Jackie Cameron - Coaching and Communication

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!!

On Saturday night we went along to the fundraiser ceilidh organised by a couple of the girls who play basketball for City of Edinburgh Club. Over the years I have been to many ceilidhs but never on as inspirational as this one. What made this one so special?

• It might have been that the youngsters who were there got up and danced from the very first dance. It is usually only a hardy few who take to the floor to encourage others  - but not this time
• Maybe the addition of 30 or so Spanish visitors introduced something? Every one of them got up and tried almost every dance
• It could be that the band was excellent. I really don’t know where they got the energy .
• Or the “caller” of the dance steps - who was hugely encouraging in both English - with a bit of Spanglish thrown it
• Or maybe we were all just in the right frame of mind

But what it showed me was that a successful night ( or success generally) can come from a combination of many factors

• desire to have a go without worrying what anyone thinks ( the youngsters and Spanish guests)
• leadership - those who knew the dance steering those who didn’t ( yet)
• willingness to make mistakes and realising that there is a lot more to be added by contributing than by sitting on the sidelines
• clear instructions ( the caller)
• inclusion regardless of age/ability/gender eg the youngest was about 5. The oldest - well let’s say there were many gray hairs.
• having fun!

Congratulations to all of those involved.

If you are interested here are  videos of  the most popular dances we did -  Dashing White Sergeant and Gay Gordons

My good friend Louise and I were chatting about goals the other night.  I have known her for a long time and have seen her pull a small notebook out of her bag to write furiously on many occasions. As she did this in response to something we had been discussing she told me about Super Seven ( I googled this and was hit with masses of gambling pages ….be clear, that is not what I am talking about here!)

In her little book she makes a list of 7 things to do each day -  business,family, fun things.  And most days she does them all. Apart from being very organised that can also be very satisfying.

Now my poor long suffering husband has put up with my poor completer/finisher tendencies and suddenly I see light at the end of the tunnel - for both of us. He leaves me notes ( on scraps of paper) of what to do. I tidy them up …and they never see the light of day again. He asks how I got on with a particular task…well you can guess the rest.

So I have started my own Super Seven book.

And there is an exciting new twist on this for Louise and I - well we think so anyway. We only write our lists on the right hand page. The page opposite is left blank. So we have decided to start to note on that page the highlights of the day. OK - I have only been doing this for  a few days but my highlights have included 3 year old Grace drawing me a picture with a heart on it for my office, a fun conversation with  a friend in France during which we decided that having patience will reap rewards and finding an exhibition of the history of printing in Edinburgh which included a section on bookbinding - my Dad’s craft.

So at the end of the year we will have acheived most of the 7 goals for each day and we will have a record of at least 365 highlights.

It is simple - but I think inspirational.

Please share if you already do something like this. And if you do start your own Super Seven books let us know!

Basketball is a minority sport in Scotland so I am delighted when I meet new people who are becoming involved in our club - usually because their son or daughter have taken up the game.  Otherwise a common comment I hear is that you don’t need to watch the whole of a basketball game -you only need to tune in for the last minute or so. Saturday’s game was indeed one of those “nip and tuck” games where ther was not much between the teams and the 6 point difference ( we lost unfortunately) decided the outcome.

Our students on the communication day of their management in practice programme last week were talking about effective methods of getting the information they need  and I realised there are parallels with basketball. Bear with me while I explore these…

1 Tuning in for the last minute Sometimes all you  need to know  to allow you to get on with your job is the outcome of a discussion about an issue .

2 Getting the score at the end of each quarter My friend’s husband could not be at the game so she texted at the end of each quarter so that he could keep track. Sometimes all you need at work is a short. regular update

3 Sitting throught the whole game. This relies on a genuine hook to hold your interest and/or need to have information to allow you to influence as things develop.

4 Sitting near the bench so that you can hear the coach’s instructions  (I suspect this is more Scottish League than NBA. Though I have watched some close ups of NBA coaches on TV and I got the gist of what they were saying!) Some people feel they want to be in on all communications with the leader!

5 Being in the changing rooms for the pre match, half time and post match team talks. I am sure  many of us wished that we could have been included at this level in workplace issues. For others the best input they can give is at these stages and they really don’t need to be involved in a day to day basis.

Can you think of any more?

I just learned about e-mail goggles from Google which you can have click in late in the evening when, after a glass or two of wine, you  might be tempted to fire off that e-mail that you will regret in the cold light of day. It sounds like a good idea to me - but I am sure it might be a helpful addition to managing e-mail all of the time.

I am sure I am not alone in having sent an e-mail that, almost as soon as I pressed the send button, I realised that it was not what I meant to say or should have said. On particularly sticks in my mind. I was e-mailling a colleague about a project and mentioned the contribution of someone else working with us. It was absolutely not my intention but the way I worded it made is sound like I did not value what they had done. If she had been the only one on the send list that would have been fine but I had of course - you guessed - hit the “reply all” button. Arrrgh. I had the choice of doing nothing and waiting to see what response it got or getting my apology in early and I opted for the latter. I think I got away with it ..

And in my time I have been the recipient of e-mails that I am sure ( or  I really hope ) were sent in haste. When I was an international relocation  consultant I gave my clients’ employees a huge amount of leeway as relocating your family is a very stressful and emotional time for everyone. But sometimes I received what I could almost - to be melodramatic - could be considered an “assault”.

One guy seemed to have lost the plot completely in his e-mail accusing me of being responsible for his dog being quarantined ( it was the law…) and asking me how I felt about being a jailer! Another had been offered a promotion which would require him and his family to move to the US from the UK. As a favour to his employer and a gesture of goodwill a contact in the town he was moving to offered to drive him round to get an orientation before he made his final decision to move. On his return I found an e-mail i my inbox where - amongst other things he commented on the itellectual ability of the contact, that he had been “horrified” to be shown properties in areas in which he could not possibly ask his family to live, and I had insulted him by introducing me to someone who drove a beat up old car. I had no alternative but to forward this rant to his HR manager. That reminded me that doing someone a favour can sometimes backfire! I learned that he decided not to take the promotion. I guess his state of mind when he wrote me the e-mail told me that that would be the case!

Please share your stories ( if you can). Maybe there should be a blog comment goggles available too ( that would be the moderator then!).