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Posts Tagged ‘business’

What’s Your EQ?

03 Jun

I recently attended a week-long conference for WICT (Women in Cable Telecommunications) and one of the topics we are discussing is EQ or emotional intelligence. Have you heard of it before? Let me break it down for you:

EQ = Emotional intelligence. That innate ability to read people while analyzing their next move. Or you easily adapt to other people’s styles in order to make them feel more comfortable to further your mutual goals.

I would guess most PR people, like me, have strong EQ’s. Reading people is second nature – you are constantly trying to dissect if what is coming out of their mouth matches their body language. If it doesn’t, red flags abound.

EQ tells you when to push for something and when to let go. When to propose an idea, or when its not good time. Some researchers call it “Versatility,” as in this group, Tracom. Tracom created a unique human behavior study called “Social Styles.” I won’t get into what Social Styles are all about, but if you want to learn more, go here.

If Only it Were That Simple. Photo by Joe Shlabotnik

Both Versatility and EQ have nothing to do with changing yourself to please others – but instead its about adapting to your surroundings in order to have the most successful, effective outcome. For example, if you are an exurberant, hand-gesturing, fast-talking person like me, and you are in a business meeting with several analytical people whose style is the complete opposite, then you would slow your speech, keep your gestures in check and calm your body.  You probably do this already and don’t even know it. We immediately adapt to our current environment. Subconsciously, by slowing my speech and showing a calm manner, I’m putting my analytical guests at ease, which hopefully would yield better results from our meeting.

So how can you increase your Versatility or EQ?

  • learn to read others more effectively – this means pay attention and stop focusing on yourself so much!
  • know yourself – realize your personality quirks – are you a fast-talker? Show lots of energy?
  • check for non-verbal feedback – crossed arms? blank stares? You know what those mean

To learn more about EQ and Versatility, check out Tracom’s white paper: http://docs.tracomcorp.com/TPD/Whitepaper/Comparing_Versatility_to_Emotional_Intelligence.pdf

And this book by Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence, Why it Can Matter More than IQ

 
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Best Practices When Welcoming New Employees

29 Apr

We are hiring like crazy at Sportsman Channel – and that’s a good thing. But with all the hiring lately, it’s made me notice a “best practices” we employ, whether we intend for it or not. I like to think we are all living by the “golden rule.” You know, if it was your first day on the job, how would you want to be treated and welcomed?

Following is a list of items I hope everyone does already!

  • The walk-around/introductions: After the new employee gets settled, we immediately give them a tour of the office. They are introduced to all staff, who they won’t remember, and shown the places they’ll frequent. Surprisingly, showing someone where the restroom is located seems to get forgotten in other work places. We recently created an office diagram with department color-coded. Its helpful.
  • Readying their desk with the proper materials: Yes, that new employee will need notepads and pens. Showing them where to replenish these materials should also be included in your walk-around. On the first day of my first “real job,” were the following on my desk: paper pad, various pens, stapler, tape, post-its, a lovely plant and two company shirts. I thought, “Wow, they really like me!”
  • Paying special attention to key people: There will be certain co-workers you new hire must interact with daily. It is especially important to take time during this introduction and explain the relationship between the two co-workers. Such as, “Bob, this is Meg. Meg is our Sr. Graphics Designer and is our GO TO person for all things graphics. You’ll want to be especially nice to her because she holds the key to helping you finish projects on time. Note that she loves cats.”

    You should tell your new employee that something like is this is very likely, and acceptable, in their new environment. Photo by Kyle & Kelly Adams

  • Explaining the ‘ins and outs’ that HR won’t tell them: Every new employee has to sit through the standard HR introduction. But there are nuances. You should explain what rules can, or absolutely can’t, be broken. New employees are entering your world via a completely different world they’ve known for years. So maybe they were able to leave early on Fridays in that other world or they were wore jeans on Wednesdays. They may expect that EVERY company is like that. It’s your job to explain what is cool, and what is totally unacceptable.
  • Deliver expectations: You should immediately be up front and clear about the new employee’s role and expectations from that. It shouldn’t be a guessing game what their job duties are and if it is, you’re going to have problems. A clear job description is your best friend.
  • Take them out to lunch: It is always awkward for a new hire on the first day – do I bring a lunch? Maybe we’ll all go out? Relieve their stress by taking them out on their first day. You can review how the first few hours are going and answer their questions in a more casual environment.
  • Include them on meetings right away: Don’t coddle them – the best way to learn is to dive right in!

I look forward to your comments. What would you add to this list? Do you do these things already?

 
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If I Started a TV Show…

08 Feb

Our viewers are a passionate bunch. They love watching TV (more than 11 hours a week of hunt/shoot/fish programming) and they dream of someday being the next Pigman or “All-American Fisherman.”

Those are big shoes to fill.

I receive several emails a week with a variation on the form, “How do I start my own TV show?” or “I filmed my brother/uncle/friend hunting/fishing and I want to get it on air.”

Amazingly enough, NO ONE asks, “What kind of TV show does your network need? What holes need filled?”

If you wanted to open a coffee shop, wouldn’t you conduct research in your chosen market to see if a shop is warranted? You don’t just build a store and hope people will “pop in.” You consider competition, location and what the market will hold. You can be passionate about coffee, but you also need research & science to back it up.

For some reason, when it comes to outdoor TV, all people can think is, “I want to be on TV…I want to be on TV…I want to be on TV.”

My friend, Lisa Metheny, on a pheasant hunt with the TV crew by Mitchell, South Dakota

So…if someone asked me, “Michelle, what type of show would you have on air?” Below is my response:

  1. It wouldn’t be a whitetail show. I think it is easier to say what I “wouldn’t” have in my show versus what I “would” have in the show. Yes, white-tailed deer is the number one search term for hunting on the ‘net and yes, they are the number one big game animal. But that doesn’t mean I also have to create a show on them. There are PLENTY of shows that do a better job than I would anyway.
  2. I would focus on a niche, however. Pigman is uber-popular; Les Johnson in Predator Quest is the “godfather” of predator hunting and now we have four shows on it; people can’t get enough of fly-fishing shows. I see a trend of more niche programs focusing on one species or method alone. General hunting or general fishing is out. Focus on a style of bowhunting; focus on fly-fishing and have the best angler with a fly rod you can find. Do one thing and do it well.
  3. I wouldn’t be the hostess. You need charisma, charm, salesmanship, mad skills aggressiveness and patience to be a host. You need a personality times ten. Find your target audience and match a host with them. Are you targeting family? Then get a husband/wife team like Haley & G.O. Heath. How about those 18-35 year old males? Then Chad Belding or Battle of the Bow crew fit the bill perfectly. Youth? Have a show with kid hosts. Most people who want to be on TV want to be the host. You need to take a step back to review your show’s concept and how you match up.
  4. I would hire the best videographer and editor I could afford. Your cousin that just took that Final Cut workshop won’t be able to produce a TV-quality show. Sorry. This is your main product and you need to spend the majority of your budget on kick-butt graphics and a talented team of videographers and editors.
  5. I like the idea of a “news” format show. Golf Channel started their “Morning Drive” a few months back and I like the format. The guys banter about golf stuff and highlights from the weekend’s tours, but then they have unique guests in studio and they make fun of them. The news combined with laughs combined with wacky “guy talk” makes for a decent show.
  6. If push comes to shove, I’d probably produce a shooting show, or an upland bird show. Both genres don’t have a lot of competition, which means there are untapped sponsors out there. The shooting show might be more female focused; after all, our research shows us women like to watch shooting shows with their guys. The upland bird show would focus more on dog training, upbringing, maintenance as well as skills and tips on shooting.
  7. But I wouldn’t do a strictly competition shooting show. Save that for the Olympics. Unless viewers are vested in the results or the people in the competition, they aren’t interested. That’s why shows that allow for viewer voting in the competition do well. But if it is just based on skills and the competitors aren’t ‘famous,’ forget it.

Do you agree? Disagree? Why? What (or who) do you think is the next generation of outdoor TV programming? What do you think viewers want to see?

 
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10 Truths About Outdoor TV*

30 Dec
  1. Everyone in this industry is passionate about what they do. And they’ll never apologize for it.
  2. Having a TV show idea is easy. Having the courage to defend, pursue, develop, change, and then change again, that idea is where it gets real.
  3. Being an “armchair critic” is also very easy. But pointing out something and having an educating and engaging conversation with the creator takes character.
  4. You can find inspiration and motivation just by watching a kid take his first deer. (remember your first time?)

    Happy New Year!

  5. The best TV shows aren’t the smartest or the wealthiest; they are the ones who know how to tell a story the best.
  6. Stretch yourself and watch shows on subjects you aren’t familiar with. If you are a deer hunter, watch a fly fishing show. You may just enjoy the soothing waters.
  7. The people creating the TV shows, editing them, and reviewing them are all human. Mistakes happen.
  8. Outdoor TV personalities are just regular people with regular day jobs, but they worked their butts off to package and sell a TV show. If they seem like an overnight success, they are not. It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears (see #’s 1, 2, 5 and 7)
  9. Outdoor TV programming is our best defense to educate the public on our lifestyle and our best cheerleader to encourage us to get outdoors
  10. Some people create TV shows to make money; others just want an excuse to get “paid” to hunt (it’s easier to tell the spouse that anyway). The successful shows have found a balance.

*I will repeat that my thoughts are not necessarily those of Sportsman Channel & their management and I once told my boss I had a blog, but I don’t think he believed me.

 
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Secrets of Outdoor Communicators, Part One

11 Oct

If you didn’t attend last week’s Southeastern Outdoor Press Association (SEOPA) Conference, you are in luck as I studiously took notes during one the highlights of the conference: a session with iconic outdoor communicators. The four gentlemen I am highlighting are Wade Bourne, J. Wayne Fears, John Phillips and Mark Sosin.

The panel had probably 100 years experiences between the four of them. They each had 10 minutes to share their “secret sauce” of making it work (being profitable?) in our tough world. I’ll rehash some of the points Wade Bourne shared here and I’ll post “Part Two” next week.

Wade Bourne is host of “Wired2Fish” radio (and Wired2Hunt), but he also was the host of In-Fisherman radio and the TV host for Ducks Unlimited Television for many years. Bourne says he’s been in the business for 31 years as a full-time freelance writer & broadcaster.
Wade’s tips:

  1. Treat your business as a business! Actually, this was repeated several times during the session. Even during Q&A, an attendee said “We are all just trying to get paid to hunt and fish” and that struck a cord with the panelists. Yes, that is true, but if you don’t treat it like a business, then you may end up making $7 an hour on that “dream” assignment because it took you five days to get the animal.
  2. Network. Attending conferences, shows and events is a must to keeping personal contacts strong. I strongly second this. Numerous times I’ve discovered key information from casual conversation during a conference.
  3. Diversity. Wade is a radio and TV host, writer and now conference speaker. I would say he’s done a good job of diversification. Bourne put it this way, “Do one interview, write a story, do a radio piece, write for the internet. One piece of information can be used five times.”  

    SEOPA Conference attendees were able to kick-start their "one day" dreams into action. Photo: mlgroveruk

  4. Embrace new technology. If you are reading this blog, then you are probably doing this. We unsuccessfully tried to get Mark Sosin to tweet during the conference. He’s embracing it a little more, though.
  5. Find a niche – work to become an “expert” in a particular field. We all know Sosin as “Mr. Saltwater.” Although, Mark will quickly tell you he’s a great fly-fisherman, he markets to the masses as the saltwater expert. Who is “Mr. Pheasant” or “Ms. Quail?” Could be you!
  6. Anticipate changes and be prepared for them. This is along the lines of diversification and not putting all your eggs in one basket. If a magazine folds, then you should already have arsenal of other publications (print or digital) in your digital rolodex.
  7. Recycle old material for the internet. A magazine article from 10 years ago becomes tomorrow’s blog post or online editorial.
  8. Do business “eyeball to eyeball.” I like this one. Bourne said traveling to your editors or sponsors offices can solidify a relationship for years to come. I agree. If I am in town on business for a conference, I’ll find out who I know in the area to visit. Meetings face-to-face are golden.
  9. Treat your readers/listeners/viewers as your customers. Answer their phone calls, emails or Facebook postings. I have a little golden rule on this at Sportsman Channel. If you call me, I’ll call you back versus an email. I believe you took the time to make the call, so I’ll make the time to respond via call. If I call someone and they respond via email, I take it as an insult. Your editors might have this same little quirk.
  10. Value yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask for a raise on your next project. If you don’t value your time, no one else will. My mom has owned several companies over the years and one of them was as a professional upholster. She is a type “A” personality when it comes to the finished product, which means she put A LOT of time in making sure all seams were perfect. However, people wouldn’t pay the dollar per hour wage she needed to make the business thrive. Either she had to move quicker to make more money per hour, which meant the work may not be up to her standards, or fold the business. She valued her quality of work too much and folded the business. (Although I had her re-upholster three antique chairs and a couch in my house recently. Awesome work.)

 

Any of Bourne’s tips resonate with you and your business? If you had to add tip #11 – what would it be?

 
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