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Christina Fuges: Storytelling with punch in new digital world

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Christina Fuges on #ShowUP with GailNow. She has 28 years of experience in trade publishing and has been the Editorial Director of Moldmaking Technology Magazine for 23 of those years. She was a founding partner of Communication Technologies, Inc. (CTI), which launched the publication and its annual trade show, the MoldMaking Expo (now Amerimold expo) where she is the Technical Conference Director.

She and I initially met on Twitter and through online tweeting back and forth, we kind of did the Twitter dance; liking and sharing things. Lo and behold, we found we had things in common and we eventually met in person at the Amerimold Expo in 2021.

She is someone who truly understands the power of building and sharing stories, especially in this new digital world. Recently, there has been a lot of disruption when it comes to how these stories are being told in various industries, but especially in manufacturing. The companies and the individuals that know how to use social media, as well as still connect with trade shows and meet in person, are the ones that are really rocking it!

She and I touched on many subjects, but mainly focused on her background and transferable skills, shifting to digital, as well as the Power of Telling your Story.

Christina received her bachelor’s degree in telecommunications from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. After that she ended up at a local company that was a tradeshow management company that put on quilting shows. They also had a quilting conference, as well as a quilting newsletter at the time. She was involved in creating content, helping with conference development and setting up trade shows with quilting. Through this experience, Christina learned that anything in the trade business (an object or even a process) has a trade publication. 

From there, she went on to editing; eventually starting with partners. Before she first started at MMT, she had no idea what moldmaking was, but used her curiosity to gain some knowledge on the topic. Throughout her career, she has, like most of us, has built up her transferable skills and uses them in her current role, even in changing her approach during the pandemic.

“So, it’s that was a favorable experience and it didn’t take me too much when you talk about transferable skills, like I like to think about my organizational skills, my communication skills, relationship building skills, listening creativity, when you’re writing an article, pretty much the same skills in order to get that content to share it. 

Leaders have many functions and one of them is to influence others, including their subordinates, their stakeholders, and their company’s customers.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the word influence is defined as “the power to have an effect on people or things, or a person or thing that is able to do this”.

There are many avenues through which they are able to assert their influence, but no matter how it’s delivered, influence doesn‘t happen through conveying information or reciting facts and figures listed in a presentation.

Leaders achieve influence when they reach people in ways that enable them to understand, remember, and inspire them to take action. Influence is about changing ideas, as well as changing behavior and it enables learning to be sustainable. 

One of the best ways to influence is through storytelling!

According to an article in Harvard Business Publishing, telling their story helps leaders to influence, teach and inspire others in a very powerful way. 

Forbes says that most businesses are known only by their name or logo. Large organizations or highly recognised ones with big public relations and big marketing budgets, can get away with this strategy. For new brands with small marketing budgets, the most powerful public relations strategy is to tell the personal, and sometimes vulnerable, story behind their brand.

Here are a few reasons why telling your story is SO important as per an article found on Ginger Leadership Communications’ website:

  • Stories draw upon the universal human need for connection; in some rudimentary sense, we need stories.
  • One of the most compelling ways of inspiring others is to use the one tool you have that no one else has – your personal story. Your individual experience of the world is the most valuable asset you possess!
  • Despite what we may think about business, character trumps credentials at this present moment.
  • Telling your story – including all its challenges, mistakes, failures, pain, setbacks as well as its joys, successes and victories – says something about what it means to be human. Telling your story can even inspire others to take the first step on their own path to becoming a public speaker!

Storytelling is immensely effective for learning according to Harvard Business.  Here’s why:

  • Storytelling establishes connections among people, and also between people and ideas. 
  • Stories tell the culture, history, and values that unite people. 
  • When it comes to our countries, our communities, and our families, we understand instinctively that the stories we hold in common are an important part of the ties that bind us to each other. 
  • This understanding is also true in the business world, where an organization’s stories, and the stories told by its leaders, help strengthen relationships in a way that factual statements summarized in bullet points or numbers don’t.

Christina and I found that stories are now being told differently. Now, people no longer need to wait for print and stories can be shared instantly. Read this excerpt to learn about Christina’s experience with the change, especially in the last while.

“When COVID hit, everything was just accelerated and I took that as an opportunity. Not everybody’s comfortable, we can get into that, too; but, it was just so exciting back in February, March 2020. Not only did it give me an opportunity to go back to what I went to school for, for my current job and deliver content to a community right in need of it, but at a time also when they needed to share their stories because this community of mold building and molding, almost saving the day during this pandemic, in terms of the equipment and the components that were needed. It was an opportunity to shine light on and you couldn’t really wait for print, right? There’s noway you can wait for a story to come out. We turned to video, to social media; this helped us amp up the activity that we were already doing… So transferring that to video content or digital content, social, it was pretty seamless for me. I am not a technical person; something goes wrong with a computer, I am one of those people that freaks out. So, being able to do this and being comfortable with yourself and delivering content in a new way; if I can do it, I think anybody can and should do it.”

When it comes to video content, Christina feels that we all struggle with wanting to put out the best, but getting the content done and out there is more important than striving for perfection. It also helps the guest if the host is more real.

“Yeah, just real, right? Don’t overthink. That was the struggle when I started doing the MMT chat, some people wanted to make them better. First of all, I could do it by myself, so it was a timely thing; let’s just get this done. To me, the important part was the connection, getting it done quickly to get these COVID-related stories, these positive stories out quickly. So I’m doing it. And then it was like, you know, it doesn’t need to be better. First of all, that’s subjective and I like the down and dirty. I’m just being real and it comes. I think sometimes that makes the guest more comfortable when you just don’t over-produce it. Now there are other times when, depending on what the subject matter is, it calls for that, but I agree with you most on social media; it doesn’t just get it out there.”

Lastly, she shared some tips that can be applied by us all:

  • Don’t be afraid to ask for help. 
  • Build that community and lean on that community to help them get better. 
  • Do your part by sharing a story or even convincing someone that they have a story to share.

If we embrace these, they can help us to show up, connect, engage, appeal to others; teaching, inspiring and motivating them as we go, especially when we share our own story.

Paulo Coelho once said it so well:

“Tell your story: yes, tell your story! Give your example. Tell everyone that it’s possible, and other people will then have the courage to face their own mountains.”

Hear full interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vxQwLf9uM4c

How can curiosity help your business be its best?

When wanting to know more  about people, it helps to know their stories. Channel the power of curiosity to create rewarding relationships and earn business.

 By James L Katzaman

(Posted from Tealfeed.com with permission.  Guest blog) 

Stories are the heart of every person’s hopes and dreams

When wanting to know more — call it curious — about people, it helps to know their stories.

“I had a bed and breakfast where the biscuits became a big part of my brand and marketing,” said Gail Robertson. “It was more than the biscuits. It was all about the story and how it resonated for people around emotion.”

From that she learned how to channel the power of curiosity to create unexpected and rewarding relationships.

Magical Vistas Sparkle In the Light of Quality over Quantity

People are naturally curious about how other people carry onmedium.datadriveninvestor.com

Robertson describes herself as a recovering journalist who does research, an offshoot of curiosity.

“In times of uncertainty, curiosity helps us adapt,” Robertson said. “People credit curiosity as highly valuable, but a sign of not being experienced enough at work.

“Yet, a curious mindset leads to innovation,” she said.

Talking with leadership and performance coach Nathalie Gregg, Robertson looked at how to encourage this trait.

“Curiosity is good for business,” Robertson said. “It encourages new ideas and helps overcome fear.

“Research by Harvard professor Francesca Gino has shown curiosity leads to more creative ideas, better team performance, conflict resolution and broadening of networking,” Robertson said.

A Canadian bank study looked at curiosity as a trait.

“That was valuable because curious people were found to be more successful,” Robertson said. “They are better at networking and collaboration. They perform better at their jobs.”

Photo by François Verbeeck on Unsplash

Willing to Take Risks

Following through on curiosity takes a bit of courage.

“Curiosity means we ask questions even when we fear it may make us look like we don’t know something,” Robertson said. “Curious people are willing to take risks. That is what leads to innovation. Tell me no, and I want to find a workaround.

“Curiosity also helps us connect to others because we ask questions,” she said. “We listen, and we love stories.”

Gregg liked the idea that curiosity increases risk taking.

Asking the Right Questions Will Help You Grow Your Community

Brands will benefit from taking the initiative for engagementmedium.datadriveninvestor.com

With curiosity, leaders admit they don’t know everything, which opens their minds to new ideas and recognizing the people who offered them.

Robertson encourages people to ask questions, listen and be open to ideas:

  • Be curious, not judgmental. Assume less.
  • Staff worry about being judged, which can lead to “learned helplessness.”
  • Be careful about absolutes.
  • Banish the word never.
  • Be aware of your body language.

“You can’t be curious and judgemental,” Robertson said. “If ever I start to judge, I know I need to stop and be more curious and ask myself, what might I not see right now.

“There is a lot of judgment in the world and society right now,” she said. “We may need to reflect on that, too.”

Curiosity questions the status quo, which makes you less susceptible to accept obstacles and peer around the corner for a better way to reach your goal.

Observe and Ask

Robertson said that when faced with a problem, step back, observe and then ask these questions:

  • What if we tried xxx?
  • How could we do xxx differently?
  • What other options are there?
  • Who else can we ask?

“Exercise your curious brain all the time so you are ready for a crisis,” Robertson said. “With a pandemic, we had to move online. It meant change.

“When curious, you look for solutions: more engaging online panels and using video to a greater degree,” she said.

Be true to your group

Loyal community members are the best people to learn frommedium.datadriveninvestor.com

Robertson noted that mold manufacturer Cavalier created a virtual tour so people could still see inside the plant.

“When you are always growing and learning, you also expand your network,” Robertson said. “Then if you have an obstacle, you have people to call on to help.

“I have called on people — skills I learned as a journalist,” she said. “It is very freeing to not have to know everything.”

Business owners would be particularly interested in how curiosity can help them tell better stories that convert into income.

Robertson recommends asking questions and then following her three-step process:

  • Sign up.
  • Suit Up.
  • Show Up.

“You can find your story,” Robertson said. “Then share it and build relationships leading to business. Stories will convert to business over time because they help you build relationships.

“We need to reflect on our stories,” she said. “There is research about memory and how a story changes over time.”

Brain Food

For her inspiration, Robertson listens to the Hidden Brain podcast.

“It feeds my curious brain,” she said. “It’s why I truly work on being curious, not judgemental. “

Curiosity makes you bored with your present comfortable circumstances. Aching for something different gives you the motivation to cast old ways aside.

Tap into fear for strength

Honor and understand how to channel prevailing fearsmedium.datadriveninvestor.com

“You overcome fear when you learn and develop new habits,” Robertson said. “It may not always be easy but that comfort zone will expand.

“I knew nothing about manufacturing, but now I can hold my own in many conversations,” she said. “I had to work that curiosity muscle to learn and grow.”

One benefit might be that curiosity keeps you focused and less prone to suffer critics.

“When you use curiosity, you can also overcome your fear of being judged,” Robertson said. “You can find others who also are curious — not judgemental.

“Asking questions also leads to positive outcomes too,” she said. “Studies show people like people who are interested, engaged and ask questions.”

A collateral effect is being more trusted and liked.

“People may even be flattered when you ask them questions,” Robertson said.

You are your biggest barrier to expanding your curiosity. Fear of the unknown takes over.

“Judgment is a huge barrier,” Robertson said. “We are afraid people will judge us. So, we don’t speak up or ask questions. Curiosity drops off after age 4 — age 4. Fear is the biggest barrier.

“Our education also focuses more on cookie-cutter learning and not critical thinking,” she said. “In some ways, education can be a barrier.”

Not Necessarily the Brightest

People who think they are the font of wisdom go through life with closed minds.

“Often, the brightest among us struggle because they often think they have the answers already,” Robertson said.

“Sometimes getting outside your comfort zone also means admitting you don’t know everything,” she said. “You realize that maybe there is another way to look at a problem.”

Supercharged marketing starts with a story

Perspectives change through back-and-forth conversationsblog.markgrowth.com

In business terms, curiosity can transform a company so it can attain extraordinary results.

“People will be attracted to you through your story,” Robertson said. “They will then want to give you business because people do business with people they know, like and trust.

“Curiosity helps build relationships,” she said. “So, hire for curiosity. Encourage it. Support it.”

The results will burnish your brand.

“You will have greater innovation and stand out in a crowd,” Robertson said. “You will learn more and then grow exponentially.

“Add learning goals to your business plan and staff development,” she said “Add a different area of study. Add art, music and fitness to work.”

Research by Francesca Gino backs this up.

“She has done the legwork to prove what I have known most of my life,” Robertson said. “It’s good to have her research. Now so many things make sense: We need stories.”

 

About The Author

Jim Katzaman is a manager at Largo Financial Services and worked in public affairs for the Air Force and federal government. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Dynamic. Powerful. Memorable. Brand stands test of time , impacts economy

 

To give a toast to the Immortal Memory of “Rabbie Burns” was an  honour, but also a tremendous growing experience, both personally and professionally.

Burns is renowned for writing Auld Lang Syne, as well as the impact he had on the Scottish economy .

An impact of about 200 million pounds, which is about $390 Million Canadian Dollars.

The Branding of the Bard is BIG Business!

In preparing to give the speech at the Scottish Club in Windsor, I  figured I would be talking to many people who knew a lot more about the great Robert Burns than I did. So, as a former journalist, I started my research.

Enter Professor Murray Pittock – a Scottish historian and  VP at the Burns Centre at the University of Glasgow and well, a Burns aficionado!

 

The power of branding is personified in this poet who lived a few centuries ago, but his legacy continues.

Professor Pittock is not only a Burns expert, but also the lead author of the Pittock Report, on the value of the Burns Brand to the Scottish Economy.

A brand that generates £200 million + for the Scottish economy each year; from festivals, tours, tourism and the Robbie Burns Cottage.

Growing up in a household with a mother who worked in a butcher job and a Scottish father, things like haggis, liver and cow tongue were all considered quite normal dinner fare.

‘The Grace’ at the Burns supper brought back memories!  While My father wasn’t a religious man, when we did say grace, it was ‘Some Hae Meat and canna eat’ and some … and more than a prayer, it was a performance!

Ironically, my father never attended a Robbie Burns Supper when I was growing up.  In the small town I grew up in, the Burns Suppers were held at the Presbyterian Church – so a dry event. My father said, “It’s nae a true Burns event if you canna have a wee dram!”

So, instead I went each year with my mom, an Englishwoman .

My father was a big Robbie Burns fan, though. He came to Canada from Motherwell, Scotland in the 1950’s.

He came with few belongings: less than a hundred dollars, the clothes on his back and his trusted Robbie Burns book of poems. Some carry a bible; for my father it was the Bard’s book.

I realize now how symbolic that book of poems was!

My father lived in a tenement apartment; one of five children, he worked on the docks at age 13, no formal education, but self-taught and well-read.

Symbolic in his connection to Burns; the working man.

So a few things about Robert Burns:

  • He was born in Alloway, Scotland, on January 25, 1759 and died at age 37
  • He had six siblings and lived on a tenant farm
  • He had little formal schooling, but was educated by his father and tutors
  • He started writing poetry and song lyrics at the age of fifteen
  • And He had 12 children by 4 women

Frankly I wonder how he had time to write over 700 poems and songs.

He was indeed a man for all that.

With a bar at the Scottish Club of Windsor Burns Dinner –  even my father would be happy.

There was another person I was most proud to have by my side that night; my son Aidan.   Aidan Robertson.

 

Yes, he will carry on my family name.

And the power that a name holds is likely something many people are aware of and keeps us connected to our heritage.

I work with companies and people on how to build and develop their brand.

Burns indeed has a brand that has stood the test of time!

Brands like Coca Cola, or Harley Davidson and personal brands, like Oprah or even Elvis – are household names.

Robert Burns has name recognition in Scotland and some parts of the world, but his name is lesser-known internationally.

However, he has poems that are widely celebrated; in particular Auld Lang Syne, or My Love is Like a Red Red Rose.

Robert Burns and his work is part of a  brilliant brand – dynamic, powerful and memorable!

A brand that has some well-known current day fans:

In 2004 Kofi Anan, Secretary General to the UN, called Burns a humanitarian.

Bob Dylan, the infamous American singer-songwriter said Burns was his greatest creative inspiration.

And renowned American poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelo said Burns’ spirit was humanitarian. He was able to love human beings and his imagination was vast.  She even traveled to Scotland for his 250th birthday celebration.

Then, I became more curious!

How has the Burns brand stood the test of time – almost 300 years later?

  • First, he had amazing Content – and no one one has outpaced him.
    • He wrote 700 poems.
    • He wrote in English and Scottish dialect.
    • His writing was of a quality few can match.
    • He wrote satire like: Holy Willie’s Prayer.
    • He wrote humour and chaos like Tam O’Shanter.
    • And he wrote To a Mouse – a Scots language poem- from which John Steinbeck took the title of his 1937 novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ from a line from this poem.

English version:

But Mouse, you are not alone,

In proving foresight may be vain:

The best laid schemes of mice and men

Go often askew

And leave us nothing but grief and pain,

For promised Joy.

Second, He also was a consummate networker – a man after my own heart.

  • Burns travelled from Alloway to Edinburgh – a city then, and now, known for its, shall we say, ’more highbrow lifestyle’.
  • He had poems published and was known for both the quality and quantity of his work.
  • He was a good-looking heartthrob, so women adored him and he adored them, and yet he didn’t alienate men.
  • He had the gift of the gab – he was charming – and most important he was relatable.
  • He travelled in all the right circles and attended parties with the who’s who of his day.  He attended parties held by a woman known as the “it” girl of the time; Allison Rutherford.
    • Her parties gathered together great minds over food, dance and debate and we all know that us Scots love a good debate!
  • Burns was often the centre of attention and he could work a crowd with his charm and his increasing popularity.

Third, he was brilliant at self-promotion and it didn’t happen by chance.

  • It was part of his own self-conscious development of it – something extremely unusual In the 18th century.
  • He is a pioneer in the art of self-promotion, according to Professor Pittock.
  • Here we had a man who became quite well-educated, very popular, left his farming days to wine and dine with some fairly well-known names of the time and was actually quite well off, relatively speaking. He could even afford to have not one portrait done, but quite a few. He was also a massive celebrity of his era!

And here is where we see the cleverness that is classic Burns.

  • At every party and in every portrait, he wore farmer’s boots and work clothes.
  • He reckoned he could sell himself as a penniless man of the soil – a man of the people; a working-class man of nature – and no one put 2 and 2 together.

And often we still don’t, according to Pittock.

And finally, Burns excelled at impact.

  • To quote Maya Angelou – people may forget what you did, forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them feel.

Burns is the supreme poet of feeling.

Rather than bold ideas, he didn’t really say too much to offend, Pittock told me.  He conjured up feelings instead:

 

Auld Lang Syne:

Nostalgia for past

Lamenting friends lost

Hope for future

Tam O Shanter 

An epic poem with humour, pathos, horror and definitely just a very colourful tale of the drinking class in ayr

Red Red Rose 

A love poem

A poem comparing love to a rose

A story of love and separation

Even if we can’t recite his work, or even understand much of it, we know how we feel when we hear his work.

And people like Anan, Angelou, Dylan, celebrated him and certainly, people like my father did.

My brother, not one to show his romantic side publicly, recited ‘Red Red Rose’ at his wedding.

Oh my Luve is like a red, red rose

That’s newly sprung in June;

O my Luve is like the melody

That’s sweetly played in tune.

So fair art thou, my bonnie lass,

So deep in luve am I;

And I will luve thee still, my dear,

Till a’ the seas gang dry.

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,

And the rocks melt wi’ the sun;

I will love thee still, my dear,

While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only luve!

And fare thee weel awhile!

And I will come again, my luve,

Though it were ten thousand mile.

It still gives my sister in law goosebumps!

Robbie Burns was prolific, connected, confident.  He was complex.  A mass of contradictions.

His life was messy.  He wrote poems that touched our hearts, and even our souls.

Burns is well-deserving of his place in history, his place today in many of our hearts,

and certainly for this annual Immortal Memory.

He lived. He loved and he was imperfect.

Maybe he was a boy who just liked “shagging” as one poet said, or maybe he wanted to do something remarkable, beautiful, special.

And maybe we love him because he didn’t present himself as all that precious and instead, was just like us.

Maybe that’s where magic happens.

And that indeed, he is more like us than we may even realize!

So now, please join me as I pay homage to my father, George Baillie Robertson.  My son Aidan James Robertson.

And to Robbie Burns:  to his Immortal Memory.

Check out speech on YouTube 

Listen to November 2021 interview with Murray Pittock on #ShowUP with GailNow LIVE 

 

 

 

    Grow your business with simple and effective Networking Tips

    Do you hate networking? 

    It often has more to do with the types of people and groups you may be hanging out with.  

    It really can be that simple!

    Also, the tricky part is to realize you have to invest time and effort if you want to connect with amazing people.

    And…. You have to SHOW UP! 

    This is part of my three-step process:  Sign Up.  Suit Up. and Show UP!   

    Whether it’s growing your business, losing weight, overcoming health issues:

    1. You first have to decide that you want to change (Sign Up)  
    2. Then, invest the time and effort (Suit Up)  
    3. Lastly, show up to connect with people who can help you (Show UP) 

    As a guest on Manufacturing eCommerce Success with Curt Anderson and Damon Pistulka, I talked about why showing up can transform your business and as Curt says, “Stop Being the Best Kept Secret” and what Damon says, “You want to be the red M&M in the bowl of green M&Ms!”

    1. It’s ok to stumble and fall – ask the dumb questions; be wrong and try something new! 
    2. Attend virtual events and connect with people in the chat.
    3. If you need help – ask for it.
    4. Find people that you are interested in, follow them and connect with them.

    Also, learn from people that know more than you!

    As a recovering journalist, I have learned that I don’t have to have all the answers; I just need to find people who do! 

    Be that Red M & M and stand out in a crowd! 

    Talking to these guys (Curt and Damon) and seeing them each Friday on Manufacturing eCommerce Success AND really ‘getting’ what Curt has talked and written about: Stop Being the Best Kept Secret; that really isn’t a badge of honour.

    Damon has talked about being the red M&M in a bowl of green ones. He also knows of what he speaks when it comes to manufacturing and specifically in moldmaking, molding and plastic injection world. 

    Get outside your comfort zone!   Just meet people.  

    So, in my opinion, networking is all about opportunity: An opportunity to show up and be noticed; and to start building connections that can and will transform your world!

    Going Solo: Skills to save the day

    Curiosity has always been my go-to to build my skill-set and my business.

    Recently, I  had the privilege of being interviewed by David Shriner-Cahn on his podcast Going Solo and we spoke about how to use curiosity to build your business. 

    But curiosity isn’t the only utensil in my employment toolbox. Transferable skills are key, as well as advocating for balance – in work, in my personal life – and, importantly, in relationships. You have to make sure that the balance and chemistry in your working relationship is there, otherwise it probably won’t last.

    There are many more secrets of success and tips for moving forward professionally that I reveal on this podcast and use in topics of my keynote speeches.

    So pull up a chair and give a listen – hopefully some of my ideas will speak to your situation and inspire you to action!

    During the episode, we discuss:

    • Getting ahead of the curve by planning your exit strategy [02:44]
    • Listen to the train in the distance [05:37]
    • Why having a schedule is key for entrepreneurs [07:11]
    • Embracing competition: the value of lifting other people up [09:14]
    • How to prequalify prospects that align with your values [12:40]
    • Be curious, not judgmental [18:11]
    • How to keep the doors open when going to networking events [19:46]
    • The tool that will help you move your sales in a virtual world [21:14]

    Please listen in to learn more about how I did it and how you can, as well!

    How to Use Curiosity to Build Your Business Featuring Gail Robertson – Smashing the Plateau

    Be Curious – Not Judgmental: Powerful tool

    Curiosity is a powerful tool

    It’s  fuel behind the engine that has helped me in my professional life.

    I’ve fulfilled many roles over the years: journalist, bed-and-breakfast owner, fundraiser, marketing manager, brand ambassador, social media experimenter, public relations and keynote motivational speaker.

    Curiosity has enabled me to transfer my skills from one career to the next. That and a genuine love for people has helped me to network with – and learnfrom – the best.

    When I attend a networking event, the feeling I experience is excitement because I will meet new people and hear their stories! I’m excited to attend a networking event because of my curiosity: I like to be in the know, ask questions and meet interesting people. 

    Curiosity is powerful because it leads to a conversation, a connection, even a promising opportunity!

    One of my favourite TV shows is Ted Lasso mostly because of a main theme throughout the show is curiosity and Ted often reminds us through this show to “Be curious, not judgemental” as originally said by Walt Whitman, an American poet, essayist, and journalist and humanist who lived during the 1800s.

     

    Here is a monologue from Ted that impacted me as a lover of curiosity: 

    “Guys underestimated me my entire life. And for years, I never understood why. It used to really bother me. But then one day I was driving my little boy to school and I saw this quote by Walt Whitman and it was painted on the wall there. It said: ‘Be curious, not judgmental.’ And I liked that. So I get back in my car and I’m driving to work, and all of a sudden it hits me. All them fellas that used to belittle me; not a single one of them were curious. They thought they had everything all figured out. So they judged everything, and everyone. And I realized that their underestimating me…who I was had nothing to do with it. Cause if they were curious, they could’ve asked questions. You know? Questions like: ‘Have you played a lot of darts, Ted’ To which I would’ve answered: ‘Yes, sir. Every Sunday afternoon at a sports bar with my father, from age ten til I was 16 when he passed away….Barbecue sauce.” 

                                                                                                    Ted Lasso, “The Diamond Dogs-  Barbecue Sauce 

    So I ask you, are you using curiosity instead of being judgmental?

    It may make a BIG difference in the way you perceive someone else and help you to appreciate their story. 

     

     

     

    When You’re Ready For Your Close-Up, Mr. DeMille

    The classic cinematic quote “I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille” – taken from the 1950 classic film Sunset Blvd. – can be contextually applied to today’s world of effective marketing.

    How? Well, when it comes to marketing – especially when considering all the technological advances we’ve made in 70 years – the real truth is that video is the new black when it comes to getting your message across.

    According to oberlo.ca, 87% of marketing professionals use video as one of their tools, and whether they pop up on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat or any other social media platform that allows more than just posting a pic, it’s a key way to sell your product or service through your most valuable asset – you.

    In the story of the  film, for instance, actress Norma Desmond, a silent film star, realizes she has to adjust to the times in order to continue making an impact in Hollywood and sustaining her own career…so the “Mr. DeMille” character in the film is actually referring to real-life film director Cecil B. DeMille as she tells him she’s ready to move forward.

    While everyone else’s situation in marketing isn’t nearly as dire as Desmond’s, the message hammers home a point: life doesn’t stop – and if you snooze, you lose.

    Today, in this era where the challenge of making compelling content that will engage and attract new customers, video is becoming more of a necessity than an embellishment.

    Personally, I enjoy making videos, even though I started as a writer. One of the reasons I love to communicate via video is because it’s not only a powerful medium, but it gives me the opportunity to show my personality and convey a bit about who I am.” 

    And let’s face it: we’re increasingly turning into a visually-stimulated society: The amount of video on all platforms has skyrocketed across the world in the last few years. 

    Today, you can barely walk a few steps before your eyes are accosted by video: maybe you’re in the elevator of your apartment, eyes glued to a screen as you’re ascending a floor or two to get home. Or maybe you’re cruising along the highway and a video ad catches your attention just long enough to impart some interesting information. Make no mistake: videos on out-of-home platforms are there for a reason – a video ad is the most popular format these days to attract new clients to your business. Even a restaurant menu these days will give you video options!

    Since producing your own videos has never been simpler, thanks to iPhones and TikTok, this “Selfie” generation has practically taken crash courses in capturing, editing and broadcasting videos in order to be hip and keep up socially with their friends.

    And that goes the same for business, especially when it comes to creating and distributing data.

    Here are a few things that make video content superior:

    1. It controls the online world

    By 2016, YouTube – which today boasts 1.8 billion active users –  became the second most dominant and popular social media platform on the internet to employ video. Throw in other major outlets like Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Instagram, and LinkedIn – which make it easy for videos to be uploaded and shared within the global community through the internet – and your bases are pretty much covered.

    1. It engages the audience in a superior way

    When a video is merged with a sound and a visual, the audience is open to receiving a lot more information and engagement from them. Powerful, no?  If the video content and movements are succinct and accurate, viewers are prone to watch them till the end, resulting in better engagement. Organizations are able to use this power to promote their new brands with videos that enhance the image of the new product.

    1. It supplants text-only content

    Nowadays, people are choosing videos rather than text-only content, because of the added visual and aural stimulation. Information sources like illustrations, infographics, and podcasts have also been measured against videos. Video may never supplant them, but the medium will keep flourishing as THE MOST powerful form of content in the future.

    1. It promotes shares

    Online users today are more keen to share videos than any other content. Videos get more shares than pictures of text content because they are believed to be more socially relevant than images and text. Most people these days have a Snapchat or YouTube presence; through interactive videos, people are able to communicate their interests on a larger scale.

    1. It also conveys non-verbal communication

    In delivering a message, body language and vocal tones play an influential role when it comes to perception! Word choice may be crucial when it comes to  text, but visual elements like emojis help to make an emotional connection with viewers. When they watch a video of someone speaking to them directly, they are conveyed a more all-encompassing message, which may hold greater appeal and serve more as a catalyst for them to respond to a call-to-action.

    1. It provides deep and rapid content

    Conversely, podcasts usually lack visual aids. Audio combined with a video provides a rapid, sensory message. For example, if a person presents a graph in a  video, the viewer will comprehend the graph much more easily when viewing the visual example than if that graph were presented in a text-only or audio format.

    And here’s the beautiful thing: you don’t need to have a huge budget to send out an effective, customized message. 

    I recently had a conversation with Ingor van Rooi on my LinkedIn Live show, #ShowUP and we discussed the power of video. Many of us are intimidated by appearing on video because of the fear that our efforts may lack a polish or seem amateurish in comparison with those who may have budgets to provide a slick, professional presentation.

    But Ingor pointed out that “as long as we’re authentic and show up as our real selves, we’ll be fine. Everyone is their own individual and everyone’s journey is different.”

    If you believe in your message, your product and/or your service, your passion and authenticity will shine through the camera lens and mesmerize your viewers.

    So….Mr. DeMille be damned: are you ready for your close-up?

    A Guide to How Manufacturers Can Show UP in the Digital Space

    I had the privilege to be a guest on Lori Highby’s podcast, Social Capital, recently. We spoke about “How Manufacturers Can Show Up In The Digital Space”.

    Something I am known for is curiosity – which is the foundation for much of the work I do. When Lori asked me about why curiosity is so important to me, I explained that curiosity is a tool that has enabled me to learn and grow. I’m on my 5th career and curiosity has definitely served me well in developing new skills and exploring different fields!

    I encourage others to use it, especially my current clients who are mainly in the manufacturing world. I want them to be curious about marketing, outreach and how they can make a change from the traditional trade shows. The pandemic has changed the way we do things, but we must view it as a disruption, not an interruption. 

    We’re not going to go back to the way it was; our world has changed!  Even if we go back to live or in-person events, there’s still going to be a digital component. 

    Curiosity is like a muscle, if you’re not using it, it just won’t grow! It’s all about growing, learning, and exploring the virtual world which may seem overwhelming to some, even a bit scary. That’s why I say that if you’re curious, you can learn so many new things, and become more adept at how to use all these virtual technologies!

    Here are two tips to help salespeople in manufacturing industry  – although it really can apply to other businesses, fundraising, recruiting and well, life in general! 

    1. Ask those questions and do your research: learn about who your clients are and what they’re looking for before trying to sell to them. What’s happening is those same clients are doing that with you. Know that they’re doing research about your company; looking at your social media and websites because they want to know who you are before they’re even going to think about buying from you. As a salesperson, you need to do the same thing. Dig in, find out who they are as much as possible. There’s a lot of information you can find online about someone. I’ve had some salespeople  feel uncomfortable with this, but I say, “In this world, if someone posts something publicly, like on a social media platform, it is done because they want to share something.” 

          2. Instead of selling, be generous with your information, share your knowledge, try to be a guide to who you’re trying to sell to. So if you’re in an engineering role, as a salesperson, you want to share all the intricacies of what goes into solving problems for your prospects. Give your prospective client (the person looking at your profile) some insights. 

     

    One of the big stop-gaps for a lot of the people in manufacturing sales is they assume that people already know things. My response to that is, “You’d be surprised at what people may want to learn about, and the people that may be doing the research aren’t always the people that know about how that tool works, or what machine is on that tool. 

     

    So be that guide, share information, and also share a bit of information about yourself. For instance, I may post something related to cycling because that is something I do. So you need to focus on what are some of the interests you have that might relate to your industry role. We know when it comes to connecting with people, if you have a common interest it can be beneficial to building a rapport. 

    I make the correlation back to trade shows –  when they would have those casual conversations. It’s about taking those casual conversations in real life and bringing them over to the virtual world.

     Something else Lori and I spoke about is the resistance that exists to virtual networking, especially in the manufacturing space.

    This is something I’ve  been studying in the manufacturing sector. 

    And here are some observations: 

    • A lack of understanding of how social media works. So,we need to do better in how we’re explaining this brave new world!  
    • Fear of the unknown also contributes to this and most people naturally don’t like change. It’s like those comfortable shoes, right? You get into this comfortable lifestyle and then if someone comes along and says “Let’s change,” sometimes we resist. 

    Solutions aren’t easy.  Not everyone embraces change so this is where curiosity is that muscle that needs to be exercised.  The more you’re learning, the more you’re asking questions. Without fail, you will overcome some of those fears! 

    We fear things we don’t know or understand.

    We often need to get to where we can show up and trust in the process.  Mindset is a  big part of overcoming those fears.  Without an  open mind, you’re probably going to have some difficulties. 

    We all do some things we don’t want to do because there is a reward at the end. 

    The reward in embracing digital is that there are opportunities to make connections and get leads that one day could lead to a sale. 

    Sometimes you’ve GOT to do things you don’t want to do to achieve a longer term goal. 

     

    To hear the live interview, follow this link: 

    https://poddtoppen.se/podcast/1190946225/social-capital/311-how-manufacturers-can-show-up-in-the-digital-space-with-gail-robertson