Time for a fresh coat? When to update your social media profiles
April 4, 2012 by Rita Marshall
image by matt hutchinson
You probably update your Facebook or Twitter account on a daily basis, but when’s the last time you looked at your profile description on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or other social media networks?
As I prepare to take a year-long assignment, I’m also preparing to change my Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn information to reflect my temporary new employment. While I’m there, I’ll also see what else I’d like to change in the “about me” section.
The “about me” section in your social media networks is usually ignored by you and the connections you’ve already made, but it’s still the first impression for people “meeting” you digitally. (In the case of LinkedIn, changes to your profile usually trigger a note to all of your current connections as well).
When should you change your social media profiles?
It’s also a good idea to review your “about me” section, on both your social media networks and your website, every few months to make sure it’s accurately reflecting what your business is currently focused on.
Should I change my photo?
It depends. Are you the face of your business? Is it important that everyone recognize you? Or do you prefer keeping things fresh with the risk that people might lose you in the shuffle because they don’t recognize the new photo?
I’m a believer in the “your photo is part of creating a recognizable brand” school of thought. I rarely change my photo. I used my headshot from the local newspaper across all of my social media profiles so that I was easily recognizable. Print might be dying, but that newspaper headshot made me very recognizable to local people when it appeared on social media. I kept it for almost two years. I obsessed over my current photo, mostly because I knew it would be sticking around for a long time.
What about SEO?
For advanced SEO tinkering, read this post by blogger Kristi Hines.
What you need for a speech or presentation
March 7, 2012 by Rita Marshall
image by Kheel Center, Cornell University
So you’ve just been asked to give a presentation or make a speech. You don’t expect to get the reaction a presidential candidate does, but you certainly don’t want to end up sounding like Every Presentation Ever. Start preparing for your moment on stage by gathering these resources for yourself.
1. Your own research
Answer these questions:
When you are speaking? (are you the first speaker in a panel of five or — ugh — the fifth?)
Who will be in the audience? Professionals, general public? If you can get information on likely gender mix and ages, even better.
What do they want you to speak about? Believe it or not, this doesn’t always get explained properly! The more narrow the subject matter, the easier it will be to create your speech or presentation.
2. Good speeches and presentations
Sit through too many snoozy presentations and you’re more likely to imitate one. Instead, watch a TED speech at http://www.ted.com/talks They’re long, but they’re spell-binding.
For something much more compressed, check out the five minute presentations from the Ignite speakers’ series at http://igniteshow.com. Their slogan is “Enlighten Us, But Make It Quick” — a great motto when preparing a speech.
3. Go Old School and buy some books
When I searched for a witty line to include in one of my email sigs, I naturally turned to the Internet. What a treasure trove there would be of obscure, hilarious lines millions of people had been compiling over the last 20 years!
But for some reason, there are maybe 75 tired one-liners and short jokes everyone publishes over and over. Do not waste one second Googling them, because every presentation ever has already done that.
Find an old joke book, at a bookstore, library sale, whatever. While you’re there, look for short books on business anecdotes and/or history anecdotes. If you’re very sure of the gender mix, ages and background of your audience, a book of military anecdotes or marriage and love anecdotes may also come in handy, but I would use them wisely.
Give yourself however much time you can to work through your own research and watch a few good presentations. Keep your books handy for when you actually write your presentation. Your next step is an outline, which we’ll discuss in a future post.
And if you’re a comfortable, veteran presenter, what speech resources have you found absolutely necessary?
Where technology meets etiquette: Siri edition
March 2, 2012 by Rita Marshall
image by Planetc1
From the New York Times comes a look at this dilemma: texting saved us from obnoxious cell phone conversations (of course texting has its own etiquette limitations, as you’ll know if you’ve ever seen someone text their way throughout a meeting or presentation).*
But now that technology is saving us from typing text and gives the ability to speak text, we’re back to people having obnoxious conversations — this time not even with a human being….
“Happy birthday smiley face,” was what Dani Klein heard a man say to his phone on the Long Island Rail Road, using the command to insert a grinning emoticon into a message.
“It sounded ridiculous,” said Mr. Klein, 28, who works in social media marketing.
Click to read “virtual assistants raise new issues of etiquette“.
*or been that person. Shame!
Is it time to get rid of internal email?
February 19, 2012 by Rita Marshall
image by Ian Lamont
The decision by French IT company ATOS to get rid of internal email by 2014 has made some workplaces look at their own overflowing inboxes and think, “maybe there IS a more efficient way.”
An article on Fresh Business Thinking talks about the most likely successor to office email, Instant Messaging:
“More than half (55%) of those who use IM at work say it cuts down on email traffic and 50 percent find it more efficient than email.”
Read more at “Are businesses missing out for overlooking instant messaging?”
But if you can’t beat ‘em, maybe manage ‘em more effectively. This article from the Sydney Morning Herald tells you how to get through that pile quickly and includes some blunt stats:
“Microsoft has estimated 50 per cent of emails received by office workers could be deleted or filed, 30 per cent could be delegated or completed in less than two minutes, and 20 per cent could be deferred to a task list or calendar to complete later.”
To see what’s started this whole frenzy over internal email in the first place, go straight to the source and read ATOS CEO Thierry Breton’s interview with the BBC on the issue.
Funniest video ever: “Every Presentation Ever”
February 11, 2012 by Rita Marshall
I love this merciless re-enactment of yes, every presentation ever. (The video is a brilliant viral promotion for the book “Habitudes for Communicators” a project of non-profit organization Growing Leaders)
Go ahead and watch the video and you’ll have many of your own memories to share. (In my experience, the only thing missing is a musical intro to the slideshow and a table of snoozing reporters).
The tough question is, “have you ever given one of these presentations and will you admit it?”
5 easy steps: How to speak effectively
February 3, 2012 by Rita Marshall
image by CarbonNYC
Writing can be an intimidating skill to learn, but at least you can go back and edit your words if they’re not right. Anyone who’s ever put a foot in his or her mouth (that would be all of us) knows that speaking can be an even bigger minefield.
Here are five easy steps to help you speak more effectively in person.
1. Don’t Be Afraid of Silence
Cops and reporters know one surefire method of making someone spill their guts — being quiet. Most people feel so awkward during silences in a conversation that they’ll start rambling and blurting things out. If you have something to say, say it. If you aren’t sure if you should say something (even something as innocent and rambling as “ah, anyways, so I guess…”) give yourself three seconds to think about it.
2. Ask Positive
One job I had at a major daily newspaper consisted mostly of wheedling information out of sources. The number one rule was “never ask negative”. Ask, “You couldn’t do X, could you?” and the answer will likely be “no”. Ask “Could you please do X?” and your likelihood of “yes” is much higher.
3. Speak Positive
In the same way, say what is possible, not the many things that aren’t. “I can meet you Wednesday”, not “I can’t meet you on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday. How about Wednesday?” Starting with the negative can lead to rambling and confusion. What day were we supposed to meet again?
4. Be Wise with Your “Sorries”
As a Canadian, I love saying “I’m sorry” — it’s what I usually say when someone steps on my feet. But it can make you sound like you’re always doing something wrong and it leads to rambling. Use it wisely and genuinely.
5. Escape the Valley of the Raised Inflection
If it’s a statement, don’t say it like you’re asking a question. Because when you do? You sound like this? And unfortunately, many of us have this problem now?
The usual advice to rid yourself of a raised inflection is to constantly correct yourself until the habit is broken. I battle my raised inflection by taking a breath in the middle of a sentence. Not sure why this works, but it does.
(My “Canadian raise” however, remains. I have nothing further to add aboot that.) What are your best ideas on speaking face to face?
Blackberry PIN use has city administration on hot seat
January 28, 2012 by Rita Marshall
image by arrayexception
Here’s one for the “Is Office Email Dead?” file.
The Ottawa Citizen recently discovered that senior city staff are using Blackberry PIN messages to communicate with each other instead of email. The city has a policy on “responsible computing”, the Citizen reports:
“The rules warn that outside email systems, like Gmail or Hotmail, aren’t allowed because they’re not secure, and also that employees’ superiors have the right to monitor their email. PINs aren’t covered.
The rules also say that electronic messages of all kinds can be important records that the city is obliged to keep, to document how decisions are made and to answer access-to-information requests.”
In response, city officials said that PINs are used mainly to communicate quickly with each other — something not always possible when each staffer is deluged with emails on a regular basis. They also point out that if they wanted to do something top secret that wouldn’t be documented by emails, they could’ve just phoned each other up or met in person.
Read more here.
There’s only one tip on body language and business
January 24, 2012 by Rita Marshall
image by Banjo Brown
Globe and Mail commenters recently savaged “Ten simple and powerful body language tips for 2012“, originally a Forbes.com article.
The article’s suggestions included:
- hold “high- power” poses (such as feet up on a desk with your hands behind your head or standing with arms and legs spread apart) to stimulate testosterone and confidence.
- “to increase participation, look like you’re listening” That’s a direct quote.
- Smile genuinely. (with a detailed description of what a genuine smile looks like, so you can practice being genuine in the mirror, I guess.)
Commenters had a field day giving their own suggestions in response to an article that focused on poses instead of attitude.
“Good lord, that’s terrible advice,” wrote one commenter about the feet-on-desk power pose. “Unless you’re the CEO, don’t do this.”
“Agee 100%,” replied another. “When I walk in on somebody in that pose, I assume that they don’t have enough to do.”
“Holding your arms out and spreading your legs wide to make yourself appear as large as possible is also an effective tactic for warding off an attack by a bear,” observed one commenter. “You should note, however, that sometimes this technique just serves to pi$$ the bear off and it takes a bite out of your a$$.”
In comparison, Todd Smith’s explanation of body language on his blog Little Things Matter observes that body language is a reflection of our thoughts and feelings.
To make an actual difference in what your body communicates to others, you need to be aware and in control of your mental state. The only worthwhile tip for positive body language is to be in a positive state of mind.
“Forget the gold painted plaster and get at the source,” said one of Smith’s commenters, echoing the Globe and Mail readers who argued that being sincere is better than taking a “sincere” pose.
Can you tell when someone is faking body language? Does it irritate you? Or does it make you feel sympathetic to someone who just may be shy or nervous?
SOPA, PIPA and the Battle of the Corporations
January 18, 2012 by Rita Marshall
photo credit: ikrichter
The fight over SOPA/PIPA is an epic battle between freedom-loving, open-source netizens and the giant, evil corporations who want to crush all that is good.
Right, right?
Not really.
I am not a supporter of SOPA and PIPA. Like most opponents of the bills, I do agree with fighting online piracy, and I feel that the current DMCA is pretty reasonable. (The mere mention of it has certainly been enough to deal with the ding-dongs who have stolen my content over the years.)
But this is not (simply) a case of power being put “in the hands of corporations” and only your Facebook status update can stop it. Yes, many of the opponents of SOPA and PIPA are plain home-spun Internet folk like you and me. But you know what? The US government doesn’t give a crap about us and our love of YouTube.
They care about YouTube itself, which is part of a corporation. They care about the signatories on a Nov. 2011 letter sent to the US Congress — AOL, eBay, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Yahoo, Twitter, Mozilla. These zillion-dollar corporations made their point that SOPA/PIPA will damage an important part of the economy. Now they’re also showing that they have remarkable influence over people (ahem, voters) by encouraging online users to speak out against the bills.
“Corporation” is not shorthand for “evil, greedy pigs”. A corporation is simply a large entity with a lot of weight (and money) to throw around — sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. NBCUniversal and Viacom (among others) have thrown their weight around, but are now challenged by the new digital corporate titans who have their own interests to protect.
To me, “corporate dinosaurs facing younger, powerful corporate newcomers” is the real story behind the clash over SOPA/PIPA. “Soulless business-suits vs. ragtag digital warriors” does sound better, but it’s not the truth.
It would make a hell of a Viacom pic, though.
3 Reasons Why Business Jargon Might Be Necessary
January 17, 2012 by Rita Marshall
When writing about Careerbuilder’s 17 Most Odious Buzzwords, I realized that there were a few that I didn’t mind at all. I thought “next steps” was pretty simple, “elevator pitch” rather poetic and “proactive” is one of those words which is too commonly used to be banished.
In fact, there are several reasons why jargon might stick around:
1. Sometimes jargon saves time
Dan Roddy of Learning Rocks describes a school AGM he attended where an official apologized for all the educational jargon, which Roddy thought completely justified. “Had the Head to speak all the acronyms out in full and explain every last word to us newbies we would not have covered as much ground,” he explains in his post “In Defence of Jargon”.
Having covered school board meetings, I understand completely. The many programs which fund schools, guide curriculum and measure students’ progress are complicated enough. Having a shorthand for them speeds up time if everyone knows what it means.
2. Jargon can be code words to enter a certain club
Jargon can foster a team environment, whether in one company or in an entire industry. You see it in the military, among police officers, among techies, among restaurant workers. Why should business professionals be any different?
When jargon functions as a “code word”, it lets someone know that you have (some) knowledge of their field. When I interview someone in a field I am comfortable with (like health care) I will introduce an acronym as soon as it is practical to do so. This lets my source know that they don’t need to explain basic terms and concepts to me. It builds rapport and speeds things up.
3. Jargon sometimes becomes accepted usage
In the 1982 tween novel Macdonald Hall: The War with Mr. Wizzle, a killjoy new teacher tries to ruin the vibrant life at a boys’ school by bringing in a big computer. The students are especially indignant over his use of the term “input”, which none of them have ever heard.
Twenty years later the popular Canadian novel underwent a major rewrite, given that the idea of computers being unknown and boring hadn’t aged well. I’m guessing they also took out the section where kids needed the term “input” explained to them.
To our eternal delight and distress, the English language welcomes almost any word which wins a popularity contest among its speakers. Sometimes, jargon makes that leap.
In the 1949 AP article “Business Jargon of Today Can Get to Be Confusing”, a business reporter assures readers that a new economic dictionary will precisely explain the terms inflation, deflation, hidden inflation and scab. It also outlines a concept called “psychic income”. In the 21st century we call that “job satistfaction”. So take hope that sometimes new jargon is easier to understand than the old, and occasionally things become clearer with time.