POWER Networking Jumpstarts NFPW Conference

One of the challenges of attending a conference is finding a way to meet people at more than just a surface level.

Last year at the NFPW conference, we held a POWER Networking, a structured networking event that breaks away from the model of speeding from one person to the next and instead focuses on truly connecting with others.

We gathered in small groups and provided information about ourselves to those at the table. Each person had a turn (a timer kept us on track). At the end of the session, we had all become acquainted with other members.

What I like about the approach is that I meet a lot of members quickly, and in a setting that doesn’t feel forced. More importantly I learn about the person as both an individual and as a professional.

Others who participated agreed.

“The networking session was a fun and fast way to get to know other members at the start of the conference,” said Cathy Jett of Virginia Press Women. “While short, there was still time for several people at one of the tables where I sat to get suggestions about books or other projects they were working on.”

First-timer Sylvia Dickey Smith of Press Women of Texas said, “As a result of the POWER Networking session, I no longer felt like a newcomer. I had friends!”

If you are attending the NFPW conference, you will have the opportunity to build relationships by tapping into new resources, making fresh discoveries and uncovering prospects and leads. Bring plenty of business cards and promotional materials and get ready to seize the moment!

My Month Without Television

Still water w/ rock

Not using television as a distraction has made me much calmer and more relaxed. (Photo by Cynthia Price)

In July when I was still watching television there was a commercial in which an Olympic athlete said they had not watched television since last summer. The point, of course, was that they were too busy training.

I wasn’t training for the Olympics, but I realized I was too busy. So I gave up television for a month. I thought it would be difficult, but it wasn’t. I didn’t even miss watching the Olympics (fortunately, the opening ceremonies were in July).

Now that the month is completed, I may indulge with a few movie rentals from Redbox (I didn’t even allow movie rentals in the house). I’ll also watch a few of my favorite fall shows, such as NCIS. I won’t, however, keep the TV on as a distraction. I’ve realized that keeping the TV off as much as possible is one of my “Absolute Nos.”

Without television, I’m not feeling the need to spend money on the newest fashions, the newest designer crazes or the newest cereal. I’m reading many more books (10 in August!), which means the piles in my house are disappearing. I even made time to tackle some of the piles. That means I’m feeling more organized and relaxed.

I’m enjoying the quiet. With fall in the air, my windows are open and now I watch “Cat TV,” which is the myriad birds at the feeder. I even have a bird book to identify them – from the red-headed woodpecker to the black-capped chickadee (my favorite) to the tufted titmouse to the nuthatch.

I will, on occasion, enjoy an evening or two of mindless television watching. My experiment, though, helped me realize that television is not the way I need to unwind.

Do you know what you need to unwind?

Innovating, Succeeding Thanks to Books

Books provide inspiration about innovating and leading. (Photo by Cynthia Price)

The leadership book club I belong to at work just finished a great read about innovating. Next up is one about introverts succeeding in an extroverted world and then one on leadership. I always have found inspiration in leadership, management and self-improvement books, but the impact is even greater when I’m able to discuss the books with others.

If you’re looking for ways to innovate and succeed, here are three books to read:

The Future of Nonprofits: Innovate and Thrive in the Digital Age by David J. Neff and Randal C. Moss: The book jacket notes this “comprehensive playbook demonstrates how to create and launch a new, more flexible, innovative organization that is better equipped to embrace and leverage today’s digital technologies.”

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain: “This extraordinary book has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how introverts see themselves,” notes the book jacket.

The Leadership Challenge by James Kouzes: The preface notes this is about “how leaders mobilize others to want to get extraordinary things done in organizations. It’s about the practices leaders use to transform values into actions, visions into realities, obstacles into innovations, separateness into solidarity and risks into rewards.”

What other books would you add to this list?

Media Tips from Gillian Flynn’s ‘Gone Girl’

Gone Girl coverI just finished reading a riveting suspense book called Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. One of the characters has to be prepped for a media interview. The section resonated with me because of all of the media interviews I had to give as a spokesperson. In my current role, I do the same, just not as frequently, so I thought I’d brush up some on how to give a successful interview.

Practice: Don’t think you can meet with a reporter (either print or video/digital) and expect to easily answer questions and succeed in the interview. In advance, develop a list of questions you expect will be asked. Then find someone to ask those questions of you and answer them out loud. That way you can determine how far off the mark you are and what you might not have an answer to. Don’t over practice, though, as you don’t want to come across as too polished.

Answer the question and stop: A common mistake is for an interviewee to keep speaking to fill silence or gaps. Answer the question the reporter asked and then stop. If there is silence, don’t fill it. The reporter will quickly ask another question, especially if it’s for television, because the reporter won’t want silence. If you keep talking, you are likely to say more than you had planned to share.

Be truthful: If the topic is difficult, you need to answer honestly. If you don’t, the reporter – and subsequently the audience – will know it. You will continue to be hounded until the truth comes out. If you don’t want to talk about a situation, then don’t agree to the interview. But be aware that a reporter will find someone else to discuss it, and that person’s version may be even less flattering.

The character in Gone Girl prepped for the interviews and did well. If you follow these tips, you will, too.

Driving Results with Targeted Solutions

Are you like most people who visit websites on their computers while at work but after work, they view sites on their mobile?

Why does this matter? If you are delivering targeted messages, you need to know where to deliver the messages. That’s one of the nuggets I learned from a digital advertising seminar series I recently attended.

Michael Fibison, director of channel sales for Yahoo!, shared several insights with the participants.  I thought I would share the ones that resonated with me. I don’t work in sales or advertising, but I do work in content and brand, and many of the items I heard made me think about how I do business.

  1. More than 90 percent of consumers are researching products online because it makes them feel more confident about their purchase, according to eMarketer. That means, I need to be sure to provide relevant content to my users, who will want to know more about the company and how it operates. I work for a nonprofit and transparency is key.
  2. While 9 out of 10 users on Pinterest are women, men who use it tend to purchase a product after discovering it on Pinterest, according to Fibison (37% men, 17% women). I started pinning the photos from my blog and saw an increase in overall traffic. I have not gone back to see the demographic breakdown but I was intrigued that more men are purchasing as a result of Pinterest.
  3. Don’t forget about video. More than 1 in 4 individuals spend 10 minutes watching videos on their desktop. If the person is on a TV or game device the number jumps to 60 percent. If you aren’t developing videos to sell your product or tell your story, you should be.