The Communications Doctor Is In

 Helen Vollmer, President, Edelman Southwest

In a digital world, you still need old-fashioned people skills. I recently learned that many medical schools (Stanford, Virginia Tech, UCLA among them) are now including brief interviews (MMI or multiple mini interview) demonstrating social skills as part of their admission process. No longer are test scores and grades the sole barometers of who will be treating you in the future.

Questions asked are designed to assess how candidates think on their feet, how willing they are to participate in teams and how well they listen, empathize, as well as respond when someone disagrees with them. Why are these traits important? According to a recent New York Times article (nytimes.com/health) a survey by the Joint Commission found poor communication to be among the leading causes of medical errors, which cause as many as 98,000 deaths each year.

In short, it would seem that good communications skills are as critical in the medical field today as they are in the business world or in personal relationships.

In fact, from Harvard to Howard, most MBA schools now have specific communications courses integrated into curriculum. Several universities offer dual degree programs, such as John Hopkins’ MA Communication/MBA.

Digital communications skills and knowledge are now a huge part of how we engage with those around us. And that’s a good thing. But our abilities to effectively use hybrid, owned and social media should be complementary to, not a substitute for, the depth of understanding that comes from a handshake, a question in response to listening carefully, a well placed pause for emphasis, or a change in tone to indicate displeasure or approval.

I’m an advocate of “eyeball” meetings whenever it’s possible. You know what it’s like: being in the same room, watching a situation unfold with a bit of give and take. And then comes that moment of realization that you are moving down the same path together or you are still miles apart with differing points of view.

So as we all hone our digital communication skills, let’s not forget the importance of a good bedside manner or the value in a well-turned phrase that’s shared verbally. It’s what the doctor ordered. Take one eyeball meeting and two RSS feeds and call me in the morning.

Communicating with Texas Legislators: Inside the Edelman 2010 Capital Staffers Index

By Danielle Allen, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs

Texas topped CNBC’s Top States for Business 2010 with 64 Fortune 500 companies claiming the Lone Star State as its headquarters. As these companies set about taking their products and services to the global marketplace, they face regulatory and legislative challenges. This begs the question: What are the most effective ways to communicate with policymakers to create the most conducive environment for doing business in Texas, the U.S. and abroad?

Over the years, some of Texas’ most influential policymakers have turned to strategic counselors for advice and direction related to policy matters—as one example, former President Lyndon Johnson looked to trusted advisor Bill Moyers. Similarly, Edelman tapped into this brain trust with our 2010 Capital Staffers Index to gain insight into the most impactful communications techniques for reaching legislators and their constituents.

Despite cultural differences, top aides—whether sitting in Washington, London, Brussels, Paris or Berlin—signaled that digital communications, like Twitter, blogs and Facebook, have made noteworthy gains as effective tools for reaching them and their bosses. In spite of these gains however, traditional outreach—face-to-face meetings, calls and letters—remain the most effective communications methods for reaching elected officials. Today, there are now more channels through which your messages must compete and resonate.

On the front line of policy battles, whether trying to capture the attention of media or legislators, one thing is certain: the effectiveness of your messages will pave the way for success or failure. With so many media channels available, it’s more important than ever for your messages to be simple, concise and compelling. Across the board, staff members say businesses should lead with succinct messages, backed by independent research. Messages resonate best when they align with your audiences’ priorities, particularly job creation (both direct and indirect) and benefits to local communities. In the recent mid-term elections in Texas and across the U.S., we saw just how important the jobs message is to voters. We anticipate that it will also be a key issue in upcoming the presidential election.

We also saw an explosion in the use of social media by legislators and constituents alike and the projections are this trend will only expand over the next three years. While we cannot directly extrapolate these numbers to our own state policy debates, the trends found in Edelman’s trans-Atlantic research certainly reflect what we’ve witnessed in Austin. Since the 81st legislative session in 2009, there has been a sharp rise in Members’ presence on Twitter and Facebook and an uptick in political and public affairs campaigns’ use of these tools to demonstrate grassroots muscle, as we’ve seen in the Speaker’s race. Additionally, policy-focused blogs, such as the Texas Tribune, have become key sources for inside information and smart analysis about political affairs.

As the 82nd legislature session begins, with initiatives vying to stay alive amid the threat of the state’s $20 billion-plus budget shortfall, we’ll undoubtedly see a continued emergence of these trends but with our unique Texas mark on them.

For more insights about our findings and unique perspectives from my colleagues in key world capitals, you can find them here.

Navigating Through Foreign Lands and Languages

  By Sandy Diaz, Account Supervisor, Digital

While working as a marketing manager for a packaging company, I spent quite a bit of time coordinating trade shows throughout Latin America. One of the many shows I attended was held in Mexico City.

Being a native of Peru and bilingual, the last problem I suspected to have was a communication issue.

Prior to my arrival in Mexico City, I received a call from Jorge Luis, the Sales Manager for Mexico. He strongly urged that the booth be equipped with “edecanes” during the show. I had never heard of such a word.

I assured him I would take care of his request, and then quickly reached for a dictionary where the English translation for the word read “aid to camp.”

Ah ha, a first aid kit, of course! With all of the heavy equipment at the booth, it made perfect sense.

The day the trade show opened, everything was perfectly in place, thanks to my stellar planning…so I thought.

Immediately Jorge Luis came running towards me, looking around as if something was missing. That is where I learned the hard way that edecan is NOT a first aid kit, but rather a model.

Being the resourceful person that I am, I managed to find an agency and bring Jorge Luis the “booth babes” he eagerly requested, but I learned a very valuable lesson that day.

When working or traveling internationally, one must never make assumptions regarding language and culture. You must do your research.

Growing up I was surrounded by people from countries throughout Latin America. I can spot an Argentinean or a Puerto Rican accent from miles away. I was aware of the fact that certain words could mean one thing in one country and something awful in another, yet I had not done my homework before my trip to Mexico.

That incident is one I often refer to now working on a digital account for Latin America. The region is larger than many may think. It is the fourth largest continent and contains 12 different countries, each with very distinct dialects, food, traditions and governments. Representing a brand throughout Latin America requires an understanding of just that.

In my case, building a social presence in such a unique region has meant research, getting to know multiple audiences and paying very close attention to detail. Each country requires its own platform or community, just as we would expect in the US. For example, in the States, consumers gravitate to brands that appeal to Americans rather than Australians, even though the language is the same. Each country in Latin America should be seen in that same light.

There are several online resources that can be helpful when preparing for a trip aboard or international work. Kwintessential is a site which features cultural customs, including business etiquette, protocol as well as international training and translation and interpreter services.

You can find information regarding appearance, behavior and communication in certain regions of the world. The site is even broken down my country which makes it even easier to search.

Travel sites such as Frommers.com also offer useful information. The Tips and Tools section of the site provides insight on customs and traditions throughout several travel destinations.

Although English is considered the international language of business, it is important to remember cultures and traditions matter as well. A simple greeting can often be misinterpreted, and could result in much more than just a rush to find booth babes.

Go Digital During the Holidays

  By Jimmy Egeland, Creative Services Manager, Dallas

As we all know in the business world, it is customary during the holiday season to reach out to clients, contacts and prospects to deliver a holiday message. Often times a paper greeting card is the default option. It’s quick; it’s easy, but is it the best option for growing your business?

To best figure out that question, answer this one: what do you do when you get a corporate greeting card in the mail? Read it and then immediately toss it in the trash? Read it and then put it a shelf for a month…and then toss it in the trash?

The point here is that the vast majority of greeting cards—if not all of them—hit the garbage can after their one and only impression. The chances that they live on past the holiday season or that they are shown to anyone other than the original intended recipient are slim to none.

Digital greeting cards change the game. When you take your paper card and postage budget and use it to develop a digital greeting, the chances for your message (and your brand) to reach beyond your initial mailing list expands exponentially.

Creating a fun, memorable or charitable holiday greeting that is online takes advantage of all the methods of sharing—email forwarding, social networks, even distribution channels like YouTube.

A trend towards goodwill and corporate responsibility is tangible in today’s business culture. Why not create an option at the end of your digital greeting card for recipients to choose a charitable organization that your company will make a donation to?

It engages them as they make a positive connection with your brand. After all, companies not only need to provide a great product or service, but also need to be proactive in giving back to the communities they affect.

Will 2010 be the year you ditch the paper card? Take the time to develop your digital approach and be sure to let us know if you need any help along the way. We’ve created plenty of digital holiday greetings for our own company and clients, such as Skanska USA and Armstrong Ceilings, ranging from fun to philanthropic.

Your contacts just might appreciate the change of pace and their contacts just might be introduced to your business.

Tagging: The Next Generation of Mobile Technology

By Mauren Kunz, Sr. Account Executive, Houston

“Excuse me,” shouted a random man who ran up to me as I was leaving the exhibit hall at a recent conference in Washington, D.C. “Can I scan you?”

Now in any other situation, such a comment might be cause to grab the mace and sprint towards the nearest cop, especially in a city formerly referred to as the murder capital of the United States. But instead of running for my life, I turned around and with an inner chuckle, asked if I could do the same.

It was part of PR Newswire’s mobile tagging game at the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)’s International Conference in October, and the way people talked about it, you’d think they were playing to win millions.

What’s the buzz about?

The PRN Game was based on a combination of mobile tagging and social media apps used to boost PR Newswire’s visibility at the event and emphasize the company’s new focus on engagement.

While tagging has been around since 2003 and is highly prominent in Asia, it’s just starting to gain widespread popularity here in the U.S. The technology behind tagging allows an individual to create a 2D barcode for mobile scanning through an app, which then directs a user to a designated website for instant access to information, videos, reviews and more.

When first introduced, tagging was available in the format of a QR (Quick Response) code or data matrix, but in 2009 Microsoft announced its High Capacity Color Barcode (HCCB) in hopes of establishing the company’s unique format as the standard in the west. HCCB codes are a series of colorful triangles, whereas QR and data matrix codes look similar to the black and white scanner image you might see on a shipping package.

How it works:

For the PRN Game, the company created more than 70 different tags that were placed in various areas of the conference, including at exhibit booths, on lobby signs, in conference presentations, and even on staff name badges. Additionally, 30 of those tags were available in small stickers that conference goers could add to their own name badges, which encouraged people to interact with each other.

The back end of the program was setup so that the 70 target sites were part of a value system (worth anywhere from 2-150 points) that tracked and added points with qualifying scans. Additionally, tweets using the #prngame hashtag were worth an additional point. In order to engage attendees’ interest in the company’s product offering, PR Newswire also provided in-booth demonstrations for 4 new services, valued at 100 points per presentation.

While only 62 attendees competed in the game, PR Newswire estimates it generated over 1,000 tweets in 3 days. Pretty impressive considering the number of people participating. On top of that, more than 23 percent of tweets that used the official conference hashtag (#prsa_ic) also included the PRN Game hashtag, which doesn’t even account for the large percentage of people who instead used #prsa2010 or #pra10 as their conference hashtag.

In the end, PR Newswire took advantage of an innovative technology to increase the company’s visibility beyond the 6 x 12 foot booth space purchased for the event. The service provider did an extensive job of spreading content such that even those that participated in the game couldn’t help but be aware of it.

What does it mean for you?

With a generation constantly seeking the electronic version of information, tagging is another way to reduce the load of paper hauling and tree chopping to provide audiences with quick and directed materials in the palm of their hands. Vollmer often avoids the paper build up by offering tagging for quick and easy downloads at client conferences where it sponsors social media tutorial booths and needs to provide handouts.

Companies may soon find ways to integrate tagging codes on displays, in press releases and on other materials. Airline companies such as Continental, are already using mobile tagging for electronic boarding passes, allowing travelers to access codes on their phones for paperless flight check-ins. 

As technology improves and smart phones continue to flood the market, tagging will continue to play a role in the evolution of how we consume information. Who knows, now that we're even exchanging business cards via mobile tags the phrase “Can I scan you?” won’t be so strange after all.

Find the app that’s right for you:

QR Code Reader – http://www.mobile-barcodes.com/qr-code-software/