, to every attendee within 10 minutes of the end of the meeting.
7. Have a poster board or simple online page that allows attendees to rate meetings and their organizers on a scale of 1 to 5 in terms of usefulness. Just a simple box where everyone can write a number. Watch what happens.

One ring-y ding-y… two-ring-y ding-y…calling all conference callers
Conference calls can be entirely different beasts. Have you ever been on a conference call and suddenly everyone is silent? Do you know what to do? If you conduct much business by phone, here are your Magic 8 ideas to consider:

1. When silence starts to set in, start cold calling on people. This has two effects: making sure everyone gets a chance to speak; and creating an incentive for people to speak up – for fear of being called on.
2. If somone is dominating the conversation, the leader gets to step in and facilitate the meeting.
3. If you like to talk, take a breath and give someone else a chance every once in awhile.
4. Make it a regular practice that when an important question comes up, you go around the call and ask everyone to say something
5. Have someone who isn’t “in the room” lead the call. This keeps them engaged and validates that just because they’re on the phone doesn’t mean they are less important.
6. Never equate silence with agreement. It’s bad enough to do this in person; worse still on the phone.
7. Keep calls short. More than 30 minutes on the phone and you’ve probably lost the person dialing in.
8. Keep groups small. Less than 4 is ideal, but 6 or fewer seems to work.

It’s really, really tough for someone on the phone to stay engaged. And, if people on the phone aren’t engaged (if they are a listener) or not getting feedback (if they are a speaker), you’ve missed the entire point of a meeting - to inform people who are on the call and, often, to get their feedback or make a decision. Anyone want to meet?

Good marketing meets social media

I found Chris Bogan's post on marketing trigger points and how to marry online social media really timely. We’re all fighting through an overwhelming amount of messages in all different forms to try to get people’s attention. It’s enough to give a marketer a headache – newspapers and magazines to TV, radio and the Internet. Then there’s text messaging and twittering. Where to be? What to do? Chris breaks down the cultivation – act process into a nice continuum he calls “pirate moves”:

Awareness – people start to know who and what your business is
Attention – people start to give you a little bit more of their time and want something in return
Engagement – sustained interaction between you (or your product or brand or service) and your buyer
Execution – the action or activity you’ve been working toward – the sale, the information exchange, the donation, the big event is held
Extension – this is all about what happens next; keeping the person engaged and interested in your organization, products, brand etc. You don’t want to be “one and done.”

I call this darn good marketing (aarrgh, matey!). Check out Chris’ full post and let us know what you think.

How to get supporters, customers to listen

My good friend and talented leader, Martha, sent me these wonderful tips from Katya's Non-profit marketing blog.

They’re right on if you’re trying to raise money in this crazy economy, but I suggest they work for lots of scenarios – attracting new customers, building relationships, job and college interviews, life!

1. Listen. If you want someone to pay attention to you, pay attention to them. Ask a question and then shut up and LISTEN.

2. Connect to what you’ve heard. If you’ve listened, then you’ll know what to say. When I was doing some career networking, I changed things up. Instead of talking about what I wanted, I asked what the other person was up to, what was important to them. In their answer, I always found a meaningful way to connect. In business, when you understand your audience’s interests and passions, you can figure out how to tap into them in your marketing, communications and outreach efforts.

3. Show, don’t tell. Great stories get people’s attention. Connect through stories, not just words describing what you do and how you do it.

4. Change the messenger. This is a great one for people raising money. If you’re the fundraising professional, don’t be the only one asking for help. Provide great information and stories for others in or outside your organization to spread within their circles of influence. Authentic outside messengers can do wonders for your message.

Feed hungry kids; take the pledge today!

At any given time, one out of six children in America does not know when they will eat next, and wtih the economy, this terrible situation is only going to get worse.

However, in the next minute, with just a couple of clicks, you can feed 140 children. Working together, we can feed 420,000.

If you want to make a difference, it’s really easy to join the Pledge to End Hunger campaign. For every person who visits The Pledge to End Hunger campaign and signs the pledge, Tyson Foods will donate 35 lbs. of food (that’s 140 servings of healthy protein) to local food banks. In just its first day, 1,000 people signed The Pledge – enough to fill an entire semi-truck now destined for delivery to the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas in Austin.

Due to this amazing response, Tyson has agreed to donate two additional trucks – one to each of the two states with the most people who take the pledge. By simply adding your name, you can help feed children in need in your community. Indiana has a big lead right now, so you folks in other states might want to try to catch us!

Please take the pledge today and then SHARE this with your friends, family, anyone anywhere to help end child hunger.

Fear is not the answer

Fear or bravery?
Doomsday or opportunity?
Everywhere I seem to turn there’s bad news — layoffs, bankruptcys, financial disaster. And, when times get tough, organizations seem to cut and stop doing things important to their business or organizational success. Cut people, cut programs, cut budgets, cut services, cut communications and marketing. Been there. Done that. Doesn’t really see that it works so well. That’s why Seth Godin’s post Brave New World made me smile. Creativity has always made the world go ’round. Maybe NOW it’s more important than ever.

“Why can’t we be nice…”

Obama inauguration ceremony on C-Span

“Why can’t we be nice to each other like this all the time?”
After all the analysis and punditry around the inauguration of Barack Obama as our 44th president, this statement is one of the most enduring moments of my 4 days celebrating in Washington D.C. I’m not usually political in my posts, but I couldn’t let this occasion pass.

Nikita, a beautifully dressed African American woman from New York, had sat down at the Billy Goat bar with a group of us Hoosiers to find some warmth and watch the “We are One” inaugural concert and the NFL playoffs Sunday afternoon. After just 2 days it was abundantly clear that this was a celebration of historic proportions. Crowds every where you looked. Strangers striking up conversations everywhere. People were here from New York to California and everywhere in between. They were happy. And, yes, people were nice to each other. They were nice when we stood in line in the snow on Monday to pick up tickets to the swearing-in. They were even nice when we were in the chaos of trying to get onto the Mall on Tuesday. Old friends hugged and danced at balls. Strangers exchanged stories on crowded subways. OK – some people started getting a little cranky at an ill-prepared Dulles Airport when thousands of people showed up to fly home Wednesday morning.

Now that I’m back in my “real world,” I still find myself smiling and being thrilled at having been a part of the inaugural festivities. A lot has been made about the hope that our new president instills. I’d take it a step further and say he’s not only inspiring, but he’s intentional about providing leadership to help us solve our problems and make America a better place. So, maybe we can be nice to each other all the time.

2009 goal setting made simple!

Hi and Happy 2009!
I’m actually really excited for this year. I had not considered any “new year’s resolutions” until my daughter asked me if I had made any. Heck, I gave up on those a long time ago. Instead, I’ve replaced them with more of an ongoing “sanity check”. What am I up to? Is it in contribution? Am I making a difference? Sometimes I find myself off track more than on track, but I keep at it.

3 simple words
So, because my daughter asked, I decided to think about what I wanted to be up to this year. Then, I was catching up on my blog reading and came across Chris Brogan’s blog on goal setting. We were on the same wavelength - instead of big, hairy goals, keep it simple. Chris suggested coming up with 3 simple words that could serve as goals. I used this concept in a leadership program before and it makes a lot of sense. So, I’ll stick with 3 again and here are my words for ‘09:

Inspire — myself and others to make a difference, get involved, think and play big. We can all inspire and be inspirational. Inspiration isn’t limited to those with fancy titles, big jobs or lots of money
Trust — just do it
Fun — have and make lots of it!

What are your 3 words?
If you come up with 3 words for your new year, feel free to share them here. Let us know how we can inspire and support you in reaching your goals. Trust me. It’s going to be fun!

Food for thought and fru heading into 2009

Modern marketing as we’ve known it has been all about consume, consume, consume. The more you consume, the better a citizen you are – you’re fueling the economy. But that’s starting to change as consumers embrace what the Boomer Consumer Blog calls the “New Fru” mindset. Fru — Frugality:) I really like this concept and am definitely feeling it. Are you?

.A recent Wall Street Journal has three insightful items:
1. Full-page ad by DeBeers with the headline “Here’s to Less” and copy about a diamond being something that can be passed down for generations.
2. Article about the dramatic fall-off in luxury car sales. Reasons? Recession and people not wanting to be “showy.”
3. Essay about the rediscovery of a class of Americans who have been shunned for decades: those prudent Americans who pay their credit card bills and save money.

Seen the Target ads where the message is that you can save more by spending at Target? The real question is will this new-found frugality go away when the recession ends? Or, is this a permanent shift in consumer behavior that will have lasting impact on marketing? Definitely something to think about as we wrap up business for 2008 and head into 2009.

Consider checking out The Story of Stuff over this holiday weekend. Even if the facts cited aren’t perfect, it’s quite an eye-opener for anyone trying to understand consumer behavior.

Happy Holidays!

Loss of emotional connection = loss of donors

We talk about the importance of connections a lot. I’ve just come across some quantitative proof that they really do matter and wanted to share it with you.

Nearly 60% of wealthy households who stopped giving to a charitable organization did so because they were “no longer feeling connected to the organization.”

Wow! Maybe it’s not just the economy that’s making it so tough on so many organizations. As individuals we can’t do a whole lot to turn around the economy. However, we can do a lot about staying connected to people we care about.

This news comes from initial findings in the 2008 Bank of America Study of High Net-Worth Philanthropy. It reflects the opinions of folks in the U.S. with household income greater than $200,000 and/or net-worth of at least $1 million. And while it’s focused on philanthropy, there are good lessons for those of us in business too. Here are some key insights:

·        Wealthy donors are giving more strategically, proactively integrating philanthropy into their wealth management strategies, and are increasingly turning to legal and financial professionals as primary sources for advice about charitable giving decisions

·        Desire to “give back to the community” is the leading motivation for giving, while “public recognition” essentially a non-factor

·        Donors believe charitable contributions have a greater impact on their personal fulfillment than on the organizations they support

·        Transparency, accountability and protection of privacy are primary expectations of the non-profit organizations

·        During turbulent economic times, people are more actively involved in deciding what they give, to whom and when.

You can read more about the 2008 study, along with a 2006 study that has become a leading resource for understanding philanthropic behaviors of wealthy donors, at IU Center on Philanthropy. The full report will be released in the first quarter of 2009. Stay tuned.

‘Tis the season… to Network!

Shopping. Eating. Decorating. Family. Traditions. More shopping. More eating. All hallmarks of the “holiday season.” Well, contrary to popular belief and according to Right Management, the holidays also can be a great time to make connections and job hunt because:

• Managers are thinking about next year’s budgets and the positions approved and want to get a head start so people will be in place by the first of the year.
• Schedules are often more relaxed, and people have time for phone calls or lunch.
• It is a time for goodwill; people are in a “giving” frame of mind during the holiday season and will be more receptive to helping.

 So, consider attending every holiday party or event you can find… to network! Networking done over the holidays can have an impact when done without haste and with taste so:

• Be sensitive to the season (Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa) with your greetings.
• Relax and have fun!
• This is a time to open doors and get referrals. Nurture relationships. Get contacts and referrals but be careful not to be overly aggressive and send the wrong holiday message. At the same time be prepared to briefly talk about your career aspirations if asked.
• As always, thank people for their interest and suggest that you will contact them after the holidays so they can enjoy the event. Exchange business cards.
• Send holiday greetings to people in your network, people with whom you have interviewed, recruiters, and thank them again for their support.
• Scale down your “30 second commercial” for parties. And, use it to position yourself based on what you know about the person with whom you’re talking. Make it meaningful them; it’s not just about you.

The mantra… you never know who you’ll meet… And now, with a dash of holiday spirit, here are some thoughts on building your network:

• Treat office holiday festivities as business functions, not a party to tie one on. If you volunteer for an organization, attend its holiday event, end-of-year awards ceremony or fundraiser.
• Your alma mater is also a great networking opportunity that many people forget about after graduation. They provide a built-in connection and are ready to help connect alumni. Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business is a network of 88,000+ alumni, and has provided me with an amazing network, connections, opportunities and education. Don’t forget about sororities, fraternities or other college organizations.
• Attend the December meetings of industry trade or professional organizations. If you’re thinking about changing industries or jobs, take a look at professional organizations in those areas instead of sticking to your current area. It will help you learn about a new area, gain different perspectives, and meet new people. Of course, there’s always the local chamber, Kiwanis, Rotary and the like.
• Online networking is relatively new, but can provide opportunities. LinkedIn and Plaxo are popular ones for business. You can join interest groups, research companies, people and find job openings. You never know if someone in your network has a connection to a company or a job that’s of interest to you. 
• Who’s in your network is important, too. While it’s good to get together with your peers in other companies, they can be competitors during a job search. Think of expanding your network to include people higher up the organizational ladder as well as those in other lines of related work.

Feel free to share other thoughts on networking — during the holidays or anytime!