Good meeting, bad meeting

...though not in the sense you would expect on this blog.

This time I'm referring to office meetings. A good friend of mine recently suggested that we discuss the office meeting and its place in the corporate world. More specifically, in what instances are meetings actually productive rather than being a complete waste of time for 90 percent of participants in the room or on the other end of the teleconference.

In my personal opinion, most meetings I've either run or attended in my short career thus far have been highly beneficial. This of course has mostly to do with the fact that I'm doing everything in my power to soak up as much corporate knowledge as possible to be a partner by the time I'm 25, so sitting and taking notes and learning from those above me has been a big benefit to me. But in realizing that not everyone works with people as smart and talented as I do, this is a biased opinion. This also does not apply to company specific meetings - if I have to sit through one more two hour session on proper time entry I think I might have to stick needles in my eyes - that'd at least be more enjoyable.

As this shows, I don't know what the crap I'm talking about.

I do believe, however, that all meeting organizers need to consider their audience beforehand - if the content isn't 100% relevant to an individual, refrain from sending them the invite.

According to my colleague Luke Armour who is significantly more brilliant at the corporate life than I (well, okay, so life in general), believes that meetings can be productive if your audience, objectives, and action items are all aligned. If one of these elements does not correspond with another, you end up with a meeting that can be unproductive and frankly, a waste of time. Problem is, most corporate meetings do not have these three critical elements in alignment, mainly because the objectives are not clearly defined in the first place.

This is great insight.

So whether you're planning your next creative brainstorm, informational meeting, or group working session, outlining the objectives first is key in walking away from a productive meeting.

So tell me dear readers - in your opinion - the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to corporate meetings.

Cheers!

-A

Living in symbiosis

With continuous changes in the marketplace and the rise of social media and digital marketing strategies emerging at the forefront of our profession, the lines between public relations, marketing, and advertising are beginning to blur. Communications efforts of all kinds sit comfortably together under the umbrella known as marketing. Relationships among these agencies are morphing with each passing day, causing the relationships between the agencies and the media to shift.

The relationship between the media and professionals under the marketing umbrella goes beyond symbiosis - it's becoming interdependent. Traditional media is seeking the stories generated and spread by the buzz online. Marketing professionals are pitching prominent bloggers to influence public opinion. Media outlets are reaching out to the marketers before we go to them. The days of the dreaded pitch call are diminishing. If a story has legs, reporters are dying to run with it - and they are racing along side the influencers in the blogosphere to be the first to get the word out.

So now it's time to turn the race into a collaboration rather than a competition. Reporters, marketers, and bloggers are already working together to inform and influence the public through countless lines of communication. Between blogs, advertisements, press releases, newspapers, RSS feeds, television programming, cell phones...the list goes on...professional communicators need to work in a seamless, interdependent manner to fulfill the ultimate goal - providing information to the target audience as quickly, accurately, and efficiently as possible.

I will now get off my soapbox.

Cheers!

-A

What's your doctor's personality?

Bedside manner. It's one of the most important traits of a doctor, if not the most. Given my track record of encountering shady medical professionals - the Dallas dentist, the surly orthopedic surgeon in San Antonio, the "we're going to cut your foot open and see if we can locate the glass" general practitioner - it's no surprise that a friendly personality is key in selecting a doctor. Of course, I'll openly admit that I'm a bad patient. I am scared and nervous, which often leads to getting worked up (I've been known to yell at such physicians), but that doesn't diminish the importance of the bedside manner.

Today's encounter was with an amazing podiatrist. We are still in the middle of treatment so I can't vouch for his medical skills just yet, but the combination of wit and professionalism of him and his staff really made my experience.

In the marketing world, we see this as a great customer service experience. My nerves were calmed and I was provided with the information and services one would expect from any quality doctor's office. The nurses were thorough in their background questioning and cared to listen to my concerns and answer any of my questions. The doctor came in and welcomed me with a smile - this goes a long way in my book - and he asked me about my training, my past injuries, and conducted a series of tests on each metatarsal. Subsequent X-rays showed no stress fracture, yet - TBD at the next appointment.

Doc instructed continued running on a freshly taped foot. At the next appointment in two weeks we can determine if the stress fracture is back or if in fact my marathon training continues. Fingers crossed for the latter.
For having found this doctor on the Internet and seeing him without a referral, he certainly exceeded my expectations. Overall, the experience was educational and stasfying. Who can really say that after a doctor's appointment?

Though the office is inconveniently on the other side of town, I will continue to make the trip as needed, knowing that the physician and his staff will continue to go above and beyond.

Cheers!

-A

The nicest man in digital

One of my more time consuming projects lately has been developing and executing a social media campaign for one of our larger clients, and one of the most enjoyable. In the short amount of time I've worked with this talented, high-energy team, there is so much I have learned while having more fun than I ever thought I could at the office. The project allows me to really grow my creative and digital skills, and as we all know, it's my goal to head down the path toward becoming the next Digital Diva.

But it's not just about the assignment itself that makes this project so enjoyable, it's about the team of people I am blessed to work with. It was apparent from day 1 (exactly one year ago today that I started my position in this office) that our team is not only talented but fun to work with and always willing to step in when needed. And yesterday, I met a new member of the global team who proved just that.

I was tasked with finding out intricate details about our client's web development environment and decided to reach out to one of my colleagues in another office who had previously worked with this client. The conversation proved beyond successful. Not only did he provide me with the necessary information, he provided guidance on execution and offered to help facilitate any follow up meetings with partners and vendors that may be necessary to get this project off the ground. And this is a client he doesn't even work for!

During our chat he asked me how the project was going and offered to provide any guidance or assistance I may need along the way, given that I'm fairly inexperienced with the technological and development side of social media. (My forte is definitely in strategy and account management, though again, this is not about me).

Needless to say, this man went out of his way to make sure that I had all the information I needed, and then some. This area of business tends to be frantic at times. The team is called on for most client work, given the increasing impact of social media in the public relations world. But even in his hurried state, my colleague took the time to ensure that we were set to execute and deliver top-quality products to our cherrished client. I can't begin to express my gratitude enough, but you best believe I'll be calling on him again in times of urgent client need or just to discuss the latest digital project. I am truly grateful to be working with such as supportive, cohesive team. Thanks, to all y'all across the global network that make this such an amazing, talented, and generous account team.

Cheers!

-A

Creepy geezer

Recently I've been working closely on a project in my office that involves a social media component. Part of the campaign discusses the types of men that women tend to come across and/or get approached by at a bar. One of my favorites was the creepy geezer (think blading, middle aged and above men, wearing their shirts half unbuttoned with chest hair in full view, smelling like teenage boys because they purchased the latest Abercrombie scent, and hitting on all women in sight under the age of 25). Well folks, last night I met the creepy geeser in person - and it was quite disturbing if I do say so myself.

After work my roommate and I decided to take advantage of the recent lovely weather and headed to a baseball game. This game was a double bonus because we got amazing seats for cheap and my team was playing the team I dislike most in the MLB (and we whooped 'em)...but I digress.

Before we took our seats we grabbed a couple of drinks and were watching the game from a great standing spot. There were some other young professionals who had wandered to the game that night and we were chatting them up when we noticed a rather young woman (I'd say not older than 20) drinking a beer next to my roommate. As she was finishing this beer, in comes creepy geezer with another in his hand. She was smiling and flirting her way into free beer from this very creepy man. YIKES!

To make matters worse, after she left (apparently she'd had her fill), he turned his attention on my roommate. This was funny for about 2.5, then I did my friendly duty and interjected. We were both saved shortly there after by another of our friends who escorted us to the amazing seats, and the night only got better from there.

The lesson: when you see creepy geezer approaching, abort immediately. Don't wait around to see the entertainment, because before you know it, he's talking to you.

Cheers!

-A

Account Executive

This will probably be my last posting for a while, as I am headed down south for some R&R with the friends I left back in Texas. But the good news is, I’m bound to come back with numerous encounters to share with y’all – and maybe a little of that cute Southern accent as well. So to honor one of my former Texas colleagues, I’ve decided to salute him in a recent encounters tribute.

When I first met this man he seemed like the cool kid on the block. He was the unshaven, creative type that you’d expect to run into at an ad agency. Our first encounter left me with the impression that he had a laid back disposition and tended to keep to himself – boy did he prove me wrong. We worked closely together on a large account, and as the weeks and months passed, I came to realize the extent to which my initial impression was completely misguided. He was not only outgoing and opinionated, but his sarcasm bordered on infuriating at times. Not to mention that over time he learned that I have my moments of complete vulnerability, and he loved to prey on this – anytime I left myself wide open for insult, this AE was right there to step in and serve it up.

There were moments in Cubicle Land where I wanted to throw my monitor over the wall (in addition to the rubber frog and two-year-old bag of potato chips that frequently came flying over cube walls) in hopes of knocking him unconscious for a few moments of piece and quiet. But in the end, I’m not sure I would have survived that place without him. Thanks to random witty (though often vulgar) banter, 80s music trivia, and the occasional tiff he enjoyed starting with our other cube mates, the junior staffers managed to make it through the long days of media pitching and press release writing. We all owe our former colleague a hearty thanks for cutting through the stress that loomed in the air and keeping us sane with a little laughter – even if it was at the expense of others from time to time.

Luckily, we’ll have the opportunity to do so in person this weekend, as we all join back together for a reunion happy hour for some margaritas on the patio – can anyone say 80 degrees? I am greatly looking forward to meeting back up with my former colleagues and catching up on everything from new jobs to babies to the bitter weather we’ve experienced here in the North. But mostly, I’m looking forward to the laughter that will ensue upon our former colleague’s arrival. He never fails to make us all laugh until we cry.

See you soon.

Cheers!

-A

Recent encounter with a fellow blogger

Okay, so let’s be honest here, I’m talking about an encounter with a REAL blogger, not just some schmuck who thinks that people will be entertained, or even gain value from a silly little blog about life’s lessons...

The type of blogger I’m referring to is one that regularly posts for a top 500 site in the blogosphere. Huge, right?

So let’s start with a little background. One of the growing trends in the world of communications is what’s known as OEO, online editorial outreach. Instead of traditional media relations, public relations professionals are now reaching out to bloggers in a highly targeted way. Without thorough knowledge of the blog, and often the blogger that’s posting, it can be difficult to make a connection. Most often, this is not the blogger’s day job, so they aren’t getting paid to read the latest announcement from your company. That’s why it’s critical to present a blogger with an idea they will be interested in, and hopefully, buy into enough to blog about it.

Standard practice is not to follow-up with bloggers as you would with traditional media; if they’re interested, they’ll respond. Which can be stressful (I’d rather have a reporter tell me that no one in their right mind would cover my story than not to know at all) and time consuming (in that you need to continuously check back to see if anything has been posted).

For me, I was lucky. This particular blogger not only covered the topic we provided him, but he responded with thoughts on how to make our program survive in the world of online social media.

I often wonder if bloggers can spot fellow bloggers, by tone, by concept, or though intuition. However it happened this time will probably remain unknown; because as we all know, life is 50 percent chance; but I’m grateful, not only for his coverage, but for his time. He didn’t need to give suggestions, but because he truly believed in our issue, he took the time to provide us with his highly experienced opinion. So if you’re reading this, fellow blogger, thank you for your kindness, generosity, and understanding.

Cheers!

-A