communication that bites

Archive for the ‘Working life’ Category

Seven essential business apps for iphone

Saturday, April 2nd, 2011

Last year I succumbed to an iphone 4. My previous phone would only make and accept calls and text messages – now, predictably, I can’t imagine how I ever coped without my entire office around me.

So I’d like to share with you the SEVEN business apps I use the most on my phone.

  • Evernote As they say ‘remembers everything’. And amazingly it does. All those fab websites you think you’ll come back to… the odd typed note…a photocopied recipe….a crucial email. Yup, they can all be stored via Evernote, and tagged for easy retrieval. Brilliant.
  • SplashID A password manager. With all sorts of websites needing logins, from shopping sites to magazine access, this secure way to store passwords etc a must. Especially if you have a sieve for a brain like me.
  • wifitrak Remarkably simple, remarkably effective. Just flags up if there are any wifi networks nearby, and if they are open or not.
  • Dropbox This syncs, stores and shares files online. Great if you are working from a couple of computers – or indeed if you want a colleague or client to amend a file/design. No more working from the wrong version – you’ll both have the most up to date one
  • Teux Deux Gosh I just love this app. I use it on my desktop too – as it’s just the most simple, most effective to do list. And it has a great introductory video, well worth watching. I can quickly capture all those little to do items that crop up when I’ve just come out of a meeting. Or having a coffee at motorway services. Or frankly, when my mind is in neutral, shopping or whatever, and I have a brainwave. I also like the ’someday’ option. That’s for notes such as: someday – be awesome. Someday – be on top of your filing.
  • Logmein This app was practically a life saver, (well, face-saver is nearer the truth to be honest) when I was able to access a file from my desktop…. It enables you to remotely control your office computer, as if you were sitting right in front of it. My top tip though, is to adjust the settings on your computer to prevent it going into ’sleep’ mode.
  • Eventbrite And finally, this is a relatively new find. I’m running twitter courses and PR courses at the moment, and using Eventbrite to promote them. This is a really simple app which lets you make a record of who has attended a session. Ok, so it’s not desperately useful for my workshops which tend to have less than 10 on them… but hey, it appeals to my inner geek. Humour me!

So that’s a list of my most favourite business apps at the moment. What are yours?

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Get the porch light working

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

From time to time I get asked to pitch to companies who see PR or indeed social media in general, as the answer to ALL their problems.

Sometimes it is because they have a problem communicating to staff

Sometimes it is because they aren’t converting sales

Sometimes it is because they aren’t selling anything.

But can PR cure this? Well, yes and no.

I would, of course, say PR is fabulous. It is a powerful way to communicate with your customers, potential customers, neighbours, employees and potential employees. It IS an extremely useful marketing tool and it can:

• Help build reputations
• Increase awareness of products and services
• Enhance the credibility (and hence the worth) of a company
• Makes people think more highly of you.
• Help in opening new markets
• Protect business in times of crisis.
• Attract the best recruits and business partners
• Enhance access to funding and investors
• Create a premium value for products and services
• Generate interest from new customers

We all see what happens to firms that don’t handle their PR well.

But strangely enough, it can’t work miracles. If your product is the wrong product. If it’s at the wrong price for the market. If your staff feel undervalued. If your sales team can’t convert… well, that all goes to a deeper level than PR.

Let’s get this in perspective. PR is an effective and persuasive way to reach out with your message. But the actions behind the words have just got to be there. There’s no hiding behind a miasma of spin.

To put it bluntly, if your house is in the dark, fix the porch light before installing the spotlights.

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Women’s networks in logistics – where is the benefit?

Monday, February 7th, 2011

At the Women in Logistics AGM (www.womeninlogistics.org.uk) a few weeks ago, Kirsten Tisdale from Aricia Ltd raised a fabulous point. “Am I a ‘WIL’ or a ‘PIL’” she mused, “am I a woman in logistics or a person in logistics?’

Well, clearly both do indeed apply, but with passion, humour and intelligence she cogently argued why there is indeed a need to strike forward as a WIL – in order to not only to change business perspectives, but to network and importantly, enjoy, being with like minded people.

And it struck me that this is exactly what ALL the best networking events should be like. They add something to our busy lives – not just intellectually, but  socially too.

Citing Ingrid Devlin from Dell in Times supplement ‘Women mean business’ from November 2010, Kirsten acknowledged the differences in communication styles between men and women, and stressed that we ought to embrace the difference – but be aware of how a more ‘dynamic approach’ might affect a listeners’ conclusions.

“Women account for just 22% of the logistics workforce in England.”


Set up in September 2009 as a LinkedIn group, Women in Logistics now has more than 1400 members, men and women. From the kernel of an idea by Ruth Waring, MD of Labyrinth Logistics Consulting Ltd, the group was formed to help increase the number of women in the sector and to address the gender imbalance issue.  It now organises mentoring, skills days, social events, factory tours, and educational sessions;  has exhibited at various shows, and most of all, provides a network for logistics professionals to work within.

“I am so proud of the Women in Logistics network”, says Ruth. “it has wildly exceeded my expectations in its size, scope and influence. Clearly there is a demand for an organisation like ours to make a difference.”

A non profit making group, WIL runs with no finance, no bank account even, and is totally volunteer led. They will be putting on six events throughout 2011. These were democratically chosen at the AGM by the 40 or so delegates: we were all armed with six sticky dots each, and had to nominate our six favoured events (out of a total in excess of 24). These are now being finalised.

The line up for 2011 includes topics like a Professional Development Day, and seminars on topics such as

  • Non exec directorships
  • Work life balance
  • Social Media & LinkedIn
  • Spa and Confidence Building
  • IT for Logistics

And of course, a celebratory 3rd birthday party for WIL in September.

WIL has some exceptionally talented men and women in its membership, and you can read some case studies on what some of the members do, and what they get from being a part of the group.

So in answer to my question, where is the benefit? Well, for both men and women in logistics, it strikes me that the potential for benefit is the same in any network - the more you put in, the more you get out.

The next event is in March and will be a Social Media day, with talks on LinkedIn, Twitter and blogging. See Women in Logistics‘ website for more information

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Getting stuff done

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

Much as I love my job, I always find it tough to kick start into the working year after the Christmas break. Which why I used both hands to grab the invitation from Tilla Brook to participate in one of her ‘getting stuff done‘ events.

The session consisted of an initial phone call to quickly map out what we both planned to achieve, especially during the first 60 minutes. Then a phone call every hour until the final check-in/ review after three hours.

My first phone call was very optimistic. We discussed what it would feel like to get all this stuff done (fantastic) and how it felt to have it pending (draining). I had a glut of work to get through, lots of will power and ability. Let’s go!

The second call was less positive. During that first hour, I’d had a friend phone with a crisis; something delivered; two calls re media packs/colour separations; 10 emails, two of which needing a response same day…and to top it all, I’d mislaid the notes I needed to use. My initial optimism was waning. But what a super coach Tilla proved to be. By asking some great questions, she got me back on track. She asked if I could think of any ways to avoid distractions. … and in a blinding flash of inspiration (ha!) I worked out that I could actually turn my email off momentarily; log out of twitter; tell my friends I was busy; leave my phone on voice mail… She even made me promise to not get distracted by other stuff, but to focus solely on finding my notes, and texting her when I’d got them.  And within 5 minutes I was back on track.

The second two hours flew by, and I can report that all my tasks were completed – I felt totally energised, and frankly, quietly smug!

So on reflection, if you have stuff to get done but are struggling to stay focussed, you might like to try these tips:

  • conjure up an immovable timescale (like a flight the following day/irate taxman etc)
  • be accountable to someone else (Tilla was a very warm yet efficient person to talk to, and did that very clever thing of coaching-when-you-don’t-realise-you’re-being-coached)
  • think of ways which you (too) could remove some of the distractions that surround us all.

Oh – think it’s time I turned the internet back on..

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When speaking isn’t so easy

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

On a number of occasions recently I’ve found myself at the front of a room of people, delivering a presentation. Now you would imagine that, since my line of business is very firmly communications, this wouldn’t phase me. But what I enjoy the most is getting OTHERS into the limelight. Whilst I love the preparation; love the results; love the afterglow – the actual presentation itself fills me with trepidation.

So I here are a few useful tips I’ve picked up recently about presenting with aplomb:

  • A great presentation is a journey. First establish where your audience is (ie. are they worried about finances/excited about a new project/interested in the future) and then let them know how you are going to get them to their destination. The taking that analogy a bit further, they might be in rainy Clackton, and at the end of your presentation, you’ll have them in the Maldives. Hopefully.
  • When you come to speak, take charge of your stage. Move the props to suit you.
  • In order to capture the audience’s attention, try asking a question; making a provocative statement or recount an amusing tale.
  • People tend to most remember the first thing you said, and the last thing you said – so make sure these are worth it
  • Tell them what you’re going to say – say it – then tell them what you’ve told them.
  • Always try to include a case study. For example, lots of people say they have excellent customer service, but, if you can, give an example – like you hopped into your own car and drove the parts to the customer (or whatever) – then it has so much more impact, because it’s a story AND it’s believable.
  • All presentations need a call to action at the end. What do you want people to do after they’ve heard your talk? Register on website for an ebook? Log into webinar? Book next course?
  • Before you start your presentation, breathe slowly in for a count of 8…. hold the breathe for 4 seconds, and breathe out for 8. Do this 4 times. Quite amazingly, this works rather well as a way to calm nerves, and gain control of your voice.

And finally, if it helps at all, please feel free to use my personal mantra which is: ‘I’m a grown up. I can do this’

(Thanks to Karen Tems and  Andrew Thorp for inspiring me)

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Untidy desk? Seven great chaos-savers

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

There just never seems to be enough hours in the day for filing. Or so it seems in my office. Here are some great tips for dealing with an untidy desk, courtesy of my action learning set on the LEAD course:

But  before the tips, here’s a really important question to ask yourself if your desk is groaning under the weight of paper and before it all gets out of hand… “How important is this to me?” and “Is it affecting my business?”. Only you know the answers.

We are all different after all. So if you are someone who thrives off a degree of chaos, but would like it slightly more organised, then these tips are for you…

  • Your computer filing is probably immaculate, so use a scanner for all those scratty pieces of paper we all collect
  • Put appointments onto computer calendar straight away – then shred the paper
  • File business-cards to Outlook/Address book while they are still fresh in your mind. Manually or with a cardreader – just do it!
  • Action paperwork when it comes in – action, file or bin
  • Make it a discipline. Allocate one day a week to ‘tidy desk day’.
  • Use a notice board to get stuff off your desk
  • Use Google desktop to index documents. Go down the electronic route wherever possible
  • Acquire some filing cabinets where all the paper can be in one place

Finally, two ‘desperate’ measures.

  • Get an administrator in
  • Move desk/office/house to a tidier one.

Now that’s an idea…

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