Jackie Cameron - Coaching and Communication

I took this picture to try to capture the breathtaking beauty of the Pentland Hills on the outskirts of Edinburgh when they are covered by snow.  It’s been almost 3 weeks now since the first snow fell and if anything it has been getting worse. But this is unusual for this part of the world and whilst it has made travel very difficult - if not impossible at times - for me that effect the covering of snow has had on the scenery is magical.

But the view of these hills is great all year round. It has taken the snow to remind me that I take that for granted.

As we step out into a new year -  with new challenges, opportunities and adventures - why not take time to reflect on what is affecting your view of the future?

• There might be a view of something that you are taking for granted. Why not take time to reflect on what you already think you know and look at it again?
• There might be something enhancing it right now. And  just as snow is beautiful  it can also throw up problems. So it is always a good idea to get as much information as possible and be prepared for the conditions .
• And to stretch the weather analogy to its limits sometimes I can’t see the hills for low cloud and if that is the situation for your view of the future right now it might be wise to wait until it clears a bit before you make any serious decisions?

To think a year ago I did not know Twitter existed. Now it is as much of my daily life as my e-mail.

But so many people I speak to still tell me they are not interested in what Stephen Fry has to say or what somebody has had for breakfast. And I find myself launching into why Twitter has been so useful to my - both personally and for business reasons.

Speaking to my very good (pre Twitter) friend @bethedberg - a face to face networking phenomenon in her own right- yesterday made me think and I wanted to jot down my thoughts in a post so that I can look back at some point in the future and see how I was thinking in April 2009 ( I do this regularly with old blog posts. It is good practice and often makes me smile).

As I write this I have about 470 followers and I am following just over 500. That in itself is hard to imagine. Now in practice what I do is read the tweets that appear on Tweetdeck when I am online - so some of my twitter friends and I are never on at the same time.  Some were friends and contacts pre Twitter through my blog and other online activities and I from time to time I will look a their tweet stream just like I check blog feeds.  Finding Tweetdeck was a turning point for managing my groups. I have a few different reasons for online social networking and sorting friends into columns has made keeping up so much easier  - whether it is to listen to the chat in HR/coaching circles, see what my teacher and educationalist friends are up to , get the heads up on new research and reporting on various journals or just finding out what is going on in people I care about’s lives.

My home is my workbase. When I am with clients I am in their space. One of my friends who also works from home called Twitter their coffee machine chat replacement - and I really get that. When I did work in an office the best connections I made were with random people from other departments as we made our coffee selection. The coffee is much better now ( loving my Nespresso machine!) but until Twitter the chance to bump into people had pretty much gone. Now I can be inspired by a 140 character comment and take that off in all sorts of directions. And I have been touched by the warmth of best wishes from my Twitter friends in celebrating good news and support when things are a little less sunny.

For business development it has been hugely beneficial. After delivering many in-house sessions I recently ran my first public speaking skills open programme in Edinburgh. I found a route to advertising this and one of the delegates through Twitter. I have met other coaches and speakers who are happy to share experiences - all great for my CPD. I can get views on business sectors I don’t know well from people on the inside. And I can find people who know the people I would like to get to know.

One of the other benefits is that I can find out about things that are happening in the wider community. The Red Nose Day Twitter feeds were fun. I follow a few charities’s tweets ( an more should be jumping in to raise awareness).  I have an eclectic mix of big business “friends” from British Airways to ING and a smattering of politicians. It has  given me a whole load of useful ( depending on your point of view) information to talk about at social gatherings when I actually see the people I am speaking to.

So what next then? Well I have already spoken to one group about online social networking and have been invited to do a similar talk to a group of businesswomen. That will be fun - hopefully for them too! And to ensure that I still benefit I have decided to be a bit more discriminating about who I follow. It is nice to be nice - I know - but my stream is in danger of getting cluttered with stuff that has no relevance to me and is, in reality, never likely to. I now that there might be some gem lurking that I will miss but I will take that chance.

I am looking forward to seeing how this develops in the next year and wondering what I will think about this post then!

I have found it hard to explain Twitter and the benefits - even to those who are comfortable using social networking. I have links to articles which I send on to people who are keen to know more. Maybe the time has come for me to wade in with my own so here are my thoughts on Twitter having the potential to be the best party you ever attended.

Don’t know how to break the ice? Have you ever had to go to a party where you did not know anyone? My advice in this situation is to join a group, smile and listen until you find a point where you think you can contribute. Well the same applies at Twitter. Just check out some of the conversations going on and chip in ( or chirp in- there are lots of Twitter words) when you have something to add. Smiles optional.

You want to meet to someone specific You might have a guest list ahead of the party and know who you would like to meet. Sometimes that is hard - you might need someone to point them out and introduce you. At Twitter you can search for people by name and then follow them. If that sounds a bit like stalking remember - Twitterers are effectively broadcasting so that people will read what they are saying. Without followers there would be no point.

You want to learn something new.  You might be at a party and meet someone interesting and you follow up on what they were talking about later with a bit of a Google search. At Twitter you can search by topic, read other Tweets ( 140 character posts), and follow their links either to good articles or other experts.

You want to make new  like minded friends. How do you know if you like someone? Well there is always the “eyes across the crowded room” potential but more often or not it comes from how you click. Twitter has a Direct Message option - so if you want to take your conversation away from others you can. Being safe on Twitter is as important as anywhere else - only give details out that you don’t mind others having!

You would like to make new business contacts At traditional business events making contacts and gathering business cards is the valuable first step. The Twitter business place is the most diverse imaginable. Twitterers are talking about their own business with others which is ideal if you want to find out what is going on in your sector - and what your competition is doing and who they are speaking to ( but remember they can do that by reading your posts too..). Twitterers are generous in sharing good practice and links to new ideas and products. And if you have a business issue by posting a question it is amazing how many will jump in with suggestions and offers of help.

You want to launch a product There are many  challenges on  how to reach the appropriate audience for your product, book, idea, gallery, cafe - whatever. On Twitter you can tell some friends, ask them to “retweet” - that means posting your post on their page and so it continues. I think it might be called viral marketing - or maybe I just made that up.

You want to take part in a fundraiser Hire the venue, organise the caterers, refine the guest list, find a celebrity - and have fun. Well all of this possible through Twitter - without the overheads. The guest list is potentially the entire Twitterverse. Recently there have been a couple of high profile charity requests - one to support a homeless single mother in the US, and the flurry of Twestivals ( which are real live events of Twitterers!!!) across the world  in aid of Wateraid.  The Just Giving website also has a Twitter presence to make donating easy….and there is an fast growing number of celebrities joining Twitter. Stephen Fry and Phillip Schofield are amongst the high profile names who are talking about it on TV, radio and in the press. Just invite them along…

You want to know what is going on in your community The town hall public meeting can be a dry affair but is a good means to finding out what is going on locally or nationally . Or on Twitter you can follow MPs, councillors - even the Mayor of London !

You just want to have fun which surely should  be the point of going to parties. Even business events should have an element of funny stories and good banter . And yes - you guessed - you can get all of that at Twitter. There are links to funny videos, jokes and stories. Follow funny people for your entertainment - be funny and entertaining yourself and others will follow and join your party.

There must be more. I will Tweet this post and will add any more I get! Please “chirp” in yourself!!

The world of business is complicated at the best of times and it seems pretty clear to me that we are not in the best of times at the moment. I was thinking about how we work together  - as individuals, employees and businesses and I wanted to share this story with you.

In my portfolio of work I coach groups of young people on Space Unlimited projects. Since September 4 schools have been  working on a question set by their client - Historic Scotland -  and on Wednesday of this week  they came together to report their findings and ideas.   I was responsible for coaching 2 of the 4 school groups and one of the questions I was asked right at the start was “Is this a competition”.  When I answered that it wasn’t one of the young people joked, saying ”We’ll be the best anyway!”

As time went on each of my schools asked how the other were doing. There was no reason why they shouldn’t contact each other but in practical terms - particularly in the time available in school - it was not possible. So when they came together on Wednesday they were not only making their presentations to the client ( and the Minister for Culture   - who spent ages asking them questions)  but to each other.  They were now mingling freely as one big group of young people brought together for a common purpose.

The ideas and suggestions presented by each school group had similar threads  - which was interesting bearing in mind that they had worked in isolation from each other.  And it became clear that a blend of those ideas might be attractive to the client who asked if they would be willing to chat with her when it comes to developing them further. There was an overwhelming positive response to that.

So in working on this project these groups had considered and were possibly driven by  the competition element ( despite what I said!), saw how their work could complement the work of the others and have an invitation to collaborate in future developments.

Many people work this way intuitively, others have woken up to the potential and are trying it out. I am wondering how we might reach those who are still to be convinced? I think that not only would the business world benefit  - but the world in general.

In December 2003 I had a conversation with the senior partner of the firm I was working with about whether there was enough work for him to be able to keep me on staff in a full time capacity. Part time was possible but not what I wanted so we opted to part company. I had an idea of what the future might look like for me. I had decided to become self employed !

It wasn’t so hard a decision at that point as a friend who had created a programme with Morgan Stanley to get “harder to reach” people into work needed a Scottish representative and that was me. So in January 2004 I stepped out with my new hat on.

That project lasted for 9 months and taking the skills and experience gained forward I was challenged to write a business plan. Here in the UK new businesses can access help from local government backed organisations and at that time grants for computers were also available. A Business Plan was a requirement for the grant though so I set to it.

What kind of work was I going to do? Who would my clients be? What fee rates would I charge? On my own or in partnership/collaboration? How would I market it? What resources did I have/need? What about legal issues, insurance, tax and National Insurance? So many questions . I did the best that I could but I felt that in creating something new I didn’t have the answers until I tried things.  I know that that is not a very commercial way to set up a business - I am married to an accountant so there was no hiding place!

Anyway jump forward 5 years ( 5 years - I can’t believe it) and I look back at the journey. I set out with the mission

To work with others to make a difference.

…and that is what I have done. I veered away from the corporate world which I had inhabited for all of my working life until then and worked with a variety of clients in all sorts of new and interesting areas - charities, in schools, colleges, universities, voluntary groups, public sector agencies, central government departments, with small business owners. I got involved with projects that interested me and took opportunities as and when they came up.

I have learned loads - about myself and the big world out there.

It has been demanding but often fun. I have made great new friends in business and collaborated with people whose work I admire.

And I am thinking - what kind of business plan would that have looked like? Thankfully I never had to take it to the bank manager to look for finance ……

If you have any hints and tips for writing a  business plan please share. I might have to think about it again in the future. Do you think the bank would consider a mind map???