ideas

Sticky Note Mind Maps

/ Susan Hendrich / Leave a comment

Need help solving a dilemma? Want ideas for a better way to do things? Got a new project that needs structure? Try Sticky Note Mind Mapping!

Psychologist Tony Buzan developed “Mind Mapping” as a tool for thinking ‘laterally’ – it’s a type of visual brainstorming that’s based on a central idea written in the center of a page (or wall), then related ideas are added on branches that radiate from this central idea. Because of this structure, it requires all ideas to be connected to the center and allows connection to one another, providing opportunity for convergent thinking, fitting ideas together, as well as thinking up new ideas. Sticky note Mind mapping allows you to ‘storm and sort’ your ideas.

Steps:
1. Find a large section of blank wall or whiteboard and lots of sticky notes and markers. Using a variety of sticky note colors and sizes, simply jot down all your thoughts on the sticky notes – with each new thought or concept on a new sticky note.
2. As you write down your thoughts on the sticky notes, stick them up on the wall or whiteboard – you can group them into similar themes as you stick them up, but the best thing about using sticky notes for this map is that you can move them around as your thoughts develop.
3. Once you’ve jotted down all your thoughts and stuck them on the wall, look for branches and connections between the ideas. What’s missing? What are the recurring ideas? Where are the connections?
4. When you’ve sorted the sticky notes into a map that makes the most sense of your thoughts, you can either take a photo of it as your record, or draw it as a real mind map.

Considerations:
• Don’t think too much about structure as you’re preparing the map – just let it flow as you work through the process
• Work through it quickly to keep up the flow of ideas
• Keep the points brief – you can expand them later
• Use sketches, images and pictures (if you can) – it makes it easier to remember and more personal, but make sure it doesn’t slow down the brainstorming flow. ClipArt is great for this!
• Once you’ve got it all down, stand back and take a look. What’s missing? What are the recurring ideas? Where are the connections?
• Continue! This mind map is a work in progress.

Have you tried a sticky note mind map? If so, let us know how it helped you!

Learning Design That Makes You Shine

/ Susan Hendrich / 4 Comments

Tonight I read an online article that stopped me in my tracks. Rather than try to capture the essence of author Barbara Findlay Schenck’s brilliance by recapitulating it in my own words, I’m just going to re-publish the article.

It’s that good.

First, I’ll share my 6-word elevator speech with you: “Learning Design That Makes You Shine.” Now, on to the good stuff, then it’s your turn…

Want a Loan? A Sale? A Job?
By Barbara Findlay Schenck

When Brad Newman introduced himself as an actrepreneur, I was hooked. Everything about his title told me he had information I wanted to hear. Over a few additional seconds, I learned that this actor and entrepreneur is the founder of Zentainment, “a socially conscious media company committed to growing brands that encourage you to dream big and live a sustainable life.” From there, a longer conversation and a business relationship followed, all spurred by an attention-getting introduction that took just moments to deliver.

The elevator pitch rides into the speed-dating era
Today’s economic environment has turned job fairs, trade shows, networking events and even sidewalk sales into buyers’ markets where only those with quick, compelling pitches survive.

In the 1990s, high-tech entrepreneurs named these short spiels “elevator pitches” because they could be conveyed during an elevator ride. The tech bubble ballooned and burst (and ballooned again), but elevator pitches are here to stay. Everyone whether seeking employment, sales or profitable business associations needs one.

Is your introduction ready to roll?
“So, what do you do?”

Those five words are on the minds of everyone you meet, whether in person or online. Brad Newman’s introduction helps provide a formula that can assist you in preparing your answer and attracting attention from those you aim to impress:

Describe yourself in five words or less. Use a distinctive title or phrase that makes people think, “This sounds interesting” or “This is what I’m looking for.” Consider the difference between “I’m a copywriter” and “I turn browsers into buyers.” Or, in Newman’s case, between “social media entrepreneur” and “actrepreneur.”

Explain what you do in one sentence. After introducing yourself, introduce your offerings. “Our name combines the words Zen and entertainment, which stakes out our media space,” Newman says. “We’re a media company that focuses on socially conscious content. That definition tells what Zentainment is and rules out what it isn’t.” Work on a similarly specific description for your business.

Define your target audience. “Our market is comprised of 30- to 49-year-olds who care about socially conscious living,” Newman says. “By defining our market in that way, people immediately know whether our business is for them.” In other words, Zentainment isn’t trying to be all things to all people. It’s focused on a specific target audience, which is a key to success in today’s crowded business environment.

Communicate your vision. “We’re committed to growing brands that encourage you to dream big and live a sustainable life, whether they’re our own brands or ones for which we consult and serve as producers,” Newman says. “Our vision is clear enough to keep us focused and broad enough to make us adaptive to the opportunities of a changing market and media world.” It’s also compelling enough to attract a growing contingent of Zentainment consumers and business clients. What does your business stand for? What attracts your customers and their loyalty? Your answers can serve as a magnet for growth.

Practice, practice, practice. Create a script that conveys who you are, what you offer, your market, and the distinctive benefits you provide. Edit until you can introduce yourself and your business in less than a minute, which is how long most prospects will give you to win their interest.

Shrink your introduction even further so you can tell your story in 20 words or less. That’s how much space you have in most marketing materials and online presentations, whether on your own site, on social media sites, or on sites that link to your home page. If you’re thinking, “Twenty words? You’ve got to be kidding,” scroll back to the start of this column. That’s exactly what Brad Newman used to get my interest.

Barbara Findlay Schenck is a small-business strategist, the author of “Small Business Marketing for Dummies” and the co-author of “Branding for Dummies,” “Selling Your Business for Dummies” and “Business Plans Kit for Dummies.”

15 minutes of Leading Change

/ Susan Hendrich / 1 Comment

Leading Change: We All Play A Role

Anyone who has ever worked for, worked with, or been a leader knows the importance of leading change.

Let’s take a few moments to reflect on ways that you and your colleagues have led change for your teams, your customers, each other, and the organization. Here’s a quick team-building exercise you can do at your next staff meeting to orient your team toward the leadership moments – big and small – that people in your group are causing. It’s a quick and high-impact way of generating examples of how you and your colleagues have noticed each other leading change.

“Recognizing Leadership” Activity Instructions

1. Create

Provide everyone a piece of paper with their own name on it. Instruct the group to pass their individual sheets to the person to on their left, allowing that neighbor to record an example of how they have witnessed you leading change. Group members continue to pass the sheets around the room, allowing colleagues to add a comment on a way they’ve noticed the each individual leading change.

2. Share

Once everyone has had a chance to write on each of the sheets of paper, collect all of the sheets and redistribute them so that everyone receives someone else’s sheet.  Each person takes a turn reading out loud one or two examples that are recorded on their partner’s sheet.

3. Deliver

After everyone has had an example or two read about themselves, return the sheets to their owners to keep. Encourage everyone to review their own sheet for themes, asking themselves, “Which leadership capabilities do people seem to notice?” and “What are areas might I continue to develop?”

I’d love to hear how your exercise goes. Please share your stories…

Micro-innovate

/ Susan Hendrich / 1 Comment

Innovations don’t have to be major

Even the most mundane transactions can be turned into memorable experiences. Here’s an example:

Standard Parking of Chicago plays a signature song on each level of its parking garage at O’Hare Airport and decorates walls with icons of a local sports franchise-the Bulls on one floor, the White Sox on another, and so forth. As one Chicago resident said, “You never forget where you parked!”

What is your idea for a micro-innovation?

How to Write a Compelling White Paper

/ Susan Hendrich / 2 Comments

Lately it seems I’m writing white papers left and right. Since I didn’t really know what a white paper was until I’d written my fifth one, I decided it was time to learn.  Enter Google (again).  This Top 10 List by Megan Tsai caught my eye. Thought I’d share it with you, ’cause you just might want to write a white paper soon…

If your marketing content huddled up as a football team, a great white paper would probably be your most valuable player, because it has the same name appeal as a star NFL quarterback. Sure, other players might work just as hard – but it’s the white paper that gets instant recognition.

So how do you create a paper (one that’s more Peyton Manning than Jay Cutler)? Here are the ten best white paper tips for writing white papers that win customers:

1. Think about your audience. Your white paper probably isn’t what you’d be interested in reading: find out what matters to your prospects and create your papers around those topics. Visit forums and ask questions to learn more about what they want to know.

2. Draw them in. The paper’s introduction should present the topic in a compelling way, drawing in the reader and making them eager to learn more.

3. Leave the marketing speak behind. The paper should present useful information in a simple, easy-to-read way. If you want to sell, create a brochure or sales sheet instead.

4. Solve the problem. Don’t just tell your audience about their problems, explain how they can solve them. Don’t be overly afraid of giving away “inside” information: your expert knowledge makes the paper a success.

5. Get the facts. Numbers are no longer a requirement, but good data or survey results will boost your paper’s appeal. Search academic journals and trade group surveys for numbers you can use.

6. Back it up. Don’t use these marketing pieces to make unsubstantiated claims; they breed skepticism and undermine your credibility. If you don’t have numbers, use quotes from objective third-party sources.

7. Make the case. Consider sprinkling in a few relevant business case studies and real-life examples for added value.

8. Tell them how to shop. You can’t use white papers to sell your solution, but you can explain to readers how to shop for a solution in a way that leads them toward your offering.

9. Think visual. Support your paper with strong visual elements like tables, graphs, pull quotes and sidebars.

10. Give it away. When you require a prospect to log in or sign up to receive the finished paper, you limit its effectiveness. Make sure most – if not all – of the content on your website is ungated.

White paper writer Megan Tsai is a seasoned communicator and award-winning writer. As a full-time freelancer, she provides business writing, copywriting and marketing communications – including white papers – for companies and advertising agencies. Visit http://www.RedWagonWriting.com to learn more and sign up for the Red Wagon Writing monthly e-mail newsletter full of writing and marketing tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Megan_Tsai