CEC Insider

As I’m getting more and more “Out of Office” auto-messages from CEC members away on their summer vacations, I started thinking about my own upcoming trips and what books to bring along with me.  In the spirit of sharing, here are a few selections from my own summer reading list.  Some are business-related; another is personal; one is borrowed from What Salespeople Should Read This Summer; none are from the Twilight series. 

Please help contribute to What Communicators Should Read this Summer—what’s missing from my list? Or does anyone have opinions on the books listed below?

(1) Strengths Finder 2.0—Wouldn’t you like a list of your customized strengths?  And wouldn’t it be great to  find opportunities to leverage those strengths more often?  This book guides you through its philosophy that you should spend more time developing and enjoying what you’re good at—and less time “fixing” the things that are “wrong” with you.  To help you diagnose your natural aptitudes, the book has a handy online assessment, which—if you’re like me—you’ll quickly skip to FIRST and THEN go back and read about the philosophy/implications.  It could be helpful for Comms team members to each take the assessment and then reconvene to explore ways to animate different strengths across the team. It’s also helpful for some solo reflection time by the pool with a notebook in hand. Read More »

Whenever I need inspiration, I visit Big Think, a global forum that “put[s] you in contact with the ideas of very smart people.” There, I’ve watched short videos and read articles that prompt me to question my life assumptions; some of my favorites include Learning from Failure, Why You Can’t Work at Work, and Why You Can’t Get a Date. Apparently, there is a mathematical theorem that proves that dating in large cities is difficult and frustrating. Amen. It’s not just me .

One of the more interesting videos I’ve watched on Big Think is about “Unleashing the Creative Economic Revolution”. It’s an interview with Richard Florida, an academic and author of the book The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It’s Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life. Florida theorizes that the “creative class”—basically knowledge workers with an added dash of pizazz, flexibility, and creativity—is vital to the growth of society. He sees a lot of this “creative class” participating in science, technology, arts and entertainment, and film making design.

Now, most of you reading this post aren’t scientists, techies, or rock stars. You’re communicators. But, guess what? YOU, communicator, are part not merely part of this exciting “creative class,” but the potential leaders of it.  Hear me out. We need not all be Lady Gaga to be considered “creative.”  Simply approach your daily work with a fresh, open perspective, and  you’ll capitalize on opportunities to discover new talents, devise better solutions to tired problems, and help your business in the process.

Sound like a bunch of idealistic Millennial hogwash? Leading the “creative class” is a lot easier than you think; in fact, you’re already active in the “creative class” business. Here’s what you do EVERY SINGLE DAY to stamp your creativity all over your organization:

• You invent.
  You don’t employ traditional tactics to build your reputation and differentiate your brand. You think about your audience, goals, and available tools to create customized communication plans. For a cool innovation that we like, check out TheFordStory.com to see how they’ve invited customers to tell the company’s story.
• You consult.
  You solve strategic problems with creative communications solutions. We’re seeing more executive communicators report directly to the CEO, highlighting the importance of communication in achieving company goals. Moreover, CEOs are looking to you to determine fresh ways for them to engage with stakeholders. Check out the CEC Employee Communications Forum for creative ideas for executive virtual engagement.
• You enable. You help others express their creativity. I’ve been impressed by your efforts to help employees start blogging, Tweeting, and creating content. Inside the organization, you’ve been working hard to implement the internal collaboration tools necessary for employees to connect and engage with one another. If you haven’t yet seen the inner workings of Sabre’s internal platform, SabreTown, check it out on video today.

See? You’re creative! And cool. And a communicator. Rise up and take your place among the artists and filmmakers, the professionals who leave their personal mark on everything they produce! Rise up and take your rightful place as leaders of the “creative class.”

Done something especially creative in your work recently? We’d love to hear stories!

It’s May, and you know what that means—graduation season! Congrats, new grad! Now, what are you going to do with your life? If you’re thinking of a career in communications, be forewarned: your social-media savvy and ability to condense complex thoughts into 140 characters won’t be enough to stand out.

Yep, even toddlers are tweeting now. You, college grad, need to bring something else to the table to shine through in this ultra-competitive environment. But what?

Two critical things you need to be able to excel at as a communicator are:

1. Project management skills &
2. Listening skills.

You may be a master of these skills now, but some of you may need to work on them. Here’s a quick litmus test based on your college years: Read More »

By Lisa Schievelbein

Deep down, every communicator is a voyeur.

 How do I know?  For the last few months, Kayleigh and I have been analyzing the organizational design of CEC member teams, and let me tell you—communicators just love peeking at org charts. They have different reasons for this, but I think one is particularly powerful: a hope that some formula for success can be found in the neat boxes and lines on a PowerPoint slide.  (As you can imagine, the let-down factor is inevitable.)
Read More »