Three quick formulae for Media Communications

Welcome to another quick post on Communications tips!

Imagine being offered an "out of the blue" media event assignment and you don't have any clue about what media relations is.

Here are three formulas to get you started and race your way to success!

Working with the media or communicating your message to the media is all a part of external communications. So, first of all, use the basic formula behind all communication processes:

• What needs to be communicated, or the intended CONTENT
• Who is communicating, or the SENDER
• How is s/he communicating, or the intended MEDIUM
• To Whom is s/he communicating, or the intended AUDIENCE

Once you have established these four facts, run the RACE formula:

• RESEARCH: Research your audience's needs and opinions or attitudes, characeristics; your organization's needs and attitudes, priorities; pros and cons of different medias.
• ANALYZE: Aalyze the data about your message, audience and establish strategies
• COMMUNICATE: Now communicate! Are you worried what to convey? Remember the 10 intentions behind the content of any communications that I mentioned in a previous post. That's the formula behind the content of your communications.
• EVALUATE: Once you have communicated to the media your key messages, you need to measure media effectiveness and evaluate your success for future strategic planning.

Effective communications is the key to success in today's world and a little hard work and strategic planning can go a long way in your company's success.
Hope these formulae can guide you through.

For more information, you can contact a local Communications or Media Relations expert. I recommend Ms. Susan Sommers of Susan Sommers & Associates from Toronto. She is a known author, a wonderful speaker and a seasoned consultant in this field. She also teaches at University of Toronto's Continuing Education program.
http://www.susansommers.ca/

Please do post your comments directly on this page for the benefit of other readers.
Ciao!

Ten Basic Intentions behind Corporate Communications

Hello fellow bloggers.

Exiled for almost 15 days, I feel like I have been missing on a lot. However, its always good to step out of the virtual world and meet real people and sharpen our communication skills in real time and real space. I shiver sometimes when I think of the world 30 years from now. How many of us would actually be taking real time trips to places around the world? Anyways, until then, lets enjoy the real world feeling. Here's some food for thought at my blog party.

I was recently introduced to the the ten intentions as described by Elaine Stirling in her book, The Corporate Storyteller.Thinking aout it, communications in the corporate world do stem off from intentions. We are either upset about a situation and want to express ourselves, or inform people around us about something new. Sometimes, we want to recognize the goodness or success of others and encourage. There are times, when the team is in low spirits and we need to inspire. Well, it would be easier to communicate, oral or written, if we identified the underlying intentions first.


The first and foremost intention is: to inform(1). Think of a new born baby crying- trying to inform of birth pains or hunger. As we grow, our need to inform the world around us increases as well and we start writing books, conduct seminars, run a show, so on and so forth. In the corporate sector, communication is primarily used for disseminating information. We want to inform continuously- our products or services, how we are better than others, our vision and mission, the list goes on.

As we grow, we learn to express our curiosity. We learn to inquire(2); to seek information. Informing and inquiring is what makes a conversation going. It strengthens relationships and creates reason for continued interaction. These two intentions once manifested as actions, form the basis of the rest of our intentions.

Some other intentions are to promote or persuade or even propose. These seem to be similar in nature when we are writing an ad script, no? however, they are not exactly the same.

Well, promoting(3) is all about moving forward; getting the audience to move forward to a new level of understanding vis-a-vis our products or services or even ideas.

Persuading(4) is a step further . Its almost urging your audience to agree with you so that you can reach your goal.

Proposing(5) is to use our persuasiveness in order to promote our goals. Each of these three intentions will lead to diverse actions.

To refuse(6) is the intention to respond negatively to a request or inquiry. We do it all the time in our personal or professional world.

To complain(7) is to express our discontent or to lament. Sometimes, its just a healthy release of emotions but at other times, its a major reason behind serious communications. Customers complaining about overcharges, compliant officers complaining about non-compliance, so on and so forth.

At times, we communicate with the intention to confront(8). We have refused or complained and now, its time to confront; to bring the issue on to the table and accomplish a tangible goal. Often, this is an important reason to communicate and requires careful planning and understanding of the issue at hand.

While all the above-mentioned reasons are everyday reasons for communications, there are two more which form the basis for any leadership communications framework: to encourage (9) and to inspire (10).


To encourage is to lend some courage to your audience for an intended action. A teacher encourages the child to learn better, a manager encourages her or his team to move further to accomplish the goal. It involves building up further on the existing qualities in your audience.

To inspire is to infuse with a higher spirit of accomplishing. It helps the audience to recognize the highest in human potential.Obama's speeches in 2008 were all about encouragement and inspiration just like Gandhi's were in 1940s.

Do share with me what you think of these ten intentions.
Enjoy the week ahead until we meet in blogland again!

Ciao.

Business Communications -1

In this modern technological world, when you are surrounded by a dozen different channels for communication at work, do you ever have to wonder whether to call, email or discuss face-to-face with a colleague? Here's a quick usage suggestions guide for corporate communicators.

One-on-One Conversation: If your message is personal, a not so good news, a complicated matter orone that asks for persuasive discussion, this is the best option.

Telephone call: Telephone works best when a quick Feedback is required but non-verbal cues are not necessary; a face-to-face conversation isn’t feasible; or, when there is a need to establish rapport in a long distance setting.

Voice Mail message: In case the receiver is absent, you still need to leave information that could be important/ confidential or just routine. Make sure you are sure how many people have access to that voice mail in case of confidential information. Avoid leaving passwords or important account numbers on a voice mail.

Email: Life, today, is unthinkable without Email. Email can be used for routine information delivery; information pertaining to non-deadline driven matters; information exchange needs to be documented; targeting multiple receivers or a large, dispersed audience

Instant Messaging( SMS): Mobile messaging works best for routine info exchange; discreet info exchange during meetings or conferences or quick announcements. Many companies are using Instant messaging for marketing/advertising purposes too.

Memo: If a written record explaining policies or changes or collecting information within the organization is required, Memo is a good tool.

Letter: When a written record of correspondence is required, letter is most preferable. It can be emailed, faxed or sent by post.

Fax: Fax is a great vehincle when targetting varying time zones and international boundaries in minimal possible time; written/ signed documentation is required; or, graphical data difficult to reproduce electronically.

Report or Proposal: Annual or quarterly reports, project reports or project proposals are an important part of organizational communications. It is popularly used when data is usually intended for group or multiple receivers; needs to be documented; or, when conveying intense/ comparative data.

Group meetings: Face to face group meetings work great when requiring immediate decision-making, multiple channel feedback , persuasive discussion, or making critical announcements. It facilitates a better group understanding because of non-verbal cues and immediae reactions from group members can be observed easily.

Teleconferencing/ Webinar: Use these tools when time or distance doesn’t allow information exchange through other channels.

Press Release: A public announcement is being made and you are requesting media coverage.

Website Posting: If the information is intended for dissemination within the organization, use intranet; if the information is targeted at a general audience, post it on the website.

Social Media ( Blog/Twitter): This is the ultimate gen Y tool! Use it when targeting a certain audience who is part of your social media group or following your tweets. Remember, this information, once posted cannot be withdrawn without having considerable influence.


This was just a " Beginners to Communications" post. I look forward to your comments so that I know what is most needed. Please feel free to email me any interesting anecdotes related to the above information.