Blog Archives
Creating the Conditions for Creativity – by @djgraymatter
Earlier this week, good friend Joe Gray (@djgraymatter) posted a video presentation around the topic of organizing a company to foster creativity. As an imperative element within any business culture, creativity is often siloed to titled creatives or a creative team at a company or organization. But how does one go about encouraging ALL team members to proactively think outside the box and consistently bring new ideas to the table?
Check out Joe’s insights below and be sure to watch the excellent TED talk he included at the end.
Victim of PPT Overload? Time to Communicate Creatively.
Most PR pros are well versed in the world of PowerPoint. It’s the universal presentation platform that we all love and cherish – to a point. Unfortunately, we’re so grounded in PPT that it often becomes a crutch.
New biz pitch? Use PPT.
Client deliverable? Use PPT.
Internal training? You get the gist.
Why do we do this?
Yes, some clients demand PPT formatting or an RFP calls for a PPT presentation. But more often than not, it’s a matter of routine and familiarity that drives us to stick with our old standby. The real problem arises when presentations turn into bulleted talking points, leading to presentations that are destined to put your audience to sleep right from the start.
Thought.
Fine, maybe not so drastic but, what if you decided to try something different the next time you’re tasked with “pulling together some slides”. What if you put this whole PPT thing aside for a moment and challenge your team to develop an alternative way to convey your message in a creative, fun manner? Is there a chance that a new delivery format and style may actually capture more attention and help your message penetrate through the clutter? Chances are good.
Here’s an idea to try out.
How to Create a Great Prezi
Why? Storytelling is at the heart of our industry – it’s in our bloodstream. If you’re not a great storyteller, you’re probably not a great PR person. Prezi serves as a creative whiteboard to help you build and map a presentation in a way that better connects with your audience through spatial relations.
Within a Prezi, you can upload files and quickly add in YouTube videos. Get creative. Why not put a simple tool such as Wordle to use to help mix things up and still deliver your message?
Wordle Example
Furthermore, why not try delivering parts of your presentation through YouTube videos sprinkled throughout to add an additional layer of interaction with your audience?
Options for creativity are endless with a Prezi. If you’re like me and thrive on visual explanations, Prezi will force you to think intuitively about your presentation flow, ensure you are streamlining content and ultimately telling the best story possible without losing your audience from the time they see those 65 slides appear onscreen.
I highly recommend giving Prezi a whirl. Let me know what you think!
Facebook for Public Relations – PR Daily Presentation
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of presenting a Webinar for PR Daily. The Q & A was yet another good reminder to me that although the digital needle continues to push ahead, there is still a wide array of fundamental issues and concerns that global businesses and local hospitals alike are working to figure out to best implement social strategies.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing and here’s why.
A year ago, I would often field questions from others asking why in the world a company or brand would ever need any of this time consuming “social stuff” when they already have a Website. The majority of the questions from yesterday were situated around technical or tactical questions about enhancing engagement through Facebook. Bravo. The realization that an online strategy is a crucial component of your overall integrated communications strategy has definitely sunk in across the board. The focus has now shifted to tweaking, adjusting and ensuring proper baseline steps are being taken to maximize long-term engagement goals.
Special thanks to the PR Daily crew (@rebeccajshaffer and @msebastian as well as @lisanewkirk) for coordinating, hosting and moderating. A few different PR Daily newsletters remain high on my “must read” list. If you don’t already, I’d recommend checking them out.
Enjoy,
-Scott
Facebook for Public Relations – PR Daily Presentation
