Miracle on 49th Street

November 28, 2012

It happened earlier this month in Midtown Manhattan.

A motley group of us—mostly strangers—came together on West 49th Street in New York City.

We went there to become part of the disaster public affairs team of the American Red Cross. Our assignment was to supplement the excellent work being done by the local professionals who were already helping those affected by Superstorm Sandy.

We traveled from such faraway places as Anchorage, Chicago, Boston, California, Colorado, the Carolinas, Kansas City, Dallas, Seattle, Pensacola, Las Vegas and even Canada.

The miracle, if you will, was that such a diverse group could come together so quickly to form a cohesive, productive team. In the midst of the disaster relief efforts, our team overcame sizable obstacles and produced impressive results.

As I reflect upon what happened, I realize that our “miracle on 49th Street” can be attributed to the following factors:

  1. Mission. First, we were united because we shared a sense of purpose. We knew why we were there, and we instinctively understood how public affairs must always be an essential part of any disaster relief operation.
  2. Vision. We envisioned what success would look like before we actually set out doing our work. We had a vision—a clear picture—of what we could do together:  share information, tell stories, engage people in conversations and serve as the operation’s eyes and ears on the ground
  3. Organization. Early on, we created an organizational chart and then revised it several times. We organized ourselves according to levels of experience, professional skills and areas of interest. This structure helped to make sure that “all the ducks were flying in the same direction and in the proper formation.” Read the rest of this entry »

2 Comments | Life in General | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock

What Our Public Affairs Team Did in New York

November 23, 2012

I spent the first half of November in New York City helping people affected by Superstorm Sandy. I was proud to be part of the impressive disaster public affairs team of the American Red Cross.

Since I’ve returned home, many people have asked what I actually did. They are curious about the role of public affairs and how it fit into the overall disaster relief efforts.

To answer those questions most completely, I like to talk about what our entire team did. Working together, we created a synergy greater than any of us individually.

Here is what we did, and why public affairs was an essential part of the disaster relief efforts in New York and beyond:

Role of Disaster Public Affairs

  1. We shared information. We told people where Red Cross services were available and how they could receive help. We knew that some were individuals asking, “Where is the Red Cross?” so our role was to share inform and help them access our services.
  2. We told stories. We were surrounded by thousands of stories illustrating how the Red Cross fed the hungry, sheltered the newly-homeless and gave hope to those in such dire circumstances. People genuinely care about other people, and the community likes to hear stories about how their friends, family and neighbors are being helping. Volunteers and donors also need to be shown how their contributions of time and money yield an impressive “return on investment.”
  3. We engaged people in conversations. During disasters, people have lots of questions. They also like to share what’s going on in their neighborhoods. They feel a need to connect with relief organizations. In the field, our public affairs team members conversed with the various people we met. Also, through social media, we engaged them in conversations and talked with them one at a time, person-to-person.
  4. We were the eyes and ears on the ground. Those on the operations side of the relief effort sometimes relied upon our public affairs team to relay real-time information about what was going on in the affected areas. Occasionally, as with any massive relief effort, we experienced temporary breakdowns in service, and our public affairs team would quickly relay that information to the right people so we could better respond to meet the needs of those looking to us for assistance. Read the rest of this entry »

2 Comments | Life in General | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock

You Know It’s Time to Go Home When…

November 18, 2012

I am finally home after my deployment to New York City as part of the incredible disaster relief effort of the American Red Cross.

Memories of the long hours, the minor frustrations and the stressful conditions will quickly fade. My enduring memories will focus on the extraordinary team I worked with, the genuine kindness of the people of New York City and the thousands and thousands of people we helped who were affected by Superstorm Sandy.

One memory I’ll cherish is the brief chuckle I received when a fellow worker stopped by my cubicle at our headquarters in Midtown Manhattan. Without comment, he handed me a photocopied sheet titled “You know it’s time to go home when…” The list was not attributed to anyone, yet I share it with appreciation for those who brought a little humor into a serious workplace.

You know it’s time to go home when…

  1. You start referring to your hotel room as home.
  2. You start rearranging the furniture “at home.”
  3. You start receiving mail addressed to “resident” in your hotel room.
  4. You can’t remember the last time you wore something that didn’t come out of a suitcase.
  5. You no longer get lost.
  6. You know trouble spots on the traffic report on the radio.
  7. You stare uncomprehendingly at the people who have just been deployed when they ask, “How long have you been out?”
  8. Crisis counselors cry on your shoulder.
  9. You have trouble finding your home state on a map.
  10. When you hear of a disaster in another part of the country and you say, “Hey, I’d like to go there,” and suddenly you realize you’re from there.
  11. You start telling tourists where “the sights” are.
  12. You start telling the locals where “the sights” are.
  13. You start losing your native accent and begin speaking like the locals.

I will miss New York, and I hope to return. Yet, the time had come to return home.

.

1 Comment | Life in General, Life Observations | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock

The Impact We Have as Red Cross Communicators

October 4, 2012

Each year I challenge myself to write measurable goals for my work as a Red Cross communicator.

I like being held accountable to produce measurable results. Yet I struggle to build metrics that measure the things that really matter. Sometimes we default to measuring process rather than impact because process is often easier to quantify. Albert Einstein once said, “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”

The success of the Red Cross depends upon effective communications. I am privileged be part of a national team of Red Cross communicators who believe that our work really matters. My colleagues and I believe that because of our work…

  1. More money is raised.
  2. More health and safety programs are sold.
  3. More blood is donated.
  4. More volunteers draw deep satisfaction from their engagement with the organization, and they are eager to recommend volunteering at the Red Cross to their friends.
  5. More partner organizations (both government and non-government) find value and synergy in their relationship with the Red Cross.
  6. Red Cross services are more available and readily accessible to those needing help.

Results can be measured in a variety of ways. I want my work as a communicator to make a measurable difference in the success of the organization. More importantly, I want to have a meaningful impact in the lives of the people we serve.

.

.

Leave a Comment » | Life in General, Marketing & Strategy, Marketing in a Nonprofit, Marketing Success | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock

My Mission as a Red Cross Communicator

October 3, 2012

Those who know me best know I’m wired to begin any project by asking “Why?”

Before I launch a major initiative, I must first understand the objective. Why am I doing this? What is my mission?

Before I spend time and energy working on specific tasks, I must first understand why the project itself is important.  What are we trying to accomplish? What is our purpose?

Before I can effectively lead a communications team, I must first understand why my department exists. What is our mission? What purpose do we communicators serve? What is our raison d’être?

What is our mission?

Seriously, if we don’t have an answer, how we can’t expect others to value our work?

This summer I wrote a mission statement to serve as the cornerstone of our communications plan for the coming year. Here is the mission of the communications department of the Red Cross, Kansas City Region:

Mission of the Communications Department

We share information, tell stories and engage in conversations that inspire people to join the Red Cross in fulfilling its mission.

Mission of the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.

The mission of the Red Cross inspires me to be part of something bigger than myself.

The mission of my communications team focuses me on the important work we do as a Red Cross communicators. Our mission statement helps us to make good choices about how we should spend our time. It guides us as we invest the precious resources entrusted to the communications department.

.

.

Leave a Comment » | Life in General, Marketing & Strategy, Marketing in a Nonprofit | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock

Two Guys Giving Birth to a Communications Plan

October 1, 2012

During the past 18 months, a national reorganization has dramatically changed everything within the American Red Cross. Though it looks very different than it once did, the organization remains true to its mission and core values.

Those of us who are proud to work as Red Cross communicators have experienced significant shifts in our roles and responsibilities. To help us navigate these changes, my co-worker—Jamie Dierking—and I just completed a communications plan.

The planning process at times felt like giving birth (something I’ve never done), yet it was probably more valuable than the actual document itself. I’m reminded of what General Dwight D. Eisenhower said: “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”

Our planning process spanned several weeks, interrupted by deploying to a national disaster, responding to increased inquiries from the local news media and handling our everyday work in communications. Our process consisted of asking ourselves the following questions:

  1. Where do things currently stand? Following the reorganization, what is our niche? Answering those questions resulted in the creation of the situation analysis portion of the plan.
  2. Why does our department exist? What real purpose do we serve within the Red Cross? As we articulated those answers, our mission statement came into much better focus.
  3. What impact do we really have? What difference do we make in the overall success of the organization? Answering those questions helped us form our vision statement.
  4. What do we actually do? As the dust settles after the national reorganization, what is our role? Also, what do we no longer do that we once did?
  5. What are our internal strengths and weaknesses? Externally, what opportunities await us, and what threats confront us? Although not included in the final document, four separate SWOT charts were developed for a) the communications department in general and then for our roles in b) media relations, c) disaster public affairs and d) social engagement.
  6. Having thought through all of this, what are we actually going to do? What do we intend to achieve during the coming year? What is our plan of action for media relations? For disaster public affairs? For social engagement? Within each of these categories we developed specific goals.

We fully understand that our work must focus on creating content and producing results. Because this is a transitional year, however, many of the items contained in the plan focus on process rather than outcomes.

Above all, though, we know that our ultimate goal as communicators is to continue making a significant difference in the success of the Red Cross. We are eager to continue doing that.

.

.

1 Comment | Life in General, Marketing & Strategy, Marketing in a Nonprofit, Marketing Success | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock

Giving Thanks After a Broken Alternator

September 23, 2012

It’s Sunday morning. Originally my wife and I planned to return home today after a long weekend to celebrate her birthday.

Those plans changed unexpectedly, though.

Thursday morning we drove 200 miles to stay in a nice condo overlooking Table Rock Lake in Southern Missouri. After eating dinner in nearby Branson, we were returning to our condo.

And then it happened.

Along a narrow, windy and hilly two-lane road, the car suddenly lost power. Strange! I was unable to accelerate, and the car would move no faster than five miles an hour. In all my years of driving I’d never experienced anything like that.

A guardrail and no shoulder prevented me from pulling over, so I crept along as a string of cars behind grew impatient with my snail-paced driving speed. After a couple hundred yards, the guardrail ended, yet a steep drop off with no shoulder prevented me from steering the car completely off the road.

Then the engine stopped and would not restart. Only the hazard lights worked.

I felt so helpless and vulnerable. Carol and I prayed for safety as we sat there partially blocking the narrow road. Cars were coming over the hill and around the corner much too fast.

To complicate things, the sun set about the time our car broke down, and I quickly realized that “country darkness” is much blacker than the city nights I’m used to.

We called AAA, yet it took nearly an hour for a tow truck to arrive. The driver dropped us off at our condo and then transported our wounded vehicle to the nearest Nissan dealer 50 miles away.

Early Friday morning, the repair shop called. The alternator had gone out. The good news was that everything would be covered under warranty. The bad news was they did not have a replacement in stock. The good news was that an alternator was being shipped by overnight express. The bad news was that “overnight” on a Friday meant it would be delivered on Monday morning. The good news is that our vacation was prolonged by an extra day.

So I’m writing this in the comfort of our condo as the sun rises above the lake below. I’ve had a couple of days to reflect on the whole experience. Even in the midst of my problems, I’ve found many reasons to be thankful, including the following:

  1. Safety. Carol and I were in dangerous circumstances, but other drivers somehow avoided hitting us as we blocked their road.
  2. Law enforcement. A very helpful police officer arrived about 30 minutes into our ordeal. He turned on his flashers and then stood along the road directing traffic.
  3. Roadside assistance. The 50-mile tow cost us nothing because we had previously purchased AAA-Plus, a premium roadside assistance package.
  4. Helpful mechanics. I have yet to meet the people in the dealer’s service department, but I am impressed with their customer service. They even went out of their way to make special arrangements for us get a rental car near our condo.
  5. Car warranties. I have no idea how much an installed alternator costs, but I don’t need to know because our car is still under warranty.
  6. A luxury condo. When we checked in at the condo, we learned that construction work was underway in the building we were scheduled to stay in. So, the management upgraded us (at our original price) and moved us into a larger, more luxurious unit. We were impressed with the new accommodations. I’m not used to having a separate thermostat to warm the tiles on the bathroom floor.
  7. A nice condo manager. When we explained the situation about our car repairs, the gentleman at the front desk allowed us to extend our stay while only charging us the deeply discounted rate we originally paid.
  8. Flexible colleagues. Staying here an extra day meant I had to reschedule three different people scheduled on my Monday calendar. They were very understanding, however.
  9. An accommodating CEO. When I asked my boss for permission to extend my vacation, he sent an email that said, “Not a problem and sorry to hear about the car problems.”
  10. A beautiful wife. Hey, if I have to be “stuck” in a luxury condo for an extra day while my car is being repaired, I’m glad it’s with someone I love. I’m also glad we were able to spend another vacation day together.

One final comment. Carol just proofread this post and found a couple of typos. Her main question, however, was why I listed her last on this list. Very simple answer: In my book, she’s a perfect 10, so it’s only appropriate that she would be given that number on the list of things I’m thankful for.

.

.

2 Comments | Life in General, Life Observations | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock

In Minor Ways We Differ, In Major We’re the Same

August 1, 2012

Diversity enriches my world. I love being surrounded by people who bring different, more colorful perspectives to life.

In kindergarten, I liked going to art class with a big box of crayons. The more colors available, the greater my options for creating a refrigerator-worthy objet d’art.

In college, I engaged in vigorous debates with professors and fellow students. My education would have been shallow and boring if everyone had thought alike.

At my work, diversity creates a stronger, more productive team. My creativity flourishes when I’m surrounded by individuals who are different than I am. I value the perspective of those who challenge me to see the world from a different vantage point.

Yet, as much as I value diversity, I also recognize its downside. Diversity can quickly divide rather than unite. Obsessing on ways we are each different can goad me into being competitive or even combative. When I concentrate only on my differences with others, I tend to become angry, bitter or even vengeful.

Diversity works best when it balances two things. First, it must prompt us to value the humanity and unique talents that each individual brings into the world. Second, it must prompt us to focus on the ways we are alike so we can build upon those things that unite us. (Wouldn’t it be nice if candidates for political office did the same during an election year?)

One of my favorite quotes comes from Maya Angelou. In her poem Human Family she says, “In minor ways we differ, in major we’re the same.”

Ms. Angelou closes her poem with these beautiful words:

I note the obvious differences

between each sort and type,

but we are more alike, my friends,

than we are unalike.

In my personal life, I am blessed to have many friends. Each person is special and I value the diversity of age, race, faith, education, politics, socioeconomic status and even personality.

While I observe these differences, I refuse to focus on things that divide us. I prefer to look at what we share in common. Together we share the adventure of life’s great journey, although we may be at different places along the same path.

.

.

1 Comment | Life in General, Life Observations | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock

Things I Hope Never to See (Again) in a PowerPoint

July 15, 2012

Recently I awoke from a long afternoon nap. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I looked around and realized I was in a conference room with other people.

At the other end of the room was a laptop, a projector and a screen. On the screen I saw a sleep-inducing PowerPoint that served as the teleprompter for a presenter who spoke in a monotonous, soothing and hypnotic voice.

Hoping no one noticed my return from a soporific state, I reached for my pen and tried to give the impression I was taking notes. Instead, I found myself making a list of things I hope to never again see in a PowerPoint presentation. Here’s what I came up with:

  1. More than six words per slide. PowerPoint should be the backdrop against which the “actor” performs. With more than six words on a slide, it’s too easy for a speaker to use it as a teleprompter and read from a prepared script.
  2. Cheesy images or clip art. Not every slide needs artwork. If in doubt, leave it out. Less is more, and I appreciate simplicity.
  3. Spreadsheets or tables. Some business people do not realize that PowerPoint and Excel are actually two different Microsoft Office products. For me, a spreadsheet projected onto a screen never works. Never.
  4. Fancy slide transitions. The purpose of cute transitions is simply to wake up an audience, alerting them that a new (and hopefully more interesting) slide is coming. If the presentation is designed correctly in the first place, elaborate transitions are merely distractions.
  5. Hyperlinks. Really? If I can’t click on them, don’t show them to me.
  6. Bullet points. Here’s an idea:  take each bullet point and make a separate slide for each. Then move more quickly from slide to slide.

Somewhere right now, someone is preparing a PowerPoint presentation that I must endure in the coming days or weeks. If I could give that person only one bit of advice, it would be this:  Please, please read Garr Reynold‘s book Presentation Zen.

The book gives practical advice on reaching an audience through simplicity and storytelling. Now in its second edition, the book is available in both paper and digital formats. I own both, so next time I’m incarcerated by another boring PowerPoint presentation, I can make good use of that time and re-read Presentation Zen on my iPad.

1 Comment | Life in General, Marketing & Strategy, Marketing in a Nonprofit | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock

Three Reasons Why I Write News Releases

July 8, 2012

In my career as a corporate communicator, I’ve written hundreds of news releases. My reasons for writing those releases fall into three categories:

  1. I have something newsworthy to share. The only good reason to write a news release is because it contains actual news. That’s so basic that any further explanation would only be condescending to my esteemed communications colleagues.
  2. I need to recognize a donor or partner. In the nonprofit world, a donation will occasionally carry with it a high expectation for publicity. In such cases, it’s pretty easy to decipher the communicator’s motives for writing a news release. If the headline and first paragraph focus mostly on the donor, you can assume that donor recognition was the primary reason. Granted, many sizable donations have a significant impact in the community. That is inherently newsworthy and therefore deserving of a news release (which would automatically move it to my first category).
  3. I am too weary to fight internal politics. Entrenched within any organization, you will find someone who believes that his or her “cotton candy” fluff is newsworthy. (Actually, if you’re a communicator, that person will find you.) Perhaps they want recognition during a special month honoring their particular profession. Maybe they just feel good about what they do and want the world to know. Reluctantly, I’ll admit that on rare occasions I’ve taken the path of least resistance and written an insipid press release merely to pacify someone for political reasons.

Three Questions to Ask Up Front

Here are three questions that help me to focus on writing news releases that actually contain news. These are also good questions to ask at the beginning of any communications project.

  1. Who do we want to communicate with? If we don’t know who we are targeting then we should not be communicating. To speak to all is to speak to none. There is no such thing as the general public.
  2. Why do we want them to have this information? What do we want the target audience to do with the information we share? Is there a call to action? “Getting the word out” is a means to an end. Raising awareness is a process, not a goal.
  3. What is the best way to share this information with them? A news release is typically distributed through the traditional media—TV, radio or newspaper. Sometimes, though, social media can be a much more effective way to communicate with a target audience. At other times we might find it most effective to mail a letter, send an email or write a handwritten note. After all, a news release is not the only tool in a communicator’s toolbox.

By definition, a news release contains news. For good reason, it is not called a publicity release. Disseminating news is the only valid reason to write a news release. Doing so for any other reason compromises our integrity and relevance as professional communicators.

.

Leave a Comment » | Life in General, Marketing & Strategy, Marketing in a Nonprofit | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »