+
NGOs Story Tailors Guide Non-formal communication Booklet
+
Note: The content of this booklet does not reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Responsibility for the information lies entirely with the author(s).
It’s time for story tailors Marks, brands and lovemarks Ideas with identity Media and NGOs Social media and Mobile Google Adwords for NGOs The art of story tailoring Brand Ambassadors Me INC Change management Social Responsibility Communication and Marketing NGOs Communication Camp
Content
+ “That is the power of a good story. It can encourage you, it can make you laugh, it can bring you joy. It will make you think, it will tap into your hidden emotions, and it can make you cry. The power of a story can also bring about healing, give you peace, and change your life!"
This booklet is a resource for your branding and communication team—from the president to the creative volunteer, from the designer to copywriter. I want to make it easy to quickly grasp the fundamentals and be inspired by best practices; And I want to make it easy to build brand equity. The tools have changed. The fundamentals have not. The questions are the same whether you’re on Facebook or in your organisation office: Who are you? Who needs to know? How will they find out?
Or It will help you train nongovernmental organizations or your communication department and take positive actions to improve communications with your teams, media or partners. It will show you ways to put together an internal and external communications strategy and action plan and gives helpful advice on a range of communications channels which you can use. The booklet is based on NGOs Communication Camp Trainings ( 1st, 2nd a n d 3rd e d i t i o n ) Curriculum that was developed by D.G.T. Association and the trainers team specialized in communication for not-for-profit organisation in 2013-2015. We encourage you to adapt these concepts in order to meet your specific needs and we hope it will guide and assist you with planning of your own communication strategy.
Emilia Radu Storyteller and Project Designer
+ It’s time for story tailors
+
Image and perception help drive value; without an image there is no perception. Scott M. Davis Brand Asset Management
The not-for-profit organizations must reinforce and reestablish their identity as a powerful and recognizable brand. Communication is very important for them, between each other and to the public. Otherwise, how else would NGOs be able to differentiate themselves from each other? The survival of current NGOs depends on their ability to publicly sustain an issue and to be seen by those interested as the vehicle for processing and transforming the matter. To achieve this, the NGO must reach out to their audience in search of two objectives: first, to propagate the values, ideas and beliefs that give meaning and entity to the organization. Second, it must ensure that its stakeholders feel involved and committed to the organization. Thus the NGO can attract stakeholders to contribute to their cause, through both direct and economic participation. The perceived role of brands, and attitudes towards branding in the nonprofit sector, appear to be at an inflection point. While some in the sector are skeptical about brands, believing that the brand is essentially a fundraising tool, many are embracing a more strategic role for their
brands in driving long term social goals and building internal cohesion and capacity. These objectives require that the image and communication of an NGO should look to draw attention publicly to the issue that the NGO itself embodies, or to interpret the problem, synthesizing the diagnostic of the situation, dangers and possible solutions of this issue. It is a matter of courage to know your story. It is a matter of wisdom to be able to share it with the others. Today, communication technologies open new opportunities for storytelling. At the same time, the stories of your projects are needed today more than ever in order to discern the essence from noise.
+ Who we are? Identity, values, aims
Let us first discuss WHO we are, and WHAT we want to do.
"Nobody knows who we are or what we do!"
1. Think about the NGO you work for. Imagine you are describing this NGO to a friend. In one sentence, describe what your organization is trying to achieve. 2. I f t h e w o r k o f y o u r N G O i s successful, how will life in the community be improved? What positive changes will there be? 3. What is the image (or “voice”) of your NGO? How do you want people to think of you? Make a list of words to describe the personality of your organization (for example: friendly, caring, helpful). 4. What wrong ideas do people (and the media) have about your organization and the work you do? Why do you think they have these wrong ideas?
We analyzed their existing communications and community engagement efforts, talking with people both inside and outside the organization, trying to see the full picture of the group's work.
Five years ago, when we were approached to help several not-for-profit organizations, their representatives complaint was simple:
The answer is simple and complex in the same time: "We know why nobody knows who you are or what you do. You don't tell anyone!“ They were using a slew of "standard business marketing tools." They had a great brochure, an impressive quarterly journal, PR with local media - many of the tools you might read about in a standard off-the-shelf small business marketing book. So what about
Community Engagement?
Most organizations understand the power of sharing information about their mission in writing, as they watch the effect of their newsletters and direct mail pieces. By extending that writing beyond your own organization, and writing for the general public or for membership associations or others interested in your work, your written wisdom will not just go to those who already know you, but to those who do not know you yet.
This can mean writing articles for newsletters and local newspapers, or it can mean writing a book.
+
It should absolutely include your organization's own blog, but it is also highly effective when you write a guest post for someone else's blog. In every industry and in every community, there are online and hard-copy publications looking for content. Find a list of all those publications within your particular niche - whether that is your geographic community, or your community of interest, such as the regional art or environmental or educational community. Then ask if they would publish an article on an issue of particular concern to their readers. It could be a column on child abuse in a school PTA newsletter, or an article on the effects of eco-tourism for the local lifestyle magazine, or a guest blog post on a critical issue for your local newspaper.
Community Engagement Tool
#1: Writing One of the best ways to engage the world with your mission is to write.
Writing your own blog posts, articles, newspaper editorials, and such is effective for a number of reasons. § You will have the opportunity to tell your own story in your own words. § You will be communicating about and connecting people with the issues directly affecting the mission of your organization - the definition of advocacy! § Through this communication, you will educate, a big part of the mission of just about every organization. § The mere publication of the blog post, letter or editorial piece will add credibility and publicity for your organization. § And once the blog post is published, you can share the link with your supporters and friends.
+ My brand timeline Non-formal activity
The purpose of the method: To illustrate the organizations values ​ ​ and milestones that have contributed to its development in terms of branding, organizational culture. Description: The trainers introduce to the participants the online tool named D i p i t y. T h i s t o o l w i l l e n a b l e representatives of NGOs to create, share -based interactive timeline visuals ,text , links, social media and video sites through which to identify all the important elements of life and brand development organizations. Thus, they are familiar with concepts such as logo, slogan, naming process, moments that led to the development and building of their brand reputation. Finally, each will present their timeline created online or on flipcharts and distribute it to their official website or among the other organisations.
Why use this tool? Dipity allows users to create free timelines online. Digital timelines are a great way to increase traffic and user engagement on your website. Dipity is the fastest and easiest way to bring history to life with stunning multimedia timelines. Dipity timelines are for anyone who uses the Internet. Newspapers, journalists, celebrities, government organizations, politicians, financial institutions, community managers, museums, universities, teachers, students, non-profits and bloggers all use Dipity to create timelines.
Another effective way to engage groups and individuals in the mission you care about is Public Speaking. There are always groups looking for effective speakers - speakers who know their subject and can capture an audience's attention for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour. If you make clear to the group that you are NOT there to ask for money, but just to share what you know about an issue concerning the community, there are a multitude of speaking engagements just waiting for someone from your organization. Speaking goes one step beyond writing, because when folks hear you speak, they are getting a direct and tangible sense of your issues, and you are right there, in real time, able to engage their questions a n d d i s p e l t h e i r misconceptions.
+
They will immediately sense the importance of your mission, and how it relates to t h e m p e r s o n a l l y. S e e i n g someone speak is as close to snacking on pizza in the supermarket as your audience can get! The benefits of speaking can also live beyond that one event. Just have your talk videotaped, and you can stream that video from your organization's website. Or you can send copies of the speech on a CD to your organization's friends.
Community Engagement Tool
#2: Speaking The second best way to engage the world with your mission is to speak about it.
How to do It? There are many ways to simply and comfortably engage friends for your mission via one-on-one conversations. And while Social Media such as Facebook and Twitter make it easy to meet people online, there is nothing like slow, meaningful live conversation to make a real difference to your organization. Here is just one way to do that: Take one current friend of your mission to breakfast each week, to just chat about what's going on as it relates to your mission. During that breakfast, ask that person if he can suggest 3 other people who might want to know about your work. And then ask if he would call those 3 people to make an introduction for you, so that when you call it's not a cold call.
+
Then call those people, and tour them through your facility or meet them in their office to engage them in your mission. Don't ask them for anything but their wisdom - just start to build the relationship between their passion / interest and your work. Then follow up with that new friend - a thank you note for their time, an article you saw that you thought they might enjoy, or the new article you just wrote! Keep them in your monthly/bi-monthly contact loop, and continue to follow up. This is the type of work any of us can feel comfortable doing. And it is all generated from the word of mouth of a supportive friend who is already familiar with the importance of your mission.
Community Engagement Tool
#3: One-to-one conversations We all know the word of a trusted friend or colleague can go miles to open doors.
Marks + Brands Lovemarks
+ Brands or marks?
n
Brand identity is tangible and appeals to the senses. You can see it, touch it, hold it, hear it, watch it move. Brand identity fuels recognition, amplifies differentiation, and makes big ideas and meaning accessible. Brand identity takes disparate elements and unifies them into whole systems. Let’s start by dispelling some myths… a brand is not a logo.
a brand is not an identity.
a brand is not a product/organization/company
a brand is a person gut feeling about an ONG As competition creates infinite choices, not-for-profit organisations look for ways to connect emotionally with customers, become irreplaceable, and create lifelong relationships. A strong brand stands out in a densely crowded marketplace. People fall in love with brands, trust them, and believe in their s u p e r i o r i t y. H o w a b r a n d i s perceived affects its success, regardless of whether it’s a start-up, a nonprofit, or a product. Branding is a disciplined process used to build awareness and extend customer loyalty. It requires a mandate from the top and readiness to invest in the future.
Branding is about seizing every opportunity to express why people should choose one brand over another. A desire to lead, outpace the competition, and give employees the best tools to reach customers are the reasons why companies leverage branding. The best identity programs embody and advance the company’s brand by supporting desired perceptions. Identity expresses itself in every touch point of the brand and becomes intrinsic to a company’s culture—a constant symbol of its core values and its heritage.
Effective brand strategy provides a central unifying idea around which all behavior, actions, and communications are aligned. It works across products and services, and is effective over time. The best brand strategies are so differentiated and powerful that they deflect the competition. They are easy to talk about, whether you are the CEO or an employee. Brand strategy builds on a vision, is aligned with business strategy, emerges from a company’s values and culture, and reflects an in-depth understanding of the customer’s needs and perceptions. Brand strategy defines positioning, d i ff e r e n t i a t i o n , t h e c o m p e t i t i v e advantage and a unique value proposition. Aligning an organization’s vision with its customers’ experience is the goal of brand strategy. Supporting every effective brand is a positioning strategy that drives planning, marketing, Positioning evolves to create openings in a market that is continually changing, a market in which consumers are saturated with products and messages.
Positioning takes advantage of changes in demographics, technology, marketing cycles, consumer trends, and gaps in the market to find new ways of appealing to the public. A big idea functions as an organizational totem pole around which strategy, behavior, actions, and communications are aligned. These simply worded statements are used internally as a beacon of a distinctive culture and externally as a competitive advantage that helps consumers make choices. Big ideas are a springboard for responsible creative work (thinking, designing, naming) and a litmus test for measuring success. The simplicity of the language is deceptive because the process of getting there is difficult. It requires extensive dialogue, patience, and the courage to say less. A skilled facilitator, experienced in building consensus, is usually needed to ask the right questions and to achieve closure. The result of this work is a critical component in the realization of a compelling brand strategy and a differentiated brand identity.
Brand identity begins with a conversation about the future. Hearing the vision face to face is critical to the brand identity process.
+ Brand Identity Ideals Vision requires courage. Big ideas, and community projects are sustained by individuals who have the ability to imagine what others cannot see and the tenacity to deliver what they believe is possible. Behind every successful brand is a passionate individual who inspires others to see the future in a new way.
Leaders who take the time to most audacious dreams and frequently understand the symbols and storytelling to culture and brands.
share their challenges power of build their
Strategic designers have the uncanny ability to listen deeply and synthesize vast amounts of ngo-critical information with an overarching vision.
+
Design and creativity
The best brands stand for something: a big idea, a strategic position, a defined set of values, a voice that stands apart. Symbols are vessels for meaning. They become more powerful with frequent use and when people understand what they stand for. They are the fastest form of communication known to man. Meaning is rarely immediate and evolves over time. n 
Meaning drives creativity
Designers distill meaning into unique visual form and expression. It is critical that this meaning is explained so that it can be understood, communicated, and approved. All elements of the brand identity system should have framework of meaning and logic. n 
Meaning builds consensus
Meaning is like a campfire. It’s a rallying point used to build consensus with a group of decision makers. Agreement on brand essence and attributes builds critical synergy and precedes any presentation of visual solutions, naming conventions, or key messages. Bumper-to-bumper brands clamor for our attention. The world is a noisy place filled with a panoply of choice. Why should citizens choose one brand over others? It is not enough to be different. Brands need to demonstrate their difference and make it easy for citizens to understand that difference.
+Qualities of an effective naming
A name is transmitted day in and day out, in conversations, emails, voicemails, websites, on the brochures, on visit cards, and in presentations. The wrong name for an organisation can hinder marketing efforts, through miscommunication or because people cannot pronounce it or remember it.
able to make a decision after hearing a name once. In fact, good names are strategies and need to be examined, tested, sold, and proven. Various thoughtful techniques must be utilized to analyze the effectiveness of a name to ensure that its connotations are positive in the fields served.
It can subject an organisation to unnecessary legal risks or alienate a market segment. Finding the right name that is legally available is a gargantuan challenge. Naming requires a creative, disciplined, strategic approach.
Intellectual property lawyers need to conduct extensive searches to ensure that there are no conflicting names and to make record of similar names. It is too large a risk—names need to last over time.
Naming is a rigorous and exhaustive process. Frequently hundreds of names are reviewed prior to finding one that is legally available and works. People often indicate that they will be
The right name has the potential to become a self-propelling publicity campaign, motivating word of mouth, reputation, recommendations, and press coverage.
Meaningful – Essence of the brand Distinctive - Unique, easy to remember, to pronounce Protectable – Trademark Visual – Brand architecture
+ Taglines The lines you remember – Get to the point
Short Differentiated from its competitors Unique Captures the brand essence and positioning Easy to say and remember No negative connotations Displayed in a small font Can be protected and trademarked Evokes an emotional response Difficult to create Taglines influence people’s behavior by evoking an emotional response. A tagline is a short phrase that captures a NGO’s brand essence, personality, and positioning, and distinguishes the association from others. A tagline’s frequent and consistent exposure in the media and in popular culture reinforces its message. Traditionally used in advertising, taglines are also applied on marketing collateral as the centerpiece of a positioning strategy. Taglines have a shorter life span than logos. Like advertising campaigns, they are susceptible to marketplace and lifestyle
A tagline is a slogan, clarifier, mantra, NGO statement, or guiding principle that describes, synopsizes, or helps create an interest. changes. Deceptively simple, taglines are not arbitrary. They grow out of an intensive strategic and creative process. Stay on message is the brand mantra. The best brands speak with one distinctive voice. On the web, in a tweet, in conversations with partner, in a speech given by the president, the organisation needs to project the same unified message. It must be memorable, identifiable, and centered on the people.
+ Design Elements Typography
Design is an iterative process that seeks to integrate meaning with form. The best designers work at the intersection of strategic imagination, intuition, design excellence, and experience. Reducing a complex idea to its visual essence requires skill, focus, patience, and unending discipline. A designer may examine hundreds of ideas before focusing on a final choice. Even after a final idea emerges, testing its viability begins yet another round of exploration. It is an enormous responsibility to design something that in all probability will be reproduced hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of times and has a lifetime of twenty years or more. Creativity takes many roads. In some offices numerous designers work on the same idea, whereas in other offices each designer might develop a different idea or positioning strategy. Routinely hundreds of sketches are put up on the wall for a group discussion. Each preliminary approach can be a catalyst to a new approach.
It is difficult to create a simple form that is bold, memorable, and appropriate because we live in an oversaturated visual environment, making it critical to ensure that the solution is unique and differentiated. In addition an identity will need to be a workhorse across various media and applications.
In projects that involve redesign the designer must also carefully examine the equity of the existing form and understand what it has meant to a company’s culture.
+ Design Elements Typography
Typography is a core building block of an effective identity program. NGOs like World Vision, Unicef, UNESCO, are immediately recognizable in great part due to the distinctive and consistent typographical style that is used with intelligence and purpose throughout thousands of applications over time. A unified and coherent company image is not possible without typography that has a unique personality and an inherent legibility. Ty p o g r a p h y m u s t s u p p o r t t h e positioning strategy and information hierarchy.
Identity program typography needs to be sustainable and not on the curve of a fad. Thousands of fonts have been created by renowned typographers, designers, and type foundries over the centuries, and new typefaces are being created each day. Some identity firms routinely design a proprietary font for a client. Choosing the right font requires a basic knowledge of the breadth of options and a core understanding of how effective typography functions. Issues of functionality differ dramatically on a form, a pharmaceutical package, a magazine ad, and a website. The typeface needs to be flexible and easy to use, and it must provide a wide range of expression. Clarity and legibility are the drivers.
+ Design Elements Color
We see the color and a set of impressions comes to us. In the sequence of visual perception, the brain reads color after it registers a shape and before it reads content. Choosing a color for a new identity requires a core understanding of color theory, a clear vision of how the brand needs to be perceived and differentiated, and an ability to master consistency and meaning over a broad range of media. While some colors are used to unify an identity, other colors may be used functionally to clarify brand architecture, through differentiating products or business lines. Traditionally the primary brand color is assigned to the symbol, and the secondary color is assigned to the logotype, business descriptor, or tagline. Color is used to evoke emotion and express personality. It stimulates brand association and accelerates differentiation. As consumers we depend on the familiarity of Coca-Cola red. We don’t need to read the type on a Tiffany gift box in order to know where the gift was purchased.
Families of color are developed to support a broad range of communications needs. Ensuring optimum reproduction of the brand color is an integral element of standards, and part of the challenge of unifying colors across packaging, printing, signage, and electronic media.
+ Ideas with identity
+What is creativity?
It is important to start with a clear definition of what we mean by creativity, as there are two completely different types. The first is technical creativity, where people create new theories, technologies or ideas. This is the type of creativity we discuss here. The second is artistic creativity, which is more born of skill, technique and self-expression. Artistic creativity is beyond the scope of these articles. Many of the techniques in this chapter have been used by great thinkers to drive their creativity. Albert Einstein, for example, used his own informal variant of Provocation to trigger ideas that led to the Theory of Relativity. But anyone can learn to be technically creative, and use these tools. They are designed to help you devise creative and imaginative solutions to problems, and help you to spot opportunities that you might otherwise miss. Often the only difference between creative and uncreative people is selfperception. Creative people see themselves as creative and give themselves the freedom to create. Uncreative people do not think about
creativity and do not give themselves the opportunity to create anything new. Being creative may just be a matter of setting aside the time needed to take a step back and allow yourself to ask yourself if there is a better way of doing something. Edward de Bono calls this a 'Creative Pause'. He suggests that this should be a short break of maybe only 30 seconds, but that this should be a habitual part of thinking. This needs self-discipline, as it is easy to forget. Another important attitude-shift is to view problems as opportunities for improvement. While this is something of a clichĂŠ, it is true. Whenever you solve a problem, you have a better product or service to offer afterwards. Creativity is sterile if action does not follow from it. Ideas must be evaluated, improved, polished and marketed before they have any value. Other sections of Mind Tools lay out the evaluation, analysis and planning tools needed to do this. They also explain the time and stress management techniques you will need when your creative ideas take off.
+ Team creativity activation
The importance of creativity and i n n o v a t i o n c a n ' t b e overestimated. After all, you can have the best projects and processes now, but if your organization lacks creative thinkers, it's going nowhere fast. Without new ideas, new projects, you'll be left behind by your competition. Clearly, creative thinking gives us great new ideas, and helps us solve our most complex problems. However, by encouraging creative thinking, you can also help your people become more engaged with what they do, increase their selfconfidence, and improve their morale. Human beings, no matter who they are or what they do, have an innate desire to think and act creatively. (It's not a magical trait that shows up only in artists or musicians: all of us have a deep well of creativity at our disposal, just waiting to be let out.). For decades, people have used brainstorming to generate ideas, and to come up with creative solutions to problems. However, you need to use brainstorming correctly for it to be fully effective.
Brainstorming combines a relaxed, informal approach to problem solving with lateral thinking. It encourages people to come up with thoughts and ideas that can, at first, seem a bit crazy. Some of these ideas can be crafted into original, creative solutions to a problem, while others can spark even more ideas. This helps to get people unstuck by "jolting" them out of their normal ways of thinking. Therefore, during brainstorming sessions, people should avoid criticizing or rewarding ideas. You're trying to open up possibilities and break down incorrect assumptions about the problem's limits. Judgment and analysis at this stage stunts idea generation and limit creativity. Evaluate ideas at the end of the session – this is the time to explore solutions further, using conventional approaches. When used during problem solving, brainstorming brings team members' diverse experience into play. It increases the richness of ideas explored, which means that you can often find better solutions to the problems that you face.
+ Round Robin Technique
5WHY’s
6-3-5
Reverse Lotus brainstorming Blossom Upside Down
Ideation nonformal methods
+ 5Why’s Method Non-formal method
Sakichi Toyoda, one of the fathers of the Japanese industrial revolution, developed the technique in the 1930s. He was an industrialist, inventor and founder of Toyota Industries. His technique became popular in the 1970s and Toyota still uses it to solve problems today. Toyota has a "go and see" philosophy. This means that its decision making is based upon an in-depth understanding of the processes and conditions on the shop floor, rather than reflecting what someone in a boardroom thinks might be happening. The 5 Whys technique is true to this tradition, and it is most effective when the answers come from people who have hands-on experience of the process being examined. It is remarkably simple: when a problem occurs, you uncover its nature and source by asking "why" no fewer than five times. Put yourself into the 10 year-old mindset. Anyone with children has experienced the repetitive ‘Why?’ questions that children ask as they try to make sense the world around them.
The 5 Whys uses "counter-measures," rather than solutions. A countermeasure is an action or set of actions that seeks to prevent the problem arising again, while a solution just seeks to deal with the situation. As such, counter-measures are more robust, and are more likely to prevent the problem from recurring. Each time you ask "why," look for an answer that is grounded in fact: it must be an account of things that have actually happened – not events that might have happened. This prevents the 5 Whys becoming just a process of deductive reasoning, which can generate a number of possible causes and, sometimes, create more confusion. Keep asking "why" until you feel confident that you have identified the root cause and can go no further. Key Points The 5 Whys strategy is an easy to use, effective tool for uncovering the root of a problem. You can use it in troubleshooting, problem solving and quality improvement initiatives.
+Upside Down Non-formal method
Reverse brainstorming helps you solve problems by combining brainstorming and reversal techniques. To use this technique, you start with one of two "reverse" questions: Instead of asking, "How do I solve or prevent this problem?" ask, "How could I possibly cause the problem?" And instead of asking "How do I achieve these results?" ask, "How could I possibly achieve the opposite effect?"
n
Evaluate these solution ideas. Can you see a potential solution? Can you see attributes of a potential solution?
Examples of briefs: n
How to make the facebook fans ignore my posts from my NGO official page?
n
How can I determine my team to be irresponsible in the project implementation?
n
How can I lose visitors after they enter my homepage?
n
How can I determine my volunteers to give up helping the local community?
n
How can I convince private companies to stop financing my social projects?
n
How can I reduce the visibility of my NGO in online communication?
How to Use the Tool n
n
n
n
Clearly identify the problem or challenge, and write it down. Reverse the problem or challenge by asking, "How could I possibly cause the problem?" or "How could I possibly achieve the opposite effect?" Brainstorm the reverse problem to generate reverse solution ideas. Allow the brainstorm ideas to flow freely. Do not reject anything at this stage. Once you have brainstormed all the ideas to solve the reverse problem, now reverse these into solution ideas for the original problem or challenge.
+
Lotus Blossom
A creative-thinking technique that will help you expand your thinking beyond your usual paths of thinking is Lotus Blossom. According to author Michael Michalko, Lotus Blossom helps you to organize your thinking around significant themes, helping you to explore a number of alternate possibilities and ideas. We were all born as spontaneous, creative thinkers. Yet a great deal of our education may be regarded as the inculcation of mind sets.
A creative-thinking technique that will help you expand your thinking is Lotus Blossom, which was originally developed by Yasuo Matsumura of Clover Management Research in Chiba City, Japan. The technique h e l p s y o u t o diagrammatically mimic thinking strategy by organizing your thinking around significant themes. You start with a central subject and expand into themes and sub-themes, each with separate entry points. In Lotus Blossom, the petals around the core of the blossom are figuratively “peeled back� one at a time, revealing a key component or theme. This approach is pursued in everwidening circles until the subject or opportunity is comprehensively explored. The cluster of themes and surrounding ideas and applications, which are developed in one way or another, provide several different alternative possibilities.
2. Write the significant themes, components or dimensions of your subject in the surrounding circles labeled A to H surrounding the central theme. List The optimal number of themes for a manageable diagram is between six and eight. If you have more than eight, make additional diagrams. Ask questions like: What are my specific objectives? What are the constants in my problem? If my subject were a book, what would the chapter headings be? What are the dimensions of my problem?
The guidelines for Lotus Blossom are: 1. Write the central problem in the center of the diagram.
4. Continue the process until the lotus blossom diagram is completed.
3. Use the ideas written in the circles as the central themes for the surrounding lotus blossom petals or boxes. Thus, the idea or application you wrote in Circle A would become the central theme for the lower middle box A. It now becomes the basis for generating eight new ideas or applications.
+ 6-3-5
Non-formal method
Goal of the method: 6-3-5 means: 6 in group/3 ideas per round/5 minutes per round. Divide everyone into groups of about 6 . To o m a n y i n a g r o u p i s unmanageable, too few restricts the generation of ideas. Each participant starts with a prewritten brain writing form. The problem to be addressed is written at the top of the form. In the first round, participants have 5 minutes to write 3 ideas on the piece of paper. Often the problem is known ahead of time and the participants come in with the 3 ideas already developed. If this is the case, this initial time can be shorter. At the end of each round, the form is passed to the person on the right. As each person gets a form from the person on the left, they read all the ideas on the sheet and then add three new ones. The new ideas can be completely new, or can be variations of ideas already on the sheet, or can be additional developments to ideas already on the sheet. Ideas from other participants should foster new ideas. There is no talking or discussion during these rounds.
The process is completed when each participant gets his own form back, now filled up with many ideas. The last step is to sort the ideas using a clustering method. The brain writing technique is an ideagenerating process that enables EVERYONE in the group to participate in a nonthreatening way. This approach can often generate more potential solutions than traditional brainstorming. Why? One reason is because traditional brainstorming sessions allow only one person to speak at a time. By the time each individual has spoken (and the group has finished the discussion), most participants have edited, discarded, or simply forgotten their own ideas. This is called 窶話locking,' and it can reduce creativity and productivity in these sessions. Brainwriting can help to eliminate this problem.
+Round-Robin Technique Non-formal method
ROUND-ROBIN and Roundtable BRAINSTORMING. Spencer Kagan (1992) popularized the use of the terms Roundrobin (to refer to an spoken turntaking strategy) and Roundtable (to refer to a written turn- taking strategy). This technique involves taking turns and having teammates contribute one answer at a time. This technique is ideal in providing every participant, including those less expressive, an equal chance to contribute, and it greatly slows down the more dominant individuals. Round-Robin Technique (The verbal version) The round robin brainstorming tool is a variation of the classical brainstorming in that the team facilitator calls in turn on participants (round robin style) to give their ideas, which are then recorded on a flip chart. Instead of the participants being encouraged to shout out ideas at random, each person in turn is asked to make a contribution. This process continues, and ideas are recorded until all participants have passed during a round. The 'round' is repeated several times until it appears that ideas have dried up or until a fixed period of time has elapsed.
+ Rolestorming Technique Non-formal method
ROLESTORMING TECHNIQUE was developed by Griggs (1985) and described by VanGundy (1988).
Participants take on another identity and view problems and solutions from a different standpoints. This will allow you to come up with ideas that you normally would not feel comfortable suggesting, but which you can freely express by attributing them to someone else. They try to answer on such questions as: What would you do if you were someone else? Your parent? Your teacher? Your manager? Your partner? Your best friend? Your enemy?
Procedure Steps: 1. Invent an identity or use that of someone you know. 2. Assume that identity or refer to the fictitious person as ‘this person would suggest…..’ 3. Brainstorm in separate identity. 4. Change roles. Now try another identity obviously this can be done many times for many different characters.
+Blue slips Techniques Non-formal method
BLUE SLIPS TECHNIQUE was developed by C. C. Crawford of the University of Southern California (USA) in the 1920s. It is an organized process for use in gathering ideas from large groups even up to 5000 people, though it's much easier to handle with a lecture theatre and groups ( 50 – 200). This tool is particularly helpful early in the community partnership’s development. It has been used to gather strategic information, generate creative ideas for enhance the quality of services , conduct strategic planning sessions and support management practice. Traditionally, Blue Slips are made by cutting 8.5" X 11" paper into eight pieces.
Procedure Steps: 1. The group facilitator distributes a stack of Blue Slips to each participant (from 5 to 50 slips depending on how many ideas you want back) 2. Then he describes the purpose of the Blue Slip session, such as generating ideas to “solve a problem“
or “develop a vision statement.” 3. The facilitator presents the problem statement or creative task in terms such as: “How can we….?”, “In what ways might we…”. 4. The facilitator asks the group for ideas on a topic. Ideas should be written as brief thoughts and one idea per slip.
Advantage. 1. They provide an opportunity for anonymity, and level the playing field so everyone can make an equal contribution. 2. Blue Slips are great idea-catchers. 3. This method can give an audience a sense of involvement. 4. It can used when there is no time or ability to discuss ideas, and it is neccesary just to collect people's thoughts. 5. This technique can successfully supply a method of achieving large numbers of ideas swiftly.
+ Snowball
Technique Non-formal method
SNOWBALLING TECHNIQUE. It is so called on the analogy of the increasing size of a snowball when rolled down a snowcovered slope. Snowball samples begin from a core of known elements and are then increased by adding new ideas and solutions. It involves concentrating groups of ideas pertaining to the same problem and assigning them a theme. This method is often used where there is no available sampling frame of new field or process.
1. One slip of paper is used per idea generated or possible solution offered 2. A meeting is set up of up to 5 people. The slips of paper are viewed and then grouped ‘like with like’. 3. Duplicates can be created if the idea is relevant to more than one group. 4. Patterns and relationships in the groups are observed.
+ Media and NGOs
While journalists face tight deadlines each day, they will make time to talk to you if you can prove that you are a valuable source of information. In order to establish yourself as a valuable contact to a journalist, you must first do some work in preparation. A good first step is to make a list of the newspaper, radio and/or television media outlets with which you would like to establish a relationship. These are your target media contacts. Research what kind of stories your target media contacts cover. To do this, read, listen to or watch the reporting that your target media contacts produce. You can also use Internet search engines to review past coverage. Pay close attention and try to identify one or two journalists who regularly write stories relevant to the subject matter of your media outreach campaign. Once you’ve done this basic homework, call your target media contacts. Be prepared to introduce yourself and your organization, and to position yourself as a resource to that journalist. Be succinct; chances are you will only have one or two minutes of the journalist’s time.
+ Media contacts Mass media are channels, such as newspapers, magazines, radio or television, used to communicate information to large groups of people. By regularly conveying information to important audiences, from the general public to government and international decision makers, the media plays a large role in shaping public debate. The media are among the most important allies to the NGO community. Establishing good relationships with journalists is an integral part of any effective media outreach campaign. Some ways in which the media can be of importance to NGOs include writing articles that: • create an environment of political pressure • convey general information, serving as a public education tool • counter popular misconceptions
Keep a comprehensive database of journalist contacts once you’ve established them. Notes you’ll want to include are: full name, media outlet, journalist title, telephone and fax numbers, email address, city, country and any special information the journalist has provided you.
Respect journalists’ deadlines. If your target journalist is working under deadline between 2 and 3 o’clock every day, try not to call during that time. And if a journalist has requested specific information by a set deadline, make sure you send the requested materials well in advance of that time.
Respect that journalists are constantly bombarded with communications materials. Even if a news item seems important to you, it may not be considered newsworthy by your target media outlet. To avoid frustrating your journalist contacts, contact them only in regards to your most urgent communications.
Understand the responsibilities of journalism. Ethics, credibility and impartiality are the three keys to responsible journalism. Most journalists are obligated to include perspectives from varied credible sources for every story they produce. It is their job to search through opinions surrounding an issue to get to the facts. You can become an asset to journalists by supplying names and sources that can verify facts and provide credible testimony.
+
Whether your message will be delivered in a press release, an interview, a press briefing, you will need to prepare its delivery. A press release is a common technique for presenting information to the media. It is often used to break news, spread information, publicize a story, condemn actions and state your organization’s mandate.
The central components that every press release must include are: • • • • • • • •
Your organization’s name and logo Contact information of experts for further information The date A headline that reflects the main message A sub-headline that adds a second, forward-looking theme A lead paragraph that explains the problem and gives key information A background paragraph that gives the context to the problem At least one quote from an expert on the subject
+ Press Conference Press conferences are formal, arranged meetings held with members of the press at which the organizer usually offers a statement and then answers questions from journalists. Press conferences provide an opportunity for direct communication between an individual or group and the media, and can be used to convey a major announcement or breaking news. A press conference can be successful only if members of the media will report on it. Before a group decides to hold a press conference, its staff should consider whether the subject of the conference important enough to take the reporters away from other tasks. Bear in mind that the press conference is for the benefit of journalists. Limit the number of speakers so that there is sufficient time for journalists to ask questions once the formal presentation has been made. Remember to avoid using jargon; use basic terms that the media and public will understand. At least one week before the conference •
Reserve a venue
•
Arrange for a podium, chairs, and, possibly, food and drinks for reporters.
•
Schedule a time: (This should be based on deadlines of media outlets that will cover the event.)
•
Prepare an announcement of the press conference. Include the briefing topics and speakers, explaining the speakers’ expertise on the topic.
•
Prepare written material for the conference, including press kits with a briefing, agenda, speaker bios and any other relevant documents
+ Zoom in – the conference
At Least One Day Before • Contact the speakers to review the order of presentations and talking points • Contact members of the media to remind them of the press conference • Arrange materials, including extra copies to send journalists who do not attend The Day of the Conference • Issue a press release that contains the main message of the press conference • Make last-minute calls to assignment desks and editors • Check on the venue several hours before the conference starts • Make sure the doors are unlocked for reporters and that the room is easy to find • Review the order and talking points of the press conference with speakers while they are all together
During the Press Conference • Have a sign-up sheet to get the names and addresses of reporters • Distribute press kits and your business card • Give reporters a written list of participants • Make opening remarks, introduce speakers • Arrange the necessary one-on-one interviews and follow-up interviews • Record the conference so that it can be reviewed later • Take pictures for in-house use Following up • Send press kits to reporters who did not attend • Call reporters who did not attend but seemed interested • Monitor media coverage to see how the press conference was reported • Clip newspaper and other coverage of the event
+My colorful news Non-formal method
Aim of the activity: To create an infographic about NGOs projects Description: Participants will discover Infogr.am, a tool great for reports, publishing and press releases. With the trainer help, they will create professional-looking interactive charts and infographics in just a few minutes. The participants will work in teams of 5 people to create an infographic that present a social project with great impact in their community. This is a good tool to create content in an attractive way. It always tell a story, and the data received, insights and connections are understandable, compelling, catchy and can be easily distributed to blogs, social media, media with press release. This leads to brand awareness and spread the news about your organisation project. Participants will learn to gather data and to compress the ideas, expressing them in colorful images. At the end of the activity, they will have to send them to the other groups and they have the mission to discover the message of the infographics. Time needed: 60 minutes
+ Social Media & Mobile
+ Social media – word of mouth on stereoids
The people are no longer a faceless statistic in a report; they have become active participants in the brand building process. Share, tag, and comment are their new mantras. Charity and projects coagulate, as do ideas and agendas for change. Imagine a global cafe where everyone is a player. Formal hierarchies don’t exist; there’s no barrier to entry and transparency is valued. Social media tools enable individuals to instantly communicate with the universe using a simple keystroke.
Use mobile and SM to: • Raise public awareness of your cause • Raise funds for your cause • R e a c h n e w c o n s t i t u e n t s & supporters • Build a community of passionate champions • Get people to take real-world actions • Enhance existing communications programs • Advance your organization’s mission
+ How to get a Wiki page for NGO
+
An organization is generally considered notable if it has been the subject of significant coverage in reliable, independent secondary sources. Trivial or incidental coverage of a subject by secondary sources is not sufficient to establish notability. All content must be verifiable.
No matter how important you think your work is (and I am sure you are doing amazing things for others in the world), your organization needs to be notable, according to Wikipedia’s guidelines, before it can be Wikipedia-worthy. Don’t kill the messenger! This set the rules of their site and it’s worked for them so far… though the jury is still out on this one. So, your blog? Not typically a reliable, independent secondary source. A passing mention in an article in your local newspaper? Not notable enough. But if you come to think of it, it’s what keeps the site as encyclopedic as it can hope to be. Yo u r W i k i p e d i a p a g e s h o u l d encompass all your work. Not only will this be a more complete depiction of your work: it will also furnish you hopefully with more notable and reliable sources to insert as references in your page.
Let others write about you This, to me, was one of the most puzzling things about getting a Wikipedia page started (for a nonprofit or any other organization). One of the arguments we heard from Wikipedia in our first attempt to write our own page was that others had to do write about us. It didn’t dawn on me that the this implied other MEDIA (reliable media, that is). It is not a problem for you to write your own page, but you have to make sure the reliable references are there and that you are writing about something bigger than a program you just launched. Last few tips: Reputation management online is key, so make sure to watch your page. After you log in to Wikipedia, you will see a little star (it’s blank by default) next to the View History link for the page. Click on it to have your page added to your Watchlist. Most important of all: getting a Wikipedia page for your nonprofit is not a sprint. In the world of Web 2.0, this is as close to a marathon as it gets. Be patient and do your homework. It will pay off in the long run.
+ Blogging = valuable content engine
+11 benefits of blogging
Ten years ago, blogging used to be called journaling. And for good reason. It was mainly pursued as a way of expressing one’s personal thoughts and ideas. Essentially a personal pursuit and certainly not a business tool. But now, blogging has become an essential marketing tool for brands and nonprofits. Few Organizations use blogging as an advocacy tool, a way to more intimately connect with constituents, and a way to drive traffic to their website. § Your blog will enable you to deepen relationships with your fans. They find fresh, relevant content that is useful them – and have a place where they feel heard § Your blog will be a tool to enhance and develop valuable partnerships with other non-profits. § Your blog can be a powerful way to attract new visitors by demonstrating social proof § People using Google will find your non-profit a lot easier if you have a blog. Blogs get much more search engine optimization than traditional, static websites.
§ Your key executives will learn to speak in a more human voice through blogging. § You, yourself will become a better writer through regular blogging. § You can trash your marketing theory in exchange for valuable insights into why donors really give you money.
§ You will experience a spike in the number of visits and depth of engagement from your fans. § You can increase donor conversion rates with content that is relevant and useful. § You’ll empower your board members to talk about why they love your nonprofit, and possibly reawaken their sense of mission. § Instead of waiting for your IT intern to return your call, you’ll communicate urgent news very fast with your blog.
+About us: your key to conversations
What do you want to know when considering a first-time donation to a nonprofit or deciding between a few organizations to volunteer your time? What makes you feel confident in your choice? For most of us, taking an action floats into our minds as a result of a campaign, a friend’s gift or registration, or something in the news. But we frequently need a little push to motivate us. That’s where an organization’s context, or About Us content, comes into play! About Us done right makes it easy for prospects to get who and what your organization really is. Start with planning, just as you do with a campaign, because this content influences whether your campaigns
succeed. In fact, your organization’s story is part of what’s now called the full funnel (incorporating all influences along the path of your donor or registrant taking the action), vs. the traditional “singletouch” source attribution.
Map Your Content and Style to Each “About Us” Objective Begin by prioritizing the content most likely to achieve these confidence- and comfort-building objectives. Here’s the content and style I recommend for achieving each objective, based on my website strategy work and impact tracking for dozens of nonprofit clients.
+ Provide the key facts needed to do business with your organization; that is, give context. Share the high points of your organization’s evolution and impact. Timelines work great here. Shape your content and layout to be clear, direct, and easy to absorb. Offer a sense of warmth and welcome. Put your team front and center with names, roles, photos, and brief bios. Introduce the entire team (smaller organizations) or selected staff members (medium and large organizations). Whatever you do, profile more than just your president or e x e c u t i v e d i r e c t o r. T h a t approach discredits the rest of your team and conveys overreliance on a single person. Use a warm, friendly, and somewhat casual tone to make your site visitors’ experience feel like a conversation.
Build credibility. Feature testimonials from people who are similar to those you are inspiring to act. Create or strengthen a personal connection. Show off your organization’s personality—buttoned-up just doesn’t cut it here. Share stories and photos of those you’ve served and those who have taken similar actions as the site user/prospect.
+Building Credibility
Blogging and SM non-formal education method
Description: The participants were asked the following question: If you were building an online presence from scratch today, what three things would you consider to provide the biggest ROI on your time and money? People need answers to questions and solutions to problems. If you truly want to build a brand and be seen as a genuine expert and the go-to person in your industry, you need to exude everything about the industry in a command-able and memorable way – creating content that people genuinely want to consume and, more importantly share to their peers, is paramount. Blogging or publishing any
kind of content is a great way to build your credibility especially if you coauthor posts with someone else or if you guest post on respected blogs. The participants write one blog post on a topic they are expert at and share it with the other participants. What they learn: They learnt how to use their blogs or other personal social media platforms to build their personal brands through constant effort and relevant and interesting content.
+ The Art of Story Tailoring
Stories are the way we've communicated throughout human history. There's a reason for that: Stories are powerful. They grab and hold our attention. They put a face on an issue and make it personal. They make people care, and move them to action! (Both within your organization and outside of it.)
In a world inundated by information, it is the compelling stories, not the issues, that will stand out and be remembered. Communications guru, Andy Goodman, says it so well: "Even if you have reams of evidence on your side, remember: numbers numb, jargon jars, and nobody ever marched on Washington because of a pie chart. If you want to connect with your audience, tell them a story."
Choose Stories Wisely They should accurately reflect your organization's values.
+ It’s story tailoring time! It is not only important to tell compelling stories, you need to add to your bank of stories on an on-going basis -- keeping it up-to-date and fresh. You need to be ready with that compelling vignette at a moment's notice – whether for a last minute media or speaking opportunity, donor appeal, or unexpected elevator pitch.
NGO and Non-profit storytelling plays a key role in messaging an organization’s values and purposes. Most of the times, we put out an official statement of our mission, but it is really the stories that people tell, the stakeholder’s stories, that have the most impact. The organizations have a written set of v a l u e s s u c h a s i n t e g r i t y, professionalism, innovation, achieving the impossible, encourage the active citizenship, and creativity. It is the key that stakeholders understand these values, and stories make them come to life. As you learn to extract the stories (structure comes later) those emotional and rational touch points that make you “talkable” will create accidental ambassadors for the “Brand called You”. So begin your storytelling adventure and have fun perfecting your art of storytelling. Go beyond fine or adequate with a ho-hum beginning, middle and end. Instead, make yours a stimulating beginning, an engaging middle, and a provocative ending. Is important to listen…become more aware of how others tell their stories. What do you remember as the captivating points or GEMS and why? Was is the way the story was told with enthusiasm and engaging eye contact? Perhaps it was the content that has woven in a plot, or conflict, or the manner of resolution that built momentum and ensured you were nor disappointed at the end. What delighted you, made it memorable or made it stick.
Is this a precise methodology? Not really! You can call it an approach, process, technique, way, path or procedure. In fact, there are no rules, time frame or criteria. The idea is to have fun…let your minds drift and let the stories surface. If you and your team can tell a captivating story to a child around how you successfully orchestrated a social project, then you are a star!
First, try to tell me a story…. • W here you developed, created, designed or invented something • Accomplished more with the same or fewer resources. • When you were given a project and you did more than expected: 110% versus 100%. • Where you received an award or special recognition • About the story you never tired of hearing from your mom and da. • Where you identified problems others did not see. • About your hero • Where you handled effectively a crisis situation • About the most influential person you’ve met. • About the most trying experience of your life • About an experience in a foreign country that was a revelation of cultural differences • A bout competitions in which you excelled. • Where you worked successfully and completed a project with a stellar team.
+ Heroes
The heroes are the heart of the story; all else revolves around them. Invest time in finding and developing actual heroes for your story.
Heroes:
Good heroes have two things:
• People who pull together in good times and bad
• Values – a very strong sense of right and wrong and a willingness to fight for what’s right • Strength – they are very good at something Your campaign should feature real life heroes. When you tell their story, you must make them come alive by showing their values and strength.
• People who work together to make things better
• People who never stop trying to get back on their feet, even when hard times knock them down • People who stand up for what’s right (Note: Instead of saying “what’s right,” be specific and state a value or a quest here) • People who work hard and play fair
+Influence Map Non-formal method
This activity is intended to start us thinking about “avenues of influence” for getting our messages heard by our key targets. We begin by assessing who are the most important targets for us to focus on. In other words, who has the power to give us what we want? We then map in groups their relationships with other players (stakeholders) that we may be able to influence. Their relationships are divided into three categories based on the degree of influence: 1.
Decision Makers – people/ institutions who have to power to make the target listen
2.
Influential Peers or Allies – people/institutions that people target usually listens to
3.
Adversaries – people/ institutions the target already distrusts and has a history of ignoring
The most specific the participants will be in filling these categories, the more helpful the activity will be. Likewise, it can also identify areas of overlap between different avenues of influence and further research needs. Time needed: 45 minutes.
+ Google Adwords for NGOs
+
Google provides the reach, but it is up to you to write an ad that pulls net surfers in. Just how exactly do you go about writing an ad with a low cost and high ROI?
1. Create a short list of targeted keywords: Generic terms lead to high fees and low ROI. Instead of writing a long list, take time to identify your target group beforehand and think of terms that will appeal directly to them. Is important to conduct a keyword research prior to launching an ad. Though you can pay someone to do this for you, Google offer free tools to do your own research. Cross checking keywords with multiple search engines to see the number of results and types of ads that it generates is also a good idea. Another aspect to consider that may not come to mind is seasonality. Google Trends allows you to see how keywords fare over time and to pinpoint when during the year searches for the keyword are most popular. 2. Identify what is unique about your nonprofit: Identify your marketing strategy and highlight what sets you apart in your ad. Conduct a competitive analysis of the organizations you will compete with using the selected keywords, and look into possible variations of your selected keywords until you find a combination that places you in the first several ads that appear. If you need ideas for related keywords, Google's Keyword tool allows you to search for synonyms and get new keyword ideas. 3. Use keywords in your ad text: Good ads spell out exactly what they are promoting. Well-placed keywords in both the title and body of the ad ensure that when people click they know what they are getting.
Google AdWords can be a powerful marketing tool for your organization. Though the efficiency of the program continues to be debated, Google Grants could offer your nonprofit free ads and assistance setting up an account!
+
4. Direct users to the specific area of the site, not the home page: People want to find what they are looking for without hassle. Directing potential donors to your donation landing page makes it that much easier for them to give. Links to your home page can be helpful if you are working on brand name recognition, but otherwise direct people immediately to the relevant page that matches your ad. 5. Take advantage of single ad groups: Keep everything organized by creating containers to hold related ad groups. Keyword buys that relate to each other can be grouped into logical categories that will help you organize, but more importantly that allow you to track the success of each keyword. 6. Track your results: Which keywords were successful and which didn't get results? Take advantage of Google Analytics to get in-depth reports on various aspects of your campaign. Use it to assess and evaluate your performance. Was it successful? Did it meet or fall short of your goals? There are many ways to track success, some more sophisticated than others. Google's Website Optimizer is a tool used to track your progress.
+ Brand Ambassadors
Benefits of good internal communications is vital because it: Improves operational efficiency. Staff will know what their role is and the part they play in the team. Managers will feel more empowered to make decisions themselves because they have the right knowledge and tools to make decisions. Drives forward change. Well informed staff may be less resistant to change. This is because they will know where they are, where they are going and how they are expected to get there. Builds community. Teams are more likely to work together in a supportive way, because they will understand what the combined aims and ambitions of the team are. Creates ambassadors. Happy and satisfied staff help to spread positive messages to other parts of the University and externally.
Retains talent. A happy workforce is more likely to stay where it is – giving security to the team as a whole. Audit of existing practices. The first step in putting together an internal communication strategy is to take a good look at your area of work and how communication works at the moment. At the beginning of the audit process you need to ask yourself some important questions. These include: • What is your team’s mission and goals? How do these relate to the University’s 2015 agenda? • How is your workplace structured? What does your management team look like? What kind of staff do you have? Where do they work? What sort of jobs do they do? • What kind of people work in your team? What motivates them? How do they feel about working in your team? What environment does your team work in?
+
Creating an action plan This is where you can start to plan out what you are going to do, when you’re going to do it and whose responsibility it’s going to be to carry out the actions. An action plan can take the form of a simple table outlining your objectives, tools and tactics. It’s vital that you make sure that someone is made responsible for carrying out the work – and that they are fully aware of what is expected. You also need to attach a timescale to each action – this will help you to figure out what needs to be done first before other actions can take place. Finally you need to consider how you are going to measure the activity which you are planning. It’s a good idea to attached key performance indicators (KPIs) to each action – this gives you something concrete to measure against when you come to your evaluation stage. Make sure that your KPIs are realistic and potentially achievable.
Developing your strategy The next stage is to use the information you’ve gathered to create your strategy.
member of staff within the team has a face-to-face meeting with their line manager at least once a month.”
Determine your goal Your strategy needs a goal and your goal should answer the question ‘What do you want your team to look like in the future?’ Here’s an example of a goal: “ To e n s u r e t h a t everyone within the team has the right level of information to enable them to do their jobs effectively and efficiently.” Define objectives
your
Your objectives will differ from your goal because they will be more specific and measurable. Your objectives should pay attention to the shortcomings you identified in your auditing stage. Here’s an example of an objective: “To ensure that every
Define audience
your
This is really important when it comes to deciding which tools and channels you are going to use. Knowing whether your staff are full or part-time, based on site or off, office based or mobile, will really help you. Identify your key messages Messages do not n e e d t o b e complicated. Here’s an example of a key message: “Staff ’s views are valued and f e e d b a c k i s encouraged.”
+ ME Inc.
+Personal branding
Nowadays, if we don't show up in Google, we don't exist. Whether we are applying for a new job, being considered for a board position or trying to get a sponsorship for our social projects, we can count on being Googled.
So knowing what Google says about us and proactively managing our personal brand online is critical to success. At the moment, personal branding keeps growing in importance. We are now at the stage where most entrepreneurs and young professionals really need to dedicate time and effort to strengthen their own brands in order to raise the visibility of their social projects, start-up
businesses or to increase the chances of a job. Youngsters that have a strong personal brand have the chance to influence opinions and to raise awareness regarding a project or a social movement. With a business and non-profit segment being ever more competitive, the best way of staying ahead of the pack is to stand out and have a unique brand amongst peers. In the end, it’s all about what we are individually known for: as influencer, bloggers, citizen journalist, ecologist or social entrepreneur etc. Others should be able to say what the youngsters and representatives of NGOs unique promise of value is once they see their names. Regardless of age, regardless of position or the domain you happen to activate, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be visible in an industry, everyone’s important job is to be head marketer of the brand called You.
+Are you on/offline?
Social media profiles are important for building a professional personal brand. Social networks have large communities and you should be active in the ones that are important for professionals (LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter, etc.) Having your own website is just as important, if not even more important. It is something that can really differentiate you from the competition, as not everybody goes that extra mile when building their personal brand. Websites need professional design and content. Pay extra attention to the About page, where you describe yourself and your activity. Try to be consistent with the upload of information. Make your content as value-filled as possible. People need to answer questions and solve problems. If you want to build a brand and be seen as a genuine expert and the go-to person in your industry, you need to exude everything about the industry in a commendable and memorable way – creating content that people genuinely want to consume and, more important share to their peers.
All official online presence, like websites, social profiles, professional photography and appropriate email signatures, gives your personal brand credibility. But credibility can also be built by associating yourself with others. There are probably people in your industry that you can work with and associate yourself with to improve your credibility. Blogging or publishing any kind of content is a great way to build your credibility especially if you co-author posts with someone else or if you guest post on respected blogs. You can also post the logos of brands that you are associated with. You can do the same thing for your brand. Offer to write guest posts on popular blogs. You will have to write your absolute best work to get included on the best blogs. This implies a lot of hard work, but once the article is published you will always be able to associate yourself with the blog. That is a great way to earn credibility by association.
+LinkedIn: You are never too young for a professional network LinkedIn is a great professional network where lots of people who work in the same industry can connect. It is a good place where you can share your ideas, where other people can contribute to them and you can check what other people’s ideas are. Why be on LinkedIn in the first place? The more information you get, and the earlier you get it, the easier it is to make important decisions that can influence the future. This makes it easier to compare jobs, or decide which universities are best for what you want to do. LinkedIn can also help you learn more about these jobs, about how they work, what you need to study and so on. You can even get advice from people who actually have these jobs. Although it has less than a quarter of Facebook’s members (238 million to Facebook’s 1.11bn), LinkedIn accounts are currently increasing with about 37% year on year, a figure that is more than matched by investor confidence. Many job seekers still do not use LinkedIn effectively or have an account at all.
Being active on LinkedIn makes it easier for you to be noticed by recruiters and head hunters. They usually look up any potential candidate on LinkedIn so that they can figure out whether someone is worth speaking to. Even if you do not want to be an active job-seeker, you can still navigate through LinkedIn and post occasional information relevant for your work. Everyone should have a LinkedIn profile and if you update it, especially if you are connected to co-workers, it will be noticed. My advice is to be thoughtful when you create your profile – do not tinker too much. Make all the substantive changes at once so it is not a tip-off. Adding connections is a different story—that shows that you’re a good networker, which is a positive thing. See you on LinkedIn!
Professionals & + Young Netiquette The etiquette guidelines that govern behavior when communicating on the Internet have become known as netiquette. Netiquette covers not only rules of behavior during discussions, but also guidelines that reflect the unique electronic nature of the medium. Netiquette usually is enforced by fellow users who are quick to point out infractions of netiquette rules. Your online brand is made up of your presence in social media and networking websites and communicates your personal information, background and interests, to any person who views your profiles or other contributions to the internet (e.g. blogs, newspaper articles, etc.). Many employers “Google” the applicants, and the information they gather can make or break their decision to hire a candidate. Social Profiles Think of your online profiles as your virtual business card. Establish a consistent profile across each website (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blog)
Pay attention to privacy settings and control strangers’ ability to view information. Don’t assume your information is private. Know when not to share. Use correct grammar and spelling to convey a level of maturity and professionalism even on purely social sites. Always interact with your reputation in mind. The internet has a long memory and something you post in college, may cause trouble in the future. Your Network Your network is made up of every person you know who can potentially provide information on finding careers or jobs you want to pursue. Think of your network as a giant web of interconnected links tying each contact to another. Evaluate Identify your current network and note areas where it can grow. For example, could you benefit from making more contacts with professors who specialize in your chosen career field? Inform your closest contacts of your job search status and goals.
Avoid appearing as a spammer or stalker by asking for an introduction from a mutual connection. Contact through email or message before requesting to connect on websites (e.g. LinkedIn, Facebook). C l a r i f y y o u r intentions when m a k i n g t h e connection. If you are looking for career advice for entering a particular field, say so in your message. Give first, receive second by providing your network with relevant information that they will be interested
+ Creative CVs Mind Map your passions
Elevator Speech
What’s your superpower
It’s a small world
Personal Brand Non-formal Methods
+ Mind Map your passions
Description: A Mind Map is a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlock the potential of the brain. It harnesses the full range of cortical skills – word, image, number, logic, rhythm, color and spatial awareness – in a single, uniquely powerful manner. In so doing, it gives you the freedom to roam the infinite expanses of your brain. The Mind Map can be applied to every aspect of life where improved learning and clearer thinking enhances human performance. Originated in the late 1960s by Tony Buzan, Mind Maps are now used by millions of people around the world – from the very young to the very old. What they learnt: To use their mind more efficiently.
+ Creative Resume
Description: A recruiter only spends about six seconds on a resume – the length of a Vine video. Thus it is important to find a way to make your resume stand out, particularly when your domain is design. Impressive resume designs show your potential employer that you are full of outstanding ideas, a creative person with plenty of imagination to spare. While a creative CV design may not work with an economist or a lawyer, it is ideal for designers and artists. Self-promotion via print is a new trend these days, so design to impress. A creative resume is fairly important. Not only it resembles the youngsters’ personality, it also speaks your capability and creativity. Putting more effort and thoughts into creating an impressive resume is definitely worthwhile, as it is usually the first thing any employer sees before flipping through your entire portfolio. What they learnt: The participants learned how to make a creative CV
+Elevator Speech
Description: An ʹelevator speechʹ is a term taken from the early days of the internet explosion when web development companies needed venture capital. Finance firms were swamped with applications for money and the companies that won the cash were often those with a simple pitch. The best were those who could explain a business proposition to the occupants of an elevator in the time it took them to ride to their floor. In other words, an elevator speech that worked was able to describe and sell an idea in 30 seconds or less.
exactly what it is. You need to define precisely what you are offering, what problems you can solve and what benefits you bring to a prospective contact or employers.
Know your audience
Finalize your speech
Before writing any part of your elevator speech, analyze your audience. You will be much more likely to succeed if your elevator speech is clearly targeted at the individuals you are speaking to. Having a ʹgenericʹ elevator pitch is almost certain to fail.
Now that you have your outline of your material, you can finalize the speech. The key to doing this is to expand on the notes you made by writing out each section in full.
Know yourself Before you can convince anyone of your proposition you need to know
Outline your talk Start an outline of your material using bullet points. You do not need to add any detail at this stage; simply write a few notes to help remind you of what you really want to say. They don’t need to be complete sentences.
What participants learned : An elevator speech is as essential as a business card. The participants learnt that they must be able to say who they are, what they do, what they are interested in and how they can be a resource to their listeners in several minutes.
+It’s a small world
Description: “Networking is about doing what your mother told you to never do . . . talk to strangers. It’s like playing host at someone else’s party. At a real level, it’s about learning about other people and finding the links that you have with them.”
Activity: In the next two minutes, shake hands with as many people in the room as you can, say hello, and give them your business card. There is only one catch: no two handshake/ introduction combos can be alike. It’s time to get creative .
“Since, as Plato said, you can learn more by observing someone in an hour of play than in a lifetime of work, we’re going to play. We are also going to be using and enhancing our basic networking skills.” (Rob Benson)
What they learn: The importance of networking and to improve their public speaking skills
Quick Review: the basic skills of networking are n
Shaking hands
n
Introducing yourself
n
Smile
n
Look the other person in the eye
n
Place your name tag on the right.
+What’s your super power
Description: In groups of five, the participants invent a new superpower and follow the next steps: explain how the superpower is obtained. Anyone with that superpower also has a specific weakness (like Superman’s kryptonite). Describe how one might use this superpower for good or evil. If you are so inclined, create a character that possesses this power and write a story about it. What they learn: Develop writing skills and find out more about themselves.
Variation of this method: Description: The participants work in groups of 5. They choose something they know a lot about. In fact, choose the one thing they know the most about. They write an informative article explaining this thing to a layperson – someone with zero experience or knowledge on the topic. What they learn: The participants learnt more about the need of positioning and authenticity among non-profit sector.
+ Change Management
+ 6 thinking hats
Six Thinking Hats is a simple, effective parallel thinking process that helps people be more productive, focused, and mindfully involved. You and your team members can learn how to separate thinking into six clear functions and roles. Each thinking role is identified with a colored symbolic "thinking hat." By mentally wearing and switching "hats," you can easily focus or redirect thoughts, the conversation, or the meeting. The White Hat calls for information known or needed. "The facts, just the facts.� The Yellow Hat symbolizes brightness and optimism. Under this hat you explore the positives and probe for value and benefit.
The Black Hat is judgment - the devil's advocate or why something may not work. Spot the difficulties and dangers; where things might go wrong. Probably the most powerful and useful of the Hats but a problem if overused. The Red Hat signifies feelings, hunches and intuition. When using this hat you can express emotions and feelings and share fears, likes, dislikes, loves, and hates. The Green Hat focuses on creativity; the possibilities, alternatives, and new ideas. It's an opportunity to express new concepts and new perceptions. The Blue Hat is used to manage the thinking process. It's the control mechanism that ensures the Six Thinking HatsÂŽ guidelines are observed.
For instance, a meeting may be called to review a particular problem and to develop a solution for the problem. The Six Thinking Hats method could then be used in a sequence to first explore the problem, then develop a set of solutions, and to finally choose a solution through critical examination of the solution set. The meeting may start with everyone assuming the Blue hat to discuss how the meeting will be conducted and to develop the goals and objectives. The discussion may then move to Red hat thinking in order to collect opinions and reactions to the problem. This phase may also be used to develop constraints for the actual solution such as who will be affected by the problem and/or solutions. Next the discussion may move to the (Yellow then) Green hat in order to generate ideas and possible solutions. Next the discussion may move between White hat thinking as part of developing information and Black hat thinking to develop criticisms of the solution set.
Because everyone is focused on a particular approach at any one time, the group tends to be more collaborative than if one person is reacting emotionally (Red hat) while another person is trying to be objective (White hat) and still another person is being critical of the points which emerge from the discussion (Black hat). The hats aid individuals in addressing problems from a variety of angles, and focus individuals on deficiencies in the way that they approach problem solving.
+ Six
Thinking Hats is a self-help book by Edward de Bono which describes a tool for group discussion and individual thinking involving six colored hats.
+ Corporate Social Responsibility
+
Social changes have led the three sectors (private sector, Public Administration and civil society) to collaborate more frequent and narrowly. A social model has appeared based on dialogue, collaboration and the cooperation among these sectors. This new social model, called by some authors “the relational society�, makes each social agent responsible for its relations with the environment and the society. In response to the demands of this new social system, NGO begin to wonder what a responsible organisation is like, as an exercise of assumption of its responsibilities. For the third sector, the starting point of social responsibility is the coherence between the values and the social proposal being done from their action fields: cooperation for development, social, human aid or environment. In order to build in the social responsibility of the organisation, seven areas of interest to reflect on are proposed: people within the organisation, stakeholders, mission a n d v a l u e s , t r a n s p a r e n c y, environmental management, communication and social
involvement. The development of these areas is especially relevant because it impacts directly on the organisations reason of being. Social responsibility as a way of understanding organisations is linked to personal values. But if it was restricted to the day-to-day environment, its impact in everyday’s life and in the regular operation of organisati ons would be very little. This personal factor should help creating management tools that serve so much for transforming and improving organisations as well as for the organisations to be capable of evaluating and knowing the results. Non-profit organisations have considerably changed in recent years. For example, they are now recognised as one of the most prominent social actors able to carry out political incidence and to provoke social changes. This new role has motivated several debates such as what is NGO pursuing and their legitimacy to participate in political debates, while its recognition like a necessary and important social actor is maintained.
+ CSR project proposed by Techsoup during NCC3
+ Communication and networking
+Silent messages non-formal method
The concept of what happens when one doesn’t communicate or say anything is explored in this activity. Purpose: To explain that not communicating sometimes sends a stronger message than if you did say something. Description: 1. Explain that many times when we think we are not communicating we are actually sending a very strong message. These are the “silent” messages that sometimes get inadvertently sent to others. 2. Make the point that often when we say “nothing” we are actually saying a lot. 3. Being silent and not saying anything may actually be sending a strong message to others. This is particularly true for youth leaders, board members, or anyone in a position of
authority. For example, if you see inappropriate or unproductive behaviors by employees and don’t say or do anything to correct the situation, you are actually saying a great deal. Your lack of communications could be misinterpreted as condoning these behaviors. This may be completely opposite of your intent. 4. Ask participants to provide examples of these silent messages. Debrief: Conclude the activity by emphasizing that especially individuals in leadership positions must be conscious of the fact that if they don’t say anything when behaviors need to be corrected or complimented that unintended messages may be sent. We need to be careful about these “silent messages.”
+Fantasy Career Non-formal method
Description: Participants are asked what their fantasy career would be if they could have any job they wanted. Purpose: To serve as an icebreaker activity and provide an opportunity for participants to share information about themselves with one another. Presentation: 1. As an introduction to one another, ask each participant to share with the group what his or her fantasy career would be if he or she could do anything for a living. 2. Allow each participant to briefly explain what this occupation, trade, or job might be. 3. As participants share this information, occasionally ask clarifying questions about these fantasy careers, such as if the participant has ever done anything like this in the past or why he or she is interested.
Debrief: After everyone has explained their fantasy career, thank them for sharing this with the group and emphasize how learning a little more about one another will be helpful during the seminar, training program, or meeting that you are about to begin.
+ Train Story Non-formal method
Description: A brief story is read to participants and they are asked to answer a question concerning the content of the story. The question is likely not what participants were expecting to be asked. Purpose: To emphasize that what we are asked to do isn’t always what is expected Presentation: 1. Tell participants that you are going to read them a brief story about a train and that they need to pay close attention as you are going to ask them a question about the situation being described. Advise participants that they might want to make notes as you read the story. 2. Read the following story to participants: A train leaves the station with 3 passengers and stops at London and 5 more get on. It next stops and Albany and 2 passengers get off. Next stop is Pleasantville and 23 new passengers get on board. The train makes its next stop in Dallas where 21 get off and no one gets on. The train chugs along until it reaches Hollywood where 3 more passengers get on. The next stops are Buffalo where 6 get on
and 4 get off, Moosehead where no one gets on or off, and Clarksburg where 24 passengers get on board. The train reaches the end of the route in Los Angeles where everyone gets off. 3. After you have completed reading the story, ask this question: How many stops did the train make? 4. It is likely that participants were more focused on how many passengers were left on the train when it reached its final destination. Ask participants how many were more focused on this than the number of stops. 5. Ask if anyone can answer the question of how many stops the train made. Also ask if anyone can answer how many passengers were on the train when it reached Los Angeles. 6. The answer to the question concerning how many stops the train made is 9, including its final destination. 7. There were 37 passengers on the train when it arrived in Los Angeles. You may want to acknowledge that this train went a long way around in its destination to Los Angeles.
+Creative Fairy Tale Non-formal method
Description: A creative fairy tale type story is presented in which a merchant’s daughter is faced with the prospect of marrying a money lender to which her father owes a great debt. The lender proposes a solution to the dilemma involving the daughter picking a pebble of a certain color from a bag. Participants are asked what this young girl could do to prevent having to marry this despicable money lender.
3. Ask participants to think of ways in which this goal could be accomplished.
Purpose: To challenge the creativity of participants to come up with a solution that would be acceptable to each party involved in this issue
Debrief: Discuss the simplicity of this answer and how effectively it would solve this dilemma. Explain that often the simplest solutions are the best. Based on the situation that the money lender created, he would have no choice but to agree with the young girl’s proposed solution.
Resources: Handout A and B Presentation: 1. Read or distribute a copy of Handout 43-A to participants. 2. At the end of the tale is a question asking how this young girl could solve this dilemma while preventing the money lender from questioning her actions.
4. Ask participants what their possible solutions might be to this dilemma. 5. After everyone has had time to find the solution to this problem, distribute or present Handout 43-B.
Handout A Back in the old days when debtors were thrown into jail, a merchant had the misfortune of getting overextended on his loans from an unscrupulous money lender. The merchant had a young daughter whose beauty was matched only by her innocence and purity. The money lender proposed that this young girl become his bride in exchange for the debt. Both the merchant and the young girl were repulsed at the mere thought of such a proposal. But alas, the debtor had no choice. The merchant, the daughter, and the money lender were standing on a pebble-strewn path with pebbles that were either pure black or pure white in color. There were about as many black pebbles as there were white ones, and they were all mixed together. The pebbles were all of equal size, shape, and texture. The lender’s proposition was that he would place one white pebble and one black pebble in a leather bag, and the girl would reach in without looking and select a pebble from the bag. The merchant’s debts would be forgiven in either case, but if the girl selected the white pebble, she would also be free of any obligation to marry the money lender. But if she selected the black pebble, she would
have to become his wife. As the money lender put the pebbles in the bag, the girl noticed with horror that both the pebbles he placed in the bag were black. She was afraid to question the money lender’s integrity, believing it would only make matters worse than they already were. Her fate seemed to be determined no matter what pebble she picked from the bag. How did she solve this dilemma while preventing the money lender from questioning her actions?
Handout B Solution The girl reached into the bag and “accidently” dropped a pebble on the ground without anyone seeing its color. She apologized and told the lender to simply look in the bag and see which color pebble remained. If it was black, then she had obviously selected the white pebble that she had clumsily dropped.
+ Word Games Non-formal method
Description: This activity is designed to help identify words that are not effective in most business and personal communications. Purpose: To illustrate just how important words are in our communications and how they can be used both ineffectively and effectively to improve our communications. Resources: Handouts A through H Presentation: 1. Begin the activity by explaining that words are an important part of our lives, particularly at work. Unfortunately, words can mean many different things to different people. To communicate more effectively, it is a good idea to choose words that will not be easily misunderstood or that can be interpreted in many different ways. 2. Tell participants there are four exercises included in this activity. The first exercise is called the Weasel Word Exercise. In this activity, participants are presented with a memo from the home office of an organization.
3. Distribute Handout A to participants and have them identify the weasel words—the words that could potentially be misinterpreted. Participants should replace these words with more precise words that would be less subject to interpretation or delete them from the memo. 4. After participants complete the Weasel Word Exercise, present or distribute Handout B. The weasel words in the memo are in boldface. Review why these words could be considered weasel words and why they do not add to the clarity or effectiveness of the communication. 5. The next exercise is the Useful Words Test. Distribute Handout C to participants and instruct them to mark or highlight those words that are most useful in communicating clearly to others. 6. After participants complete the Useful Words Test, present or distribute Handout D. Review the correct answers in boldface and discuss why these words would be more clearly understood and leave l e s s o p p o r t u n i t y f o r misunderstandings.
7. The next exercise is the Tactful Candor Exercise. Candor is the ability to communicate potentially sensitive information to a person without upsetting or offending him or h e r. D i s t r i b u t e H a n d o u t E t o participants and have them identify which of the statements they think display tactful candor. 8. After participants complete the Tactful Candor Exercise, present or distribute Handout F. Review the correct answers and discuss which statements display tactful candor. 9. Finally, conduct the last exercise, What does this message mean? Distribute Handout G to participants and have them identify the words in this message that create a vague or unclear impression to someone receiving this information. 10. After participants complete the exercise, distribute Handout H, which sows the vague or unclear words in boldface. Review why each of these words or phrases makes the message less clear and understandable. Debrief: Summarize this activity by advising participants that they shouldn’t play games with words: • Make sure that your messages are clear and easily understood. • Using “weasel words” or other vague or misleading terms only
diminishes your effectiveness as a communicator. Words are powerful. Use them carefully and purposefully. • Don’t use words that can be destructive to your business or personal relationships or distract from your purpose. • Use words to say exactly what you mean, not what others may think you intended to say. Games are fun to play, but not when communications are critical.
Handout A Weasel Word Exercise You need to avoid using weasel words in your communications. A weasel word is a word that avoids taking any kind of position or could be misinterpreted. Identify the weasel words in the memo below: Memo from Home Office We are probably going to change our procedure on this policy depending on what we might implement to improve this situation. If time permits, we will send out what the boss wants us to do to find a new procedure on the changes that will be made. There will be several alternatives that we possibly can take. We will try to send out some kind of a communication on the new procedures hopefully in the next week or so. This probably will be part of our new procedures that we could possibly give to many of our bigger customers. If someone doesn’t receive a copy they should contact us. Everyone needs to be aware that we need to first get approval from the main office before we can finalize any of these changes. We don’t know at this time how long this process will take because of the number of signatures that are required to make these changes official. We will let you know as soon as we get any indication of the direction that the top of the house wants to do or when these changes are approved.
Handout B Weasel Word Exercise Answers (Answers in boldface) We are probably going to change our procedure on this policy depending on what we might implement to improve this situation. If time permits, we will send out what the boss wants us to do to find a new procedure on the changes that will be made. There will be several alternatives that we possibly can take. We will try to send out some kind of a communication on the new procedures hopefully in the next week or so. This probably will be part of our new procedures that we could possibly give to many of our bigger customers. If someone doesn’t receive a copy they should contact us. Everyone needs to be aware that we need to first get approval from the main office before we can finalize any of these changes. We don’t know at this time how long this process will take because of the number of signatures that are required to make these changes official. We will let you know as soon as we get any indication of the direction that the top of the house wants to do or when these changes are approved.
Handout C Useful Words Test Some words are more useful than others in explaining something to another person, either in writing or spoken. Which of the following words would you consider useful in explaining something to another person? about something like that “thing-a-majig� whatch-ya-ma-call-it precisely exactly unequal angry desperate contingency critical inventory level late delivery pretty near partially full empty full requirements certain unsure deadline facts sequence
Handout D Useful Words Test Answers (Answers in boldface) about something like that “thing-a-majig� whatch-ya-ma-call-it precisely exactly unequal angry desperate contingency critical inventory level late delivery pretty near partially full empty full requirements certain unsure deadline facts sequence
Handout E Tactful Candor Exercise Candor is the ability to communicate potentially sensitive information to a person without upsetting or offending him or her. Which of the following statements do you think displays tactful candor? “The idiots on their loading dock goofed up again.” “If the customer had read the shipping instructions we wouldn’t be having this problem.” “I think that we might be having a problem communicating this information to them.” “If you screw up again, you’re fired!” “I’m going to go to your boss about this if I don't see some improvements soon.” “Don’t tell anybody, but I just happen to know something big is about to happen that is going to change the way we presently do business together.” “My boss is the one to blame for the mess we are in.” “Maybe if we tried to put more things in writing, we wouldn’t be having so many misunderstandings on instructions.” “It must be hard to keep track of all this information. How can I help you?” “My seven-year-old could do a better job on this paper work than you.”
Handout F Tactful Candor Exercise Answers “The idiots on their loading dock goofed up again.” No “If the customer had read the shipping instructions we wouldn’t be having this problem.” No “I think that we might be having a problem communicating this information to them.” Yes “If you screw up again, you’re fired!” No “I’m going to go to your boss about this if I don't see some improvements soon.” No (if information is confidential) “Don’t tell anybody, but I just happen to know something big is about to happen that is going to change the way we presently do business together.” No “My boss is the one to blame for the mess we are in.” “Maybe if we tried to put more things in writing, we wouldn’t be having so many misunderstandings on instructions.” Yes “It must be hard to keep track of all this information. How can I help you?” Yes “My seven-year-old could do a better job on this paper work than you.” No
Handout G What does this message mean? Identify the words in the following message that create a vague or unclear impression to someone receiving this information. Someone called from the customer that we sent the big shipment to, saying that they were having a problem with some of our product. The caller thought that there was probably going to be some more information heading our way pretty soon. They indicated that they were really concerned because this is not the first time this has happened. It might be fairly costly to them if something isn’t done soon to take care of this problem. This might be a “no brainer” if the problem is the same as it was the last time we got on the “bad side” of this customer. We all know what a pain they can be when they don’t get what they want. We have heard this song and dance before about them taking their business elsewhere. But we all know that the customer is always right, and we will need to jump through any hoops they want us to in order to keep their business. If we don’t hear something by the p.m., we will know the “ax” is going to fall on someone either here or in HQ.
Handout H What does this message mean? (Unclear words in boldface) Someone called from the customer that we sent the big shipment to, saying that they were having a problem with some of our product. The caller thought that there was probably going to be some more information heading our way pretty soon. They indicated that they were really concerned because this is not the first time this has happened. It might be fairly costly to them if something isn’t done soon to take care of this problem. This might be a “no brainer” if the problem is the same as it was the last time we got on the “bad side” of this customer. We all know what a pain they can be when they don’t get what they want. We have heard this song and dance before about them taking their business elsewhere. But we all know that the customer is always right, and we will need to jump through any hoops they want us to in order to keep their business. If we don’t hear something by the p.m., we will know the “ax” is going to fall on someone either here or in HQ.
+NGOs
Communication Camp
+ The story
“The idea of NGOs Communication Camp started 4 years ago, while I sketched the strategy for the international project “Sailing for Sustainability” with Corina Seler and other seven European youngsters. It was the moment when both figure it out that our expertise in Communication and brand management can be translated in European youth projects. We’ve noticed that most of non-profit organizations have difficulty in establishing connection with media and key-persons from their communities or promoting their events. So we transformed a global issue in a challenge with long-term results, organizing every year a new edition and the story goes on. “ (Emilia Radu – project designer of NGOs Communication Camp)
"Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity, and the emotions to affect other people. I believe that communication is more then talking this is why every one of us should measure their words. NGOs use themselves the same tools: words, and words can be a powerful tool, as a sharp sword when used in the wrong sense. Because I witnessed great projects and awful communication I decided to change something, to change the little that stands in my power. So this is the story behind the scene for NGOs Communication Camp. (Corina Seler, Co-designer of the project and trainer)
+ The young story tailors
For more materials on communication for NGOs please check our website: http://ngocommunicationcamp.weebly.com/the-training.html Or write us @ ngoscommunicationcamp@gmail.com